02 September 2025
‘Murderously good’ – DAILY EXPRESS
‘Twisty, funny and irresistibly dark’ – TOM HINDLE
‘Brims with Hallett’s signature wit. Her best book yet’ – PETER SWANSON
The answer is murder.
The question is whodunnit?
A quiet country pub stands empty, its windows boarded up. And its kindly landlords, Mal and Sue Eastwood, are missing.
What could have happened? A lot of strange events occurred in the days before the Eastwoods disappeared. A murdered man pulled from the nearby river. An eccentric couple on a houseboat who claimed to be led by a spirit guide. And a mysterious new team who suddenly appeared and began winning every round at the weekly pub quiz – much to the anger of the locals. They must have been cheating, but no one could figure out how…
Can you crack the case of the missing landlords? Someone’s not been playing fair, so get the drinks in and see if you can get a perfect score.
‘Devilishly additive. I loved every line’ – LOUISE CANDLISH
‘Another brilliant, twisty mystery from Janice Hallett’ – ELLY GRIFFITHS
‘So clever and entertaining’ – JENNIE GODFREY
‘The modern queen of crime does it again’ – IAN MOORE
To: Polly Baker
From: Dominic Eastwood
Date: 25 October 2024
Subject: Re: Documentary idea
Dear Polly,
Your reply arrived in the middle of my visit to the site where so much action took place. That has to be a positive omen! I’m thrilled you want to hear more about it.
Please, may I request that you don’t look up the case yet? You see, what was reported isn’t the whole story and I’d love it if you could witness events as they unfold, so to speak, rather like the viewer would. I’ll send through everything I have – in bite-sized chunks – and if, at any time, you don’t wish to read any more, just say.
So, I am sitting writing this in what looks like a typical English public house called The Case is Altered. It’s situated in the county of Hertfordshire, to the north-west of London. Photos attached. You’ll see it’s nestled down a narrow lane that leads to a disused boatyard and tumbledown pier on the River Colne. But no one who gets that far down the lane lingers for long, including me. Some places have an aura about them.
Tall trees loom either side, making the area rather gloomy, even on sunny days, but perfect for a montage of atmospheric opening scenes! That said, The Case is Altered itself has all the ingredients of a picture-perfect, chocolate-box country pub: thatched roof, leaded windows and creeping plants snaking around a wooden trellis over the door. But if that conjures up expectations of a cosy bar, deep red carpets, oak panels and a roaring fire, you’d be wrong. Now, anyway.
My aunt and uncle, Sue and Mal Eastwood, were landlords here from December 2017 to October 2019. Since then it’s been frozen in time – first by the pandemic, then by red tape and finally, malaise – as a result, its doors remain closed. They only opened today when I applied my shoulder to them.
At one time this place thrived, thanks to constant river traffic on one side and, on the other, the regular footfall of thirsty workers walking home along the main road. But that was long before Sue and Mal arrived, full of plans to revive a failing business – their first pub and the start of a whole new career.
They had no other family and, after a disagreement, sadly fell out with my parents, and by default me, many years ago. But they were not lonely here. During their short tenure, my aunt and uncle were close to a core of regular customers and other publicans in the county, in particular those attached to the same brewery, many of whom are exactly the sort of engaging and articulate ‘characters’ who would bring a documentary to life!
After many months and several requests from me and my solicitor, the police finally forwarded the case file, and that, along with other information not made available at the time, is what I’ll send through for you to read. It paints a picture of Sue and Mal as community-minded people determined to make their new venture a success. From the refreshed decor inside and out, to the weekly quiz nights, they were entirely focused on reviving the fortunes of ‘The Case’ – and this hard work paid off.
So where did it all go wrong? That’s what television viewers will want to know. Yet, as you read the following, you’ll see that what you know can be fatal.
Best wishes,
Dominic
