A Fool and His Money is the third volume in the Bartlett and Boase Mysteries, a warm-hearted series of detective stories that hearken back to the Golden Age of crime fiction.

1924, Cornwall. When a man is found dead from gunshot wounds on Hunter's Path, a picturesque spot in Falmouth, it's up to Inspector Bartlett and Constable Boase to find out whodunit – and, more importantly, why.

The dead man, Clicker the Clown, was the main attraction at Martin’s Circus – and with his reputation as a kindly and well-respected old soul, who would want to kill him? As Bartlett and Boase investigate, they discover old enmities and a close-knit community which doesn’t want to give up its secrets … even if that means the gallows for some.

Meanwhile, the detectives have to combat interference from the higher ranks in the force – and problems in their personal lives which threaten to spoil the best-laid plans…

Marina Pascoe