A picturesque West Country village. A missing piece of history. A secret buried beneath sixty years of silence.
When young journalist Posy Meadowsweet leaves the noise of city life for a fresh start in the beautiful Cider Mill Village, she expects to write gentle stories about apple harvests, village traditions and rural characters. With its honey-coloured cottages, ancient orchards and cider-scented lanes, the village seems to offer everything she has been searching for.
Then the carved wooden handle disappears from the historic Heartwood Press.
The villagers insist it is nothing more than a harmless prank, but their carefully guarded expressions tell Posy otherwise. Her questions lead her towards a forgotten cider-mill accident, altered records, hidden photographs and the story of Clara Thatch, a young woman whose warnings were ignored decades earlier.
Someone has spent a lifetime protecting Clara’s memory. Someone else is determined to keep the past buried.
As Posy draws closer to the truth, she discovers that Cider Mill Village is bound together not only by friendship and tradition but also by a collective promise never to speak about what happened in 1929. Even a shrivelled apple left on her windowsill carries an unmistakable warning: stop asking questions.
But some truths refuse to remain hidden.
Warm, atmospheric and rich in village character, The Cider Mill Secret is a thoughtful, cosy mystery about memory, belonging, inherited guilt and the courage required to confront an uncomfortable past. It is perfect for readers who enjoy gentle investigations, rural English settings, historical secrets and mysteries driven by compassion rather than violence.
In a village built on apples, loyalty and silence, uncovering the truth may be the only way to make it whole again.
Why readers will enjoy it
An atmospheric West Country village setting
A warm and determined young journalist
An abandoned cider mill and an ancient wooden press
A mystery reaching back to the 1920s
Hidden records, missing artefacts and family secrets
Gentle humour and memorable village characters
Themes of truth, forgiveness, loyalty and belonging
A satisfying, emotionally resonant conclusion
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