By A. Penrose
The Penrose Investigations Series
Penrose Investigations is a series of standalone cosy mysteries by A. Penrose set in Seabrook, a fictional seaside town in the south of England, featuring retired detective Arthur Penrose, his grand-niece Alice and his cat Holmes.
What a Penrose mystery is
A Penrose mystery is a separate case each time, and it keeps the same promises each time.
- A death, early. Most books have one, found or questioned early and never shown. The crimes are human ones and nothing is supernatural. The prequel is the exception: nobody dies in it.
- A client the police have shrugged at. Somebody climbs the stairs above Harper’s Bookshop with a trouble the police will not take up. The police have their reasons, and they are never stupid ones.
- Fair play. Every clue is on the page before Penrose says what it means.
- Two small puzzles. Alongside the case, two small domestic mysteries. Deck chairs three inches out of place. A tea room that keeps losing its sugar bowls.
- A cat who is an ordinary cat. Holmes never speaks and never solves anything. He is reliable about places and objects, and never about people.
- Alice. Penrose’s grand-niece, sixteen, who edits the school paper and can find most things on the internet in about twelve seconds.
- A proper cup of tea. Finch’s Tea Room, the same shops and the same people, and a fire to end on.
- Cosy rules. No swearing and no gore. Everyone is treated as a person, the guilty included.
The reading order
The books may be read in any order. For readers who like to begin at the beginning, this is the order in which things happened in Seabrook.
- The prequel A Small Matter of a Missing Cat Set in October 2025. Free with the Postcards, coming soon.
- Book 1 Murder at Seabrook Pier Set in March 2026. Coming to Kindle and Kindle Unlimited.
- Book 2 Grounds for Murder Set in June 2026. Coming to Kindle and Kindle Unlimited.
- Book 3 The Seabrook Regatta Sabotage Set in July 2026. Coming to Kindle and Kindle Unlimited.
More cases are planned after the regatta. Titles will be given here when they are certain, and readers of Postcards from Seabrook will hear first.
Questions readers ask
Is Seabrook a real place?
No. Seabrook is a fictional seaside town on the south coast of England, invented by A. Penrose for the Penrose Investigations mysteries. It has a Victorian pier, a working harbour, a High Street and a newspaper, the Seabrook Chronicle. No county is ever named, and Hartbury, where the nearest railway station is, is invented too.
Who is A. Penrose?
A. Penrose is the author of the Penrose Investigations mysteries. A. Penrose retired long ago, lives by the sea, and dreams up impossibly wicked stories. No further particulars are given out, and there is no photograph.
Do I need to read the books in order?
No. Every Penrose mystery stands alone, with its own case, its own client and its own ending. Readers who go in order will see the town change a little from book to book. Nobody who starts in the middle will be lost.
Are the books cosy?
Yes. The Penrose Investigations are cosy mysteries, with no swearing and no gore. Deaths happen off the page and are treated with respect, and the guilty are treated as people. The humour is dry, and there is a good deal of tea.
Is Holmes a talking cat?
No. Holmes the cat is a grey tabby and an ordinary cat, who does nothing a real cat could not do. He never speaks and never solves anything. He is reliable about places and objects, such as a windowsill or a harbour wall, and never about people.
How many books will there be?
Four are announced: the prequel, A Small Matter of a Missing Cat, and three novels, Murder at Seabrook Pier, Grounds for Murder and The Seabrook Regatta Sabotage. More are planned after those.
Is “cosy” the same as the American spelling with a z?
Yes. Cosy is the British spelling, and American readers spell the same word with a z. Either way it means the same sort of book: a mystery with a proper puzzle, a place you would like to visit, and no gore or swearing. These books are British, so they are cosy with an s.
Where can I get the free prequel?
A Small Matter of a Missing Cat is not sold in any shop. It is the free book for readers of Postcards from Seabrook, the monthly newsletter, and it will be sent to subscribers when the download is ready. The first postcard is posted in January 2027.
Holmes wisdom: Holmes is reliable about places and objects. He has never once been right about a person.