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Sybil Harcourt and the
Harcourt & Hemlock
Cosy Mystery Series
Welcome to the world of Sybil Harcourt and her wine merchants, Harcourt & Hemlock — two unlikely partners bound together by old estates, fine wine, questionable acquaintances, and a talent for uncovering trouble in the most civilised settings imaginable.
Set against the backdrop of English country houses, crumbling manors, sweeping vineyards, and centuries-old secrets, the Harcourt & Hemlock mysteries blend traditional whodunnits with gothic elegance and a generous splash of dry humour. Whether investigating a suspicious death at a vineyard, a cursed inheritance, or a family rivalry that’s been simmering longer than a barrel-aged port, Sybil always manage to find answers… though rarely without ruffling a few aristocratic feathers along the way.
Expect intrigue, wit, heritage, wine lore, eccentric characters, and mysteries with a vintage finish.
If you enjoy cosies that lean toward the gothic, the refined, and the delightfully peculiar, this is the series for you.
Any Port In A Storm
Book 1 in the series
A port tasting turns deadly in Sybil Harcourt’s historic wine cellar—now it’s up to Bristol’s sharpest tongue to sniff out a killer hiding behind vintage lies.
At Harcourt & Hemlock, Bristol’s quirkiest wine shop, former sommelier Sybil Harcourt knows how to pair a vintage with just about anything—except murder.
When a respected violin restorer collapses at one of Sybil’s exclusive port tastings, the event takes a deadly turn. With the only poisoned glass missing and every guest under suspicion, Sybil uncorks a cellar full of secrets. From forged antiques to vanished bottles and a bow that sings false, it’s clear someone went to great lengths to keep the past buried.
Joined by her sharp-eyed niece Phoebe and a sardonic detective with a surprising palate, Sybil must pour over every detail before the killer vanishes like a ghost in a decanter.
Witty, atmospheric, and laced with just the right amount of tannin, Any Port in a Storm is the first in a sparkling new cosy mystery series for lovers of fine wine, fine clues, and ferociously clever heroines.
The Cellar Below
Book 2 in the series
A hidden cellar. A sealed vault. A bottle that never belonged.
Wine merchant Sybil Harcourt uncorks a decades-old secret that someone would still kill to keep buried.
In the heart of Bristol, beneath an old wine shop, a secret waits behind the bricks.
When Sybil Harcourt, sharp-tongued wine merchant and reluctant local legend, agrees to let a historical society explore the lower cellars of her shop, she doesn’t expect them to find a sealed vault—or a skeleton with a suspiciously rare bottle of port.
Drawn into a decades-old mystery with connections to her late friend Edward, Sybil is soon joined by her intuitive niece Phoebe and no-nonsense DS Dawn Vickery, whose growing interest in both wine and Phoebe proves equally unexpected. As whispers of fraud, forged vintages, and long-buried rivalries rise to the surface, it becomes clear: someone was willing to kill for the perfect bottle.
Witty, atmospheric, and rich with wine lore, The Cellar Below uncorks a vintage mystery full of dry humour, slow-building suspense, and characters you’ll want to share a glass with. Just—mind what’s in the glass.
Murder At The Castle
Book 3 in the series
A nobleman’s death, a priceless wine collection, and a cellar full of lies—Sybil Harcourt uncorks a mystery that’s as intoxicating as it is deadly.
When a titled aristocrat dies suddenly in his castle near Bath, suspicion first falls on his glamorous young wife. But when part of his world-renowned wine collection vanishes, the case takes a twist—and Detective Sergeant Vickery turns to Sybil Harcourt for help.
Wine merchant, reluctant sleuth, and connoisseur of human folly, Sybil is drawn into a world of deception where vintage labels are forged, cellars are sabotaged, and everyone has something to protect. As secrets ferment behind stone walls and swirling port, Sybil must separate the genuine from the fake—before the next bottle uncorked is her own undoing.
Witty, elegant, and sharply observed, Death at the Castle is the third mystery in the Harcourt & Hemlock series, perfect for fans of Richard Osman, SJ Bennett, and anyone who believes murder pairs best with a full-bodied red.
The Cursed Vineyard
Book 4 in the series
A vineyard with a curse. A corpse in a cask. And one wine-soaked reporter determined to uncork the truth — preferably before dinner.
Quinta da Maldição has always had a reputation — for exquisite port, whispering vines, and the small matter of an old family curse. But when intrepid food and wine journalist Sybil Harcourt arrives in Portugal for a symposium, she uncovers something far less palatable than folklore: corporate sabotage, buried secrets, and, eventually… a body in a barrel.
With local loyalties fraying and the vineyard’s future on the line, Sybil must navigate a tangle of old grievances, vintage lies, and one particularly stubborn matriarch to get to the truth. Preferably without ruining her shoes. Or her career.
Witty, warm, and steeped in atmosphere, The Vineyard Vanishes is a mystery for lovers of slow-sipped suspense, sharp-tongued heroines, and endings with just the right amount of tannin.
The Case Of The Dehydrated Wine
Book 5 in the series
When a brilliant scientist dies after inventing dehydrated wine, Sybil uncorks a deadly conspiracy—and discovers that counterfeit vintages aren’t the only things worth killing for.
When Sybil Harcourt returns from Portugal, she expects her Bristol wine shop to be exactly as she left it. Instead, she walks into a mystery. A scientist has created a groundbreaking process to dehydrate wine—removing all water and leaving nothing but flavour in powdered form. It sounds absurd… until Sybil tastes the rehydrated result and can’t tell it from the real thing.
When the inventor is found dead, Sybil’s curiosity turns to alarm. Her samples prove shockingly perfect. Premium wines begin appearing at suspiciously low prices. And a sinister Welsh-Italian crime syndicate—known as the Taffia—seems determined to keep Sybil out of their business, no matter the cost.
As counterfeit vintages flood the market and a kidnapping attempt strikes too close to home, Sybil teams up with DS Dawn Vickery to uncork a sprawling fraud operation involving duty evasion, scientific theft, and murder. But the deeper they dig, the more dangerous the case becomes.
In a world where even the finest wines can be faked, can Sybil trust her palate—and her instincts—before the Taffia strike again?
A witty, atmospheric cosy mystery filled with danger, deception, and the dark side of the wine trade. Perfect for fans of character-driven sleuths, high-stakes puzzles, and a dash of humour with their murder.