Sostenuto

A rival found dead. A suspicious final message. And a blind piano tuner accused of murder.

Midsummer in Breckensford should be a celebration. Twelve brightly painted street pianos are raising money to save the town's historic Corn Exchange concert hall, and blind piano tuner Octavia Bird has promised to keep them all in tune.

Then she has a public argument with fellow tuner Gareth Dunscombe, a former rival she has finally learned to respect.

Hours later, he sends her an urgent message.

Wednesday. Eight o'clock. The piano warehouse. Come on your own. I'll show you.

Octavia arrives late. Nobody answers her knock, and she leaves an irritated message before heading home.

The following morning, Gareth is found dead beneath a fallen upright piano.

And Octavia is the last person known to have contacted him.

Suddenly, the woman who usually helps solve murders is suspected of committing one.

Questioned by the police, suspended from her work at the concert hall, and shunned by a detective she once trusted, Octavia finds herself dangerously isolated.

But Gareth's urgent message suggests he had discovered something important. Something hidden among the warehouse's pianos.

With her faithful guide dog Crotchet beside her, Octavia must uncover what Gareth wanted to show her-and find evidence strong enough to clear her name.

This time, instinct alone won't be enough. And the people she needs most may no longer believe her.

Somewhere among the silent pianos lies the secret Gareth died trying to reveal.

Sostenuto is Book Eight in The Piano Tuner's Ear Mysteries, an atmospheric British cozy mystery featuring a resourceful blind amateur sleuth, her loyal guide dog, musical intrigue, strained friendships, and a cleverly constructed murder puzzle.

Perfect for readers who love traditional British murder mysteries, intelligent female sleuths, classical music mysteries, English small-town settings, and ingenious whodunits.

A clean, standalone cozy mystery with no graphic violence or profanity, a satisfying, fairly clued solution, and plenty of Somerset summer charm, gentle humor, and unexpected twists.

Octavia has spent her life bringing pianos back into tune. Now she must clear her own name before everything she's worked for falls apart.