Dotty Sayers and Keya Varma are visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about A Maypole of Deceit, the latest novel in the Cotswold Antique mystery series.

Welcome, Dotty and Keya. Let’s get started, shall we?

Tell us about the novel that you live inside. Is it part of a series? If so, please tell us about the series too.

Hi, I’m Dotty Sayers and I manage Akemans auction house in the Cotswolds.

Hiya, I’m Keya Varma. Oops, Keya Kerr. I keep forgetting to use my married name as it seems so strange after so many years as either Constable or Sergeant Varma. But I’m no longer a police officer either. I run the Waterwheel Cafe next to the auction house and antiques centre at Akemans. I also retrained as a crime scene manager.

Dotty: We work together to solve mysteries in the Cotswold Antique Mystery series. This book, A Maypole of Deceit, is the 5th in the series.

Keya: Despite having so much to do, I agreed to be on the committee for Coln Akeman’s annual May Day celebrations. It came as a shock on the morning of the event when we found a body tied to the maypole. And by the ribbons the children should have been dancing around with.

Dotty: We managed to move the celebrations to Akemans whilst Keya and her husband carried out the forensic investigation.

Keya: We didn’t recognise the victim. He was a stranger to the village.

Dotty: But we learned that he wasn’t a decent man. He made his living using lasting powers of attorney to strip vulnerable people of their homes, their savings and their independence. All of it was perfectly legal, but what a dreadful way to treat people.

Keya: That meant we had a lot of suspects but very little evidence. I worked with Inspector Lynn Lockwood and her team at Cirencester Police Station and, with Dotty’s help, we finally reached the sad truth.

Dotty: At least that man wouldn’t be able to hurt anyone in the future. And there was a happy ending too. Some of the older members of my team had been searching for a missing friend for some time. I am glad to say they found here.

Keya: So peace can return to the Cotswolds. And as for what life has in store for us next, well. Let’s just say I have rather more to look forward to than I expected.

Does the writer control what happens in the story or do you get a say too?

Dotty: The story is a team effort. We have our lives to live and that needs to be included.

Keya: But Victoria chooses the theme, the crime and introduces us to new suspects. How we go about the investigation is our choice.

Dotty: Sometimes we are distracted. I still have the auction house to run and Keya has her cafe.

Keya: My crime scene work generally focuses me on the case and as I liaise with Inspector Lynn Lockwood and her team, I’m included in regular updates. Sujin, my husband, and I are also involved in the forensic side of most of the investigations.

How did you evolve as the main character?

Dotty: I began my journey with my own Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery series. It starts when I first join Akemans as a receptionist and progresses through my training in antiques, the challenges I overcame, the places I visited and of course the friends I made. I met Keya during this time as we worked on several cases together.

Keya: As Dotty said, I first met her when she joined Akemans and we worked a case together. There have been many more since. When I opened the Waterwheel Cafe I started my own series of books based on the mysteries I was involved with. Dotty was away for some of these but now she is back we have joined forces, and both of us help solve the crimes in the Cotswold Antique Mystery series.

Do you have any other characters you like sharing the story with? If so, why are you partial to them?

Dotty: We are a strong community at Akemans and in our local village, Coln Akeman, so many characters are included in the stories. From the beginning there was Gilly Wimsey, who runs the antiques centre at Akemans, and her husband Dr Peter. Gillie’s Aunt Beanie has been a huge part of my story and she also offered me a cottage to live in. Earl Grey, my cat, and I were very happy there. But a newer character to my journey is my boyfriend Zach. He and I are now living together and searching for a house to buy.

Keya: I have my husband Sujin, who I also work with on the forensic side. I sometimes wonder how he puts up with me. Many of my former colleagues at Cirencester Police Station moved on when the teams were reorganised. But I get on well with Inspector Lynn Lockwood, who joined the station, and her small team. This includes Gilly’s son Thomas Wimsey, who is now a constable. I also have my sister Zivah, who I couldn’t do without at the café, and that goes for the rest of my team there too.

What’s the place like where you find yourself in this story?

Dotty: Do you mean the place in my life or in geographical terms? In my life, I feel I’m settling down and things are a little easier. In fact, I’m very lucky. I have a wonderful boyfriend and I still can’t believe I’m managing Akemans auction house. I have a great team there with Marion and Clara in the office. Zach and I live in the attractive Cotswold town of Burford. It does attract a lot of visitors in the summer so we’re looking for our own place. And I have my health, my friends and Earl Grey.

Keya: The Cotswolds are a wonderful place to live, especially in springtime. I love to see the hedgerows change colour, the new leaves on the trees and all the wonderful flowers. I often find myself singing along to tunes on Corinium Radio when driving in the sunshine. As for my place in life, I feel wonderfully fulfilled. I still work in law enforcement but I also have my cafe. I’m recently married to the wonderful Sujin and… well, you really should read the book.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell readers about you and the book?

Dotty: This is a fabulous springtime mystery with a village setting and the Cotswolds looking their best. It can be read as a standalone. But if you’d like to know more about me, Keya and our journeys, you can start at the beginning with my prequel, Hour is Come. Visit Victoria’s website to download your copy: https://victoriatait.com/

Keya: As Dotty says, please do come and visit us in the Cotswolds. And if you’d like to read about my wedding, and the rather unfortunate case Sujin and I found ourselves involved in, go back and read A Honeymoon of Havoc.

Dotty: We hope to see you soon at Akemans, or out and about in the Cotswolds.

Thank you for answering my questions, Dotty and Keya, and good luck to you and your author, Victoria Tait, with A Maypole of Deceit, the latest book in the Cotswold Antique mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Dotty and Keya and their author, Victoria Tait by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook, Goodreads, Bookbub, and Instagram pages.

The novel is available at Amazon

About Victoria Tait: Victoria was born and raised in Yorkshire, England, where she discovered a passion for mystery fiction and storytelling. Inspired by the works of Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Midsomer Murders, she writes British cozy mysteries infused with her signature British charm.

Her determined and hard-working female sleuths are joined by colourful but realistic teams of helpers, and her settings are vivid and evocative. With intrigue, surprises, and gentle humour, Victoria’s page-turning stories offer engaging whodunits, best enjoyed with a cup of tea and a slice of cake. Victoria’s  books avoid graphic content and profanity, focusing on character, logic, and the steady work of uncovering truth.

Victoria has recently been exploring the world, drawing inspiration for her books from remarkable places including the Azores, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Morocco, and Malta.

Read the FREE prequel to her Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery series at her website.