The Monsal Trail Murder in Derbyshire

A Bakewell Baker Mystery: An Atmospheric English Village Whodunnit (The Flour Power Mysteries Book 13)

By: Andy Nichols

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

The Tunnels Don’t Give Up Their Secrets Easily.

In the heart of the Peak District, late September has painted the ash and hazel trees with the first strokes of autumn gold. For Olivia Baker Reid, it should be a season of professional triumph. Her bakery, Flour Power, is thriving enough that she finally has the "commercial freedom" to step away from the ovens for a day. She has accepted a prestigious commission: catering a high-end corporate picnic for Meridian Property Solutions, a Midlands development firm.

The plan is simple: deliver twelve meticulously engineered picnic boxes to Bakewell station and join the group for a ride along the historic Monsal Trail to the majestic Headstone Viaduct. But as the corporate team enters the 530-meter curve of the Cressbrook Tunnel—a place where the far end is invisible and the darkness is absolute—the day takes a lethal turn.

A Closed-Group Mystery in the Heart of Derbyshire.

Nick Fearon, the group’s local guide and a man who knew every limestone ridge of his Tideswell home, is found unconscious near his bicycle at the tunnel's exit. He has been struck down by a blunt-force blow, and by four-fifteen that afternoon, he is dead.

The problem is a classic "closed-group" puzzle. All eleven members of the party were in the tunnel at the same time. There is no CCTV, no other witnesses, and no escape route. The tunnel’s unique acoustics amplify and distort every sound, making it the perfect place for a private confrontation to turn deadly.

As DCI Walsh and DI Callum Reid begin the grueling task of mapping exit orders and alibis, Olivia realizes she holds the key. While waiting at the tunnel’s eastern entrance, she caught a glimpse of a stationary figure in the gloom—a figure she didn't register as significant until the investigation began to stall.

Corporate Greed vs. Village Heritage.

The investigation peels back the polished veneer of Meridian Property Solutions to reveal a ruthless acquisition in Tideswell that threatens 107 local jobs. With a £340,000 personal bonus on the line, someone in the group was willing to kill to keep a geography teacher from leaking the truth to the press. To catch the killer, Olivia must apply the "recipe method" to the crime: fix the constants, eliminate the variables, and find the one ingredient that doesn't belong.

A Milestone Moment in the Bakery Kitchen.

Amidst the shadows of the Monsal Trail, a long-awaited chapter in Olivia and Callum’s lives finally arrives. There are no grand gestures on the viaduct and no managed sunsets. Instead, in the quiet warmth of a Tuesday morning in the bakery kitchen—surrounded by the smell of proving bread and the taste of truly terrible coffee—a life-changing question is asked and answered. It is a moment of "plainness and devotion" that marks the series’ most significant personal milestone.

What’s Inside the Box?

• A Gripping British Whodunnit: A complex puzzle involving timing, geometry, and the "ninety-second gap".

• Atmospheric Peak District Setting: From the "Cathedral of the Peak" to the cold, wet limestone of the railway tunnels.

• Culinary Sleuthing: Follow Olivia as she solves the "engineering challenge" of the perfect trail picnic.

  14 Authentic Recipes: Includes Tuesday Morning Sourdough, Dark Treacle Parkin, Tideswell Gingerbread, and the Viaduct Picnic Box itself.

• Perfect for fans of Faith Martin, Betty Rowlands, and Joy Ellis, The Monsal Trail Murder is a celebration of landscape, heritage baking, and the quiet resilience of the human heart.

Will the darkness of the tunnel hide the truth, or will the baker find the clue everyone else walked past?