Pine Fog · Mystery & crime
At Ashen Court, eight guests gather for a storm-bound weekend—and discover a ninth place already set at the dinner table. Their host, Sir Alden Crowe, promises to expose the truth behind a fifteen-year-old family secret before the final toast.
He never gets the chance.
With the roads cut off and every glass, letter, timetable, and silence suddenly carrying weight, paid companion Ida Greaves becomes the only person in the house willing to count what does not add up. Over the course of one rain-darkened night, she must separate old guilt from present murder and uncover who had the strongest reason to keep the ninth chair empty.
A classic closed-house mystery
- A storm-isolated Jacobean country house
- Eight suspects gathered around one accusing place setting
- Fair-play clues hidden in ordinary objects
- A quietly observant amateur investigator
- A complete standalone story
The Ninth Place is a compact English mystery for readers who enjoy atmospheric country-house crimes, sharp social observation, and drawing-room revelations.
Written by Elaine Marsh and published by Pine Press.
