MURDER BY PROXY

Murder by Proxy returns to the quiet retirement village of Beacon Point, where the death of Frank Hollis appears, at first glance, to be a private tragedy. But Margaret Doyle knows grief, loneliness, and despair too well to accept the easy explanation. Frank had recently begun smiling again. He was planning a garden, taking mysterious calls, and speaking as though life had opened a door he thought had closed forever. Then he was found dead, leaving behind an empty bank account, an unfinished future, and questions no one in authority seems eager to ask. As Margaret, Arthur, Valerie, Michael, Dorothy and the rest of Beacon Point's unlikely committee begin to look closer, they uncover something darker than a simple romance scam. Someone has been studying the village's most vulnerable residents — learning who is lonely, who has savings, and who might be persuaded to trust the wrong person. Set against the coast of Kowhai Bay, Murder by Proxy is a warm but unsettling mystery about trust, shame, ageing, and the hidden dangers that can reach even the most peaceful communities. At its heart is a simple question: when kindness itself becomes a weapon, how do you recognise the danger before it is too late?