The Secret in No. 19

A Novel

Laura Foster

In this thrilling debut mystery, two strangers band together to discover the truth behind the death of a teenager, but some secrets want to stay hidden…

Albert Hodge is ready for his life to end.

Since losing his beloved Beth, and with his son now living in Australia, he has retreated to the quiet routine of Pear Tree Place retirement village—enduring the meddlesome kindness of his assigned “buddy,” Judith Merriweather, and the long days of organized activity as he waits out the clock of life.

Until Sylvia Carraway arrives.

Much younger than the average resident, Sylvia smokes, drinks, and plays Rachmaninoff at window-rattling volume. She’s disruptive, magnetic, and everything Albert has been trying to avoid. But when he’s reluctantly appointed as Sylvia’s “buddy,” he becomes entangled in a decades-old mystery: the unsolved murder of Sylvia’s younger sister. Sylvia believes a killer lives among them and she will stop at nothing to deliver the justice she has waited decades for.

But Albert soon discovers everything is not what it seems. Sylvia has been lying to him and could be just as culpable of terrible acts as the person she is chasing. As dark pasts surface and alliances shift, Albert finds himself—in his winter years—an unlikely detective with a very serious decision to make.

Laura Foster grew up in Birmingham and studied philosophy at the University of Nottingham before completing a Master’s in Philosophy of Religion and Ethics at the University of Birmingham. After attending Faber Academy, she discovered her voice in fiction and a community of fellow writers. She now lives in Bristol with her family. This is her first novel.

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Endorsements & Reviews

“Laura Foster’s sympathetic and nuanced characters jump off the page. I couldn’t help falling in love with Albert, Sylvia, and Judith. This is a mystery that peels back the layers of humanity to expose who we truly are with wit, humor, and compassion.” Danielle Arcenaux, author of the Glory Broussard Mysteries series

"A slow-burn feast of a book that takes you on a twisty path of discovery about human desire – insightful, deeply poignant and unputdownable. The Secret in No. 19 will take root and linger in your mind for days, years after first read." Harini Nagendra, author of the The Bangalore Detectives' Club Series

“Once I started reading The Secret in No. 19, I found it impossible to put down. The mystery buried within the book will keep you turning the pages but it is the deeply relatable characters that make this a stand-out novel. The story is written with real heart, depth and compassion right up to the very last line. I devoured it.” Jen Bray, author of The Lies Between Us

"While Laura Foster’s reluctant hero may seem on the surface to be yet another of the increasing number of literary elderly amateur detectives, The Secret in No. 19 defies the trope and takes it to a new level by layering an exquisitely written, intricate mystery with an unexpectedly poignant twist." Karen E. Olson, author of The Modern Tudor Mysteries

"A delightful whodunnit starring a colorful geriatric cast. A warm hearted mystery which will keep you hooked until the very end." Jane Park, author of Inheritance