Lesley Cookman Books in Order

This earlier writing guide explores the traditions of British pantomime and breaks down how to build one yourself. It is aimed at writers and local drama groups looking for clear, usable advice.

This anthology, edited by Lesley Cookman, gathers playful seasonal stories by a range of writers. It is a light, varied collection with a charity angle as well as a festive mood.

Cookman's pantomime version of Cinderella sticks close to the familiar fairy tale while adding a Demon King and two fairies. It was written with amateur productions in mind, so the emphasis is on pace, fun and stageability.

In this pantomime adventure, the deposed Ace of Spades plots revenge by stealing the Queen of Hearts' magic tarts and threatening the Magic Kingdom. It is a bright, traditional stage story full of comic chaos.

A troupe of Pierrot players and a wealthy family collide during a seaside summer, with love affairs, deception and crossed signals all in play. This musical leans into period entertainment and the bustle of a resort town.

Former actress Libby Sarjeant is directing a play for her village's new theatre when one of the cast is murdered. The show draws on wartime family history, and the real-life secrets behind it prove just as dangerous.

Cookman turns her theatre experience into a practical guide for anyone who wants to write a traditional pantomime. It covers how the form works and how to shape a script that local groups can actually stage.

Fran is troubled by the death of her aunt at a care home, especially once the will goes missing and long-lost relatives start obstructing questions. Libby joins her to untangle greed, family tension and murder.

A body on a rocky island in Nethergate Bay brings Libby and Fran into an investigation the police cannot easily solve. Their search leads from the Kent coast to smuggling routes, wartime secrets and the exploitation of illegal immigrants.

When Bella Morleigh inherits a derelict theatre, Libby and Fran think they are helping a friend, not walking into a crime scene. An unknown body, then another death, tie the new case to secrets from the past.

Libby's son uncovers a body while gardening at Creekmarsh Place for television personality Lewis Osbourne-Walker. The police see no obvious link to the present, but Libby is not ready to let the matter rest.

A Morris dancer is found dead on May Day, and Libby's curiosity about folklore helps pull her into the case. The investigation stretches from Kent to Cornwall, where old customs and darker beliefs blur together.

A writers' weekend at Ben's family home turns grim when a body is found in the grounds. The trail leads Libby and Fran into old rivalries, bruised egos and the darker side of literary friendship.

Threatening letters aimed at a gay friend seem nasty but manageable, until the hate turns deadly. With pantomime chaos at home and danger growing outside it, Libby and Fran step into one of their darker cases.

Libby is invited to poke around a house said to be haunted, and at first it seems more fun than crime. Then it becomes clear that someone in the present would rather old secrets stayed quiet, no matter the cost.

A sudden death in a village church community looks impossible to explain, and locals are quick to blame the new lady vicar. Libby and Fran take a closer look at the rumor, the fear and the puzzle behind it.

A rare Anglo-Saxon reliquary, a play about Saint Eldreda and a freshly discovered body collide in this eerie case. Libby and Fran have to sort out faith, history and murder before the dead start piling higher.

Cookman brings together short stories about people behaving badly, in ways petty, reckless and sometimes much worse. The collection is sharp, varied and interested in the trouble small choices can cause.

When an unidentified woman's body is found in a remote Kent garden, Libby's first fear is for her son Adam, who has been working there. To clear his name, she and Fran go after a killer with very few obvious suspects.

Libby travels to the Isle of Wight for an old friend's funeral and expects grief, not detection. But an unexplained death in the family and her friend Harry's involvement make it impossible to leave the questions alone.

A member of a local ukulele group is found dead in Steeple Martin's churchyard as Christmas plans gather pace. Libby tries to stay out of it, but family ties and a suspicious romance pull her back in.

Just before Christmas, Libby and Fran are asked to investigate rumors that are stopping the sale of grand old Mallowan Manor. The house is full of eccentric suspects, and the whole stay begins to feel like a very dangerous country-house mystery.

A holiday on the Turkish coast is meant to give Libby and friends a break from murder. Instead they find a body on a boat trip, and the discovery points straight back to a group of English suspects.

An all-male dance company brings a new ballet about the Pendle Witch Trials to Steeple Martin, but strange incidents dog the production from the start. Libby and Fran soon find themselves looking into fear, superstition and murder behind the scenes.

When Libby's son and Fran's stepdaughter join the local running club, neither sleuth expects to take much interest. Then a runner disappears during a 5K and a body is found, pulling them into another fast-moving case.

Dorinda Alexander opens her new Edwardian concert hall in Nethergate with high hopes for her troupe, The Alexandrians. Then one of the company is murdered, and Dorinda's own past starts to look dangerously relevant.

A recently widowed society woman arrives at the Alexandria theatre claiming she wants a quiet retreat by the sea. Dorinda is not convinced, and the police interest surrounding the visitor suggests buried trouble has followed her to Nethergate.

Christmas pantomime rehearsals are underway when someone starts sabotaging local butcher Bob, once again cast as the dame. Libby and Fran must save the show and work out who wants it to fail.

Pantomime season comes to the Alexandria theatre, where an old acquaintance of Libby and Fran is making a stage comeback. When one thoroughly disliked cast member ends up dead, the pair are drawn into a very theatrical murder.

In summer 1908, Dorinda Alexander gives a famous male impersonator a place to hide at the Alexandria. The stage offers cover only for so long, and Dorinda finds herself facing danger and fresh scandal.

A touring production of Twelfth Night arrives at the Oast Theatre, then a key document and its owner both vanish. When a body appears, Libby and Fran must untangle theatre gossip, old grudges and a very public scandal.

Steeple Martin's first beer festival should be an easy village celebration, until an unexpected death ruins the mood. Libby soon starts asking whether it was a tragic accident or something much darker.

Ten years after a young singer vanished without trace, a body found in a derelict Steeple Martin hotel reopens old questions. Libby suspects the new discovery is tied to the case everyone thought would stay unsolved.

When property owner Nick Nash fails to turn up for a house sale, Libby tries to treat it as an odd accident, until his body is found. The case pulls her and Fran into local legend, church history and a past better left buried.

After a New Year's party, a woman's body is found on the local golf course. Everybody has gossip about Jackie Stapleton, but almost nobody really knew her, which leaves Libby and Fran digging through rumor, dodgy deals and old grudges.

This festive collection brings together three Christmas Libby Sarjeant cases, from strange goings-on at Mallowan Manor to backstage trouble during pantomime season. It is a good pick if you want short, wintry mysteries in one volume.

Libby Sarjeant and Fran Wolfe look into the disappearance of a homeless man in Nethergate and stumble into a bitter fight over a proposed holiday park. When a body turns up, a local row becomes a murder case.

Two weeks before Christmas, a body in a doorway interrupts Libby's annual pantomime rehearsals. The trail leads her and Fran into local brewing politics, pub sales and a community with plenty to hide.

Libby is busy staging an original version of Much Ado About Nothing when an old acquaintance begins stirring up anger around the production. Then a body is found on a grand estate, and the village starts to feel far less safe.

A suspicious fire nearly destroys an old pub, and Libby is persuaded to take an interest. When a local antiques dealer then disappears after taking out his boat, the two mysteries begin to look very closely linked.