Brief

When Belinda Lawrence is roped into a weekend of wedding planning on an isolated island, she finds
herself trapped in the middle of a murder mystery with a suspicious group of people she can’t escape
from.

What We Liked

In this story, we find Belinda Lawrence discovering her knack for solving a mystery and learning how
to stand on her own two feet at the same time. This makes for a great character, and one that could
attract a following if she were to be featured in more stories.
Film: It stands on its own as a kind-of Agatha Christie-like film, with a plot that would keep the viewer
entertained for its duration. It has a strong female character leading the way and a solid group of
interesting characters helping drive the story.
TV: This first book could be the basis of the first season, as it would establish the lead character of
Belinda and her best friend as a supporting one. They could go on to solve other mysteries together.
Belinda's personal life could make for a good side story to follow.

Synopsis

Belinda Lawrence couldn't be more thrilled about marrying her fiancée, Mark Sallinger. But she isn’t
too thrilled about the trip they’re about to take to his mother’s house on the island of Guernsey, where
she has prepared a weekend of lavish wedding planning. They travel to the island with Belinda’s
parents, her best friend, a priest, an interior decorator, and a writer, who is taking advantage of the trip
to do research on the Nazi occupation of Guernsey.
After some extensive nuptial arrangements are made, Mark leaves back to New York to handle a work
emergency. They start excavating the garden and uncover a skeleton of a baby. The priest tells the
story of three women - the Guernsey Martyrs who were burned alive - and mentions that one of them
was pregnant and gave birth to a baby in the flames. It’s a story that haunts all the guests of the
house and soon mysterious events begin to unfold. The housekeeper is found dead. Mark’s mother is
next. A heavy storm hits the island trapping them together. The guests become suspicious of each
other, and Belinda starts to piece together clues of each of the characters in order to figure out the
murderer.
Belinda uncovers that the priest and writer are in fact thieves and the murderers. They were looking to
steal a cherished silver cup that was stolen by Nazis and given to Mark’s mother. The remains - the
skeleton in the garden - belonged to the housekeeper's baby, which had died years ago during
childbirth.
The storm passes, the police are called, and the priest and writer are taken into custody. Belinda calls
off the wedding and Mark clears out his mother's house never to return to the island. He sends a
servant to a charity shop with items to be donated, one of which is a solid silver cup.

About The Author

As a former award-winning film editor, Brian Kavanagh has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Australian Film Editors Guild and an Australian Film Institute Award for Best Editing for “Frog Dreaming.” Learning to tell a story visually with editing, made it feel like a natural transition to become an author.