Murder at Cranborne Abbey

The First Chipp and Pinn Comedy Crime Caper

John Eaton author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Spidling Productions Limited

Publishing:7th Sep '26

£21.99

This title is due to be published on 7th September, and will be despatched as soon as possible.

Murder at Cranborne Abbey cover

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    A struggling furniture duo turned amateur detectives stumble into murder, conspiracy and chaos in this fast-paced Devon-set comedy crime caper.

    Murder at Cranborne Abbey is a wildly entertaining comedy crime caper that takes you on a rollicking ride through 1990s Devon!  

    What starts as a simple job soon spirals into murder, mystery and mayhem…

    Chipp and Pinn couldn’t be more different. Chipp, shaped by a troubled past, is tough, instinctive and never far from trouble. Pinn, raised in privilege but restless and rebellious, is searching for something more. Together, they run a struggling second-hand furniture business in Devon — until desperation pushes them into the world of private investigation.

    Their first case seems straightforward: recover a stolen watch. But when a mysterious client invites them to spend the night at Cranborne Abbey, the pair are drawn into something far more dangerous.

    A haunted abbey.
    A missing body.
    A conspiracy reaching into the heart of government.

    As suspicion falls on them for a murder they may not have committed, Chipp and Pinn find themselves entangled in a web of corruption, criminal enterprise and hidden identities. With a relentless detective closing in and time running out, they must rely on their wits — and each other — to uncover the truth.

    Set against the richly evocative backdrop of Exeter and Devon in the 1990s, Murder at Cranborne Abbeyis a fast-paced comedy crime caper packed with eccentric characters, sharp dialogue, unexpected twists, and a musical soundtrack to accompany the ride.

    Blending humour with mystery and a touch of the absurd, it is the first in a highly entertaining new series that’s both nostalgic and refreshingly irreverent.

    Featuring a full-colour map of Devon highlighting key locations from the story, this is the perfect read for fans of British crime fiction with a humorous edge — and for anyone who enjoys a mystery that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

    Provides a rich immersive experience by including a collection of original songs which are playable by scanning QR codes in the book

    Ideal for holiday reading, gift market, folk born and bred in the county of Devon, Devon residents, book clubs and tourists.  

“This is a gloriously unruly crime caper based around Devon and Exeter which added greatly to my enjoyment! As a former, local police officer, I expected the usual tidy trail of clues and respectable procedure. But it’s not a manual for policing (thankfully); it is a thoroughly entertaining mystery with bite, pace, and enough dark undertow to keep you turning pages long after you’ve stopped laughing.  The ‘investigators’ are two well-meaning liabilities with questionable judgement and superb comic timing. The story ricochets from pub banter to genuine menace with surprising skill, mixing farce, eerie atmosphere, and a sharp nose for the way real trouble often arrives - sideways, through money, influence, and people doing the wrong thing for understandable reasons. Chipp and Pinn will definitely be back.”

Jeff Merrett MBE, ex Detective Constable, Devon and Cornwall Constabulary, and Founder and Chairman/Trustee of the Devon charity ‘Dream-A-Way’.

ISBN: 9781915376817

Dimensions: 234mm x 156mm x 30mm

Weight: unknown

296 pages