Hey Diddle Diddle, the Runaway Riddle

He was forced to hang up his badge. Now, a kidnapping has raced into his retirement.

England, 1950’s. Former inspector Tom Ramsay is taking advantage of having to step down. Invalided after getting shot in the line of duty, the plain-speaking man adopts a border collie and gets down to the serious business of hiking the scenic countryside of his ancestry. But after hearing over the radio about a missing local, the fifty-five-year-old ex-cop is shocked when a pleasant walk brings him face-to-face with the victim fleeing her captors.

With the young woman reported as a runaway and no ransom note issued, the experienced detective can’t resist investigating. But with a would-be fiancé, a pushy father, and tight-lipped suspects muddying the waters, Ramsay struggles to uncover the truth in the close-knit hamlet full of secrets.

Can he unmask the mastermind before meddling makes him a target?

Hey Diddle Diddle, the Runaway Riddle is the page-turning first book in the One Man and His Dog Cozy Mysteries series. If you like thoughtful and relatable heroes, bucolic backdrops, and puzzling crimes, then you’ll love P.C. James's clever tale.