Violent Seed

Terrence Reid Mystery Series, Book 5

By: Mary Birk

Narrated by: Darren Eliker

Family, food, and revenge—served cold in the Cotswolds

Detective Superintendent Lord Terrence Reid hopes for a quiet week with his family in the Cotswolds while his wife, Lady Anne, restores Whitethorn Manor’s famous walled garden. The manor’s Summer of Chefs program promises seven nights of haute cuisine from a celebrated mystery chef, just the respite his family needs after his father’s recent heart attack.

But when the mystery chef turns out to be his mother’s former lover—a man whose talent for creating exquisite dishes is matched only by his appetite for cruelty—Reid realizes his family’s invitation was no coincidence. And the chef hasn’t come to dazzle; he’s come to settle old scores with the guests—Reid’s own parents and headstrong sister among them.

After murder disturbs the bucolic calm of the Cotswolds, and his family members become prime suspects, Reid must navigate a tangled web of decades-old grudges and fresh deceits to uncover the truth before another body turns up on the deadly menu.

©2025 Mary Birk (P)2026 Mary Birk

This kept me guessing!

This is my first book by Mary Birk, but now I need to go back to the beginning of the series and catch up. The mystery was top notch and the characters were engaging.
Voice performer Darren Eliker is absolute perfection! With such a huge cast of characters, I never lost my way, this narrator is a master at accents!