| When | Tuesday 16th June 2026 at 15:00 |
| Where | The Exchange, Sturminster Newton 1 Old Market Hill Sturminster Newton Dorset DT10 1QU |
| Event Type | Talks |
| Price | £8 |
| Booking | Preferred |
| Tickets | |
| Also available at 1855, Market Cross, Sturminster Newton |
Dorset authors Tess Burnett and Elizabeth Cooke discuss their writing journey including as mature writers. Both authors write crime, mystery, and historical fiction.
Summary of books featured:
THE MAN NEXT DOOR
This is the second in the Thomas Maitland crime series. Retired Inspector Maitland has rented a house near the coast. He soon realises that his new neighbour Adrian Ruskin has some seriously disturbing issues. This will appeal to fans of ‘Fake or Fortune?’ as Ruskin is an art dealer suspected of murder and coercion whose whole business had been built on lies. Who can we really trust? Do we ever really know who our partners and friends truly are? Are we prepared to accept the version of their lives that they have given us?
THE TYGER STRIPED BOYLondon as you’ve never known it before. Set in the 18th century city, it’s a world of chaos and expansion, wealth and despair, exploitation and spectacle. Rebecca and Joe run an animal menagerie and theatrical panorama. Having risen from utmost poverty, they realise that the exceptional child they’ve discovered holds the key to their fortune. Little do they know what danger he is bringing to their door.
THE HANGING OF HETTIE GALE
The Moor is a tough place to grow up in the 1700s, particularly for Hettie Gale, who is abused by her own father and banished from the family home. She builds a new life with her young son and manages to fill their days with love and laughter, until she is accused of drowning him, and hanged for the crime.
In the present day, Alice receives news that her cousin has gone missing from her cottage on The Moor. Wanting to help, Alice heads to the cottage and becomes increasingly obsessed with the legend of Hettie Gale, and the people who have gone missing on The Moor over the centuries.
Bit by bit, Alice uncovers clues that reveal the truth about Hettie and the missing people. But what links Hettie to Fleur? And how will this knowledge help Alice find her cousin?
THE BONE GARDEN
Lonely widow Susan Reid, scarred by a childhood accident, makes an impulsive decision to start again in a remote Cornish village. Polherron is picturesque, steeped in myths and ancient traditions – the perfect place to disappear into a quieter life.
As Susan settles in, she becomes drawn to a local legend: Edyth Legge, a young woman burned for witchcraft in the sixteenth century. With the village preparing for the Day of the Haegtesse — an annual festival marking the anniversary of Edyth’s death — Susan begins to sense she’s being watched. Then, when a child goes missing, the cracks in Polherron’s charm begin to show.
As the festival approaches and long-buried rituals stir back to life, Susan realises that this idyllic village hides a secretive community steeped in dark folklore.
Can Susan find the strength to confront her past and the people around her before the village decides her fate?
About Elizabeth Cooke
Elizabeth is celebrating her fortieth year as a published author. She has 18 traditionally published novels, 2 non-fiction and 120 short stories to her name. She writes in various genres, most recently with a crime series, and overall her work is known for historical research and accuracy. She has been published in various countries, notably the USA. In the talk today, Liz focuses on her two latest releases, THE MAN NEXT DOOR and THE TYGER STRIPED BOY. Elizabeth lives in Upwey, Dorset.
About Tess Burnett
Tess likes to think of herself as a late bloomer. She disliked school and left early to undertake a succession of unfulfilling jobs in retail, catering and the financial industry. She started writing a fantasy novel in between family life and work, but it was only when she and husband Steve moved to the mountains of Kerry, Ireland in 2015, that she began writing seriously. After six happy years they moved back to Dorset, and Tess won the Dorchester Literary Festival 2022 local writer’s prize with her self-published novel, The Hanging of Hettie Gale. This gave her the confidence to seek a publisher, and the book was published by Bloodhound Books in October 2024. Her second book, The Bone Garden, will be published in early May 2026. Tess is inspired by nature and wild places, myths and legends, and is a proud advocate for age being no barrier to following your dreams.