A Maypole of Deceit book tour is through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours and includes a giveaway
Book Details
A Maypole of Deceit: A British Cozy Murder Mystery
(A Cotswold Antique Mystery)
by Victoria Tait
Victoria Tait is one of my Must Read authors and I jumped at the chance to read A Maypole of Deceit, the latest entry in the Cotswold Antique Mystery series. Weather you have been a fan since the original Dotty Sayers mysteries or you have only recently started with one of the new spinoffs, this Springtime story will make a perfect cozy read.
~The Storybook Lady
I highly recommend A Maypole of Deceit for its wonderful characters, charming setting, well-plotted mystery, and cozy feeling. 5 stars!
~Christy’s Cozy Corners
A well-plotted, well-written, fast-paced, cozy mystery, with captivating characters, set in a charming locale, A Maypole of Deceit, is another Perfect Escape from Victoria Tait.
~Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book
About A Maypole of Deceit
A Maypole of Deceit: A British Cozy Murder Mystery (A Cotswold Antique Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Setting – Cotswold, England
Publisher : Kanga Press
Publication date : May 8, 2026
Number of Pages c. 300
Digital
ISBN-13 : 978-1917168779
ASIN : B0G11QSWR6
Spring has arrived in the Cotswolds, and bunting flutters above the village green as Coln Akeman prepares for its annual May Day celebrations.
Antiques expert, Dotty Sayers, is busy at the auction house, and her friend, Keya Varma is run off her feet at her café. But when an elderly woman goes missing and a man’s body is found among the festivities, the joyful occasion takes a darker turn.
With clues as tangled as the ribbons on the Maypole, Dotty and her friends must work together to untie a knot of lies before mistrust tears their close-knit community apart.
A Maypole of Deceit, the next charming cozy mystery in Victoria Tait’s Cotswold Antique Mystery series, is a heart-warming tale of friendship, courage, and truth set in the heart of the British countryside. Perfect for readers who enjoy traditional whodunnits filled with village life, vintage treasures, and a dash of British humour.
Celebrate spring and uncover the truth with A Maypole of Deceit today!
About Victoria Tait
Victoria Tait was born and raised in Yorkshire, England, where she discovered a passion for mystery fiction and storytelling. Inspired by the works of Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Midsomer Murders, she writes British cozy mysteries infused with her signature British charm.
Her determined and hard-working female sleuths are joined by colourful but realistic teams of helpers, and her settings are vivid and evocative. With intrigue, surprises, and gentle humour, Victoria’s page-turning stories offer engaging whodunits, best enjoyed with a cup of tea and a slice of cake.
Victoria’s books avoid graphic content and profanity, focusing on character, logic, and the steady work of uncovering truth.
Victoria has recently been exploring the world, drawing inspiration for her books from remarkable places including the Azores, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Morocco, and Malta.
Read the FREE prequel to her Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery series at her website.
Author Links
Website: https://victoriatait.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VictoriaTaitAuthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/victoriataitauthor/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20373879.Victoria_Tait
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/victoria-tait
Purchase Link – Amazon
Character Interview
May Day in Coln Akeman: Why I Volunteered and What Nearly Stopped It
I’m Keya Varma. Sorry, I keep forgetting that when I married Sujin recently I changed my
name to Kerr. I run the Waterwheel Cafe, near the village of Coln Akeman in the Cotswolds.
I also work as a crime scene manager, so I’m kept pretty busy. When Gilly, who runs the
antiques centre next to my cafe, asked me to join the village May Day celebrations committee
I should have said no. But I didn’t. I agreed to help as it’s important to support the village
close to my business. If nobody does, then events and activities stop and the village spirit
slowly dies.
I researched the history behind May Day celebrations. There’s some debate, but it most likely
began as a Celtic festival marking the beginning of summer, even though it falls in what we
think of as spring. In the old calendar, it sits roughly halfway between the spring equinox and
midsummer. The Romans had a similar spring festival of flowers and fertility called Floralia,
which I like the sound of.
The Romans might also be responsible for the tradition of dancing around the maypole.
Soldiers are thought to have celebrated the arrival of spring by dancing around trees
decorated in thanks to their goddess Flora. Today it’s usually children who perform the dance.
Half move clockwise around the central pole and the others weave between them in the
opposite direction. Each holds a ribbon which plaits together with the others to create a
pattern down the maypole as they dance.
It is believed that this represents the lengthening of the days as summer approaches, although
others believe it also represents fertility. I don’t mind either way. I’m just sad I missed this
year’s dance as I was busy with a case. A body had been found tied to our village maypole,
secured there by the very ribbons the children should have been dancing with.
Other traditions associated with May Day in England include crowning a May Queen and
morris dancing.
I saw morris dancing a few years ago when I attended Coln Akeman’s May Day celebration
in an official police role. I remember thinking it was unlike anything I’d seen before. The
bells on the dancers’ costumes, the handkerchiefs, the rhythmic stamping and the striking of
the sticks. It was both lively and strange. But again, I also missed the dancing this year.
At least the celebrations weren’t cancelled, thanks to the quick thinking of Gilly and her
husband Dr Peter, and the hard work of those in the auction house and antiques centre next to
my cafe.
Craft and charity stalls were set up alongside the River Coln, and a netball goal was used as a
makeshift maypole. Apparently, the children enjoyed themselves and so did the visitors, and
the cafe was very busy providing food and drink to them all. I just hope that next year the
celebrations can return to the village green and there are no unexpected bodies.
A Maypole of Deceit is now available.
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
May 9 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT
May 9 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT
May 10 – Books1987 – SPOTLIGHT
May 10 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
May 11 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – SPOTLIGHT
May 11 – Storybook Lady – REVIEW, AUTHOR GUEST POST
May 12 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT
May 12 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
May 13 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW
May 13 – Reading Is My SuperPower – SPOTLIGHT
May 14 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
May 15 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
May 15 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
May 16 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT
May 17 – Sarandipity’s -CHARACTER GUEST POST
May 18 – Salty Inspirations – AUTHOR GUEST POST
May 18 – @bibliophile_foodie – REVIEW
Giveaway
Prize – May Day Mystery Giveaway – A Maypole of Deceit including a $20 Amazon Gift Card.
