A Pantomime of Peril
by Victoria Tait
I am pleased to participate as part of the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for Victoria Tait’s newest book in her Cotswold Antique Mystery series, A Pantomime of Peril. But I am even more happy that Author has taken time to answer a few of my questions about her work.
Also, the author is offering a tour wide GIVEAWAY of a copy of A Pantomime of Peril and a $20 Amazon gift card. So make sure you enter the Giveaway at the end of the post.
INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR
You are a military wife and mom. How did you end up writing cozy mysteries?
I’m now a soon to be ex-military wife, but for nearly twenty years I followed my husband’s postings around the world, always putting his career first, and then our family. Everything changed after a particularly difficult tour of Afghanistan in 2009. He came back a different person, and our marriage suffered. I stayed, mostly for the children, but for many years I endured emotional and financial abuse and coercive control. I finally left just over a year ago.
Writing became my way to process everything I was going through. I began with the Kenya Kanga Mystery series, which helped me come to terms with leaving Africa, a place and lifestyle I had loved deeply. Looking back, it is no surprise that Dotty Sayers, the heroine of my Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery series, also suffered under a controlling husband and is now trying to find her own path in the world. And in my Treasured Journey Mystery series, Georgina Carey follows not just a physical journey, but an emotional one that reflects my own.
When I first began writing, I could not face anything dark. I needed an escape from my reality. Romance was also off the table, given what I was going through. But I had always loved Agatha Christie and cozy crime dramas. Cozy mysteries offered the perfect blend of comfort and intrigue. The structure of a puzzle to solve also gave me a framework within which to write..
After you left Africa, you wrapped up the Kenya Kanga books and started the Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery series. You switched from a feisty senior sleuth in Africa to a timid young widow at an English country auction house. What inspired the series?
I wrote the Kenya Kanga series after leaving Africa. Although those books had some loyal readers, I was not selling enough copies to earn a living. I spent time learning more about the craft of writing and decided to create a younger sleuth who could grow and develop over time, both in age and in self-confidence.
The auction house setting was drawn from my own experience. When we left Africa, I had to sell much of our furniture because the military would not ship it back. Once we were living in a new military quarter on the edge of the Cotswolds, I needed to furnish our home again. As my husband kept me short of money, I went searching for bargains at local auction houses. I discovered a fascinating world filled with quirky characters and unique items, and I realized it was the perfect setting for a cozy mystery.
That series has led to several spinoff series featuring Dotty’s friends, but the Cotswold Antique Mystery Series has come full circle back to Dotty as the protagonist. Why start a new series? Why not just continue the Dotty Sayers series that concluded earlier this year?
After writing six books with Dotty, I was not sure where to go next. Both she and I needed a bit of a break, and Keya was calling for her own series. That is why I began the spinoff Waterwheel Café Mystery series. I later continued with Dotty, but she and Keya working together on some investigations. This led to the twelfth book in the Dotty Sayers series, which brought together characters from across the whole series. It felt like a natural reunion and a chance to move on with new characters and a slightly different approach.
The Cotswold Antique Mystery series is actually a dual-protagonist series. Dotty still takes the lead, but Keya also has her own point of view and her own investigations to pursue. In the book I am writing now, A Honeymoon of Havoc, the story focuses entirely on Keya. After that, we return to the Cotswolds for the next book, A Maypole of Deceit. These books are less about one central sleuth and more about the world these characters inhabit. In A Maypole of Deceit, I may even introduce a new point of view character, possibly just for that book, to help make the ideas I have in mind really work.
This question seems obvious in hindsight. But as a new reader who started with your recent books, I could not understand why the Cotswold Antique Mystery covers featured a cat. The mystery plots do not include cats. I only understood when I looked into your earlier books. Can you explain this for new readers?
Thank you for stepping into my story world and reading my books. In the very first book, Fake Death, I introduced Earl Grey, a fluffy British Blue cat who was named by one of my readers. In the earlier books, there were actually more animals, including a pig called Agatha. Earl Grey was more prominent in the first few stories and even travelled with Dotty to Edinburgh in A Deadly Performance and to Ireland in Halloween Parade Peril.
He is still part of the books, although he is not a talking cat and has never been magical. As I introduced more characters and the storylines became broader, his role as Dotty’s companion and confidant naturally became smaller. But he is still there in the background, and I do not want to forget him. Who knows what part he might play in the future?
Authors know that any avid cozy mystery reader understands the differences between English spoken in England and in America, but readers may not always realize the cultural differences. I really appreciate the forewords in your books which explain the intricacies of the activity involved in the plot. Like your main character Zach, I thought a pantomime was a short silent skit. Was including a culture lesson in the foreword your idea or your editor’s?
It started with A Wicket of Lies, when several readers told me they did not understand the very English game of cricket. That feedback prompted me to write a short foreword explaining the basics. When it came to A Pantomime of Peril, I realized that pantomimes and the story of Jack and the Beanstalk might also be unfamiliar to some readers, so I included an introduction there as well.
If readers already know the background, they can easily skip the foreword. But for those who are new to the topic, I hope it helps ground them and reduces any confusion. I am aware that I often introduce a lot of characters, settings, and scenes before the murder takes place, so I try to step back and ask myself whether there is anything I might be taking for granted that readers might not know.
I included a family tree in Mystique and Murder in Morocco to help readers navigate the generations. For Mayhem and Malice in Malta, which is now with my editor, I wrote an introduction explaining the role of Malta and the Knights of St John. I enjoy creating those short guides because they add context without breaking the flow of the story.
I especially loved this last book. As someone who has participated in amateur productions, I had to laugh at all the backstage details. Some readers may question whether a detail is accurate, and I would say “Oh, yes it is!” Have you participated in amateur theatre yourself?
So many of my books are written from personal experience. I have been to auctions, both to view and to bid, and I’ve set up and run a café. I have travelled to Morocco and Malta to research settings and absorb the atmosphere. But I have never been part of an amateur dramatics group, unless you count my time at school many years ago. I did help produce a play there, and in true cozy mystery fashion, it was an Agatha Christie production.
Thank you for saying the details felt true to life. I do try hard to get things right, especially when I am writing about something I have not personally done. I want readers to recognize the world they are stepping into, whether it is familiar or completely new.
Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. Lastly, can you tell readers what you have in the pipeline?
I have already mentioned a few upcoming titles. For the Cotswold Antique Mystery series, I currently have three more books planned. A Honeymoon of Havoc features a character you might recognize from A Pantomime of Peril, but I will not spoil the surprise. After that, we return to the Cotswolds for the village May Day celebrations in A Maypole of Deceit, followed by some fun and spooky games in A Halloween of Screams.
In Georgina’s Treasured Journey Mystery series, she and Aunt Beanie are invited to Malta. I really enjoyed writing about the island’s history and culture, and it was great fun having Aunt Beanie there too. After that, Georgina will head to Tenerife for a story involving sunken treasure. I am visiting the island in January to research the setting and atmosphere.
Thank you for taking the time to read my books, especially A Pantomime of Peril.
About A Pantomime of Peril
by Victoria Tait
Genre: Cozy Mystery
3rd in series
Setting: Cotswold, England
Publisher: Kanga Press
Publication date : November 14, 2025
Print length : 264 pages
ISBN-13 : 978-1917168335
ASIN : B0DNLG8M1J
It’s pantomime season in the Cotswolds … but this year’s performance is a real killer! Winter has settled over the Cotswolds, and Dotty Sayers and her friends are in the spotlight as part of the local amateur dramatics pantomime production of Jack and the Beanstalk. With costumes to sew, lines to memorize, and rehearsals to juggle, the village is buzzing with excitement.
But on opening night, the show comes to an abrupt halt when a cast member dies on stage. As whispers of foul play sweep through the audience, Dotty and her friend Keya are drawn into a mystery that’s anything but make-believe.
Storybook Lady
Review
A Pantomime of Peril
by Victoria Tait
“Oh, yes she did!”
Victoria Tait has done it again. She has created a cozy mystery set during a quintessential British experience. The last Cotswold Antique Mystery, A Wicket of Lies took place during a cricket match. Pantomime of Peril takes place as Dotty and her friends prepare an amateur Christmas pantomime. As she explains in the forward, a pantomime is not a silent skit, but a rowdy spoof of a traditional folktale with added local references, humor, adlibs, and audience participation. the audience will yell certain traditional lines like, “Look behind you”, “It’s a trap” or “Oh no he didn’t.” When an actor dies suddenly, everyone assumes natural causes, But when she processes the scene, Keya finds anomalies and has her doubts. She discusses the facts with her friends and Dotty’s figures it out along with the reader. The plot is simple but there are four main possible suspects and all the backstage action is spot on.
Did Tait write another winner?
As they say in the pantos “Oh yes she did!”
About KC Freeman
Victoria Tait was born and raised in Yorkshire, England, where she developed a lifelong love of tea and British traditions. Inspired by the works of Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Murder, She Wrote, she writes cozy mysteries infused with her signature British charm.
Her determined and hard-working female sleuths are joined by colorful but realistic teams of helpers, and her settings are vivid and evocative. With intrigue, surprises, and gentle humor, Victoria’s page-turning stories are the perfect blend of mystery and charm, best enjoyed with a cup of tea and a slice of cake.
Learn More about Author
Find out more about Author and her books at VictoriaTait.com
Purchase Links Books2Read – Amazon
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
November 15 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT
November 15 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
November 16 – Storybook Lady – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
November 17 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT
November 17 – Deal Sharing Aunt = AUTHOR INTERVIEW
November 18 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER GUEST POST
November 18 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – REVIEW
November 19 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT
November 20 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW
November 20 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
November 21 – Sarandipity’s – AUTHOR GUEST POST
November 22 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
November 23 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
November 24 – Salty Inspirations – CHARACTER GUEST POST
Want to read more of my reviews?
I have a Goodreads shelf dedicated to Cozy Mysteries. Want to read my reviews for books in other genres? I’ve got you covered. There are almost two thousand reviews on Goodreads. Just check out Julie Ditton on Goodreads.
GIVEAWAY!
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