The Split Pea Tango: Highclere Inn & Carriage House Mystery #2

"[An] engrossing tale of family secrets, double-crosses, and lies." — Kirkus Reviews

“A genre-defying masterpiece that marries farce and suspense with soul. Equal parts intrigue and elegy, The Split Pea Tango is a haunting dance between truth and forgiveness.” – NY Literary Review

“Josh Hellyer has written one of the most original Canadian novels in recent memory—a literary mystery with the heart of a farce and the soul of a ghost story.” –Canadian Mystery Reviews

“The Split Pea Tango is a landmark in contemporary Canadian fiction — an absurdist mystery that reimagines the national novel as a dance between tragedy and farce, intellect and instinct, sorrow and survival.” –The Maple Leaf Review

“A bold, unclassifiable thriller that dances between satire and sincerity — and lands, improbably, on both feet.” –Indie Publishers Digest

Highclere Inn & Carriage House is open for business, but don’t expect peace and quiet—because another baffling mystery is about to unfold. This time, it’s a cocktail of reincarnation theories, long-buried secrets, and just enough absurdity to keep you guessing and laughing all the way through.

When the “Society for Transcendent Understanding of Past-Life Identification and Discovery” rolls into town, Mason Valentine and his fearless cousin Cordelia "Cici" Bradshaw find themselves pulled into a case unlike any other. It all starts when two sisters arrive at the inn, desperate for help. Why? Because an 18-year-old girl knocked on their father’s door claiming to be the reincarnation of their long-deceased mother, former Highclere guest Vanessa Cromwell, who vanished without a trace before Christmas 2008.

But things get stranger from there. Armed with quick wit, curious minds, and eccentric allies including Skye Cadieux, the gang dives headfirst into an increasingly unexpected investigation. From logos of dancing flowers to a convention devoted to adult entertainment antics, and a whole heap of puzzling "Split Peas" that might just hold the key to solving it all.

With a case spanning almost two decades and secrets hiding in plain sight, Mason, Cici, and Skye are determined to untangle the truth. Did Vanessa Cromwell come back from the great beyond, or is there a far more earthly explanation?

Full of razor-sharp banter, outrageous, laugh-out-loud moments, and twists you’ll never see coming, The Split Pea Tango is your next wild adventure.

Mason and Cici are back! Welcome to their world, where mystery meets mayhem… and nothing is as it seems.