ShortBookandScribes #BookReview – A Curious Ending by Sally Page

Posted on 24th September 2026 By Nicola

A Curious Ending by Sally Page is published by Harper Fiction and is available now. My thanks to the publishers for the proof copy.

Escape into the world of Sally Page with the perfect armchair read! From the author of phenomenal bestsellers The Keeper of Stories and The Book of Beginnings comes another novel that will warm your heart.

An unexpected guest. One mystery to solve…

All Lara wanted was a quiet life as a florist when she moved to North Dorset. But the death of her close friend Lady Porter changed everything.

Lara suspects foul play – she just can’t prove it.

That is, until The Hon. Abigail Rossmore arrives. An unexpected guest with an extraordinary story to tell, this maybe Lara’s only chance at justice.

Together, can they uncover what really happened to Lady Porter, and will Lara rediscover herself along the way?

A Curious Ending is Sally Page’s fifth published book but the first one she wrote. It has an unusual premise in that the main character, Lara, whilst trying to work out whether her good friend, Lady Porter, was murdered or not, is assisted by a 200 year old ghost, or kindred spirit as she dubs herself, called Abigail. Due to the circumstances of Abi’s own death, she is stuck in a sort of loop of having to help other people solve murders.

It’s a great premise and Abi is a great character, both quirky and astute. Lara is a lovely character too, and I particularly enjoyed reading about her flower shop. Lara is fairly new to the village and is struggling to fit in but with Abi’s help she flourishes, makes new friends and begins to leave bad decisions behind. The village was described beautifully, giving picturesque and alluring vibes that made me wish I could visit, although some of the characters were ones I’d rather not run into.

I did find that the story didn’t hold my interest quite as much as I would have hoped. It worked better for me when I read larger chunks and was able to become more absorbed in what was happening. The mystery of Lady Porter’s death itself is nicely resolved and there are a few unexpected twists to come out of it. Whilst not my favourite by this author (step forward The Book of Beginnings), there was still much that I liked about this charming cosy mystery.

After studying history at university, Sally moved to London to work in advertising. In her spare time she studied floristry at night school and eventually opened her own flower shop. Sally came to appreciate that flower shops offer a unique window into people’s stories and she began to photograph and write about this floral life in a series of non-fiction books. Later, Sally continued her interest in writing when she founded her fountain pen company, PLOOMS.

Sally now lives in Dorset. Her eldest daughter, Alex, is a doctor and her youngest daughter is the author Libby Page.

Sally’s debut novel, The Keeper of Stories, was a Sunday Times bestseller, has now sold over 500,000 copies and has been translated into 29 languages.