A mum in Dedham has written an interactive mystery-solving book where readers can jump right into the story. Cally King, 46, lives in Dedham and spent lockdown entertaining her two children with walks filled with treasure hunts, puzzles and games. She has always had the dream of writing a puzzle book that doubled as a destination guide, and after living in Essex for eight years, the pieces of the jigsaw slotted together to create her first book - Mrs Mentary's Mystery Tours .
Clues - Each chapter begins with a story before the reader must journey to find the clues and solve the mystery. (Image: Cally King) Cally said: “This book is for anyone who likes crosswords, anagrams and cryptic word puzzles, as well as visiting beautiful places people haven’t heard of.” Mrs Mentary is a freelance journalist, who throughout the course of the book visits 12 towns and villages in Essex to uncover their mysteries.
Each chapter begins with the story before an incident is revealed, and the reader must go to the setting itself to find the clues and solve the mystery. The destinations include Hedingham, Wivenhoe, West Mersea and Coggeshall, with clues in street signs, shop names and town landmarks. Fun - Cally's lockdown walks with her children, Ollie and Charlie, have helped inspire her puzzle-filled book (Image: Cally King) Cally said: “When I did the book, I didn’t want to do treasure hunts about the places people have heard of.
“I wanted to introduce places that I think are really beautiful and have lots going for them. “With a treasure hunt, people are actually looking around and soaking up the atmosphere of where they are.” At the end of each chapter, there is a directory of all the small businesses and must-see spots to visit in the town before leaving, as well as links to popular events.
Discover - The mysteries are set in 12 beautiful Essex towns and villages (Image: Cally King) Cally continued: “I’ve always felt Essex is underrated as a tourist destination. “Rather than going outside of Essex, people can visit these beautiful, small places and support their local businesses, reduce their carbon footprint, and save some money on travelling further. “It’s a book all ages and members of the family can enjoy.
” Each walk is between one to two miles, in easily walkable towns and villages that are largely accessible for wheelchairs. Mrs Mentary's Mystery Tours is £9.99 on Kindle and £12.
99 on Amazon..
