Veronica Stallwood: Oxford Double [2002] paperback

Writer Kate Ivory has new neighbours on either side of her terraced house. On one side lives Jeremy Wells, a diffident, charming Oxford academic. On the other live Laura and Edward Foster who are intent on enjoying every moment of their retirement. None of them seems likely to become embroiled in serious crime, nor to be its victim. But within a few weeks, Kate is answering questions by the police about a brutal murder on her own doorstep.