Betty Fox was born in London, just before the Second World War, and spent the war years being evacuated first of all to Brighton and then a village in Hertfordshire and finally Luton. Having completed her education, she embarked on a varied career initially in the entertainment industry and then as an administrator for an American oil company and several charities. Betty turned to writing and created the fascinating and quirky private investigators, Miss Deborah Vale, a rather flamboyant eccentric character who stays at the office while her practical assistant, Rosie Dunne performs the active