|
Books > Fiction > Genre fiction > Crime & mystery > Historical mysteries
'Chris Nickson works his usual magic, populating late medieval
Chesterfield with characters that are clearly of their time and yet
jump off the page, vibrant and familiar. The icing on the cake (or
the jeweled cover on the exquisite psalter) - a fiendishly clever
puzzle. Highly recommended!' Candace Robb, author of the
bestselling Owen Archer mysteries 1361: John the Carpenter, married
and soon to become a father, has plenty of work to keep him busy in
Chesterfield. But when an elderly man in the town is found murdered
with no clue as to why, the coroner calls upon John's
mystery-solving expertise once again. However, this is a crime
where nothing is as it appears. When the suspected murderer is
found dead and a valuable Book of Psalms vanishes, John is suddenly
embroiled in a string of crimes that threaten his own life and the
safety of his new family.
The year is 1880. In West London, a dedicated doctor has set up a
waiting mortuary on the borders of Kensal Green Cemetery, where
corpses are left to decompose before burial to reassure clients
that no one can be buried alive. When he collapses and dies on the
same night that one of his most reliable employees disappears,
Frances Doughty, a young sleuth with a reputation for solving
knotty cases, is engaged to find the missing man, but nothing is as
it seems. In this, her third case, Frances Doughty must rely on her
wit, courage and determination - as well as some loyal friends - to
solve the case. Suspicions of blackmail, fraud and murder lead to a
gruesome exhumation in the catacombs, with shocking results. The
third book in the popular Frances Doughty Mystery series.
London, 1392. Strange mischief is afoot at St Modwen's Church. Are
corpses stalking the graveyard at night, disturbing graves, and
dragging coffins? When a fearful Father Bulthius begs Crispin Guest
for his help, he agrees to investigate with his apprentice, Jack
Tucker, intrigued by the horrific tales. Meanwhile, an urgent
summons arrives from Crispin's former love, Philippa Walcote. Her
seven-year-old son, Christopher, has been accused of murder and of
attempting to steal a family relic - the missing relic of St
Modwen. Who is behind the gruesome occurrences in the graveyard? Is
Christopher guilty of murder? Crispin faces a desperate race
against time to solve the strange goings-on at St Modwen's and
prove a child's innocence.
From the bestselling author of The Girl In The Picture comes a
beautiful new timeslip novel. Berkshire, 1944 When Will Bates
offers to take ATA pilot Lilian Miles to the dance, he sends her
heart into a flutter. But as their relationship progresses, Lilian
can't help but get cold feet. Deep down she's always known that the
secrets locked in her past would weigh heavily on her future
happiness... London, 2018 Helena Miles loves nothing more than
digging into the back stories of celebrity families, making her
perfectly suited for her job as a researcher on the hit show Where
Did You Come From?. But when handsome superstar Jack Jones sweeps
into her life, she unexpectedly finds herself trawling through her
own family history. As she explores her family's past, she
discovers that there are far more secrets hidden there than she
ever expected... What really happened to her aunt Lilian during the
war, and why can't she open up about it now? An inspirational tale
of sisterhood and strength, perfect for fans of Tracy Rees and
Kathryn Hughes. Readers love Kerry Barrett: 'All Kerry Barrett's
books are brilliant' 'I'd highly recommend this: detective fiction,
historical fiction, powerful, moving, thrilling, sometimes comic,
always very human.' 'A beautiful story which kept me hooked' 'I
would definitely recommend this read, but be warned, you won't want
to put it down.' 'Loved the whole story, couldn't put it down'
'Will definitely read more from this author'
Newly promoted, Detective Sergeant William Warwick has been
reassigned to the drugs squad. His first case: to investigate a
notorious south London drug lord known as the Viper. But as William
and his team close the net around a criminal network unlike any
they have ever encountered, he is also faced with an old enemy,
Miles Faulkner. It will take all of William's cunning to devise a
means to bring both men to justice; a trap neither will expect, one
that is hidden in plain sight . . . Filled with Jeffrey Archer's
trademark twists and turns, Hidden in Plain Sight is the gripping
next installment in the life of William Warwick. It follows on from
Nothing Ventured, but can be read as a standalone story.
![Blood Queen (Paperback): Joanna Courtney](//media.loot.co.za/images/x80/246039221296179215.jpg) |
Blood Queen
(Paperback)
Joanna Courtney
1
|
R257
R123
Discovery Miles 1 230
Save R134 (52%)
|
Ships in 12 - 17 working days
|
|
Cold. Ruthless. Deadly. The myth of Lady Macbeth looms large. But
behind the villainous portrait stands a real woman. This is her
story . . . Scotland, 1020 AD. King Malcolm II lies on his
deathbed, and the most powerful families make a violent claim for
the Scottish throne . . . On the eve of her sixteenth birthday, a
flushed and nervous Cora MacDuff waits to marry her sweetheart,
Macbeth. But her dreams are stolen from her, and the night she was
hoping for turns into a brutal slaughter. In order to reclaim the
life she was promised, Cora must learn to use every weapon at her
disposal - even those she loves . . . The beginning of a brand new
Historical fiction series by the bestselling author of the Queens
of Conquest series, her new trilogy unearths the real women behind
Shakespeare's most infamous queens . . . If you love Elizabeth
Chadwick and Anne O'Brien you will adore Joanna Courtney What
readers are saying about Joanna Courtney: 'I was hooked from the
very first page and didn't want to put it down. Joanna Courtney is
a new talent in the world of historical fiction and one that I
would highly recommend. I look forward to reading more by this
fantastic author' Bookbabblers 'A strong sense of atmosphere and
place and time. I really got into the story, in fact I was so
gripped by it at one point that I missed my bus. It was a really
good, exciting, read. I cannot wait to read the next two books.'
Michelle Birkby, author of The House at Baker Street 'Amazing'
(Miranda Dickinson) 'Courtney's novel breathes new life into this
complex character,...A thrilling introduction to Courtney's new
trilogy on Shakespearean queens.' - The Lady 'A glorious, rich,
epic story of love, friendship and sacrifice which will sweep you
up and transport you to another time. I absolutely loved this and
can't wait for the next book in the series' (Rachael Lucas, author
of Sealed With A Kiss and Coming Up Roses) 'An absorbing and
emotional debut novel' (Candis magazine) 'A thrilling and
atmospheric read with strong female characters' (MyWeekly) 'A
beautifully written multi layered tale with a tremendously
authentic sense of place and time . . . an epic feel . . . highly
recommended' (LizLovesBooks) 'The story reaches a heart-rending
climax. A must read. I loved it' (Freda Lightfoot, author of The
Amber Keeper) 'With lovely writing and a terrific sense of
narrative drive, Joanna Courtney portrays an era of change through
a story about a long forgotten Queen. In The Chosen Queen, Edyth is
a heroine who inhabits a convincingly re-created historical world,
peopled with personalities whose lives leap from the page. Superb!
(Carol McGrath, author of The Daughters of Hastings trilogy) An
outstanding opening to this new series set to rival historical
fiction heavyweights like Philippa Gregory and Susanna Dunn
(Lisareadsbooks)
Frances Doughty is a young sleuth on her first professional case,
trying to discover who distributed dangerously feminist pamphlets
to the girls of the Bayswater Academy for the Education of Young
Ladies. Armed with only her wits, courage and determination, she
finds that even the most respectable denizens of Bayswater have
something to hide, and what begins as a simple task soon becomes a
case of murder. As election fever erupts and the formidable ladies
of the Bayswater Women's Suffrage Society swing into action,
Frances' enquiries expose lies, more murders and a long-concealed
scandal, and she makes a powerful new friend. The second book in
the popular Frances Doughty Mystery series.
From celebrated New York Times bestselling author, Steve Berry,
comes the latest Cotton Malone adventure, in which the discovery of
a lost historical document challenges the global might of the
United States. King Ludwig II of Bavaria was an enigmatic figure
who was deposed in 1886, mysteriously drowning three days later.
Eccentric to the point of madness, history tells us that in the
years before he died Ludwig engaged in a worldwide search for a new
kingdom, one separate, apart, and in lieu of Bavaria. A place he
could retreat into and rule as he wished. But a question remains:
did he succeed? Enter Cotton Malone. After many months, Malone's
protege, Luke Daniels, has managed to infiltrate a renegade group
intent on winning Bavarian independence from Germany. Daniels has
also managed to gain the trust of the prince of Bavaria, a
frustrated second son intent on eliminating his brother, the duke,
and restoring the Wittelsbach monarchy, only now with him as king.
Everything hinges on a 19th century deed which proves that Ludwig's
long-rumored search bore fruit - legal title to lands that Germany,
China, and the United States all now want, only for vastly
different reasons. In a race across Bavaria for clues hidden in
Ludwig's three fairytale castles - Neuschwanstein, Linderhof and
Herrenchiemsee - Malone and Daniels battle an ever-growing list of
deadly adversaries, all intent on finding the last kingdom.
A tale of greed, ambition and thwarted love in eighteenth-century
Leeds On a hot summer morning, Richard Nottingham, Constable of
Leeds, is called out when a young woman is found stabbed to death
among the ruins of Kirkstall Abbey, just outside the city. In her
pocket is a carefully-folded love note: "Soon we'll be together and
our hearts can sing loud, my love, W." Her pale skin and smooth
hands speak of money, but no one comes to claim her body. When the
victim's husband eventually appears, his evidence throws up more
questions than answers. What happened to the maid who accompanied
her mistress on her final, fatal journey? Who is the mysterious 'W'
who signed the note? And why does the victim's father seem so
indifferent to her death? Nottingham has to delve into the dark
secrets of the rich and influential to uncover the truth.
*****Part of the bestselling John Shakespeare series of Tudor spy
thrillers from Rory Clements, winner of the Ellis Peters Historical
Fiction Award***** '[Clements] does for Elizabeth's reign what CJ
Sansom does for Henry VIII's' Sunday Times ********** The
Elizabethan navy has a secret weapon: an optical instrument so
powerful it gives England unassailable superiority at sea. Spain
will stop at nothing to steal it and seize the two men who
understand its secrets - its operative William Ivory, known as the
'Queen's Eye', and its inventor, the maverick magician Dr Dee. With
a second Armada threatened, intelligencer John Shakespeare is sent
north to escort Dr Dee to safety. But his mission is far from
straightforward. Dee's host, the Earl of Derby, cousin to
Elizabeth, is dying in agony, apparently poisoned. Who wants him
dead and why? What lies behind the lynching of the recusant priest
Father Matthew Lamb? And what exactly is the connection between
these events and the mysterious and beautiful Lady Eliska? While
Shakespeare attempts to untangle a plot that points to treachery at
the very highest reaches of government, he also faces serious
accusations far closer to home. With so much at stake, must he
choose between family and his duty to Queen and country? Moving
from the Catholic heartlands of Lancashire to a vagabond camp in
the heart of England, and from the deck of Admiral Frobisher's
flagship off the Brittany coast to the secret meetings of
Elizabeth's closest associates, Traitor is award-winning writer
Rory Clements' most intriguing and compelling novel to date.
Queen Marie of Roumania, granddaughter to both Victoria, Empress of
the British Empire, and Alexander II, Tsar of Russia, is in need of
Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes' services. The Queen, a famous
beauty who has transformed Roumania from a quiet backwater into a
significant force, invites the pair to Bran castle, the ancient
fortress that sits on the border with the newly regained territory
of Transylvania. The threat the Queen fears is dubious: shadowy
figures, vague whispers, dangers that may only be accidents. But a
young girl is involved. So, putting aside their doubts, Russell and
Holmes set out to investigate the mystery in a land of long memory
and hidden corners, from whose churchyards the shades creep.
'Stansfield gives a haunting evocation of a place and time when
superstition and logic coexisted in uneasy alliance, and challenges the
reader to decide which was more real' Publisher’s Weekly
Cornwall, 1845. Shilly has always felt a connection to happenings that
are not of this world, a talent that has proved invaluable when
investigating dark deeds with master of disguise, Anna Drake. The women
opened a detective agency with help from their newest member and
investor, Mathilda, but six long months have passed without a single
case to solve and tensions are growing.
It is almost a relief when a man is found dead along the Morwenstow
coast and the agency is sought out to investigate. There are suspicions
that wreckers plague the coast, luring ships to their ruin with false
lights – though nothing has ever been proved. Yet with the local talk
of sirens calling victims to the sea to meet their end, could something
other-worldly be responsible for the man’s death?
In the summer of 1932, the career of psychologist and
investigator Maisie Dobbs takes an exciting new turn when she
accepts an undercover assignment from the British Secret Service.
Sent to pose as a junior lecturer at a private college in
Cambridge, she will monitor any activities "not in the interests of
His Majesty's government."
When the college's controversial pacifist founder, Greville
Liddicote, is murdered, however, Maisie is directed to stand back
as her colleagues in Scotland Yard spearhead the investigation. But
she soon discovers that the circumstances of Liddicote's death
appear inextricably linked to the suspicious comings and goings of
faculty members and students under her surveillance. To unravel
this web, the investigator must overcome a reluctant Secret
Service, discover shameful hidden truths about Britain's conduct
during the Great War, and face off against the rising power of the
Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei--the Nazi Party--as
the storm clouds of World War II gather on the horizon.
A Dorothy Martin mystery When Dorothy Martin goes to France - alone
because Alan is stuck back home in Sherebury with a broken ankle -
she worries about her ability to get along in a language she barely
speaks, and in a country she hasn't seen for over fifty years. But
by the time Alan joins her a week later, Dorothy has found herself
embroiled in one mystery after another: a woman drowning in
quicksand; a man suffering a near-fatal fall in the abbey at Mont
Saint Michel; and a missing American archaeologist - all seemingly
connected to a monk named Abelard who has been dead for almost nine
hundred years. It isn't until another body is discovered that
Dorothy's ability to 'think outside the box' finally unravels the
threads of a despicable scheme.
The first book in the No. 1 Times bestselling series 'This is
terrific stuff' Daily Telegraph 'A breathtakingly ambitious picture
of an era' Financial Times 'A masterclass in how to weave a
well-researched history into a complex plot' The Times Over 1
Million Andrew Taylor Novels Sold! A CITY IN FLAMES London, 1666.
As the Great Fire consumes everything in its path, the body of a
man is found in the ruins of St Paul's Cathedral - stabbed in the
neck, thumbs tied behind his back. A WOMAN ON THE RUN The son of a
traitor, James Marwood is forced to hunt the killer through the
city's devastated streets. There he encounters a determined young
woman, who will stop at nothing to secure her freedom. A KILLER
SEEKING REVENGE When a second murder victim is discovered in the
Fleet Ditch, Marwood is drawn into the political and religious
intrigue of Westminster - and across the path of a killer with
nothing to lose...
From renowned author Lindsey Davis, creator of the much-loved
character, Marcus Didius Falco and his friends and family, comes
the second novel in her all-new series set in Ancient Rome. We
first met Flavia Albia, Falco's feisty adopted daughter, in The
Ides of April. Albia is a remarkable woman in what is very much a
man's world: young, widowed and fiercely independent, she lives
alone on the Aventine Hill in Rome and makes a good living as a
hired investigator. An outsider in more ways than one, Albia has
unique insight into life in ancient Rome, and she puts it to good
use going places no man could go, and asking questions no man could
ask. Even as the dust settles from her last case, Albia finds
herself once again drawn into a web of lies and intrigue. Two
mysterious deaths at a local villa may be murder and, as the
household slaves are implicated, Albia is once again forced to
involve herself. Her fight is not just for truth and justice,
however; this time, she's also battling for the very lives of
people who can't fight for themselves.Enemies at Home presents
Ancient Rome as only Lindsey Davis can, offering wit, intrigue,
action and the further adventures of a brilliant new heroine who
promises to be as celebrated as Marcus Didius Falco and Helena
Justina, her fictional predecessors.
|
You may like...
Deception
Lesley Pearse
Paperback
R240
R192
Discovery Miles 1 920
73 Dove Street
Julie Owen Moylan
Paperback
R355
R277
Discovery Miles 2 770
Jumping Jenny
Anthony Berkeley
Paperback
R418
R351
Discovery Miles 3 510
|