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Books > Fiction > Genre fiction > Crime & mystery > Historical mysteries
A mysterious schooner runs aground in an English harbor. Its cargo
is fifty boxes of earth; its only living passenger, a black dog.
The captain's body is lashed to the wheel - lifeless, drained of
blood. Soon, a rash of bizarre nocturnal crimes terrifies London.
It can only be the work of Count Dracula, and only one man can save
the city: the world's greatest detective, Sherlock Holmes.
A gripping new thriller with a killer twist! Two bodies. Thirty
years. And a secret that connects them both... 1990 A woman's body
is found brutally murdered in the woods, and next to it, a shallow
grave hiding a terrified young girl. 2021 When Mia and Rich move to
an eco-village in Spain, they're looking for a new start. Val Verde
is everything they wished for - at least to begin with. But when
someone is murdered in an olive grove, Mia realises the village
isn't the safe haven she was hoping for... There's a killer in the
village - and they'll stop at nothing until they get revenge...
'Deliciously creepy' Herald. A hair-raising fictionalized account
of the Borley Rectory haunting, based on contemporary first-hand
testimonies. Welcome to Borley Rectory, the most haunted house in
England. The year is 1926 and Sarah Grey has landed herself an
unlikely new job - personal assistant to Harry Price, London's most
infamous ghost hunter. Equal parts brilliant and charming, neurotic
and manipulative, Harry has devoted his life to exposing the truth
behind England's many 'false hauntings', and never has he left a
case unsolved, nor a fraud unexposed. So when Harry and Sarah are
invited to Borley Rectory - a house so haunted that objects
frequently fly through the air unbidden, and locals avoid the
grounds for fear of facing the spectral nun that walks there -
they're sure that this case will be just like any other. But when
night falls and still no artifice can be found, the ghost hunters
are forced to confront an uncomfortable possibility: the ghost of
Borley Rectory may be real. And, if so, they're about to make its
most intimate acquaintance.
In this action-packed new Bernicia Chronicles adventure from
Matthew Harffy, Beobrand finds himself in a dangerous foreign land,
caught between warring factions of royalty and the Church. AD 652.
Beobrand has been ordered to lead a group of pilgrims to Rome.
Chief among them is Wilfrid, a novice of the church with some
important connections. Taking only Cynan and his best men, Beobrand
hopes to make the journey through Frankia quickly and return to
Northumbria without delay. But where Beobrand treads, menace is
never far behind. The lands of the Merovingian kings are rife with
intrigue. The queen of Frankia is unpopular and her ambitious
schemes have made her powerful enemies. Soon Wilfrid, and Beobrand,
are caught up in sinister plots against the royal house. After
interrupting a brutal ambush, Beobrand and his trusted gesithas
find their lives on the line. Dark forces will stop at nothing to
seize control of Frankia, and Beobrand is thrown into a deadly race
for survival through foreign lands where he cannot be sure who is
friend and who is foe. The only certainty is that if he is to save
his men, thwart the plots, and unmask his enemies, blood will flow.
Reviewers on Matthew Harffy: 'Excellent!' Christian Cameron 'A
genuinely superb novel' Steven McKay 'Beobrand is the warrior to
follow' David Gilman
GET OUT. BEFORE THEY SAVE YOU. Early 1800s. Thomasina Trelora is on
her way to the colonies. Her fate: to be married to a clergyman
she's never met. As the Australian coastline comes into view a
storm wrecks the ship and leaves her lying on the rocks, near
death. She's saved by an Aboriginal man who carries her to the door
of a grand European house, Willowbrae. Tom is now free to be
whoever she wants to be and a whole new life opens up to her. But
as she's drawn deeper into the intriguing life of this grand
estate, she discovers that things aren't quite as they seem. She
stumbles across a horrifying secret at the heart of this world of
colonial decorum - and realises she may have exchanged one kind of
prison for another. The Ripping Tree is an intense, sharp shiver of
a novel, which brings to mind such diverse influences as The Turn
of the Screw, Rebecca and the film Get Out as much as it evokes The
Secret River. A powerful and gripping tale of survival written in
Nikki Gemmell's signature lyrical and evocative prose, it examines
the darkness at the heart of early colonisation. Unsettling,
audacious, thrilling and unputdownable.
The perfect murder mystery for fans of Richard Osman and Robert
Thorogood. 'Spotswood understands that [...] spending time with
unforgettable characters is paramount.' - New York Times 'A loving,
intricately plotted tribute to the great days of American noir.' -
Daily Mail New York, 1946: The last time Will Parker let a case get
personal, she walked away with a broken face, a bruised ego, and
the solemn promise never again to let her heart get in the way of
her job. But she called Hart and Halloway's Travelling Circus and
Sideshow home for five years, and Ruby Donner, the circus's
tattooed ingenue, was her friend. To make matters worse the prime
suspect is Valentin Kalishenko, the man who taught Will everything
she knows about putting a knife where it needs to go. To uncover
the real killer and keep Kalishenko from a date with the electric
chair, Will and Ms. Pentecost join the circus in sleepy Stoppard,
Virginia, where the locals like their cocktails mild, the past
buried, and big-city detectives not at all. The two swiftly find
themselves lost in a funhouse of lies as Will begins to realize
that her former circus compatriots aren't playing it straight, and
that her murdered friend might have been hiding a lot of secrets
beneath all that ink. Dodging fistfights, firebombs, and flying
lead, Will puts a lot more than her heart on the line in the search
of the truth. Can she find it before someone stops her ticker for
good? Praise for Stephen Spotswood: 'Razor-sharp, tons of flair. A
really good noir novel.' Tana French 'Spotswood's stellar debut
puts a modern spin on classic hard-boiled fiction. . . The deep and
sensitive characterization of the two protagonists, coupled with
rich description and tonally spot-on humour, make this a novel to
remember. Spotswood is definitely a writer to watch.' Publishers
Weekly 'This novel not only offers fun, offbeat characters and an
exceptional flavour of the time, it's utterly charming too.'
Woman's Weekly 'This hugely enjoyable debut is a deft melange of
Agatha Christie-style locked-room murder mystery and 1940s
Chandler-esque pulp crime fiction with a feisty narrator' Irish
Independent Review 'Persuasive in its attention to period detail
and dialogue, with well-constructed set piece scenes deftly staged,
this is a highly accomplished, auspicious first entry in what we
must hope will be a long-running series' The Irish Times
1860, Wimborne, Dorset. Rebecca Tullidge, miserably married to her
callous husband, is having an affair with a railway officer, who
she finds dead on the railway tracks. Determined to win votes for
the upcoming election of mayor, Mr Feltham calls for Inspector
Colbeck and Sergeant Lemming to solve the hideous crime, which
takes longer than anticipated. With a pregnant wife at home,
Colbeck must work at speed if he is to return in time to be there
when he becomes a father.
It is New Year's Eve 1915 and the Hardcastle family are welcoming
1916 at their home in Kennington, London. But an hour into the New
Year, Hardcastle is called to a murder in a jeweller's shop in
Vauxhall. In a first for the A Division senior detective, the
killers apparently made their escape in a motor car. As
Hardcastle's enquiry progresses, what he believed to be a fairly
straightforward investigation turns into one with ramifications
extending from Chelsea via Sussex and Surrey to France, close to
the fighting on the Western Front. And as is so often the case in
wartime, the army becomes involved and so, to Hardcastle's dismay,
does Scotland Yard's Special Branch . . .
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Bones in London
(Hardcover)
Edgar Wallace; Contributions by Mint Editions
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R340
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Discovery Miles 3 180
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From the coast of West Africa to the streets of Europe, the
peculiar Augustus "Bones" Tibbetts is unknowingly pulled into
various financial plots and schemes. As part of Edgar Wallace's
Sanders of the River collection, Bones in London follows the
endearing military man as he haplessly juggles business and
politics. Augustus Tibbetts, also known as Bones, has left the
coast of Africa for the bustling streets of England. As the new
managing director of Schemes Ltd., he suddenly finds himself at the
center of multiple mishaps. Along with his trusted assistant Miss
Winfield, the duo encounters questionable characters and unexpected
ploys. Despite the circumstance, Bones stays true to his nature and
finds a way to come out on top. Wallace uses the affable
protagonist to highlight corrupt business practices within London.
It is an issue that affects both upper and lower-class citizens
making it relatable to a broader audience. With Bones' unique
perspective and eccentric voice, he balances the dark tone with
genuine humor and heart. Bones in London is one of many entries in
the author's vast catalog, which includes Bones (1915), Lieutenant
Bones (1918), and Bones of the River (1923). Each book is a
serialized version of short stories originally published in The
Weekly Tale-Teller, The Windsor Magazine, and The 20-Story
Magazine. For more than a century, these classic titles have
delivered mystery and intrigue for readers of all ages. Wallace's
work was integral to the creation of contemporary crime drama. With
an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript,
this edition of Bones in London is both modern and readable.
Not all monsters remain fictional... Percy Shelley's legendary
poetry lives on long after his death in 1850s England. But when his
son and famed widow, Mary, are approached by a stranger offering to
sell rare papers allegedly by Percy, Charles Maddox is called to
look at the suspicious texts. But the case is not as simple as it
appears, with Mary's bitter stepsister, Claire Clairmont, also on
the scene. As the investigation grows more disturbing, shocking
evidence of foul play is discovered, leaving Maddox hunting for an
even darker truth... Taking inspiration from Mary Shelley's classic
Frankenstein, Lynn Shepherd turns a literary legend into an
otherworldly tale. Previously called A Treacherous Likeness.
A Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Amazon Charts bestseller.
From the bestselling author of The Tuscan Child comes a beautiful
and heart-rending novel of a woman's love and sacrifice during the
First World War. As the Great War continues to take its toll,
headstrong twenty-one-year-old Emily Bryce is determined to
contribute to the war effort. She is convinced by a cheeky and
handsome Australian pilot that she can do more, and it is not long
before she falls in love with him and accepts his proposal of
marriage. When he is sent back to the front, Emily volunteers as a
"land girl," tending to the neglected grounds of a large Devonshire
estate. It's here that Emily discovers the long-forgotten journals
of a medicine woman who devoted her life to her herbal garden. The
journals inspire Emily, and in the wake of devastating news, they
are her saving grace. Emily's lover has not only died a hero but
has left her terrified-and with child. Since no one knows that
Emily was never married, she adopts the charade of a war widow. As
Emily learns more about the volatile power of healing with herbs,
the found journals will bring her to the brink of disaster, but may
open a path to her destiny.
A moving and powerful mystery, The Forgotten Garden is the
bestselling second novel from Kate Morton. 1913. On the eve of the
First World War, a little girl is found abandoned after a gruelling
ocean voyage from England to Australia. All she can remember of the
journey is that a mysterious woman she calls the Authoress had
promised to look after her. But the Authoress has vanished without
a trace. 1975. Now an old lady, Nell travels to England to discover
the truth about her parentage. Her quest leads her to Cornwall, and
to a beautiful estate called Blackhurst Manor, which had been owned
by the Mountrachet family. What has prompted Nell's journey after
all these years? 2005. On Nell's death, her granddaughter,
Cassandra, comes into a surprise inheritance. Cliff Cottage, in the
grounds of Blackhurst Manor, is notorious amongst the locals for
the secrets it holds - secrets about the doomed Mountrachet family.
But it is at long-abandoned Cliff Cottage, and in its forgotten
garden, that Cassandra will uncover the truth about the
Mountrachets - and why the young Nell was abandoned all those
decades before . . .
When Cleopatra's most beloved actress disappears, her new Eye of
Isis must solve a case that will lead to the darkest corners of
Alexandria. From the palaces of Alexandria reigns Cleopatra -
seventh of her name, avatar of the goddess Isis, ruler of the
Kingdom of Egypt - surrounded by riches untold. Through the streets
of her great city bustle scholars and sailors, politicians and
priests. For those with the means, it is a comfortable life. But
not all are invited to share in the wealth of Egypt's first city.
For the peasants and farmers, their lives lie in the hands of the
gods and the harvest. Unless, that is, they can find other methods
to feed their families. Other, less savoury methods. When Herminia,
one of Alexandria's most beloved actresses, disappears on the eve
of a great performance, Cleopatra sets Tetisheri, her Eye, to
investigate. In her search for the truth, Tetisheri will uncover a
mystery that will take her to the city's darkest corners... Reviews
for Dana Stabenow 'Stabenow brings Alexandria's Hellenistic period
to life... She is now as much at home in ancient Egypt as she is in
the Alaskan wilderness' Publishers Weekly 'Stabenow is blessed with
a rich prose style and a fine eye for detail. Outstanding'
Washington Post 'For rich, idiosyncratic settings and engaging
characters... let me recommend Dana Stabenow' Diana Gabaldon
'A masterful storyteller with an intricate knowledge of his
subject.' The Daily Telegraph 'Alan Judd knows more about the
secret world than any other writer living. To have him turn his
expert eye on the world of Christopher Marlowe - and on Francis
Walsingham, the Elizabethan George Smiley - is a special kind of
literary treat.' Mick Herron 'Absolutely spellbinding. I gobbled it
up in two days and could not stop' Miranda Seymour Danger and
dissent stalk the streets and taverns of Elizabethan England. The
Queen's chief spymaster, Francis Walsingham, and his team of agents
must maintain the highest levels of vigilance to ward off Catholic
plots and the ever-present threat of invasion. One operative in
particular - a young Cambridge undergraduate of humble origins,
controversial beliefs and literary genius who goes by the name of
Kit Marlowe - is relentless in his pursuit of intelligence for the
Crown. When he is killed outside an inn in Deptford, his mysterious
death becomes the subject of rumours and suspicion that are never
satisfactorily resolved. Years later, Thomas Phelippes, a former
colleague of Marlowe's and a man once much valued by Walsingham,
finds himself imprisoned in the Tower. When he is visited by an
emissary of the new king, however, it becomes clear that his long
fall from favour may be reversed if he will furnish his monarch
with every detail he is able to recall about his murdered friend's
life and death. But just what is it that so fascinates King James
about the famously mercurial playwright-spy, and does Phelippes
know enough to secure his own redemption? Virtuosic, gripping and
meticulously researched, award-winning writer Alan Judd turns is at
the peak of his powers in this remarkable novel about a literary
genius whose short-life and violent death composed one of the most
fascinating unresolved mysteries of all time.
"As always, Todd's intense feelings for the traumatized survivors
of war make one mother's son the broken hero of an entire
generation of lost souls." - The New York Times Book Review In the
aftermath of World War I, English nurse Bess Crawford attempts to
save a troubled officer from a mysterious killer in this eleventh
book in the acclaimed Bess Crawford mystery series. The Armistice
of November 1918 ended the fighting, but the Great War will not be
over until a Peace Treaty is drawn up and signed by all parties
involved. Representatives from the Allies are gathering in Paris,
and already ominous signs of disagreement have appeared. Sister
Bess Crawford, who has been working with the severely wounded in
England in the war's wake, is asked to carry out a personal mission
in Paris for a Matron at the London headquarters of The Queen
Alexandra's. Bess is facing decisions about her own future, even as
she searches for Lawrence Minton. When she finally locates him,
instead of the intelligent, ambitious officer she expects, she
finds a bitter and disturbed man who has abdicated his duties at
the Peace Conference and is well on his way toward an addiction to
opiates. Indeed, he tells her that he doesn't care if he lives or
dies, he only wants oblivion. But what has changed him? What is it
that haunts him? It seems the truth is buried so deep in his mind
that he can only relive it in wild nightmares. When Minton goes
missing, bent on suicide, Bess must race to unlock his past before
he succeeds. Reluctant to trust an officer in Minton's regiment, a
man with secrets of his own, and uncertain of the loyalties of
Matron's friends in Paris, Bess must rely on her own instincts and
experience-and sometimes in desperation on a stranger who claims he
never met Minton. Could whatever happened to Minton in Paris
somehow be connected to his war? And why did he not kill Bess when
he had the chance-then later, viciously attack her without warning?
What is destroying Lieutenant Minton? Or is it who? And what horror
will she have to confront, if she is to save him? In this, the
eleventh novel in the award-winning Bess Crawford series, New York
Times bestselling author Charles Todd delivers a rich and
atmospheric portrait that illuminates the cost of war on human
lives-the lingering pain and horror that no peace, no matter how
earned, can assuage.
Sister Fidelma returns in THE HOUSE OF DEATH, the thirty-second
Celtic mystery by Peter Tremayne, acclaimed author of THE
SHAPESHIFTER'S LAIR, BLOOD IN EDEN, and BLOODMOON. If you love
Ellis Peters, you'll be gripped by THE HOUSE OF DEATH and the
Sister Fidelma series. Ireland. AD 672. The Feast of Beltaine is
approaching and the seven senior princes of the kingdom of Muman
are gathering at Cashel to discuss King Colgu's policies. Just days
before the council meets, Brother Conchobhar, the keeper of the
sacred sword, is found murdered. Sister Fidelma and her brother
Colgu fear that the killer had been trying to steal the sword that
symbolises the King's authority to rule. And as rumours begin to
spread of an attempt to overthrow Colgu, news reaches Cashel that a
plague ship has landed at a nearby port, bringing the deadly
pestilence to its shores. Amid fear and panic, Fidelma, Eadulf and
Enda must work together to catch a killer as the death toll starts
to mount... What readers are saying about the Sister Fidelma
series: 'Tremayne is one of those very few historical mystery
writers who can perplex and bewilder. He weaves the twisty plots
into a complex historical narrative' 'A must-read for anyone
looking for a good mystery' 'The characters are original, the
settings are imaginative and true-to-life and the intricate plots
form enough threads to keep you guessing at every turn'
The fifth John Grey historical mystery 1668. John Grey is now a
Justice of the Peace and lives in the manor house he has inherited
on his mother's death with his new wife, Aminta. As the village is
cut off from the rest of the world by a heavy snowfall, George
Barwell is discovered dead in the woods. Grey is called to examine
the horribly disfigured body amidst the rumours that the attack has
been the work of the Devil as the victim had been cursed by reputed
witch Alice Mardike just days before his violent death. As
Barwell's father-in-law leads the villagers into kidnapping Alice
and throwing her into the millpond to see if she floats as a witch
or drowns as an innocent woman, Grey agrees to investigate the
murder: his main suspect is the very man leading the witch hunt.
But if Grey can't solve the mystery of George Barwell's death
within a week, Mardike will be tried for witchcraft - and the
sentence has already been decided . . . Praise for L.C. Tyler 'Wit
and witchcraft in a snowbound seventeenth century Essex make a
potent combination in The Bleak Midwinter, a welcome addition to
L.C. Tyler's fine John Grey series of crime novels' Simon Brett,
bestselling author of the Blotto and Twinks series 'Unusually
accomplished' Helen Dunmore 'I enjoyed The Bleak Midwinter
enormously. Len Tyler writes with great charm and wit, and there
were parts that made me laugh out loud' Susanna Gregory 'Tyler
juggles his characters, story, wit and clever one liners with
perfect balance' The Times 'A cracking pace, lively dialogue,
wickedly witty one-liners salted with sophistication . . . Why
would we not want more of John Grey?' The Bookbag 'A dizzying whirl
of plot and counterplot' Guardian 'I was seduced from John Grey's
first scene' Ann Cleeves
Sleuthing duo Lillian Frost and Edith Head investigate a
behind-the-scenes scandal in this delightful Golden Age of
Hollywood mystery. 1939, Los Angeles. Lillian Frost is shocked when
her friend, glamorous costume designer Edith Head, hands her the
script to a new film that's about to start shooting. Streetlight
Story is based on a true crime: the California Republic bank
robbery of 1936. Lillian's beau, LAPD detective Gene Morrow, was
one of the officers on the case; his partner, Teddy, was tragically
shot dead. It seems the scriptwriter has put Gene at the centre of
a scandal, twisting fact with fiction - or has he? With Gene
reluctant to talk about the case, the movie quickly becoming the
hottest ticket in town, a suspicious death on the Paramount studio
lot and the police reopening the investigation into Teddy's death,
Lillian is determined to find answers. Can Lillian and Edith
uncover the truth of what happened that fateful day and clear
Gene's name?
When ad man Victor Dean falls down the stairs in the offices of
Pym' s Publicity, a respectable London advertising agency, it looks
like an accident. Then Lord Peter Wimsey is called in, and he soon
discovers there' s more to copywriting than meets the eye. A bit of
cocaine, a hint of blackmail, and some wanton women can be read
between the lines. And then there is the brutal succession of
murders -- 5 of them -- each one a fixed fee for advertising a
deadly secret.
DCI Monika Paniatowski faces an old enemy - and makes a fatal
mistake with the potential to poison her whole career. Jordan Gough
is an important man. He's the town's biggest benefactor. He is the
proprietor of the Whitebridge Evening Telegraph. He owns the local
football team. He is also, DCI Monika Paniatowski thinks, as bent
as a corkscrew - and if she had any evidence, she'd put him away
like a shot. A single encounter with him as a young detective
sergeant left an impression she's never forgotten. And neither, she
is certain, has he. So when Jordan calls and demands to speak to
Monika - and only Monika - she is on immediate high alert. He
claims someone's trying to kill him, but why has he destroyed the
evidence? Why turn for help to an officer he hates? Certain she's
the target of a twisted practical joke, Monika makes a terrible
mistake - one that could destroy everything she holds dear. The
fourteenth DCI Monika Paniatowski mystery is a powerful and dark
tale of revenge, secrets and lies, which grips you tight as it
reveals twist after stunning twist.
From the author of A Dangerous Duet comes the next book in her
Victorian mystery series, this time following a daring female
painter and the Scotland Yard detective who is investigating her
brother's suspicious death. A young painter digs beneath the veneer
of Victorian London's art world to learn the truth behind her
brother's murder... Edwin is dead. That's what Inspector Matthew
Hallam of Scotland Yard tells Annabel Rowe when she discovers him
searching her brother's flat for clues. While the news is shocking,
Annabel can't say it's wholly unexpected, given Edwin's past as a
dissolute risk-taker and art forger, although he swore he'd
reformed. After years spent blaming his reckless behavior for their
parents' deaths, Annabel is now faced with the question of who
murdered him-because Edwin's death was both violent and deliberate.
A valuable French painting he'd been restoring for an auction house
is missing from his studio: find the painting, find the murderer.
But the owner of the artwork claims it was destroyed in a warehouse
fire years ago. As a painter at the prestigious Slade School of Art
and as Edwin's closest relative, Annabel makes the case that she is
crucial to Matthew's investigation. But in their search for the
painting, Matthew and Annabel trace a path of deceit and
viciousness that reaches far beyond the elegant rooms of the
auction house, into an underworld of politics, corruption, and
secrets someone will kill to keep.
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