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Books > Fiction > Genre fiction > Crime & mystery > Historical mysteries
Introducing Elizabethan cutpurse and adventurer Jack Blackjack in the first of a brand-new historical mystery series January, 1554. Light-fingered Jack Blackjack knows he's not going to have a good day when he wakes with a sore head next to a dead body in a tavern's yard. That would be bad enough - but when he discovers what's in the dead man's purse, the one he'd stolen, his day is set to get much worse. The purse explains why the mysterious man with the broad-brimmed hat wants to catch him. But so does the Lord Chancellor, as does the enigmatic Henry. In fact, almost everyone seems to be after Jack Blackjack. If it weren't for the rebel army marching on London determined to remove Queen Mary from her throne and install Lady Jane Grey in her place, Jack could leave the city - but with the bridge blocked and every gate manned, there's no escape. Instead he must try to work out who killed the man in the yard, and why. But it won't be easy as the rebel army comes ever closer and the death toll mounts .
"The White Companyis a lively romance, and very good reading for boys and friends of old times and tall knights." -Andrew Lang "Start a story by Conan Doyle and you cannot stop reading, whether you are ten or sixty."-Michael Dirda "The immense talent, passion and literary brilliance that Conan Doyle brought to his work gives him a unique place in English letters."-Stephen Fry Arthur Conan Doyle's The White Company (1891) is a vivid and action-packed historical adventure novel set against the backdrop of the Hundred Years' War in 14th century Western Europe. With Doyle's impeccable eye for historical accuracy, this chivalric tale of a motley gang of Saxon knights en route to battle in France is a breathtaking window into the medieval world. When Alleyne, a young Saxon noble-man who has been raised in a monastery comes of age, he is in accordance with his father's will, instructed to experience the outside world. As Alleyne travels through England he meets two men in search of adventure; Hordle John and Samkin Aylward. They convince the young lad to join them on their journey to the castle of the enigmatic knight Sir Nigel Loring. When they arrive they learn that Sir Nigel had been chosen to lead the White Company, the English stalwart archers, into battle against the French. Under the banner of Sir Nigel, our valiant heroes fall into increasingly thrilling adventures, including a swashbuckling episode with pirates on the high seas, chivalric battles, and epic feats as the White Company strive in their unswerving appetite for glory in battle. With The White Company readers of all ages will fall under the spell of one of the most thrilling and accurate historical adventures ever penned. With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of The White Company is both modern and readable.
A BOOK OF THE YEAR IN DAILY EXPRESS, I AND IRISH INDEPENDENT 'Thrilling, mysterious, twisted' Graham Norton 'Utterly mesmerising . . . A triumph' New York Times Book Review 'Delivers chills galore' Guardian The case of the extraordinary child . . . London, 1863. A strange puzzle has reached Bridie Devine, the finest female detective of her age. To recover a stolen child, Bridie must enter the dark world of medical curiosities. The public love a spectacle and this child may well prove the most remarkable spectacle London has ever seen. Things in Jars is a Victorian novel unlike any other, one that explores what it is to be human in inhumane times.
An ancient and mysterious book leads Crispin Guest into a deadly maze in this latest medieval noir mystery. 1394, London. Crispin Guest, Tracker of London, is enjoying his ale in the Boar's Tusk tavern - until a stranger leaves a mysterious wrapped bundle on his table, telling him, "You'll know what to do." Inside is an ancient leather-bound book written in an unrecognizable language. Accompanied by his apprentice, Jack Tucker, Crispin takes the unknown codex to a hidden rabbi, where they make a shocking discovery: it is the Gospel of Judas from the Holy Land, and its contents challenge the very doctrine of Christianity itself. Crispin is soon drawn into a deadly maze involving murder, living saints, and lethal henchmen. Why was he given the blasphemous book, and what should he do with it? A series of horrific events confirm his fears that there are powerful men who want it - and who will stop at nothing to see it destroyed.
When two bodies are discovered in the grounds of York Minster shortly before the enthronement of the new archbishop, Owen Archer is summoned to investigate. December, 1374. With the great and the good about to descend on York for the enthronement of Alexander Neville as the new archbishop, the city authorities are in a state of high alert. When two bodies are discovered in the grounds of York Minster, and a flaxen-haired youth with the voice of an angel is found locked in the chapter house, Owen Archer, captain of the city bailiffs, is summoned to investigate. Tension deepens when an enigmatic figure from Owen's past arrives in the city. Why has he returned from France after all these years - and what is his connection with the bodies in the minster yard and the fair singer? Before Owen can make headway in the investigation, a third body is fished out of the river - and the captain finds himself with three mysterious deaths to solve before the all-powerful Neville family arrives in York.
Introducing thief-taker Simon Westow in the first in a new historical mystery series set in Regency Leeds. Leeds, 1820. Simon Westow makes a good living as a thief-taker. The boy who grew up in the workhouse has become a success, finding and returning the stolen possessions of the rich - for a fee. But when mill owner John Milner hires Simon to find his kidnapped daughter, Hannah, he faces a challenge like no other. With his enigmatic and deadly young assistant, Jane, by his side, Simon's search takes him through the dark underbelly of Leeds, where poverty, industry and death live cheek by jowl. But he soon comes to understand that the real answers lie in his own past, and an old enemy seeking revenge . . .
September 1909, and Lady Hardcastle and her maid, Florence, have been invited to Lord Riddlethorpe's country estate for a week of motor racing and parties. They both agree that it sounds like a perfectly charming holiday. But when one of the drivers dies in a crash during the very first race, they discover that what seemed like an uncharacteristic error in judgement may have a more sinister explanation... Closer investigation reveals that the driver's car was sabotaged-and the driver murdered. The local constabulary are quick to dismiss the case, but Flo and Lady Hardcastle are determined to find out just who has committed this dastardly act, and why. As the pair begin to make enquiries of Lord Riddlethorpe's servants and guests, it seems that, below stairs and above, there is more to this case than meets the eye. And, even in the quiet of the countryside, death is always just around the bend.
November 1907. George Dillman and Genevieve Masefield sail from Liverpool to New York on the maiden voyage of the luxurious Mauretania. Employed by the Cunard Line again as private detectives, they pose as passengers on what proves to be a very eventful crossing. Dillman is instrumental in rescuing a crew member from being washed overboard in severe weather, but he is unable to save one of the first-class passengers from the same fate. At first, it looks like a case of death by misadventure, but is the presence of a record shipment of gold bullion on board just too great a coincidence? Dillman and Genevieve must fathom the motive for murder before it is too late. At the time of her launch, the Mauretania was the largest moving structure ever built. She would later serve as a WWI hospital and troop ship. After returning to civilian service, Mauretania was retired and scrapped in the mid-1930s. Previously published under the name Conrad Allen, the Ocean Liner series is relaunched for a new generation of readers.
The first in a new Victorian murder mystery series set in London, featuring a clever and determined young female sleuth When a customer of William Doughty's chemist shop dies of strychnine poisoning after drinking medicine he dispensed, William is blamed, and the family faces ruin. William's daughter, 19-year-old Frances, determines to redeem her ailing father's reputation and save the business. She soon becomes convinced that the death was murder, but unable to convince the police, she turns detective. Armed only with her wits, courage, and determination, and aided by some unconventional new friends, Frances uncovers a startling deception and solves a 10-year-old murder. There will be more deaths and a secret in her own family will be revealed, before the killer is unmasked and Frances finds that her life has changed forever.
1857. Joel Heygate is the popular stationmaster at Exeter St David's railway station. So when the charred remains of a body are discovered in the embers of the town's annual Bonfire Night celebration, everyone is horrified to discover that they belong to Mr Heygate. Inspector Robert Colbeck and his assistant Victor Leeming are dispatched to Exeter with all due haste, and quickly unearth a number of suspects. But as Colbeck closes in on the killer, he finds himself in mortal danger. Can justice prevail, or will his beloved Madeleine be robbed of a husband on the very eve of their marriage?
SOME STORIES CANNOT BE TOLD IN JUST ONE LIFETIME.
"More meticulously choreographed than a chorus line. It all pays
off."--Chelsea Cain, THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
From the international bestselling author-"a sprawling and ambitious literary mystery" ("The Seattle Times"). From a true and shocking event-the bombing of lower Manhattan in September 1920-Jed Rubenfeld weaves a twisting and thrilling work of fiction as a physician, a female radiochemist, and a police official come to believe that the inexplicable attack is only part of a larger plan. It's a conspiracy that takes them from Paris to Prague, from the Vienna home of Sigmund Freud to the corridors of power in Washington, D.C., and ultimately to the depths of our most savage human instincts where there lies the shocking truth behind that fateful day.
A storm is coming . . . Can nun sleuth Hildegard solve the murder of a lay sister before the rising flood waters trap her with a cunning killer? Autumn, 1394. All is not well at Swyne Priory. Dissension has arisen amongst the nuns. The new novices whisper in corners, spreading malicious rumours and sharing dark secrets. The Prioress gives Hildegard an order: search out the cause of this unrest, and put a stop to it. But before Hildegard can investigate, she's forced to deal with a new problem: the arrival of a mysterious stranger in the middle of the night, claiming his life is in danger. Hildegard isn't sure whether to believe him, but when a body is discovered near the priory, she's soon plunged into a dark and dangerous puzzle where nothing is as it seems. All she knows for certain is that a storm is coming, threatening to cut the priory off from the outside world and trap them with a killer . . . Medieval mystery at its finest - and a great pick for readers who love sleuthing monks and nuns like Peter Tremayne's Sister Fidelma, Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael and Cora Harrison's Reverend Mother.
When Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy is assigned to investigate the
murder of an influential man in the deaf community-presumably
because his own son is hearing impaired-midwife Sarah Brandt lends
a hand, only to find herself searching for a killer in an
unfamiliar world where those who "can" hear refuse to listen to
those who cannot.
Amazon reviewers love The Scarlet Code! 'A rollicking good tale' 'Thoroughly enjoyable, highly recommend' 'Exciting, swashbuckling adventure' 'Everything you could want from an adventure thriller: excitement, a fabulously endearing heroine and pirate to fall in love with, a cruel killer and... well-written historical detail. Superb.' 1789. The Bastille has fallen... As Parisians pick souvenirs from the rubble, a killer stalks the lawless streets. His victims are female aristocrats. His executions use the most terrible methods of the ancient regime. English spy Attica Morgan is laying low in Paris, helping nobles escape. When her next charge falls victim to the killer's twisted machinations, Attica realises she alone can unmask him. But now it seems his deadly sights are set on her. As the city prisons empty, and a mob mobilises to storm Versailles, finding a dangerous criminal is never going to be easy. Attica's only hope is to enlist her old ally, reformed pirate Jemmy Avery, to track the killer though his revolutionary haunts. But even with a pirate and her fast knife, it seems Attica might not manage to stay alive. 'A rip-roaring adventure' Tessa Harris on The Bastille Spy
New York Times bestselling author Anne Perry brings us an exciting new thriller of espionage and murder set across Europe in the 1930s. The world is on the brink of war and no one is to be trusted as young photographer Elena Standish becomes embroiled in a terrifying game of cat and mouse... It is 1933 and Europe is a place of increasing fear and violence. Young British photographer Elena Standish is on assignment in Amalfi when she meets Ian Newton, a charming Englishman with whom she falls in love. But what does she really know about him? Accompanying him on a train across Italy to Paris, she finds him critically stabbed and dying. He tells her he is a member of Britain's Secret Service, on his way to Berlin to warn MI6 so that they can foil a plot to assassinate one of Hitler's vilest henchmen and blame Britain for it, thus causing a devastating diplomatic crisis. Elena promises to deliver the message. But she is too late, and finds herself fleeing for her life. Meanwhile Lucas Standish, secret head of MI6 during the war, learns that his beloved granddaughter is being hunted in Berlin for murder. With Elena on the run, and at least one traitor in the British Embassy, it is impossible to know who to trust... Praise for Anne Perry's previous novels: 'A brilliant Victorian police procedural in which well-realized characters and settings are fascinating in themselves' Booklist 'Engrossing... Perry has always excelled in courtroom scenes and arguments between barristers, and she outdoes herself in two dramatic trials'Washington Times Daily 'Perry balances plot and character neatly before providing a resolution that few will anticipate'Publishers Weekly
August 1940. On the streets of London, locals watch with growing concern as German fighter planes plague the city's skyline. But inside the famous Ritz Hotel, the cream of society continues to enjoy all the glamour and comfort that money can buy during wartime - until an anonymous man is discovered with his throat slashed open. Detective Chief Inspector Coburg is called in to investigate, no stranger himself to the haunts of the upper echelons of society, ably assisted by his trusty colleague, Sergeant Lampson. Yet they soon face a number of obstacles. With the crime committed in rooms in use by an exiled king and his retinue, there are those who fear diplomatic repercussions and would rather the case be forgotten. With mounting pressure from various Intelligence agencies, rival political factions and gang warfare brewing either side of the Thames, Coburg and Lampson must untangle a web of deception if they are to solve the case - and survive.
LONDON 1881: Panic reigns in Bayswater as a ruthless murderer prowls the foggy streets of the nation's capital. Residents live in fear, rumours and accusations abound, and vigilante groups patrol by night. It is not, of course, a suitable investigation for a lady detective, but when a friend falls victim to the killer's knife, Frances Doughty is drawn into this sinister new case. Myth and reality collide in another thrilling mystery that will stretch Frances' powers of deduction - and her courage - to the limit. |
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