Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
|
Your cart is empty |
|||
Books > Fiction > Genre fiction > Crime & mystery > Historical mysteries
Gossip columnist Lorna Whitcomb knows every dirty secret in Hollywood . . . except who killed her tipster. Sleuthing duo Lillian Frost and Edith Head investigate in this head-turning mystery. 1940, Los Angeles. Hollywood's famous gossip columnist, Lorna Whitcomb, has summoned Lillian Frost and her sleuthing partner, costume designer extraordinaire Edith Head, to her office. Lorna's 'leg man' Sam Simcoe - the man who finds the scandalous material for her column - is in trouble. Tipster Glenn Hoyle has been murdered, and Sam is the LAPD's only suspect. But Sam didn't just find Glenn's body when he paid him a visit. Hiding in a wastebasket was a list of three names - a starlet, a producer and a director - and Sam's sure Glenn had an explosive story on all of them. Was it just idle gossip, or could it explain his murder? Lorna wants Edith and Lillian to find Glenn's killer before her powerful enemies strike. In a town full of secrets, Edith and Lillian must expose the dirtiest one of all: who killed Glenn Hoyle?
Due to impressive research, 1930s England is beautifully evoked
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
The message consisted of one neatly typewritten line: I am killing you slowly. You are going to die. The Chessman. Isabelle Stanton and Sue Castradon always arranged the flowers in the village church on Fridays. But Sue was glad to escape the church that morning. She had rowed over breakfast with her husband Ned, who bitterly resented her association - however fleeting - with the handsome Simon Vardon. Sue didn't think things could get worse - until she opened the cupboard. When a mutilated corpse is discovered in the sleepy village of Croxton Ferriers, Jack Haldean finds an odd clue at the scene of the crime: a black marble chess knight with crystal eyes. Is murder just a game? It could be - to a killer who calls himself The Chessman.
*SHORTLISTED FOR THE CWA ENDEAVOUR HISTORICAL DAGGER AWARD 2017* LONDON 1885 - A woman's body is discovered on Edgware Road. Ten miles away, her head is pulled from the dark muddy waters of the Thames. For two men, this event will push them to the very brink. DETECTIVE WILLIAM PINKERTON - 'Thirty-nine years old, already famous and already lonely'. In an attempt to solve this case, he must descend into the seedy, gas-lit streets, opium dens, sewers and seance halls of Victorian London. ADAM FOOLE - A gentleman without a past, haunted by a love affair ten years gone. What he learns from his lover's fate will force him to confront a past, and a grief, he thought long buried.
'Infused with the spirit of Jane Eyre, Rebecca and The Woman in White'
- Independent
A Hawkenlye medieval mystery February, 1212. Sir Josse d'Acquin and Helewise are summoned to Southfire Hall, where Josse's elderly uncle, Hugh, lies dying, surrounded by his children. But the pair soon discovers that Hugh's ill health is not the only cause of distress in the house: for Hugh's son and heir, Herbert, has taken an unpleasant new wife, the widowed Lady Cyrille. Josse and Helewise are distracted by the discovery of an injured young man on the road outside on the evening of their arrival, but the longer they remain in the house, the more they feel that something is very wrong. What happened to Josse's cousin Aeleis, who no one speaks of? Where is Lady Cyrille's small son? And why do they both feel as if the house itself is alive - and threatened by approaching evil?
Captain Hazard's Game, third in the Chocolate House Mysteries series, conjures up the vibrant life of early eighteenth-century gamesters and money-men, a world of deception where risk could bring huge rewards - especially when you turned the stock-market by false news or shortened the odds by cheating. It was a scene where all was in hazard and life lived on the edge. The book weaves its classic murder mystery around actual events of October 1708, and we move among a rich cast of characters, both in Vandernan's gaming-house, Covent Garden, and the notorious Exchange Alley. Playing Captain Hazard's Game brings murder and scandal uncomfortably close, and Widow Trotter and her friends at the Bay-Tree are drawn into a frenzied game of chance and speculation at a time when the market was unregulated. Fortunes were made overnight, and ruin could descend in a single hour. People played for the highest stakes, and men of power manipulated things for their own ends. In this book the chocolate house itself comes under threat as Mary Trotter, with help from her young friends Tom and Will, struggles to find the truth behind an ingenious system of deception. Once again, she presides over the novel, as she does over the Bay-Tree, with good humour, fierce integrity, and resolute determination.
"I never can resist a touch of the dramatic." The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes is now best remembered for its concluding story in which the great detective appears to plunge to his death into the waters at the bottom of the Reichenbach Falls, locked in a struggle with his nemesis, Professor Moriarty. However, the collection also brings the reader back to the beginnings of Holmes' career, involving a mutiny at sea and a treasure hunt in a Sussex country house, and a first encounter with Holmes' older brother Mycroft, of whom Holmes says, "If the art of the detective began and ended in reasoning from any armchair, my brother would be the greatest criminal agent that ever lived". This collection includes some of the detective's greatest cases, such as 'Silver Blaze' and 'The Naval Treaty', and even one case which Holmes fails to solve. Edited with an introduction by Jarlath Killeen, this volume examines Holmes as a safeguard against social breakdown and chaos, as well as an agent of justice and goodness against the forces of evil. It also situates the collection in the growth of life writing in the period, and explores the ways in which Holmes became increasingly 'real' to readers as more details about his personality and biography are revealed in the stories. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.
Torino, 1806: il Piemonte e stato annesso all'Impero, unico territorio italiano a farne parte. Napoleone I e all'apice del potere. Torino e scossa da un'orrenda serie di delitti, opera apparente di uno squilibrato. Il Governatore non puo permettere che l'ordine costituito venga minato ed ordina che il colpevole sia scovato a tutti i costi. Tuttavia, soltanto un'agenzia privata e scientificamente moderna puo compiere il miracolo ed il grande Vidoq si trova occupato a Parigi. L'unica agenzia sul territorio e quella di Lady Costantine, che l'ha ereditata dal defunto marito. L'agenzia dovra sbrogliare il bandolo della matassa in una girandola di avvenimenti. Un affresco della Torino del 1806, ex capitale del Regno di Sardegna ed ora una importante citta di frontiera del primo impero.
USA Today bestseller! Would you sell your secrets? Catherine Carlisle is trapped in a loveless marriage and the threat of World War Two is looming. She sees no way out... that is until a trusted friend asks her to switch her husband's papers in a desperate bid to confuse the Germans. Soon Catherine finds herself caught up in a deadly mixture of espionage and murder. Someone is selling secrets to the other side, and the evidence seems to point right at her. Can she clear her name before it's too late? Readers LOVE The Silent Woman! 'Brilliant! I loved this book. It had me gripped from page one.' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars 'I couldn't stop reading this book!... Will keep you turning pages long into the night.' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars 'I really loved this... Absolutely raced through it. More, please...!' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars 'Wonderful... Very difficult to put down.' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars 'An excellent start to a series... Enjoyed it tremendously!' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars 'Gripping... I could barely put it down... Kept me reading until the wee hours of the morning... I enjoyed every page.' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars 'More twists, turns and surprises than I could have imagined!' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars 'Riveting... I read the entire book in one setting.' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars 'Wow. I did not want to put it down... I absolutely loved this book.' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars 'What a wonderful book... This is the first book I have read by this author and it most certainly will not be the last... Ridiculously addictive.' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars 'A gripping and engaging mystery which I can highly recommend.' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars 'I thoroughly enjoyed this... I cannot wait to read the second book of this series!!!' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
"Clare has carefully researched the period she is writing about and offers authentic, engaging historical detail, but her real gift is as a superb storyteller whose clever, twisty plots; believable characters; and skillful writing will engross the reader from first page to last" Booklist Starred Review 1603. Former ship's surgeon Gabriel Taverner is attempting to re-establish himself as a country physician in rural Devon. But it's not easy to gain the locals' trust, and a series of disturbing incidents, increasing in menace and intensity, convinces him that at least one person does not welcome his presence. Called out to examine a partially decomposed body found beside the river, Gabriel discovers that he has a personal connection to the dead man. Teaming up with Coroner Theophilus Davey to find out how the man died, Gabriel uncovers some darker aspects of the lucrative silk trade which operates from nearby Plymouth. The more he finds out, the more frighteningly apparent it becomes that the people closest to him have been keeping dangerous secrets.
THE GRIPPING GOTHIC THRILLER Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronte are rather losing interest in detecting until they hear of a shocking discovery: the bones of a child have been found interred within the walls of a local house, Top Withens Hall, home to the scandalous and brutish Bradshaw family. When the sisters set off to find out more, they are confronted with an increasingly complex and sinister case, which leads them into the dark world of orphanages, and onto the trail of other lost, and likely murdered children. After another local boy goes missing, Charlotte, Emily and Anne vow to find him before it's too late. But in order to do so, they must face their most despicable and wicked adversary yet - one that would not hesitate to cause them the gravest of harm . . . Praise for Bella Ellis and the series: 'Bronte aficionados are sure to enjoy the accurate characterization and context, the twists turns and Gothic touches of the plot, and the strong feminist streak that manifests itself throughout, but most triumphantly at the end. Happily, more Bronte mysteries are to be expected.' The Times Literary Supplement 'A splendid adventure' Guardian 'A delight' The Wall Street Journal 'Brilliantly entertaining and original' CL Taylor 'Insightful, moving and inspiring . . . an absolute treat from start to finish' Jane Casey 'Elegant, witty and compulsively readable - I think the Bronte sisters would have been delighted' Rosie Walsh
Thomas atte Bridge, a man no one likes, is found hanging from a tree near Cow-leys Corner. All assume he has taken his own life, but Master Hugh and Kate find evidence that this may not be so. Many of the town had been harmed by Thomas, and Hugh is not eager to send one of them to the gallows. Then he discovers that the priest John Kellet, atte Bridge's partner in crime in A CORPSE AT ST. ANDREW'S CHAPEL, was covertly in Bampton at the time atte Bridge died. Master Hugh is convinced that Kellet has murdered atte Bridge ' one rogue slaughtering another. He sets out for Exeter, where Kellet now works. But there he discovers that the priest is an emaciated skeleton of a man, who mourns the folly of his past life. Hugh must return to Bampton and discover which of his friends has murdered his enemy...
To all appearances Jack Swann is a typical gentleman of the Regency period; educated, cultured and affluent. In his early thirties, he is an attractive and eligible bachelor, with all the resources needed to live a privileged life. Haunted by the murder of his father twenty years earlier - the perpetrators of which have never been caught - Swann has, however, turned his back on this world and chosen instead to fight crime as 'The Regency Detective', an unofficial consulting detective to the Bow Street Runners in London. Arriving in Bath for a family funeral, Swann finds several reasons for staying in the city: to protect Mary, his sister, from the mysterious Lockhart; to find the 'Scarred Man', who might lead him to his father's killer; and to end the reign of terror by Wicks, the local underworld boss who, in turn, sets out to have Swann assassinated.
It is the autumn of 1367. Master Hugh is enjoying the peaceful life of Bampton, when a badly beaten man is found under the porch of St. Andrew's Chapel. The dying man is a chapman - a traveling merchant. Before he is buried in the chapel grounds an ancient, corroded coin is found in the man's mouth. Master Hugh's quest for the chapman's assailants, and his search for the origin of the coin, makes steady progress - but there are men of wealth and power who wish to halt his search, and an old nemesis, Sir Simon Trillowe, is in league with them. But Master Hugh, and his assistant, the groom Arthur, are determined to uncover the thieves and murderers, and the source of the chapman's coin. They do, but not before they become involved with a kidnapped maiden, a tyrannical abbot, and a suffering monk - who needs Master Hugh's surgical skills and in return provides clues which assist Hugh in solving the mystery of the tainted coin.
The fourth installment of the critically acclaimed manga adaption of BBC Hit Sherlock introduces the femme fatale and the detective's famous rival, Irene Adler! Fresh from confronting Moriarty in the end of The Great Game, Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) and John Watson (Martin Freeman) are called to save the royal family from blackmail at the hands of Irene Adler (Lara Pulver), a dominatrix known as "The Woman". Adler pulls Sherlock into a complex web of mysteries involving the CIA and the MOD, with secrets that could threaten to threaten international security and topple the monarchy.
'There's the scarlet thread of murder running through the colourless skein of life.' In Arthur Conan Doyle's A Study in Scarlet a popular cultural phenomenon is born. We meet two of the most famous characters in modern literary history: the consulting detective Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, an army doctor home on sick leave, for the first time. Through Watson we learn a little about the eccentric figure who is his new room-mate at 221B Baker Street, before they encounter their first case: an American visitor to the city has been killed in an empty house off the Brixton Road, and the only clue the police have is the mysterious word 'Rache', scrawled in blood-red letters on the wall. As Holmes sets to work with his unique forensic methods, behind the murder a tangled skein of love, religion, and revenge gradually unwinds, taking us from the streets of London to the Utah Territory, and back again. As Nicholas Daly's Introduction describes, out of this gripping tale grew the Holmes and Watson stories that would make Conan Doyle the best-paid author of his time. His creations have become household words, inspiring not only countless adaptations and imitations, but a Sherlock Holmes museum, Sherlock Holmes-themed pubs, and a whole array of Holmesian merchandise, from cushions to jigsaw puzzles. Here, though, we meet Holmes and Watson before they became famous, and we can see how their extraordinary impact on our popular culture derives from the late-Victorian world from which they emerge.
The Reverend Mother's investigative skills are called into action when a local tobacco factory burns down and fingers are pointed at one of her ex pupils... 1920s. Cork, Ireland. Early one morning the Reverend Mother receives news of a deadly fire at the local cigarette factory, a place where she'd been so proud that some of her pupils had been given a steady job. In a city full of poverty, unemployment and political unrest, these ex pupils of hers had surely been blessed with such prospects. Now, though, she is worried . . . What happened at the cigarette factory and why are there rumours circulating that one of her 'girls' was responsible? Inspector Patrick Cashman is under pressure to quickly find the cause of the fire - and identify a suspect - to placate the visiting Lord Mayor and Commissioner and secure his hopes of promotion. Patrick turns to his friend, the journalist and law student Eileen MacSweeney, for help, along with the ever insightful and calm Reverend Mother. From the fog-ridden streets of the slums to the green pastures and prosperity of nearby Youghal, together they begin to unravel a seedy history of greed, ambition and a desire for power.
Sister Fidelma returns in DEATH OF A HERETIC, the thirty-third Celtic mystery by Peter Tremayne, acclaimed author of THE HOUSE OF DEATH, THE SHAPESHIFTER'S LAIR and BLOOD IN EDEN. If you love Ellis Peters, you'll be gripped by DEATH OF A HERETIC and the Sister Fidelma series. IRELAND AD 672. The abbey of Muman at Imleach Iubhair is being renovated when its guests' hostel burns to the ground. There is one fatality: Bishop Brodulf of Luxovium, a distinguished visitor and cousin to the King of Franks. Sister Fidelma is asked by Abbot Cuan to investigate the unfortunate incident and soon finds that the bishop had been stabbed to death before the fire had even started. Thrown into a world of treachery and jealousy, where religious beliefs are vehemently disputed, Fidelma and her companions, Eadulf and Enda, face a barrier of deceit. The abbey, a leading ecclesiastical teaching institution as well as a conhospitae, housing both men and women, is divided into factions. Can Abbot Cuan trust Prioress Suanach, who is in charge of the sisterhood? Can the professors trust each other as well as their students? Moreover, can suspicion be levelled at the builders working on the abbey under their dominant Master Builder, Sitae? As more deaths follow, Fidelma must use her wit and ingenuity to unravel the complexities of this intricate mystery.
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? |
You may like...
Bamboozled - In Search Of Joy In A World…
Melinda Ferguson
Paperback
Flight Of The Diamond Smugglers - A Tale…
Matthew Gavin Frank
Paperback
Black Colleges - New Perspectives on…
Bruce A. Jones, M.Christopher Brown, …
Hardcover
R2,694
Discovery Miles 26 940
Teachers Discovering Computers…
Isabel Tarling, Glenda Gunter, …
Paperback
Positively Me - Daring To Live And Love…
Nozibele Mayaba, Sue Nyathi
Paperback
(2)
|