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Books > Fiction > Genre fiction > Crime & mystery > Historical mysteries
June, 1870. The world-famous author Charles Dickens has been found
dead in his summerhouse where he had been hard at work on his
final, unfinished novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Did he die of
natural causes - or is there something more sinister behind his
sudden demise? George Sala, Dickens' biographer, is convinced his
friend was murdered - and he has hired Grand and Batchelor to prove
it. Could Dickens' death have something to do with his
unconventional private life? Who is the mysterious woman who
appears at his funeral? If they are to uncover the truth, Grand and
Batchelor must leave no stone unturned. But are they prepared for
the shocking secrets some of those unturned stones will reveal . .
.?
"An intriguing medieval mystery featuring sleuthing monk Brother
Athelstan"
February, 1381. A ruthless killer known as the Ignifer Fire Bringer
is rampaging through London, bringing agonising death and
destruction in his wake. He appears to be targeting all those
involved in the recent trial and conviction of the beautiful Lady
Isolda Beaumont, burned at the stake for the murder of her husband.
As the late Sir Walter Beaumont was a close friend of the Regent,
John of Gaunt orders Sir John Cranston and Brother Athelstan to
investigate.
In the dead man s possession was a copy of the mysterious Book of
Fires, containing the secret formula of a devastating weapon, the
so-called Greek Fire. The manuscript has since disappeared, and
Gaunt is desperate for it not to fall into the hands of the Upright
Men, who are busy plotting the Great Revolt.
Was Isolda really guilty of murder? Who is the terrifying Fire
Bringer and what does he want? Brother Athelstan is about to tackle
his most challenging, and potentially dangerous, case yet."
When human bones are discovered in the cellars beneath St Luke's
College - two bodies, buried thirty years apart - the bursar,
Charlie Swift, hires Jennie Redhead to investigate. As she uncovers
a series of scandals stretching back sixty years, Jennie wonders
how well she really knows her old friend Charlie and whether she
can trust him.
June, 1604. When the emaciated body of a vagrant is found on the
edge of the moor, it's the verdict of physician Gabriel Taverner
that the man died of natural causes - but is all as it seems? Who
was the dead man, and why had he come to the small West Country
village of Tavy St Luke's to die cold, sick and alone? With no one
claiming to have known him, his identity remains a mystery. Then a
discovery found buried in a nearby field throws a strange new light
on the case . and in attempting to find the answers, Gabriel
Taverner and Coroner Theophilus Davey unearth a series of shocking
secrets stretching back more than fourteen years.
Ancient Roman sleuth Marcus Corvinus uncovers a treasonous plot in
this witty and intriguing new mystery November, AD 40. When a
wealthy consul's wife asks Corvinus to investigate the death of her
uncle, killed by a block of falling masonry during renovations on
his estate in the Vatican Hills, a sceptical Corvinus is inclined
to agree with the general verdict of accidental death. But his
investigations reveal clear evidence of foul play, as well as
unearthing several skeletons among the closets of this well-to-do
but highly dysfunctional family. Who could have wanted Lucius
Surdinus dead? His vengeful ex-wife? His ambitious mistress? His
disillusioned elder, or his estranged younger, son? Or does the key
to the mystery lie in the dead man's political past? But when
Corvinus's investigations draw him to the attention of the emperor,
a dangerously unpredictable Caligula, his prospects of surviving
long enough to solve the mystery look slim to say the least.
An intriguing medieval mystery featuring Brother Athelstan
February, 1381. London lies frozen in the grip of one of the
bitterest winters on record. The ever-rising taxes demanded by the
Regent, John of Gaunt, are causing increasing resentment among the
city's poor. When the seething unrest boils over into a bloody
massacre at a splendid Southwark tavern, The Candle Flame, in which
nine people, including Gaunt's tax collectors, their military
escort and the prostitutes entertaining them, are brutally
murdered, the furious Regent orders Brother Athelstan to get to the
bottom of the matter. For not only has Gaunt's treasure trove been
stolen, he has reason to believe a French spy is active along the
Thames, carefully recording for his masters in the Louvre the state
of English war cogs. And a professional assassin, Beowulf, who has
sworn vengeance against Gaunt and his minions, also stalks the
shadows. Once again, Athelstan must enter the murky world of
murder, where the darkness constantly shifts and no one is who or
what they seem.
THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'It's hard to believe that such
an accomplished novel could be a debut - The Leviathan is a
gloriously dark story that sweeps you along to its harrowing yet
satisfying conclusion. Superb' Susan Stokes-Chapman, number one
bestselling author of Pandora 'Darkly compelling and dripping with
atmosphere... bewitching' Stacey Halls, Sunday Times bestselling
author of THE FAMILIARS SHE IS AWAKE... Norfolk, 1643. With civil
war tearing England apart, reluctant soldier Thomas Treadwater is
summoned home by his sister, who accuses a new servant of improper
conduct with their widowed father. By the time Thomas returns home,
his father is insensible, felled by a stroke, and their new servant
is in prison, facing charges of witchcraft. Thomas prides himself
on being a rational, modern man, but as he unravels the mystery of
what has happened, he uncovers not a tale of superstition but
something dark and ancient, linked to a shipwreck years before.
Something has awoken, and now it will not rest. Richly researched,
incredibly atmospheric, and deliciously unsettling, The Leviathan
is set in England during a time of political and religious
turbulence. It is a tale of family and loyalty, superstition and
sacrifice, but most of all it is a spellbinding mystery and a story
of impossible things... 'Outstanding... a seething, haunting
delight' Beth Underdown, award-winning author of THE WITCHFINDER'S
SISTER 'Thoroughly gripping and utterly absorbing' Jennifer Saint,
author of ARIADNE *ROSIE ANDREWS'S The Puzzle Wood coming in 2024*
May, 1588. With Elizabeth I s court rocked by stories of an
imminent invasion and one of his key undercover agents missing, Sir
Francis Walsingham despatches Kit Marlowe to the Isle of Wight off
the south coast: the first line of defence against the approaching
Spanish Armada.
Lodging at Carisbrooke Castle with the Isle of Wight s Governor,
Sir George Carey, Marlowe finds the Islanders a strange and
suspicious lot, with their own peculiar customs and dialect. But is
there reason to doubt their loyalty to the Crown? And is the Island
really haunted, as some believe? Of one thing Marlowe is certain:
it s no ghost behind the series of violent and inexplicable deaths
which plague the region. But will he have time to uncover the truth
and expose the killer before the might of the Armada descends?"
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