|
|
Books > Fiction > Genre fiction > Crime & mystery > Historical mysteries
"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."
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.
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.
"Shaber does a fine job portraying the plight of alien residents in
wartime Washington, besides conveying the hectic atmosphere of a
city whose resources are stretched to the limit by an influx of new
workers" Publishers Weekly Starred Review When a body is discovered
in a Washington bar, Government girl Louise Pearlie is forced into
a role of lies and deception. On a bitterly cold night in December
1943, Government girl Louise Pearlie and her friend Joe Prager are
enjoying a quiet drink in the Baron Steuben Inn when a bloodstained
body is discovered behind the bar. Although the victim had been a
regular customer, no one seems to know anything about him. When it
turns out there is a link to Louise's top-secret work at the OSS,
she is ordered to find out as much as possible about the murder
while keeping the connection secret from those involved, including
the investigating police detective. Although Louise has been
trained to keep secrets, the constant deception takes its toll -
especially when she discovers that she's not the only customer at
the Steuben that night with something to hide. Will Louise's
silence result in an innocent man being arrested for murder?
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?"
A debut historical mystery set in Victorian London's first - and now forgotten - Chinatown. As Pearl Fitzgerald fights for justice to find the killer of a murdered Chinese docker, she unexpectedly falls in love with the victim's sister. All the while, the murderer is preparing to strike again...
Pearl Fitzgerald arrives in Limehouse - London's very first Chinatown - to settle her late father's affairs and claim her inheritance. But when she unwittingly finds herself at the scene of a murder, her plans are thrown off course. Even more so by the alluring Mei, sister to the dead man. Utterly infatuated, Pearl promises Mei that she will bring her brother's killer to justice, and she dives into the East End's criminal underworld.
But in the city of smoke and silk, where cultures clash and the hangman's noose is always waiting, the truth comes at a cost. With each step of the investigation Pearl risks her livelihood, her relationship with Mei, and her life. Because the killer will strike again, and they're already hunting for the next victim . . .
Opium smuggling, murder and unexpected romance meet in this historical thriller for fans of Leonora Nattrass, Laura Shepherd-Robinson and Sarah Waters.
June 1918. A patrolling constable discovers the body of Georgina
Cheney, wife of a naval commander, in the basement area of a house
in Westminster. At first it is thought to be suicide or even a
tragic accident. But as Divisional Detective Inspector Ernest
Hardcastle of the A or Whitehall Division of the Metropolitan
Police begins to investigate - ably assisted by Detective Sergeant
Charles Marriott - they soon discover a different story. It is
clear that the woman was murdered, and revelations about the
victim's previous life in Malta arouse Hardcastle's interest. But
things are destined to get even more complicated for Hardcastle,
when he is assigned two further murder cases by Detective Chief
Inspector Frederick Wensley, head of the CID at New Scotland Yard.
Could they be connected? This may be a puzzle too tricky even for
Hardcastle to solve . . .
|
You may like...
Dream Town
David Baldacci
Paperback
R412
Discovery Miles 4 120
Homecoming
Kate Morton
Paperback
R385
R349
Discovery Miles 3 490
The Crash
Kate Furnivall
Paperback
R334
R309
Discovery Miles 3 090
Widow of Bath
Margot Bennett
Paperback
R359
R340
Discovery Miles 3 400
|