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Books > Fiction > Genre fiction > Crime & mystery > Historical mysteries
Set in Edinburgh in 1690. The body of a wealthy merchant is
discovered in his home in the city centre. Was his killing the
result of a robbery gone wrong? The vicious mode of his death seems
to suggest otherwise. Scotland is in upheaval as political and
religious tensions boil, and there is mystery concealed behind the
walls of Van Diemen's Land. MacKenzie and Scougall investigate.
'The best historical crime novel I will read this year' - The Times
From the pleasure palaces and gin-shops of Covent Garden to the
elegant townhouses of Mayfair, Laura Shepherd-Robinson's Daughters
of Night follows Caroline Corsham as she seeks justice for a
murdered woman whom London society would rather forget . . . 'This
is right up there with the best of C. J. Sansom and Andrew Taylor'
- Amanda Craig, author of The Golden Rule London, 1782. Desperate
for her politician husband to return home from France, Caroline
'Caro' Corsham is already in a state of anxiety when she finds a
well-dressed woman mortally wounded in the bowers of the Vauxhall
Pleasure Gardens. The Bow Street constables are swift to act, until
they discover that the deceased woman was a highly paid prostitute,
at which point they cease to care entirely. But Caro has motives of
her own for wanting to see justice done, and so sets out to solve
the crime herself. Enlisting the help of thieftaker Peregrine
Child, their inquiry delves into the hidden corners of Georgian
society, a world of artifice, deception and secret lives. But with
many gentlemen refusing to speak about their dealings with the dead
woman, and Caro's own reputation under threat, finding the killer
will be harder, and more treacherous, than she can know . . .
'Spectacularly brilliant . . . One of the most enjoyable and
enduring stories I have ever read' - James O'Brien, journalist,
author and LBC Presenter
Young American painter Theodora Faraday struggles to become an
artist in Belle Epoque Paris. She's tasted the champagne of
success, illustrating poems for the Revenants, a group of poets led
by her adored cousin, Averill. When children she knows vanish
mysteriously, Theo confronts Inspecteur Michel Devaux who suspects
the Revenants are involved. Theo refuses to believe the killer
could be a friend-could be the man she loves. Classic detection and
occult revelation lead Michel and Theo through the dark underbelly
of Paris, from catacombs to asylums, to the obscene ritual of a
Black Mass. Following the maze of clues they discover the murderer
believes he is the reincarnation of the most evil serial killer in
the history of France-Gilles de Rais. Once Joan of Arc's
lieutenant, after her death he plunged into an orgy of evil. The
Church burned him at the stake for heresy, sorcery, and the
depraved murder of hundreds of peasant children. Whether deranged
mind or demonic passion incite him, the killer must be found before
he strikes again.
When trauma cleaner Essie Pound makes a gruesome discovery in the derelict Edinburgh boarding house she is sent to clean, it brings her into contact with a young policewoman, Emily Noble, who has her own reasons to solve the case.
As the two women embark on a journey into the heart of a forgotten family, the investigation prompts fragmented memories of their own traumatic histories – something Emily has spent a lifetime attempting to bury, and Essie a lifetime trying to lay bare.
Emily Noble’s Disgrace is the third novel from Mary Paulson-Ellis, the bestselling author of The Other Mrs Walker, a Waterstones Scottish Book of the Year.
LONDON, 1942. A killer going by the name of 'Crimson Jack' is
stalking the wartime streets of London, murdering women on the
exact dates of the infamous Jack the Ripper killings of 1888. Has
the Ripper somehow returned from the grave? Is the self-styled
Crimson Jack a descendant of the original Jack or merely a madman
obsessed with those notorious killings? In desperation Scotland
Yard turn to Sherlock Holmes, the world's greatest detective.
Surely he is the one man who can sift fact from legend and track
down Crimson Jack before he completes his tally of death. As Holmes
and the faithful Watson tread the blacked out streets of London,
death waits just around the corner. Inspired by the classic film
series from Universal Pictures starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel
Bruce, which updated Sherlock Holmes to the 1940s, this is a brand
new adventure from the acclaimed author of The Thirty-One Kings,
Castle Macnab and the Artie Conan Doyle Mysteries.
'A dark gothic delight' JANICE HALLETT, author of THE TWYFORD CODE
'Inventive, lavish, twisty... will keep you guessing until the very
end' ALISON LITTLEWOOD, author of MISTLETOE Winter 1954, and in a
dilapidated apartment in Brooklyn, Sam Cooper realises that she has
nothing left. Her mother is dead, she has no prospects, and she
cannot afford the rent. But as she goes through her mother's
things, Sam finds a stack of hidden letters that reveal a family
and an inheritance that she never knew she had, three thousand
miles away in Yorkshire. Begars Abbey is a crumbling pile,
inhabited only by Lady Cooper, Sam's ailing grandmother, and a
handful of servants. Sam cannot understand why her mother kept its
very existence a secret, but her newly discovered diaries offer a
glimpse of a young girl growing increasingly terrified. As is Sam
herself. Built on the foundations of an old convent, Begars moves
and sings with the biting wind. Her grandmother cannot speak, and a
shadowy woman moves along the corridors at night. There are dark
places in the hidden tunnels beneath Begars. And they will not give
up their secrets easily... A chilling read that will keep you
turning the pages late into the night, Begars Abbey is a must-read
for fans of Laura Purcell, C.J. Tudor and W.C. Ryan.
'A brilliant, original read' - Daily Mail 'Totally absorbing, this
is a story that will keep you gripped' - Janice Hadlow, author of
The Other Bennet Sister The case is unexceptional, that is what I
know. A house full of stuff left behind by a dead woman, abandoned
at the last . . . When trauma cleaner Essie Pound makes a gruesome
discovery in the derelict Edinburgh boarding house she is sent to
clean, it brings her into contact with a young policewoman, Emily
Noble, who has her own reasons to solve the case. As the two women
embark on a journey into the heart of a forgotten family, the
investigation prompts fragmented memories of their own traumatic
histories - something Emily has spent a lifetime attempting to
bury, and Essie a lifetime trying to lay bare. Emily Noble's
Disgrace is the third novel from Mary Paulson-Ellis, the
bestselling author of The Other Mrs Walker, a Waterstones Scottish
Book of the Year.
Can Old Scars Be Forgotten?
"From the moment I began I Never Knew Home by Wellsley Fitzroy
Shelton, I was captured by the story of Willie Bo Abraham,
part-time attorney, part-time fix-it man, who's defending a drifter
on a murder charge for killing a "good Christian man." Willie Bo
believes his client is innocent. But it's 1929, and Willie Bo, a
"colored" man, is up against more than a winning white prosecutor.
He may not have the East Coast law degree and impeccable
reputation, but he's got something more important- self-worth. And
he's here to patch things up. I loved every page of this compelling
debut novel by a wonderful new writer."
- Penny Warner, Author of 50 books, including award-winning Dead
Body Language.
After his first murder case, Willie Bo Abraham, should've begun
repairs on Mrs. Morgan's house. Instead, it's postponed again. He
accepts a case that may cost him his life-defending a former
slave-owner who's accused of murder in Logan Creek, South Carolina.
His only ally is a one-armed sheriff.
Second in the thrilling new Kit Marlowe historical mystery series
November, 1583. Desperate not to let the Netherlands fall into the
hands of Catholic Spain, the Queen's spymaster orders Cambridge
scholar and novice spy Christopher Marlowe to go there to assist
its beleaguered leader, William the Silent. However, travelling in
disguise as part of a troupe of Egyptian players, Marlowe
encounters trouble even before he leaves England. When the players
make a detour to perform at the home of Dr John Dee, one of their
tricks ends in tragedy - and an arrest for murder . . .
THE NEW GRITTY CRIME THRILLER NO ONE KNOWS CRIME LIKE KRAY 'A
cracking good read' Jessie Keane 'Well into Martina Cole territory'
Independent 'Great writing, gripping story, loved it' Mandasue
Heller SHE'S BEEN BETRAYED. SHE WANTS REVENGE. Judith Jonson has
been a widow for five years. At first, she hoped Dan would return,
but her dream turned to a nightmare as the war ended, and she had
to accept her beloved husband was never coming home. Then one day
she sees a picture in the paper - the aftermath of a dramatic
robbery in London's West End - and Judith can't believe her eyes.
It's Dan, she'd stake her life on it, or rather his life, the
traitor. Betrayed and desperate for answers Judith begins a hunt
for the man she thought she married. And in amongst the lowlifes of
the East End's gangland underworld she finds more than she
bargained for. But Judith had better be careful whose business she
meddles in. The rule of law doesn't apply in Kellston. She had been
deceived, but she doesn't want to end up dead... Praise for Roberta
Kray: 'Action, intrigue and a character-driven plot . . . sure to
please any crime fiction fans' Woman 'Gripping' Daily Express
AD180: Quintus Suetonius and his stepson Manius are frumentarii,
the Roman Empire's secret police. Dispatched to Britannia on a
mission whose purpose is kept veiled from them, they join forces
with the formidable female spy Tita Amatia and find themselves
embroiled in plot, counter-plot and assassination, unsure of either
their allies or their enemies. They journey from bustling,
cosmopolitan, civilised Londinium to the wild North - a hostile
snowbound land. Besieged by an alliance of rebellious local tribes,
surrounded by intrigue, assailed by matters of the heart and
personal ambition, they become reluctant players in a struggle
between a ruthless imperial government and others seeking control
of the Empire.
Winner of the CWA John Creasey New Blood Dagger for Best Debut
Crime Novel of the Year. Shortlisted for the Theakston's Crime
Novel of the Year Award. As recommended on the Radio 2 Arts Show
with Claudia Winkleman. Inspired by a true story, set against the
heady backdrop of jazz-filled, mob-ruled New Orleans, The Axeman's
Jazz by Ray Celestin is a gripping thriller announcing a major
talent in historical crime fiction. New Orleans, 1919. As a dark
serial killer - the Axeman - stalks the city, three individuals set
out to unmask him: Detective Lieutenant Michael Talbot - heading up
the official investigation, but struggling to find leads, and
harbouring a grave secret of his own. Former detective Luca
d'Andrea - now working for the mafia; his need to solve the mystery
of the Axeman is every bit as urgent as that of the authorities.
And Ida - a secretary at the Pinkerton Detective Agency. Obsessed
with Sherlock Holmes and dreaming of a better life, she stumbles
across a clue which lures her and her musician friend, Louis
Armstrong, to the case - and into terrible danger . . . As Michael,
Luca and Ida each draw closer to discovering the killer's identity,
the Axeman himself will issue a challenge to the people of New
Orleans: play jazz or risk becoming the next victim. The Axeman's
Jazz is the first book in Ray Celestin's prize-winning City Blues
quartet. It is followed by the second installment, Dead Man's
Blues.
Hidden in Plain Sight is the second brilliant and captivating novel
featuring William Warwick by the master storyteller and bestselling
author of the Clifton Chronicles, Jeffrey Archer. Newly promoted,
Detective Sergeant William Warwick has been reassigned to the drugs
squad. His first case: to investigate a notorious south London drug
lord known as the Viper. But as William and his team close the net
around a criminal network unlike any they have ever encountered, he
is also faced with an old enemy, Miles Faulkner. It will take all
of William's cunning to devise a means to bring both men to
justice; a trap neither will expect, one that is hidden in plain
sight . . . Filled with Jeffrey Archer's trademark twists and
turns, Hidden in Plain Sight is the gripping next instalment in the
life of William Warwick. It follows on from Nothing Ventured, but
can be read as a standalone story.
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