A superb Golden Age mystery packed with twists, from the winner of the Diamond Dagger 2020.

LONDON, 1930.

Sooty, sulphurous, and malign: this is a night where no woman should be walking the streets. But Rachel Savernake is not an ordinary woman. To Scotland Yard's embarrassment, she solved the Chorus Girl Murder, and now she's on the trail of another killer: a man responsible for a spate of deaths so violent that even newspapermen consider the details too foul to print.

But Jacob Flint, the naive young journalist manning The Clarion's crime desk, is looking for the scoop that will make his name. He's certain there is more to the Miss Savernake's amateur sleuthing than meets the eye.

Flint's pursuit of his story will lead him deep into a labyrinth of deception and corruption. And then, murder by murder, he will be swept inexorably to that ancient place of execution, where everything began and where everything will end: Gallows Court.

Regarded as the first full-length locked room mystery, The Big Bow Mystery focuses on a murder that has occurred inside a locked room, with no clear indication as to the weapon used, the perpetrator of the horrendous crime, or a possible escape route. Scotland Yard is stumped. Yet the seemingly unsolvable case has, as Inspector Grodman says, "one sublimely simple solution" that is revealed in a final chapter full of revelations and a shocking denouement.

No clues, and everyone's a suspect...Agatha Kyteler, regarded as a witch by her superstitious neighbours, has no shortage of enemies. But when her body is found frozen and mutilated in a hedge one wintry morning, there seem to be no clues as to who could be responsible. Until a local youth runs away and the hue and cry is raised... Sir Baldwin Furnshill, Keeper of the King's Peace, is not convinced of the youth's guilt, and he manages to persuade his close friend Simon Puttock to help him with the investigation. As they endeavour to find the true culprit, the darker, sinister side of the village begins to emerge. A chilling, incredibly compelling historical mystery from a legend of the genre, perfect for fans of Bernard Cornwell, Conn Iggulden and C. J. Sansom. Praise for Michael Jecks'Marvellously portrayed' C. J. Sansom 'Michael Jecks is the master of the medieval whodunnit' Robert Low 'The most wickedly plotted medieval mystery novels' The Times

From the author of the international bestsellers The Light Over London and The Whispers of War comes "a compelling read, filled with lovable characters and an alluring twist of fates" (Ellen Keith, author of The Dutch Wife) about five women living across three different times whose lives are all connected by one very special garden. Present day: Emma Lovett, who has dedicated her career to breathing new life into long-neglected gardens, has just been given the opportunity of a lifetime: to restore the gardens of the famed Highbury House estate, designed in 1907 by her hero Venetia Smith. But as Emma dives deeper into the gardens' past, she begins to uncover secrets that have long lain hidden. 1907: A talented artist with a growing reputation for her work, Venetia Smith has carved out a niche for herself as a garden designer to industrialists, solicitors, and bankers looking to show off their wealth with sumptuous country houses. When she is hired to design the gardens of Highbury House, she is determined to make them a triumph, but the gardens--and the people she meets--promise to change her life forever. 1944: When land girl Beth Pedley arrives at a farm on the outskirts of the village of Highbury, all she wants is to find a place she can call home. Cook Stella Adderton, on the other hand, is desperate to leave Highbury House to pursue her own dreams. And widow Diana Symonds, the mistress of the grand house, is anxiously trying to cling to her pre-war life now that her home has been requisitioned and transformed into a convalescent hospital for wounded soldiers. But when war threatens Highbury House's treasured gardens, these three very different women are drawn together by a secret that will last for decades. "Gorgeously written and rooted in meticulous period detail, this novel is vibrant as it is stirring. Fans of historical fiction will fall in love with The Last Garden in England" (Roxanne Veletzos, author of The Girl They Left Behind).

'A moving novel of strength and resistance in the face of evil but also an inspiring journey of resilience after loss.' Erin Litteken, bestselling author of The Memory Keeper of Kyiv A heartbreaking World War 2 novel that tells the story of two women's fight for love, family and hope, as the world crumbles around them. Based on the true story of the Kindertransport rescue from Nazi-occupied Europe. Berlin, 1936. The Landau family are at the heart of their community, running a music shop in Berlin and just trying to survive. But their lives are unravelling as Hitler's power increases and the treatment of Jewish families deteriorates. Eldest daughter, Rachel, fears for her sisters' future and will do anything she can to keep them safe. Will she find hope in the darkness? Paris, 1936. As whispers of war travel over from Europe, American debutante Kay escapes her mother's grasp and travels as a reluctant spy from Paris to Berlin. But a chance meeting with the Landau family will change her life forever. Kay is determined to give Rachel and her sisters a fighting chance in a society where the youngest are paying the ultimate price, even if it means making dangerous enemies along the way... As the world marches toward war, these brave women will find strength in joining forces to save the ones they love. But they will need the support of one another more than they will ever realise in order to survive... A gripping and heart-wrenching historical novel about hope, tragedy and two women's limitless courage. Perfect for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, The Nightingale and My Name is Eva. What readers are saying about The Orphans of Berlin: 'The Orphans of Berlin is a moving novel of strength and resistance in the face of evil but also an inspiring journey of resilience after loss. Delving into a lesser known angle of the Kindertransport rescue efforts, Jina Bacarr deftly combines history and compelling characters into a fast-paced, emotional WWII story that readers will love.' Erin Litteken, bestselling author of The Memory Keeper of Kyiv

"A Liberty Lane"" mystery - ""Autumn, 1839." As the London nights darken, rumours spread about the devil's chariot, which preys on young women walking alone at night. Novice private investigator Liberty Lane has no time for such horror stories, so when a poetic young man begs her to find his missing fiancee, she accepts, suspecting there is a more prosaic explanation. Meanwhile, she is engaged to help prevent a royal scandal involving Prince Albert's worldlier brother, Prince Ernest. Liberty begins work on both cases, but when young women begin showing up dead, the tales of the devil's chariot don't seem so ridiculous any more.

Turn a Blind Eye is the third instalment in the gripping story of Detective Inspector William Warwick, by the master storyteller and Sunday Times number one bestselling author of the Clifton Chronicles. William Warwick, now a Detective Inspector, is tasked with a dangerous new line of work, to go undercover and expose crime of another kind: corruption at the heart of the Metropolitan Police Force. His team is focused on following Detective Jerry Summers, a young officer whose lifestyle appears to exceed his income. But as a personal relationship develops with a member of William's team, it threatens to compromise the whole investigation. Meanwhile, a notorious drug baron goes on trial, with the prosecution case led by William's father and sister. And William's wife Beth, now a mother to twins, renews an old acquaintance who appears to have turned over a new leaf, or has she? As the undercover officers start to draw the threads together, William realizes that the corruption may go deeper still, and more of his colleagues than he first thought might be willing to turn a blind eye. 'Peerless master of the page-turner' - Daily Mail

Probably McCulley's second most popular character (after Zorro), the Black Star is a criminal mastermind -- the kind once termed a "gentleman criminal." He does not commit murder, nor does he permit any of his gang to kill -- not even the police or his arch enemy, Roger Verbeck. Black Star does not threaten women, always keeps his word, and is invariably courteous. Nor does he deal with narcotics in any of his stories. He is always seen in a black cloak and a black hood on which is embossed a jet black star. The Black Star and his gang use "vapor bombs" and "vapor guns" to render their victims instantly unconscious, a technique which pre-dated the Green Hornet's gas gun by several decades. The Black Star first appeared in the Street & Smith pulp Detective Story Magazine on 5 March 1916. The stories proved very popular, and some were reprinted by Chelsea House in a series of inexpensive hardback books. The character's last original story appeared in 1930.

Hugh of Singleton, fourth son of a minor knight, has been educated as a clerk, usually a prelude to taking holy orders. However, feeling no certain calling despite a lively faith, he turns to the profession of surgeon, training in Paris and then hanging out his sign in Oxford. A local lord asks him to track the killer of a young woman whose bones have been found in the castle cess pit. She is identified as the impetuous missing daughter of a local blacksmith, and her young man, whom she had provoked very publicly, is in due course arrested and sentenced at the Oxford assizes. From there the tale unfolds, with graphic medical procedures, droll medieval wit, misdirection, ambition, romantic distractions and a consistent underlying Christian compassion.

Fresh, funny crime series for fans of Jasper Fforde and M.C. Beaton. 'Delightful and original ... A series that could well become a cult' DAILY MAIL. 125 Gower Street, 1882. Queen Victoria may sit on the throne and Robert Peel's bobbies walk the street, but London is still haunted by the spectre of Spring-heeled Jack. The demons of vice and poverty rule the capital: ruffian gangs, pickpockets, prostitutes and vagrants clog the streets with their iniquity. But in one particular Gower Street residence - home to the famous personal investigator Sidney Grice - order presides. Until, that is, the arrival of his ward March Middleton and the vicious Whitechapel murder that follows hard on her heels... Set between the refined buildings of Victorian Bloomsbury and the stinking streets of London's East End, The Mangle Street Murders is for those who like their crime original, atmospheric, and very, very funny. Praise for THE MANGLE STREET MURDERS: 'Funny, fresh and sharply plotted ... Starring a detective duo to rival Holmes and Watson' GOODREADS. 'Kasasian's sparkling debut introduces a memorable new detective duo' PUBLISHERS WEEKLY. 'Grice and Middleton promise to become a positive treat' DAILY MAIL. Read the whole series: THE MANGLE STREET MURDERS THE CURSE OF THE HOUSE OF FOSKETT. DEATH DESCENDS ON SATURN VILLA. THE SECRETS OF GASLIGHT LANE. DARK DAWN OVER STEEP HOUSE.

"Well-drawn characters, including a lead capable of sustaining a long series, complement the clever plot" Publishers Weekly Starred Review Ireland. 1924. Reverend Mother Aquinas is buying buttered eggs in the Cork city market at the very moment when the city engineer, James Doyle, is assassinated. Although no one saw the actual killing, a young reporter named Sam O'Mahoney is found standing close to the body, a pistol in his hand, and is arrested and charged. Following a desperate appeal from Sam's mother, convinced of her son's innocence, the Reverend Mother investigates - and, in this turbulent, war-torn city, uncovers several other key suspects. Could there be a Republican connection? Was James Doyle's death linked to his corrupt practices in the rebuilding of the city, burned down more than a year ago by the Black and Tans? Cork is a city divided by wealth and by politics: this murder seems to have links to both.