British Historical Mysteries

It is the 1960s and Canon Sidney Chambers is enjoying his first year of married life with his German bride Hildegard. But life in Grantchester rarely stays quiet for long. Our favourite clerical detective soon attempts to stop a serial killer who has a grievance against the clergy; investigates the disappearance of a famous painting after a distracting display of nudity by a French girl in an art gallery; uncovers the fact that an ‘accidental’ drowning on a film shoot may not have been so accidental after all; and discovers the reasons behind the theft of a baby from a hospital.

MURDER IN MARTINDALE by MARILYN CLAY is book nine in the popular JULIETTE ABBOTT REGENCY MYSTERY SERIES. When clever young sleuth Miss Juliette Abbott is invited to spend a fortnight at Martindale Manor as companion to a young blind girl whose father suddenly passed away, she believes she has been offered the perfect respite from murder and mayhem in the tiny hamlet of Martindale in England’s North Country. Told that the girl’s brother and heir, Sir James Martindale, is even now on his way home, Miss Abbott and her trusted maid Tilda set out in high spirits for their four-day journey ...

A young widow desperate to escape. A past that won’t let her go. The year is 1841. Victoria is on the throne, but women are not in control of their own destiny. Elisabeth Godwin is facing a grim future after the death of her husband. Her brother-in-law is desperate to avoid ruin and determined to remove the threat she poses to him, leaving an escape to the colonies as her only option. An epic voyage in a crowded sailing ship brings its own challenges, from ferocious storms to social rivalries and single men in want of a wife. But the greatest challenge of all will be figuring out who her ...

It's Christmas 1937 and an eclectic list of guests and staff have gathered for the grand re-opening of Maybridge castle, a newly renovated yet still crumbling hotel deep in the Cumbrian countryside. An innocent game of murder-in-the-dark will turn into a real game of life and death. And by the time the first sherries have been drunk, one of these people will be dead - and one of them the killer. Someone has changed the rules, but who?

Loveable full-time priest and part-time detective Canon Sidney Chambers is back, continuing his investigations. A mysterious stranger seeks sanctuary in Grantchester’s church; a shooting weekend in the country has a sinister end; a friend receives poison pen letters; a piano falls on a musician’s head; a school cricket match has an explosive finish; and on a holiday in Italy, Sidney is accused of stealing a priceless painting. On the home front, his new curate has become irritatingly popular with the parish and his daughter is starting to walk and talk.

From USA Today Bestselling Author May McGoldrick... Spine-tingling suspense and heart-throbbing romance in a poignant and unpredictable tale of Victorian London! Captain Edward Seymour—the last of a long line of distinguished Royal Navy officers—has returned from sea to find that his niece has disappeared. Combing every inn and hellhole of the city’s darkest corners, he desperately hopes to find some trace of the girl. Then one night, as he returns home from yet another fruitless search, a mysterious woman falls under his carriage. With no idea of who or where she is, Sophy finds ...

David Salomon, a young violinist and composer, has left New York to find fame and fortune in Regency London. But disaster strikes not long after he arrives. A mysterious rival composer is stealing his compositions and having them performed to great acclaim—and when David tries to protest that he is the music’s true creator, he becomes the laughingstock of the beau monde he had hoped to conquer. With few friends and even fewer resources, the desperate Mr. Salomon turns to Ezra Melamed for help with discovering the identity of his shadowy foe.

MURDER AT MARLEY CHASE by MARILYN CLAY is book ten in the popular JULIETTE ABBOTT REGENCY MYSTERY SERIES. Whilst Lord Marley prepares for the important Derby he is hosting at his large country estate Marley Chase, located near London, his lady wife is in the midst of readying their sumptuous mansion for the onslaught of house guests set to arrive to take part in the festivities surrounding the horse races. Frantic that she’ll not be ready in time, Lady Marley has recruited Miss Abbott’s help in assembling a prestigious art gallery in her home. Whilst gathering precious artifacts to ...

A quiet governess. A powerful politician. A dangerous conspiracy and scandal… In the heart of early 19th-century London, where whispers of intrigue echo through the corridors of power, a quiet governess named Margaret Hayworth discovers a world beyond her wildest dreams. Trapped in a life of routine and intellect, Margaret yearns for passion and adventure beyond the confines of her role. But when her path crosses with James Thornton, a rising star in the political arena, Margaret's ordinary life is turned upside down. Drawn to each other despite the societal boundaries that separate them,...

Forty modern masterpieces are found concealed on a neutral ship in international waters 16 months before the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Their provenance is sketchy and their final destination unknown. The Royal Navy suspects the works are “degenerate art” seized by the Nazis and shipped across the Atlantic to create cash for their covert operations. But how to prove it? There’s only one man for the job - Roy Hawkins. The British Secret Intelligence Service has put their half-American star agent in tough spots before, and he’s always come out on top.

Being summoned to the home of a woman she despises, has upset the Dowager Duchess of Ashby's well-ordered life. Curiosity drives her to accept and find the house in chaos. Lady Honoria Huntington, also known as the notorious Lady Secrets, a much-hated gossip writer, has been murdered is a decidedly grisly way. Blythe Armstrong and her "nephew" Owen Kennedy take on the herculean task of finding the killer, among the hundreds of members of the ton who she has worked to destroy with her poison pen. Meanwhile, Owen must contend with his headstrong sister, who has turned his world on it's head.

1939. As Europe teeters on the brink of war, Alfred Kendall is tasked with carrying out a minor mission for the British Intelligence Service. Travelling to Prague, he takes his troubled young son, Hugh, as cover. When Hitler invades Czechoslovakia, Alfred is given an ultimatum by the Czech Resistance. They will arrange for him to return to England, but only if he leaves his son Hugh behind as collateral. Hugh is soon taken under the wing of a Nazi colonel - Helmuth Scholl.

MURDER IN MAYFAIR is Book 2 in MARILYN CLAY's Juliette Abbott Regency Mystery Series. Clever young Miss Juliette Abbott and Miss Cathleen Haworth have catalogued a house-full of priceless artifacts in order to sell to a London Curiosity Dealer, but before the girls can approach the handsome man, he turns up dead! With only two likely suspects and no funds to hire a Bow Street detective to investigate the crime, Juliette takes on the task of solving the mystery herself. Attempting to uncover who killed the kind gentleman who made female hearts flutter keeps Juliette awake at night and on her...

A lush historical novel set in Victorian England, When It Rained at Hembry Castle is the story of an aristocratic family, secrets that dare not be told, and the wonder of falling in love. When the 8th Earl of Staton dies, his eldest son, the unreliable Richard, inherits the title and the family’s home—Hembry Castle. The Earl's niece, the American-born Daphne, is intrigued by Edward Ellis, a rising author with first-hand knowledge of Hembry Castle—from the servants’ hall. Can Richard come to terms with his title before bringing ruin on his family? Will Edward and Daphne find their ...

Christmas Eve, 1938. The Westbury family and assorted friends have gathered for another legendary celebration at their beautiful country house. The champagne flows, the silverware sparkles and upstairs the rooms are ready for their occupants. But one bed will lie empty that night. On Christmas morning, David Campbell-Scott is found dead in the snow. There is a pistol beside him and only one set of footprints. Yet something doesn't seem right to amateur sleuth Hugh Gaveston. Campbell-Scott had just returned from overseas with untold wealth - why would he kill himself?

Hitler annexes several countries; Europe is in turmoil. Britain is going to war, the call to arms is passed by parliament. The “Call Up” however, is not for everyone, certain occupations are exempt as they are considered vital to the country and the coming war effort. Despondent and angry, Detective Inspector Brakes battles with his inner conflicts as he comes to terms with not been able to join his comrades in arms. However, for DI Brakes, his case load is about to become more diverse than he could ever imagine. For him, his war is also just beginning, but on the Homefront. War-related...

1930. A chilling encounter on London's Necropolis Railway leads to murder. At the Old Bailey, a man accused of a 'blazing car' killing escapes the gallows after a surprise witness gives sensational evidence. And journalist Jacob Flint finds himself framed for murder. To save himself, Jacob needs to discover what links these strange events to a remote estate on a northern coast, Mortmain Hall. At Mortmain Hall, an eccentric female criminologist hosts a gathering of people who have narrowly escaped the consequences of miscarriages of justice.

In 1930s London, celebrity psychiatrist Anselm Rees is discovered dead in his locked study. There seems to be no way a killer could have escaped unseen. There are no clues, no witnesses, and no evidence of the murder weapon. Stumped by the confounding scene, the Scotland Yard detective on the case calls on retired stage magician turned part-time sleuth Joseph Spector. Spector has a knack for explaining the inexplicable, but even he finds that there is more to this mystery than meets the eye.

The unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of Jonathan Coe's brilliant new comic novel Expo 58, read by the actor Julian Rhind-Tutt. Expo 58 - Good-looking girls and sinister spies: a naive Englishman at loose in Europe in Jonathan Coe's brilliant comic novelLondon, 1958: unassuming civil servant Thomas Foley is plucked from his desk at the Central Office of Information and sent on a six-month trip to Brussels.

For as far back as young Jimmy Sawyer could remember, he heard stories about buried treasure on Sawyer Key. Living in Key West in the 1950s and being a commercial fisherman, he was on the water almost every day, often just a stone's throw away from Sawyer Key. It turns out that there were others interested in the rumored treasure, including Jimmy's father, Willie, and Willie's best friend, Johnny Albury. When Johnny turns up dead, things turn ugly as the hunt becomes a much more dangerous affair.