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The King's Return: (Thomas Hill 3) (Thomas Hill Novels #3)
By Andrew Swanston. 2015
The king’s coronation brings hope. Until a murderer strikes.Spring 1661: After years of civil war followed by Oliver Cromwell's joyless…
rule as Lord Protector, England awaits the coronation of King Charles II. The mood in London is one of relief and hope for a better future. But when two respectable gentlemen are found in a foul lane with their throats cut, it becomes apparent that England’s enemies are using the newly re-established post office for their own ends. There are traitors at work and plans to overthrow the king. Another war is possible. Thomas Hill, in London visiting friends, is approached by the king’s security advisor and asked to take charge of deciphering coded letters intercepted by the post office. As the body count rises and the killer starts preying on women, the action draws closer to Thomas – and his loved ones. He finds himself dragged into the hunt for the traitors and the murderer, but will he find them before it’s too late?Red Menace (United Kingdom Trilogy #2)
By Joe Thomas. 2024
Live Aid, July 1985. The great and the good of the music scene converge to save the world. But the…
TV glitz cannot disguise ugly truths about Thatcher's Britain.Jon Davies and Suzi Scialfa have moved on since the inquest into the death of Colin Roach, but they're about to be drawn back into the struggle - Jon by his restless curiosity and Suzi by the reappearance of DC Patrick Noble.Noble's other asset, the salaried spycop Parker, is a pawn in a game he only dimly comprehends. First, he's ordered to infiltrate the Broadwater Farm Estate in Tottenham; next will come Wapping, ground zero of a plot to smash the print unions. But who is Noble working for, and how far can he be trusted?The Iron Lady is reforging the nation, and London with it. Right to Buy may secure her votes, but who really stands to benefit? Corruption is endemic and the gap between rich and poor grows wider by the day. Insurrection seems imminent - all that's needed is a spark.REVIEWS FOR WHITE RIOT, A SUNDAY TIMES THRILLER OF THE MONTH'Rpresents everything that is good and important about the crime fiction genre' Irish Times'Enthralling' Sunday Times 'Gripping' The Times 'Propulsive' GuardianRealm of Darkness (Hugh Corbett 23)
By Paul Doherty. 2022
Paul Doherty's twenty-third medieval mystery featuring Sir Hugh Corbett is a gripping and gruesome tale of murder and mayhem sure…
to appeal to fans of C. J. Sansom and Bernard Cornwell.Spring, 1312. Edward II of England is absorbed with his favourite, Peter Gaveston, while his young wife, Isabella, is with child. Isabella's father, the ruthless Philip of France, dreams of a grandson wearing the Crown of the Confessor and starts to meddle - even if that means murder...Amaury de Craon, Philip's Master of Secrets, is despatched to carry out his deadly deeds and Edward II summons Sir Hugh Corbett, Keeper of the Secret Seal, to intercept. Both master spies lodge at the Benedictine abbey of St Michael's in the forest of Ashdown. Supposedly a house of prayer, the abbey holds sinister secrets and treasures which include the world's most exquisite diamond, The Glory of Heaven. However, shortly after their arrival, the diamond is stolen and its guardian murdered. Other macabre incidents follow, Satan is seen walking through God's Acre and a nearby tavern is burnt to the ground and no one escapes. Corbett, assisted by his henchmen, prepares to navigate this hazardous maze of murder...What readers say about Paul Doherty:'Good plots, clever twists and mostly impossible to work out''Paul Doherty's depictions of medieval England are truly outstanding''Another brilliant story in the excellent Hugh Corbett series by a superb historical author'Realm of Darkness (Hugh Corbett 23)
By Paul Doherty. 2022
Paul Doherty's twenty-third medieval mystery featuring Sir Hugh Corbett is a gripping and gruesome tale of murder and mayhem sure…
to appeal to fans of C. J. Sansom and Bernard Cornwell.Spring, 1312. Edward II of England is absorbed with his favourite, Peter Gaveston, while his young wife, Isabella, is with child. Isabella's father, the ruthless Philip of France, dreams of a grandson wearing the Crown of the Confessor and starts to meddle - even if that means murder...Amaury de Craon, Philip's Master of Secrets, is despatched to carry out his deadly deeds and Edward II summons Sir Hugh Corbett, Keeper of the Secret Seal, to intercept. Both master spies lodge at the Benedictine abbey of St Michael's in the forest of Ashdown. Supposedly a house of prayer, the abbey holds sinister secrets and treasures which include the world's most exquisite diamond, The Glory of Heaven. However, shortly after their arrival, the diamond is stolen and its guardian murdered. Other macabre incidents follow, Satan is seen walking through God's Acre and a nearby tavern is burnt to the ground and no one escapes. Corbett, assisted by his henchmen, prepares to navigate this hazardous maze of murder...What readers say about Paul Doherty:'Good plots, clever twists and mostly impossible to work out''Paul Doherty's depictions of medieval England are truly outstanding''Another brilliant story in the excellent Hugh Corbett series by a superb historical author'Staging Detection: From Hawkshaw to Holmes (Routledge Advances in Theatre & Performance Studies)
By Isabel Stowell-Kaplan. 2021
Staging Detection reveals how the new figure of the stage detective emerged in nineteenth-century Britain. The first book to explore…
the productive intersections between detection and performance across a range of Victorian plays, Staging Detection foregrounds the role of the stage detective in shaping important theatrical modes of the period, from popular melodrama to society comedy. Beginning in 1863 with Tom Taylor’s blockbuster play, The Ticket-of-Leave Man, the book criss-crosses London following the earliest performances of stage detectives. Centring the work of playwrights, novelists, critics and actors, from Sarah Lane and Horace Wigan to Wilkie Collins and Oscar Wilde, Staging Detection sheds new light on Victorian acting styles, furthers our understanding of melodrama, and resituates the famous Wildean dandy as a successor to the stage detective. Drawing on histories of masculinity and gender performance as well as developing scientific theory and nineteenth-century visual culture, Staging Detection shows how the earliest stage portrayals of the detective shaped broader Victorian debates concerning fraud, omniscience and earned authority. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of theatre history, Victorian literature and popular culture – as well as anyone with an interest in the figure of the detective.The forger (Inspector Frank Stave #03)
By Cay Rademacher. 2020
Hamburg, 1948. During a routine operation, Chief Inspector Frank Stave is shot. After he recovers, he transfers from the office…
combatting the black market. But then the women clearing rubble discover works of art from the Weimar period--next to a corpse. Translated from original 2013 German edition. Some violence and some strong language. 2018Foul Deeds and Fine Dying: A Pellegrino Artusi Mystery
By Marco Malvaldi. 2020
Pellegrino Artusi, the great gastronome and amateur detective, is back. It is 1900 and Pellegrino's famed cookbook is in its…
fifth edition. Flushed from his fortune and success, our hero joins a weekend party at the Tuscan castle of the wealthy agricultural entrepreneur, Secondo Gazzolo. In this castle of winding corridors, secret passageways and clandestine meetings, Pellegrino finds a curious collection of guests, each with their own purpose for being there.But when one of the party is found dead in his locked bedroom, seemingly the victim of suffocation, it is up to Pellegrino and his old friend, the detective Ispettore Artistico, to solve what really happened, for the science of food is every bit as complex, rigorous and tantalising as the sublime art of investigation.A perfect "locked room mystery" that will have your brain and your tastebuds tickled.Translated from the Italian by Howard CurtisFoul Deeds and Fine Dying: A Pellegrino Artusi Mystery
By Marco Malvaldi. 2020
Pellegrino Artusi, the great gastronome and amateur detective, is back. It is 1900 and Pellegrino's famed cookbook is in its…
fifth edition. Flushed from his fortune and success, our hero joins a weekend party at the Tuscan castle of the wealthy agricultural entrepreneur, Secondo Gazzolo. In this castle of winding corridors, secret passageways and clandestine meetings, Pellegrino finds a curious collection of guests, each with their own purpose for being there.But when one of the party is found dead in his locked bedroom, seemingly the victim of suffocation, it is up to Pellegrino and his old friend, the detective Ispettore Artistico, to solve what really happened, for the science of food is every bit as complex, rigorous and tantalising as the sublime art of investigation.A perfect "locked room mystery" that will have your brain and your tastebuds tickled.Translated from the Italian by Howard CurtisThe Art of Killing Well: A Pellegrino Artusi Mystery
By Marco Malvaldi. 2011
Nothing could please a chef more than a chance to learn the secrets of a Baron's castle kitchen. Having travelled…
the length and breadth of the country compiling his masterpiece, The Science of Cooking and The Art of Eating Well, Pellegrino Artusi relishes the prospect of a few quiet days and a boar hunt in the Tuscan hills. But his peace is short-lived. A body is found in the castle cellar, and the local inspector finds himself baffled by an eccentric array of aristocratic suspects. When the baron himself becomes the target of a second murder attempt, Artusi realises he may need to follow his infallible nose to help find the culprit. Marco Malvaldi serves up an irresistible dish spiced with mischief and intrigue, and sweetened with classical elegance and wit. His stroke of genius is to bring Italy's first cookery writer to life in this most entertaining of murder mysteries.The Shadow of the Wind: The Cemetery of Forgotten Books 1
By Carlos Ruiz Zafon. 2001
THE MODERN CLASSIC: OVER 20 MILLION COPIES SOLDA Sunday Times bestseller and a Richard & Judy book club pick'The real…
deal: one gorgeous read' Stephen King'This book will change your life. An instant classic' Daily Telegraph'A book lover's dream' The Times Hidden in the heart of the old city of Barcelona is the 'Cemetery of Lost Books', a labyrinthine library of obscure and forgotten titles that have long gone out of print. To this library, a man brings his 10-year-old son Daniel one cold morning in 1945. Daniel is allowed to choose one book from the shelves and pulls out 'The Shadow of the Wind' by Julian Carax.But as he grows up, several people seem inordinately interested in his find. Then, one night, as he is wandering the old streets once more, Daniel is approached by a figure who reminds him of a character from the book, a character who turns out to be the devil. This man is tracking down every last copy of Carax's work in order to burn them. What begins as a case of literary curiosity turns into a race to find out the truth behind the life and death of Julian Carax and to save those he left behind...'Marvellous' Sunday Times'A hymn of praise to all the joys of reading' Independent'Gripping and instantly atmospheric' Mail on Sunday'Irresistibly readable' Guardian'Diabolically good' ElleWhite Riot: The Sunday Times Thriller of the Month (United Kingdom Trilogy #1)
By Joe Thomas. 2023
'Gripping' The Times'Enthralling' Sunday Times'A propulsive crime novel' Guardian'One of our very best contemporary crime writers' David Peace 1978: The…
National Front is gaining ground in Hackney. To counter their influence, anti-fascist groups launch the Carnival Against Racism in Victoria Park. Observing the event is Detective Constable Patrick Noble, charged with investigating racist attacks in the area and running Spycops in both far-right and left wing groups. As Noble's superiors are drawn further into political meddling, he's inveigled into a plot against the embattled Labour government.1983: Under a disciplinary cloud after a Spycops op ended in tragedy, Noble is offered a reprieve by an old mentor. He is dispatched in the early hours to Stoke Newington police station, where a young black man has died in suspicious circumstances. This is Thatcher's Britain now, a new world that Noble unwittingly helped to usher in, where racial tensions are weaponised by those in power.Supercharged by the music and counterculture of the era, White Riot weaves fiction, fact and personal experience to record the radical tale of London's most thrilling borough. Politics, music, police corruption, institutional racism and the power of protest all take centre stage in a novel that traces the roots of our current political moment.The murderer in ruins (Inspector Frank Stave #01)
By Cay Rademacher, Peter Millar. 2015
Hamburg, 1947. Career policeman Frank Stave worries about his missing son, even as he works with colleague Maschke from the…
vice squad and Lt. MacDonald of the British military to track down a killer. Translated from the original 2011 German edition. Strong language, some violence, and some descriptions of sex. 2015The cruellest month: With the Assistance of Jane Austen's Letters
By Hazel Holt. 2009
Sheila Malory finds herself at Oxford's New Bodleian library, digging into the past of a decidedly unpleasant librarian who was…
found dead under collapsed bookshelves. This librarian had numerous enemies, so Sheila turns to the victim's old diary from World War II for some answers. Some strong language. 1991A Gift of Poison (The Brontë Mysteries #4)
By Bella Ellis. 2023
Haworth 1847 - Anne and Emily Brontë have had their books accepted for publication, while Charlotte's has been rejected everywhere,…
creating a strained atmosphere at the parsonage.At the same time, a shocking court case has recently concluded, acquitting a workhouse master of murdering his wife by poison. Everyone thinks this famously odious and abusive man is guilty. However, he insists he is many bad things but not a murderer. When an attempt is made on his life, he believes it to be the same person who killed his wife and applies to the detecting sisters for their help. Despite reservations, they decide that perhaps, as before, it is only they who can get to the truth and prove him innocent - or guilty - without a shadow of doubt.A Gift of Poison (The Brontë Mysteries #4)
By Bella Ellis. 2023
The fourth adventure in the Brontë Mysteries series.Haworth 1847 - Anne and Emily Brontë have had their books accepted for…
publication, while Charlotte's has been rejected everywhere, creating a strained atmosphere at the parsonage.At the same time, a shocking court case has recently concluded, acquitting a workhouse master of murdering his wife by poison. Everyone thinks this famously odious and abusive man is guilty. However, he insists he is many bad things but not a murderer. When an attempt is made on his life, he believes it to be the same person who killed his wife and applies to the detecting sisters for their help. Despite reservations, they decide that perhaps, as before, it is only they who can get to the truth and prove him innocent - or guilty - without a shadow of doubt.(P) 2023 Hodder & Stoughton LimitedRealm of Darkness (Hugh Corbett 23)
By Paul Doherty. 2022
Paul Doherty's twenty-third medieval mystery featuring Sir Hugh Corbett is a gripping and gruesome tale of murder and mayhem sure…
to appeal to fans of C. J. Sansom and Bernard Cornwell.Spring, 1312. Edward II of England is absorbed with his favourite, Peter Gaveston, while his young wife, Isabella, is about to give birth. Isabella's father, the ruthless Philip of France, dreams of a grandson wearing the Crown of the Confessor and starts to meddle - even if that means murder...Amaury de Craon, Philip's Master of Secrets, is despatched to carry out his deadly deeds and Edward II summons Sir Hugh Corbett, Keeper of the Secret Seal, to intercept. Both master spies lodge at the Benedictine abbey of St Michael's in the forest of Ashdown. Supposedly a house of prayer, the abbey holds sinister secrets and treasures which include the world's most exquisite diamond, The Glory of Heaven. However, shortly after their arrival, the diamond is stolen and its guardian murdered. Other macabre incidents follow, Satan is seen walking through God's Acre and a nearby tavern is burnt to the ground and no one escapes. Corbett, assisted by his henchmen, prepares to navigate this hazardous maze of murder...(P) 2022 Headline Publishing Group LtdThe Keepsake: A thrilling dual-time novel of long-buried family secrets
By Julie Brooks. 2022
A book of treasures. A wealth of secrets.The Keepsake is a thrilling dual-time novel, with a fascinating, complex woman at…
its heart and a wealth of twists, turns and secrets...............................................Saturday: Pot-au-feu for luncheon. Father willed away inheritance. Betrayed by Edward.1832. The morning after her father's funeral, Prudence Merryfield wakes to the liberating thought that this is the first day of her new life. At thirty-five and unmarried, she is now mistress of her own fate. But a cruel revelation at the reading of her father's will forces Prudence to realise that taking only the most drastic action will set her free. Present day. Eliza is gifted a family heirloom by her aunt - a Georgian pocket book, belonging to her ancestor, Prudence Merryfield, whose existence reverberates through the lives of generations of Eliza's family, the Ambroses. Intrigued by what she reads inside, Eliza is drawn more and more into the infamous 'Merryfield Mystery'. What happened to Prudence who so bravely dared to defy convention two hundred years ago - then disappeared?..............................................Praise for Julie Brooks's The Secrets of Bridgewater Bay:'A sweeping tale of family secrets, betrayal, jealousy, ambition and forbidden romance . . . Fans of The Thorn Birds and Downton Abbey will love the epic scope of this novel' ALI MERCER'I thoroughly enjoyed this immersive story which spans both generations and continents. The evocative details and impeccable research make for a delightful reading experience and I can pay it no greater compliment other than to say, I wish I'd written it' KATHRYN HUGHES'This is an epic dual-time novel which draws the reader in right from the start and keeps you in thrall until the very last page. The writing is superb, the descriptions detailed, lush and evocative' CHRISTINA COURTENAY'A gripping story full of family secrets: the price of love and loss within two generations . . . convincing and poignant' LEAH FLEMING'Rich in evocative detail - the complex mystery kept me guessing right up to the last page' MUNA SHEHADI(P) 2022 Headline Publishing Group LtdA Song for the Dark Times: The Brand New Must-Read Rebus Thriller
By Ian Rankin. 2020
From the iconic Number One bestseller Ian Rankin, comes one of the must-read books of the year: A SONG FOR…
THE DARK TIMES 'Genius ... Only great novels capture the spirit of the age. This is one of them.'THE TIMES* * * * *'He's gone...'When his daughter Samantha calls in the dead of night, John Rebus knows it's not good news. Her husband has been missing for two days.Rebus fears the worst - and knows from his lifetime in the police that his daughter will be the prime suspect.He wasn't the best father - the job always came first - but now his daughter needs him more than ever. But is he going as a father or a detective?As he leaves at dawn to drive to the windswept coast - and a small town with big secrets - he wonders whether this might be the first time in his life where the truth is the one thing he doesn't want to find...PRAISE FOR A SONG FOR THE DARK TIMES:'Magnificent ... utterly unputdownable and an immersive pleasure' MARIAN KEYES'This is Rankin at his best, Rebus at his best, storytelling that meets the moment and transcends all genres and expectations'MICHAEL CONNELLY'An outstanding addition to one of the finest bodies of work in crime fiction' MICK HERRON'Rankin remains the king of the castle' THE TIMES'Typically compelling' DAILY TELEGRAPH'Masterly storytelling' SUNDAY EXPRESS'Excellent' LIZ NUGENT'The best that the crime genre can offer' FT'Rankin grows better with time . . . Rebus grows ever more compelling' DAILY MAIL* * * * *PRAISE FOR THE ICONIC NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER:'Ian Rankin is a genius'LEE CHILD'A master storyteller'GUARDIAN'Rebus is one of British crime writing's greatest characters: alongside Holmes, Poirot and Morse'DAILY MAIL'Great fiction, full stop'THE TIMES'One of Britain's leading novelists in any genre'NEW STATESMAN'Rankin is a phenomenon'SPECTATOR'Worthy of Agatha Christie at her best'SCOTSMAN'The king of crime fiction'SUNDAY EXPRESSFrom the iconic Number One bestseller Ian Rankin, comes one of the must-read books of the year: A SONG FOR…
THE DARK TIMES 'Genius ... Only great novels capture the spirit of the age. This is one of them.'THE TIMES* * * * *'He's gone...'When his daughter Samantha calls in the dead of night, John Rebus knows it's not good news. Her husband has been missing for two days.Rebus fears the worst - and knows from his lifetime in the police that his daughter will be the prime suspect.He wasn't the best father - the job always came first - but now his daughter needs him more than ever. But is he going as a father or a detective?As he leaves at dawn to drive to the windswept coast - and a small town with big secrets - he wonders whether this might be the first time in his life where the truth is the one thing he doesn't want to find...PRAISE FOR A SONG FOR THE DARK TIMES:'Magnificent ... utterly unputdownable and an immersive pleasure' MARIAN KEYES'This is Rankin at his best, Rebus at his best, storytelling that meets the moment and transcends all genres and expectations' MICHAEL CONNELLY'An outstanding addition to one of the finest bodies of work in crime fiction' MICK HERRON'Rankin remains the king of the castle' THE TIMES'Typically compelling' DAILY TELEGRAPH'Masterly storytelling' SUNDAY EXPRESS'Excellent' LIZ NUGENT'The best that the crime genre can offer' FT'Rankin grows better with time . . . Rebus grows ever more compelling' DAILY MAIL* * * * *PRAISE FOR THE ICONIC NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER:'Ian Rankin is a genius'LEE CHILD'A master storyteller'GUARDIAN'Rebus is one of British crime writing's greatest characters: alongside Holmes, Poirot and Morse'DAILY MAIL'Great fiction, full stop'THE TIMES'One of Britain's leading novelists in any genre'NEW STATESMAN'Rankin is a phenomenon'SPECTATOR'Worthy of Agatha Christie at her best'SCOTSMAN'The king of crime fiction'SUNDAY EXPRESSHymn to Murder (Hugh Corbett 21)
By Paul Doherty. 2020
1312. The shadows around the English Crown grow ever darker in the twenty-first instalment of the much-loved Hugh Corbett series…
by Paul Doherty. An enthralling medieval mystery not to be missed by fans of C. J. Sansom, E. M. Powell and Bernard Cornwell.Hugh Corbett returns in the twenty-first gripping mystery in Paul Doherty's ever-popular series. If you love the historical mysteries of C. J. Sansom, E. M. Powell and Bernard Cornwell you will love this.Secrets simmer in the lonely wasteland of Dartmoor.Spring, 1312. At Malmaison Manor, Lord Simon is concealing a dark secret - one he arrogantly assumes will never catch up with him. But someone knows about the crime he committed and they've found a way to make him pay. And he's not alone. When he is found mysteriously slain, other deaths soon follow. Meanwhile, ships on the Devonshire cost are being deliberately wrecked, their crews slaughtered, their cargoes plundered.Sir Hugh Corbett and Lord Simon are bound by the Secret Chancery and their search for one precious ruby - the Lacrima Christi. So, when Corbett learns of Lord Simon's death, he is once more dragged into a tangled web of lies and intrigued and it's not long before secrets of his own start to surface. As the Hymn to Murder reaches its crescendo, can Corbett confront his past and live to see another day?(P) 2020 Headline Publishing Group Ltd