Historical crime and mysteries
Canongate Books The Book of Fires
£13.99
Canongate Books The Great Revolt
Book SynopsisSleuthing monk Brother Athelstan discovers that past crimes can cause new murder in the latest intriguing medieval mysteryJune, 1381. The rebel armies are massed outside London, determined to overturn both Crown and Church. The Regent, John of Gaunt, has headed north, leaving his nephew, the boy-king Richard II, unprotected.Brother Athelstan meanwhile has been summoned to the monastery at Blackfriars, tasked with solving the murder of his fellow priest, Brother Alberic, found stabbed to death in his locked chamber. Athelstan would rather be protecting his parishioners at St Erconwald''s. Instead, he finds himself investigating a royal murder that took place fifty-four years earlier whilst the rebel leaders plot the present king''s destruction.What does the fate of the king''s great-grandfather, Edward II, have to do with the murder of Brother Alberic more than fifty years later? When he finds his own life under threat, Athelstan discovers that exposing past secrets can lead to present danger.
£12.59
Canongate Books A Pilgrimage to Murder
Book SynopsisA richly imagined 14th century mystery featuring sleuthing friar Brother AthelstanSummer, 1381. The Great Revolt has been crushed; the king''s peace ruthlessly enforced. Brother Athelstan meanwhile is preparing for a pilgrimage to St Thomas a Becket''s shrine in Canterbury to give thanks for the wellbeing of his congregation after the violent rebellion. But preparations are disrupted when Athelstan is summoned to a modest house in Cheapside, scene of a brutal triple murder. One of the victims was the chief clerk of the Secret Chancery of John of Gaunt. Could this be an act of revenge by the Upright Men, those rebels who survived the Great Revolt? At the same time Athelstan is receiving menacing messages from an assassin who calls himself Azrael, the Angel of Death? Who is he - and why is he targeting a harmless friar? Could Athelstan''s pilgrimage be leading him into a deadly trap?
£16.28
Canongate Books The Mansions of Murder
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£16.29
Canongate Books The Reluctant Assassin
Book SynopsisWhen Ursula''s young son is kidnapped, she is lured into an impossible dilemma.March, 1581. Queen Elizabeth is once again being urged to consider marriage to the Duke of Alençon, a French Catholic twenty years her junior. The prospect of the match is causing unrest throughout the kingdom.Ursula Blanchard however has more immediate matters to worry about when her 9-year-old son is snatched away while out riding. If she is ever to see him again, Ursula must undertake an impossibly difficult and dangerous mission - and commit an act of high treason. Can she rely on her half-sister, Queen Elizabeth, for help?
£13.29
Canongate Books A Missed Murder
Book SynopsisLondon, 1555. Queen Mary is newly married to Philip II of Spain - and not everyone is happy about the alliance. The kingdom is divided between those loyal to Catholic Mary and those who support her half-sister, Lady Elizabeth.Former cutpurse turned paid assassin Jack Blackjack has more immediate matters to worry about. Having been ordered to kill a man, he determines to save him instead. But Jack defies his spymaster at his peril . and even the best-laid plans can sometimes go awry. When it appears that Jack has killed the wrong man, he reluctantly finds himself drawn into affairs of state, making new enemies wherever he turns. Can he survive long enough to put matters right? This engaging Tudor mystery will appeal to fans of S J PARRIS and RORY CLEMENTS.
£13.29
Canongate Books The Ring
Book SynopsisSeptember, 1873. Private enquiry agents Matthew Grand and James Batchelor have been hired by timber merchant Selwyn Byng following the disappearance of his heiress wife. The only clue they have to go on is a badly spelled note demanding the princely sum of 5,000 if Byng is ever to see Emilia again. As the two investigators assess whether Byng has been telling them the whole truth, a second package brings an extremely unwelcome surprise. At the same time, a human torso is found floating in the River Thames. Could there be a connection to Emilia Byng''s disappearance . ?
£12.99
Canongate Books The Godless
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£16.29
Canongate Books A Web of Silk
Book SynopsisUrsula''s quiet life on her Surrey estate is thrown into chaos by the arrival of a new neighbour in this absorbing Tudor mystery.August, 1582. The queen''s spymaster, Sir Francis Walsingham, has ordered Ursula to keep an eye on her new neighbour, Giles Frost, who is rumoured to be spying for King Philip of Spain. Arriving at Knoll House on the pretext of teaching his two daughters embroidery, Ursula''s secret mission is to feed false information to Frost to pass on to the Spanish.Walsingham has assured Ursula that she''ll be in no danger. But events take a decidedly sinister turn when a body is found in the woods near Ursula''s home, a stained glass window is smashed and a bridal dowry is stolen.What secrets are contained within the Knoll House . and is Ursula being lured into a lethal trap?
£13.29
Canongate Books Watchers of the Dead
£13.29
Canongate Books Black Death
Book SynopsisAs plague stalks the streets of 16th century London, Christopher Marlowe is drawn into a baffling murder investigation where nothing is as it first appears."Kit, I know we have never been friends, but you are the only man in London to whom I can write. Someone is trying to kill me".September, 1592. Christopher Marlowe had never liked Robert Greene when he was alive. But when the former Cambridge scholar is found dead in a cheap London boarding house, shortly after sending Kit a desperate letter, Marlowe feels duty bound to find out who killed him - and why.What secrets did Robert Greene take with him to the grave? And why is the Queen''s spymaster, Sir Robert Cecil, taking such a keen interest in the case? As plague stalks the streets of London and the stage manager of the Rose Theatre disappears without trace just days before the opening of Marlowe''s new play, the playwright-sleuth finds himself in the midst of a baffling murder investigation - where nothing is as it first appears.
£12.59
Canongate Books Simply Dead
Book SynopsisA midwife disappears after attending the birth of a child in another community, leading to an investigation that uncovers innumerable lies and secrets.1790s, Maine. In the depths of winter Hortense, a midwife, disappears after attending a birth in the woodlands. During the search Will Rees finds her struggling through the snow and woods without shoes or a coat. After two young men begin stalking the community in search of her - including targeting Rees''s own family - she is questioned further and claims she was kidnapped . . . but Rees and his wife Lydia are suspicious. It is agreed Hortense''s presence is endangering everyone''s safety and she needs to leave. As the arrangements are made she is hidden in Zion, the local Shaker community, only while there a Shaker Sister is murdered. Witnesses describe a man fitting Josiah Wooten''s description, a ferocious man living in the woods with two young sons.What is the truth behind Hortense''s disappearance, and who is responsible for the death of the Shaker Sister?
£13.29
Canongate Books A Conspiracy of Wolves
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Canongate Books The Clockmaker
Book SynopsisDetective Chief Inspector Henry Johnstone discovers that things are not as they first appear when clockmaker Abraham Levy''s nephew goes missing.February, 1929. Clockmaker Abraham Levy''s young nephew has vanished. He was last seen boarding a train on his way to see his fiancée, and with no sign of foul play, the suspicion is that he may have got cold feet about his upcoming nuptials and alighted at an earlier stop. The police seem to think so, but Abraham isn''t convinced. Feeling he has no other option, Abraham makes an unexpected visit to DCI Henry Johnstone to appeal for his help. Despite his initial reluctance, Henry''s curiosity gets the better of him, and his review of the case soon leads to a startling discovery. As Henry is plunged fully into a new investigation, it seems the truth is far more complicated and disturbing than it first appeared.
£13.29
Canongate Books A Prisoner of Privilege
Book SynopsisThe arrival of a high-ranking spy for the Emperor Severus spells trouble for Libertus in this gripping historical mystery set in 2nd century Britain.On a misty day in February, CE 194, Libertus, pavement maker by trade and now reluctant councillor, is summoned to meet his patron at the local public baths. Marcus Septimus is concerned because a distant cousin from Rome has announced his impending arrival and Marcus is convinced he is a spy for the Emperor Severus, despatched to Glevum to investigate reports of an ''act of treason.''Meanwhile, Libertus has concerns of his own. The local money-lender has been seeking his counsel, but before they can meet, a violent and untimely death occurs . and before long Libertus finds himself a prisoner of his new-found rank, fighting for the truth amidst accusations of treason and murder
£12.59
Canongate Books The Good Cop
Book SynopsisIn a world of growing nationalism, a quiet few are determined to resist. This gripping historical mystery explores the darkest days of the early 20th century.Munich, 1920. Detective Willi Geismeier has a problem: how do you uphold the law when the law goes bad? The First World War has been lost and Germany is in turmoil. The new government in Berlin is weak. The police and courts are corrupt. Fascists and Communists are fighting in the streets. People want a savior, someone who can make Germany great again. To many, Adolf Hitler seems perfect for the job.When the offices of a Munich newspaper are bombed, Willi Geismeier investigates, but as it gets political, he is taken off the case. Willi continues to ask questions, but when his pursuit of the truth itself becomes a crime, his career - and his life - are in grave danger.
£13.29
Canongate Books The Dead Don't Wait
Book SynopsisJack Blackjack stands accused of killing a priest in the wickedly entertaining new Bloody Mary Tudor mystery.April, 1555. A priest has been stabbed to death in the village of St Botolph, to the east of the City of London, his body left to rot by the roadside - and Jack Blackjack stands accused of his murder.As well as clearing his name, Jack has his own reasons for wanting to find out who really killed the priest - but this is an investigation where nothing is as it seems. Was it a random attack by a desperate outlaw, or do the answers lie in the murdered priest''s past? As he questions those who knew the dead man, Jack is faced with a number of conflicting accounts - and it''s clear that not everyone can be telling him the whole truth. But Jack is about to be sidetracked from the investigation . with disastrous consequences.
£16.29
Canongate Books Blood in Eden
£21.16
Canongate Books City of Pearl
Book SynopsisApprentice healer Lassair uncovers the secrets of the mysterious City of Pearl in the compelling new Aelf Fen medieval mystery.October, 1093. At her mentor''s urgent request, Lassair is accompanying Gurdyman across the sea to Spain. But why is he so insistent on embarking on this difficult and dangerous journey just as winter approaches? And why does he seem so afraid? Could there be any connection to the vagrant found lying dead outside his home, a single pearl clutched in his outstretched hand?As the pair reach the remote mountainous regions of northern Spain, Lassair will be tested as never before. Hot on her trail is Jack Chevestrier, the young lawman who loves her. But who is it who''s trying to kill him ... and why?
£12.99
Canongate Books A Circle of Dead Girls
Book SynopsisA circus arrives in Durham in the 1790s and the whole town is excited. until the body of a Shaker girl is found beaten.1790s. The circus has arrived in Durham, Maine. Before weaver Will Rees is able to take in its spectacle, he spots Magistrate Hanson - the man he blames for his family''s having to flee Dugard two years earlier.On his journey home he encounters Shaker brothers searching for a girl from their Zion community. Despite women not being allowed inside the circus, Leah had snuck out to visit it. They quickly come across her lifeless body beaten and thrown into a farmer''s field on the road leading to the circus.Bored of his household chores, Rees begins investigating at the expense of his home life. He becomes entranced by the lives of the circus performers, including the charismatic horse rider and tightrope walker. Is his longing for his old journeyman''s life causing him to take his eye off the case, and can he stay out of Hanson''s way and keep his family safe?
£12.34
Canongate Books Death and the Chevalier
Book SynopsisAs the Young Pretender and his Jacobite army approach, Coroner Titus Cragg must solve a brutal murder - and prevent himself being executed for the crime.November, 1745. Preston, Lancashire. Rumours abound that Charles Edward Stuart, the Young Pretender, has landed in Scotland, intent on marching south to claim the English throne. Meanwhile Coroner Titus Cragg must investigate a headless body discovered in an icy pond. There is evidence to suggest a connection with the approaching rebel army - unless someone is deliberately using the Highlanders'' invasion as a cover for murder. As simmering tensions, conflicting loyalties and open hostilities engulf the town, Cragg finds himself arrested for murder. In order to clear his name and escape execution by firing squad, Titus must team up with his old friend, Dr Luke Fidelis, to expose the real killer.
£13.29
Canongate Books Sword of Shadows
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Canongate Books The Good Wife
Book SynopsisA chilling murder ruins a fun day at the races in the fifth historical mystery featuring Detective Chief Inspector Henry Johnstone. 1929. Police surgeon Dr Clive Mason is devastated when his wife Martha is found dead in an empty horsebox at Southwell Races, her handbag stolen. The Masons were enjoying a day out at the races with their friends, Dr Ephraim Phillips and his wife Nora, when Martha went to speak to a face she recognized in a crowd - and disappeared.As Detective Chief Inspector Henry Johnstone and Sergeant Mickey Hitchens investigate, it''s clear this wasn''t a robbery gone tragically wrong - Martha was deliberately murdered. Why did the life of this well-respected, popular member of the community meet such a tragic end? Henry and Mickey soon learn that the Masons'' marriage was not what it seemed, and make a number of shocking discoveries. Who was Martha Mason, and what secrets was she hiding?
£13.29
Canongate Books In the Company of Fools
Book SynopsisA baby abandoned in the palace gardens leads scribe sleuth Christine de Pizan into a mystery involving murder, superstition and scandal in fourteenth-century France.Paris, 1396. Scribe Christine de Pizan is shocked when the Duke of Orléans'' fools find a baby, wrapped in rags and covered in sores, abandoned in the palace gardens. Was there really a wicked plan to substitute the child for the queen''s own baby daughter and blame the Duchess of Orléans, Valentina Visconti? Who would commit such an evil act, and why?Accused of being a sorceress, Valentina is the victim of much slander and has powerful enemies at the palace, where rumours of witchcraft and superstition run riot. Convinced of the duchess''s innocence, Christine is determined to uncover the truth, and soon makes a number of disturbing discoveries. Could the palace fools be the key to unlocking the mystery?
£12.34
Canongate Books The Doom List
Book SynopsisThe Doom List - you''d rather be dead than be on it: the intriguing new 1920s mystery featuring Irish-born cop turned private investigator Tom Collins.July, 1922. Newly-appointed ''movie czar'' William H. Hays is about to arrive in town on a single-minded mission to clean up Hollywood. He is said to be compiling a list of ''undesirables'' whom he plans to bar from screen work. They call it the Doom List.With the industry in the grip of fear and paranoia, Hollywood''s hottest young director Rex Ingram is determined that no hint of scandal should mar the premiere of his new movie, The Prisoner of Zenda, and hires private investigator Tom Collins, a fellow Irishman, with instructions to protect his leading lady''s reputation at all costs. But, as Collins discovers, Barbara La Marr isn''t the only member of the cast hiding a dangerous secret.Meanwhile, a body is discovered in the Baldwin Hills to the south of the city. Could there be a connection? Against his better judgement, Collins is drawn into a case of scandal, forbidden love, blackmail . . . and cold-blooded murder.
£12.34
Canongate Books Death of a Prominent Citizen
Book SynopsisMoney is the root of all evil, according to the Reverend Mother - but is it the motive for her cousin''s murder?Wealthy widow Charlotte Hendrick had always promised that her riches would be divided equally between her seven closest relatives when she died. Now she has changed her mind and summoned her nearest and dearest, including her cousin, the Reverend Mother, to her substantial home on Bachelor''s Quay to inform them of her decision. As Mrs Hendrick''s relatives desperately make their case to retain a share of her wealth, riots break out on the quays outside as the flood waters rise ...The following morning, a body is discovered in the master bedroom, its throat cut. Could there be a connection to the riots of the night before - or does the killer lie closer to home? In her efforts to uncover the truth, the Reverend Mother unearths a tale of greed, cruelty, forbidden passion ... and cold-blooded malice.
£12.34
Canongate Books The Molten City
Book SynopsisDetective Superintendent Tom Harper senses trouble ahead when the prime minister plans a visit. Can he keep law and order on the streets while also uncovering the truth behind a missing child? Leeds, September 1908. There''s going to be a riot. Detective Superintendent Tom Harper can feel it. Herbert Asquith, the prime minster, is due to speak in the city. The suffragettes and the unemployed men will be out in the streets in protest. It''s Harper''s responsibility to keep order. Can he do it?Harper has also received an anonymous letter claiming that a young boy called Andrew Sharp was stolen from his family fourteen years before. The file is worryingly thin. It ought to have been bulging. A missing child should have been headline news. Why was Andrew''s disappearance ignored?Determined to uncover the truth about Andrew Sharp and bring the boy some justice, Harper is drawn deep into the dark underworld of child-snatching, corruption and murder as Leeds becomes a molten, rioting city.
£16.28
Canongate Books Daughters of Darkness
Book SynopsisPrivate investigator Jennie Redhead is hired to investigate a murder that''s left the police baffled, in this gripping historical mystery set partly in 1970s Oxford and partly in war-torn 1940s London.Oxford, 1975. Three years ago, world-renowned anthropologist Grace Stockton was slain in a brutal, unprovoked attack. Despite a large-scale police investigation, the identity of the prime suspect was never uncovered . . . and neither was the location of Grace''s head.But Grace''s daughter, the wealthy academic Julia Pemberton, refuses to accept that the trail has run cold. Determined to find out who killed her mother, she knows just the woman for the job: private investigator Jennie Redhead.Who was the woman caught on CCTV visiting Grace''s isolated home on the day of the murder? And why did she cut off her victim''s head? Jennie''s search for answers takes her on a dark, disturbing journey into the past, from the ancient tribal customs of Papua New Guinea, to war-torn 1940s London - and to a dark tangle of secrets and scandal that someone is desperate should never be revealed . . .
£13.29
Canongate Books Death in the Great Dismal
Book SynopsisFinding themselves in a slave community hidden within the Great Dismal Swamp, Will Rees and his wife Lydia get caught up in a dangerous murder case where no one trusts them.September 1800, Maine. Will Rees is beseeched by Tobias, an old friend abducted by slave catchers years before, to travel south to Virginia to help transport his pregnant wife, Ruth, back north. Though he''s reluctant, Will''s wife Lydia convinces him to go . . . on the condition she accompanies them.Upon arriving in a small community of absconded slaves hiding within the Great Dismal Swamp, Will and Lydia are met with distrust. Tensions are high and a fight breaks out between Tobias and Scipio, a philanderer with a bounty on his head known for conning men out of money. The following day Scipio is found dead - shot in the back.Stuck within the hostile Great Dismal and with slave catchers on the prowl, Will and Lydia find themselves caught up in their most dangerous case yet.
£13.29
Canongate Books A Choir of Crows
Book SynopsisWhen two bodies are discovered in the grounds of York Minster shortly before the enthronement of the new archbishop, Owen Archer is summoned to investigate.December, 1374. With the great and the good about to descend on York for the enthronement of Alexander Neville as the new archbishop, the city authorities are in a state of high alert. When two bodies are discovered in the grounds of York Minster, and a flaxen-haired youth with the voice of an angel is found locked in the chapter house, Owen Archer, captain of the city bailiffs, is summoned to investigate.Tension deepens when an enigmatic figure from Owen''s past arrives in the city. Why has he returned from France after all these years - and what is his connection with the bodies in the minster yard and the fair singer?Before Owen can make headway in the investigation, a third body is fished out of the river - and the captain finds himself with three mysterious deaths to solve before the all-powerful Neville family arrives in York.
£16.28
Canongate Books Death and the Singing Birds
Book SynopsisA summer festival ends in disaster for chef sleuth Nell Drury in this gripping historical mystery full of dark secrets, disturbing discoveries and page-turning twists.1926, Kent. Chef Nell Drury is busy with preparations for Lady Ansley''s luncheon to welcome Wychbourne Court''s new neighbours, Sir Gilbert and Lady Saddler. The couple''s arrival has led to much rumour and intrigue swirling around the village, particularly with regards to the mysterious Lady Saddler.Sir Gilbert belongs to a new artistic movement, the Artistes de Cler, and is organizing a summer festival in the grounds of Spitalfrith Manor, where the Clerries will gather to reveal their Africa-inspired paintings. The whole village is invited and buzzing with excitement. But at the festival itself, Nell witnesses some strange and disturbing events, and when a terrible discovery is made the following day, she is horrified to learn that Lord Ansley''s valet has been arrested. Can Nell clear his name while also confronting a face from the past?
£12.99
Canongate Books The Shapeshifter's Lair
£21.35
Canongate Books The Outcast Girls
Book SynopsisPrivate investigators Lily Raynor and Felix Wilbraham get more than they bargain for when they take on a case in a girls'' boarding school, in the latest World''s End Bureau Victorian mystery.London, 1881. Lily Raynor, owner of the World''s End Investigation Bureau, is growing increasingly worried. Work is drying up, finances are tight and she cannot find enough for her sole employee, Felix Wilbraham, to do. So when schoolteacher Georgiana Long arrives, with a worrying tale of runaway pupils, it seems like the answer to her prayers. The case is an interesting one, and what could be less perilous than a trip to a girls'' boarding school, out in the Fens?Disguised as the new Assistant Matron, Lily joins the Shardlowes School staff, while Felix - suppressing his worries about his cool, calm employer - remains behind. But there are undercurrents at Shardlowes, and the shadowy, powerful men who fund the school''s less fortunate pupils loom larger as Felix''s own investigations unfold. Felix can''t shake off his fear that Lily is in danger - and soon, his premonitions come frighteningly true . . .
£11.69
Canongate Books Death Comes Hot
Book SynopsisJack Blackjack''s search for an executioner''s son ensnares him in a fiendish mesh of schemes in this lively Tudor mystery.London. May, 1556. Hal Westmecott, one of the city''s most feared executioners, reckons Jack Blackjack owes him a favour - and now he''s come to collect his dues. Hal has ordered Jack to track down his long-lost son and, although Jack believes he''s been set an impossible task, he''s in no position to refuse.But when Jack''s search draws him to the attention of a ruthless nobleman, a dead priest''s vengeful brother and finally to a bloodstained body in a filthy lodging house, he comes to realize he is an unwitting pawn in a mesh of schemes dreamed up by the most powerful people in England. Just who is a friend, who is a foe - and will Jack escape with his life intact?
£12.34
Canongate Books Legacy of Death
Book SynopsisWhen the family butler is brutally attacked, land agent Matthew Rowsley and his wife Harriet determine to find the culprit in this gripping Victorian mystery. With his lordship''s mental health failing, management of his grand country estate has been assigned to a group of trustees, including land agent Matthew Rowsley and his capable wife Harriet. But the smooth running of Thorncroft House is disrupted by a series of unforeseen events. Building work on the estate workers'' new cottages is halted by the discovery of Roman remains. Shortly afterwards, the family butler is brutally assaulted and left for dead. A random attack - or was he deliberately targeted? Matters take an even more disturbing turn when Lord Croft''s long-lost cousin and heir, Julius Trescothick, arrives from Australia, ready to claim his inheritance. But is he who he claims to be . and what are his true intentions?If they are to preserve Thorncroft House and a way of life that has continued for centuries, Matthew and Harriet must uncover the truth behind Trescothick''s identity and solve a series of interlocking mysteries.
£13.29
Canongate Books The Stone of Destiny
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£12.59
Canongate Books Summer of Secrets
Book SynopsisWhen a murder is staged at magnificent Knebworth House, Victorian writer-sleuths, Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins investigate.August, 1856. Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens are spending the summer at Knebworth House, the magnificent Hertfordshire home of fellow writer Lord Edward Bulwer-Lytton, where they are putting on a charity performance of one of Lord Edward''s most successful plays, The Lady of Lyon. But the dress rehearsal is disrupted by the discovery of a body lying in the centre of the stage, shot to death.With everyone involved in the play coming under suspicion, the two writer-sleuths feel compelled to investigate. Their enquiries unearth a number of scandalous secrets lurking among the writers, artists and actors assembled at Knebworth. Secrets that stretch back more than twenty years. Secrets that will have devastating repercussions for the present.
£12.34
Canongate Books Last Nocturne
Book SynopsisPrivate detectives Grand & Batchelor''s latest case draws them into the arcane world of high art and high society in this compelling Victorian mystery.London. May, 1878. Private enquiry agents Matthew Grand and James Batchelor have been hired by the artist James Whistler to dig into the past of outspoken critic John Ruskin, with whom he has an ongoing feud. Not particularly optimistic of success, the two detectives are sidetracked from the investigation by the murder of a prostitute in nearby Cremorne Gardens. Her body posed on a park bench, a book on birth control sitting on her lap, Clara Jenkins is not the first young woman to have met a similarly grisly fate - and she won''t be the last.Could there be a connection between the Cremorne killer and their art world case? With the investigation heading nowhere fast, Grand comes up with a decidedly unorthodox plan to ensnare the killer. But even the best-laid plans have a nasty habit of going catastrophically awry ...
£12.34
Canongate Books Murder in the Cloister
Book SynopsisChristine de Pizan is in danger when she is sent to the Priory of Poissy to catch the killer of a young nun in this vividly imagined historical mystery set in fourteenth-century France.Paris, 1399. Scribe Christine de Pizan is sent to the Priory of Poissy by the palace to copy a manuscript for the prioress. But the prioress already has many copyists, and Christine senses that something is amiss.Her suspicions are confirmed when the prioress reveals that one of the sisters has been found murdered in the cloister. Fearing for the welfare of the king''s young daughter who resides at the abbey, she is eager for Christine to find out who killed the young nun - and why.As Christine investigates, she uncovers dark mischief and closely guarded secrets, but can she unmask a killer?
£12.34
Canongate Books Forest of Secrets
Book SynopsisUrsula travels deep into the New Forest to investigate rumours of a plot to overthrow Queen Elizabeth in this gripping Tudor mystery. May, 1586. Ursula and her retinue return home from a lengthy trip to discover she has an unexpected visitor. Etheldreda Hope is a simple countrywoman who has come to Ursula with disturbing tales of strange goings-on in her rural village. Fearing that Etheldreda''s reports of mysterious forest rites indicate a possible conspiracy to overthrow Queen Elizabeth in favour of her cousin, Mary Stuart, the queen''s spymaster, Sir Francis Walsingham, orders Ursula to travel to Etheldreda''s home to find out what''s really going on.On reaching Chenston village, deep in the New Forest, Ursula discovers an isolated, suspicious community; the locals deeply in thrall to the old pagan traditions and beliefs. But are these ancient customs harmless - or are they part of a genuine conspiracy against the queen? And, if so, who is behind it?It''s not until the night of Halloween that Ursula will discover the shocking truth.
£13.29
Canongate Books Murder at Beaulieu Abbey
Book SynopsisDeath and danger await intrepid nun Hildegard of Meaux when she undertakes a secret mission for the good of her Order, in this eleventh action-packed installment of the medieval mystery series.February, 1390. Hildegard is given a special assignment by the Prioress of Swyne to escort a young heiress from Beaulieu Abbey to the northern stronghold of Sir William atte Wood. What could be more pleasant than to join a betrothal party, especially as she will be accompanied on the long journey to the New Forest by the two monks militant, Gregory and Egbert.But there is a more urgent and secret purpose for her mission.The Western Church is in Schism, with two popes battling for power. The Cistercians are split between the pope in Rome - supported by King Richard - and the pope in Avignon, an ally of the king''s French enemies. Which pope will Beaulieu decide to follow? England''s future depends on it, and who better than Hildegard to discover Beaulieu''s allegiance? But to question such powerful forces brings only death and danger - and even her two militant monks may not be enough to save her.This action-packed, page-turning medieval mystery is a great choice for fans of holy sleuths like Peter Tremayne''s Sister Fidelma and Paul Doherty''s Brother Athelstan.
£20.99
Canongate Books Hardcastle's Secret Agent
Book SynopsisDetective Inspector Walter Hardcastle is following in his father''s footsteps, but is his rapid rise about to be threatened by a spate of disturbing break-ins linked to the war effort? August, 1939. As war looms, Detective Inspector Walter Hardcastle is following in the footsteps of his father, Ernest, and progressing through the ranks of the Metropolitan Police. Summoned to the office of Charles Marriot, Deputy Assistant Commissioner of CID at New Scotland Yard, Walter learns that he has been promoted to a senior role at V Division, and is plunged into a top secret case when burglaries occur at the homes of those working on a new type of war submarine.Could a German spy be behind the break-ins? When one of the burglaries ends with a double murder, the stakes get higher for Walter. Can he track down an enemy agent on the streets of London while also resolving another disturbing case?
£12.34
Canongate Books Mr Campion's Coven
Book SynopsisAlbert Campion is in the bleak, remote and very muddy village of Wicken on the Essex coast on a mission to rescue Dame Jocasta''s dog, but soon finds himself sinking into something far more dangerous.East coast of England, 1971. Harvard student Mason Clay is writing a thesis on a group of settlers who travelled to America from the remote Essex coastal village of Wicken-juxta-Mare 300 years ago. Clay plans to visit Wicken as part of his research, and who better assist him with all things Essex than Albert Campion? But Wicken is already firmly on Campion''s radar thanks to Dame Jocasta Upcott''s luxury yacht found beached on a mudbank close to the village, its captain very stuck - and very dead - in the mud. Was it a bizarre accident or something more sinister? Agreeing to Dame Jocasta''s request to recover her beloved pet pooch, Robespierre, Campion finds himself in Wicken, surrounded by suspicious locals and tales of witchcraft, and soon discovers its past is linked to a number of current disturbing events . . .
£16.28
Canongate Books The Constant Man
Book SynopsisFormer Munich police detective Willi Geismeier is drawn out of hiding to find a deranged serial killer.Former Munch detective Willi Geimeiser is a wanted man. He sacrificed his career and put his life on the line by exposing a high-ranking Nazi official as a murderer, and is now in hiding in a cabin deep in the Bavarian forest.But when his friend, Lola, is savagely attacked, Willi returns to Munich in disguise and under a new identity - Karl Juncker - determined to find the perpetrator. Meanwhile, the discovery of the body of a woman in the River Isar leads Willi''s old colleague and friend, Detective Hans Bergemann, to uncover similar disturbing murders stretching back years. A serial killer who preys on young women is running loose on Munich''s streets. Could they be responsible for the attack on Lola, and can Willi catch a deranged murderer before the Gestapo catches him?
£12.34
Canongate Books The Mystic's Accomplice
Book SynopsisThe first historical mystery in award-winning author Mary Miley''s 1920s Chicago-set series introduces reluctant sleuth Maddie Pastore and takes readers into a dark and dangerous world of mobsters, speakeasies and seances.It''s 1924, and Maddie Pastore has it made. A nice house, a loving husband with a steady job - even if it is connected to Chicago''s violent Torrio-Capone gang - and a baby on the way. But then Tommy is shot dead, and she learns her husband had a secret that turns her life upside down.Penniless and grieving, Maddie is sure of only two things: that she will survive for the sake of her baby, and that she''ll never turn to the mob for help. So when she''s invited to assist a well-meaning but fraudulent medium, she seizes the chance. She''s not proud of her work investigating Madam Carlotta''s clients, but she''s proud of how well she does it.When Maddie unearths potential evidence of a dark crime, however, she faces a terrible dilemma: keep quiet and let a murderer go unpunished, or follow the trail and put herself and her baby in mortal danger . . .With its Prohibition-era setting, lively characters and enthralling historical detail, The Mystic''s Accomplice is an ideal pick for readers who enjoy 1920s-set mysteries.
£12.34
Canongate Books The Lammas Wild
Book SynopsisHealer Lassair returns to England and uncovers a secret that puts the lives of everyone she knows in grave danger, in the final Aelf Fen medieval mystery. It is the summer of 1100, and after seven long years away in Spain, Lassair is finally going home. Back to her beloved mentor Gurdyman. Back to her family. And back to young lawman Jack Chevestrier, who Lassair hopes still carries the same deep feelings for her as she does for him.Before she can reunite with her loved ones, however, Lassair has a long-overdue task to perform. Old flame - and king''s spy - Rollo Guiscard left her a chest before he died, and it is finally time for her to collect it. But the chest contains more than gold, and soon Lassair is caught up in a web of danger and deception that threatens not just her own life, but the lives of everyone she holds dear.And this is not the only peril Lassair must face. For although she''s left the south behind her forever, the south is not done with her yet . . .Gripping, tense and moving, the last installment of the Aelf Fen series provides both a twisty and compelling historical murder mystery and a hugely satisfying end to Lassair''s story, which began over a decade ago with OUT OF THE DAWN LIGHT.
£12.34
Canongate Books Darkness Beyond
Book SynopsisDI Herbert Reardon investigates the curious case of a man seemingly returned from the dead, in the latest 1930s-set historical mystery from Marjorie Eccles. February, 1933. When their eldest brother Paul walks into their hallway, fourteen years after he was presumed dead, successful property developers Thea and Teddy Millar are beset with questions. Where has he been? Why has he never written to let them know he was alive? And most of important of all: what happened to Paul, after the end of the Great War, to make him abandon everything and everyone he ever knew?When Paul''s body is found floating in the canal two weeks later, Detective Inspector Herbert Reardon feels sure the murder is connected to his new life in London. For who would want to kill a man who''s been thought dead for over a decade? But Reardon knows the past can cast long shadows, and as he investigates, he finds a knot of dark secrets and old grudges that someone is determined he''ll never untangle . . .This atmospheric historical mystery brings the interwar period of the 1930s to vivid, compelling life, and is a great choice for fans of traditional mysteries with characters who feel real and sympathetic.
£12.34
Canongate Books Bright Young Things
Book SynopsisWhen a man dumps a body on a beach in full view of onlookers, the investigation that follows throws up a number of dark twists for DCI Henry Johnstone.January 5, 1930. On a cold, grey winter morning, a mysterious man walks along Bournemouth beach carrying a bundle in his arms. He lays it carefully on the shoreline and calmly walks away. The man has dumped a body.The dead young woman is Faun Moran, a wildchild in her twenties wearing a sparkling cocktail gown. But Faun was supposedly killed in a car crash after leaving a party attended by other wealthy bright young things the previous autumn. So who was the young woman in the car, and where has Faun Moran been all this time? Still recovering from the trauma of his last case, DCI Henry Johnstone returns to work to solve this baffling mystery. But as he and DS Mickey Hitchens investigate, the path to the truth is darker and twistier than they could ever have imagined.
£12.34
