When workmen make the shocking discovery of a mutilated corpse in a ditch outside the ancient walls, Giles Vernon and Felix Carswell are charged with solving the case. Intelligent and practical, Chief Constable Major Vernon has transformed the old city watch into a modern police force, and he throws himself into the investigation with the same energy. But as he probes a murky world of professional gamblers and jilted lovers, he is drawn into a dangerous emotional game that threatens to undermine his authority. Newly-qualified police surgeon Felix Carswell is determined to make his way in the world on his own terms despite being the bastard son of prominent local grandee Lord Rothborough. Called to treat a girl in an asylum for reformed prostitutes, what he uncovers there brings him into conflict with his new employer, Vernon, and throws the case into disarray. Together they must overcome their differences and find the brutal truth behind the mystery of The Butchered Man. The Butchered Man is the first Northminster Mystery featuring intrepid early-Victorian detectives Vernon and Carswell.

    Richard the Lionheart is dead and his brother John has just been crowned King of England. John travels to St Edmund’s abbey in Suffolk to give thanks for his accession. His visit coincides with the murder of a twelve-year-old boy whose mutilated body bears the marks of ritual sacrifice and martyrdom. This isn’t the first time such a thing has happened. Eighteen years earlier another child was murdered in the town in similar circumstances. Abbot Samson needs to find out if this is indeed another martyrdom or just an ordinary murder and appoints the abbey’s physician, Master Walter, to investigate. Walter discovers a web of intrigue and corruption involving some of the highest in the land but unbeknown to him his own past holds a secret which will put his life in danger before the final terrible solution is revealed.

    Can the young noble -- a true prince of the realm -- clear his name before the dark shadows of civil war settle over fair England's lands?Margaret Frazer, the author of the Edgar-nominated and award-winning Sister Frevisse and Player Joliffe novels, weaves the hidden details of history into a taut thriller. A game of kings is being played, and the throne of England may be the prize!PRAISE FOR MARGARET FRAZER'S BOOKS“The setting brims with historical details... A brilliant study of human nature... Ms. Frazer reveals her genius… Highly recommended.” – Historical Novels Review“Mystery… Suspense… Frazer executes with audacity and ingenuity.” – Kirkus Reviews"Prepare to be enchanted as Margaret Frazer transports you back to the 15th century." - Romantic Times“A smooth and absorbing saga of conspiracy and treachery in 15th-century England… A tantalizing secret turns out to have stunning political implications.” – Publishers Weekly“Margaret Frazer has quietly claimed her place as one of the preeminent writers of historical crime fiction, delivering the whole package – a good mystery, wonderful characters, and a fascinating period of history. Her novels are a dream to read.” - Aunt Agatha’s NewsletterHerodotus Award Winner.Twice nominated for the Edgar AwardTwice nominated for the Minnesota Book AwardA Romantic Times Top Pick.(This short story is one of the Bishop Pecock Tales.)

    Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters: Marcus Didius Falco, a Dying Light in Corduba, Shadows in Bronze, Venus in Copper, Three Hands in the Fountain, the Silver Pigs, One Virgin Too Many, Time to Depart, a Body in the Bath House, Poseidon's Gold, the Accusers, Two for the Lions, Last Act in Palmyra, the Iron Hand of Mars, Scandal Takes a Holiday, the Jupiter Myth, Saturnalia, Ode to a Banker, Alexandria, See Delphi and Die. Source: Wikipedia. Free updates online. Not illustrated. Excerpt: A Dying Light in Corduba is a crime novel by Lindsey Davis. Set in Rome and Imperial Spain during the spring and summer of AD 73, A Dying Light in Corduba stars Marcus Didius Falco, Informer and Imperial Agent. It is the eighth in her Falco series. The title refers to the setting of much of the action, Corduba, as well as to the olive oil which features so heavily, one use of which is for lamp oil. The Society of Olive Oil Producers of Baetica is throwing a big dinner party in Rome, trying to drum up business for their product. Falco is invited at the request of Claudius Laeta, Vespasians top clerk. The food, the garum and the dancing girl make a big impression on Falco. When two guests at a dinner are assaulted, one fatally, Falco realizes that being at the dinner was just the start of another job. The surviving victim, Anacrites, is Falco's rival and Vespasian's Chief Spy. Falco is asked to investigate the attack on Anacrites and its possible connection to an attempt to corner the market on Spanish olive oil. Trying to keep Anacrites safe, he moves him to the one place where no one will look, and if they do, they will regret it; his mothers house. Soon, Falco is on his way to Hispania to track down some of the guests and that memorable dancer. Laeta hints that someone is looking to corner the market...More: http: //booksllc.net/?id=500338

    Can Dame Frevisse find the root of misery behind a murderer's sin before the next lethal blow falls? Or will be the village be lost in a hue and cry of terror? The gentling touch of the midwife may calm the tortured soul... or give birth to a bitter death.(The Midwife's Tale is part of the Margaret Frazer's Tales series.)

    His murder sparks a chain of macabre events. Cloistered on a remote island with five strangers, including Gareth Davenport, her late employer’s brooding, but darkly handsome heir, Dorcy encounters baffling questions with what she fears may be terrifying answers. Who cut the telegraph lines? Who left a mutilated animal carcass outside her bedroom door? What is the reason for Gareth’s black gloves and eye patch? Can he be “Jack the Ripper”, the madman suspected to be Mr. Davenport’s killer? Dorcy must solve the mystery, and soon, or her growing attraction for Gareth could be her very death sentence.

    Ross Lamos, 21stCentury Karmic Detective, knows that somehow, the history of the three jades is his as well.Yu, the Stone of Heaven, jade art born from the genius of ancient China. Lamos has built his career dealing Asian art and antiquities by hiding his very useful psychic Touch. When he holds the jades, the yu will reveal an extraordinary history. Lamos will risk everything to protect the jades, and finally remember his role in a love story that changed the course of a Dynasty ... the love between an extraordinary Concubine and a Prince, the son of her Emperor, and the Poet caught between them all ... a story hidden for two thousand years in three pieces of yu.Yu is the award winning first novel by Joy Shayne Laughterand begins the Ross Lamos mystery series.

    A series of depraved murders quickly makes things even more complicated. Buffalo Bill stands squarely in his path.

    As in the best it is, award-winning author Margaret Frazer proves that the play's the thing when crimes of passion are put center stage in an all-too-revealing production of Titus Andronicus. A murderer seeks to unlock the secrets of Shakespeare's playhouse, but the actors won't be the only ones to die once the blood-drenched spirits of the past walk the boards to find their revenge...PRAISE FOR MARGARET FRAZER'S BOOKS"Prepare to be enchanted as Margaret Frazer transports you back to the 15th century." - Romantic Times"More than just a good read. The reader comes away sadder and wiser, knowing that what tehy've read is that stuff of real life. Brava!" - Historical Novels Review"A smooth and absorbing saga of conspiracy and treachery in 15th-century England... A tantalizing secret turns out to have stunning political implications." - Publishers Weekly"Finely plotted and subtly shaded. Frazer has the detailed substance that brings an era to life, while her characters' psychological makeup is as cunningly wrought as the historical background." - Publishers Weekly"Margaret Frazer has quietly claimed her place as one of the preeminent writers of historical crime fiction, delivering the whole package - a good mystery, wonderful characters, and a fascinating period of history. Her novels are a dream to read." - Aunt Agatha's NewsletterHerodotus Award Winner.Twice nominated for the Edgar AwardTwice nominated for the Minnesota Book AwardA Romantic Times Top Pick."Shakespeare's Mousetrap" is a short story in the Margaret Frazer's Tales series. It was originally published under the title "That Same Pit".

    He is less content when he finds himself looking for a murderer, and hiding his former lover, playwright Christopher Marlowe, who is suspected of stabbing one of the players to death. Marlowe wants to resume their relationship, but Hugh has doubts about the wisdom of this, especially as he has already decided to find himself a wife and family rather than risk his soul with the dangerous and disreputable Marlowe. To complicate matters, the young actor, Barnaby Winter, also has his sights set on Hugh and seems determined to win him. Hugh's enquiries, together with his efforts to keep Marlowe out of the hands of the law, cause him difficulties that threaten not only the lives of both men, but also the fragile relationship between them. Hugh also finds unexpected help from Marlowe's newest rival, a young playwright named Will, who is trying to make a name for himself in the theater world. Seeking the truth about the murder becomes the least of Hugh's worries, as he tries to decide where his affections lie, and in the process learns more about Marlowe than he wants to know.

    Exclusive to Kindle: a free sample of The Hangman's Daughter

    Chilton Dacy, to nurse, she can't help but wonder what sort of scoundrel he might be. Her uncle has a long and sad history of befriending miscreants of the worst sort. Then she finds a lost necklace and her worries only increase. The necklace bears a curse promising a hideous death to anyone who possesses it, and it seems as if it might come true when she's blamed for the murder of a virtual stranger.Can Chilton prove her innocence, or is Oriana destined for a personal relationship with the hangman's noose?