Detective Stephen Lavender must act quickly to track down the rogues, clear his friend’s name and avert the crisis. But as the news of this high-profile crime spreads around Regency London, Lavender finds himself in a race against time with a murderous gang of cut-throats. Can he solve this case before they extract their deadly revenge? Welcome to the world of Stephen Lavender, a Principal Officer with the Bow Street Runners, whose further adventures can be followed in ‘The Heiress of Linn Hagh’.

     Book 7: A Death in Norfolk Captain Lacey travels back to his boyhood home in Norfolk to allay the past and becomes caught up in mysteries surrounding the Lacey estate. Book 8: A Disappearance in Drury Lane Marianne Simmons asks Lacey to look into the disappearance of an actress from the company at Drury Lane. Lacey does so to find the problem far more complex and dangerous than he anticipated. Meanwhile, he has a very important appointment to keep with Lady Breckenridge. Book 9: Murder in Grosvenor Square Lacey is shocked by the murder of a friend and vows to bring the killer to justice. Three full-length novels in one volume.

    No one knows where Damian Seeker originated from, who his family is, or even his real name. Mothers frighten their children by telling them tales of The Seeker. All that is known of him for certain is that he is utterly loyal to Cromwell, and that nothing can be long hidden from him. In the new, fashionable coffee houses of London, a murder takes place. All London is ringing with the news that John Winter is dead, the lawyer Elias Ellingworth, found holding a knife over the bleeding body of the dying man, held in the Tower. Despite the damning evidence, Seeker is not convinced of Ellingworth's guilt. He will stop at nothing to bring the right man to justice...

    Feeling to some extent responsible for the boy, Mr. Colquhoun prevails upon Elias Granger, a prosperous coal merchant, to take him on as an apprentice.For the next five years, John Pickett hauls coal in exchange for room and board. The work is dirty and hard, but the drudgery is lightened by the occasional delivery to Bow Street, where Mr. Colquhoun usually tosses Pickett a coin for his pains. An even more pleasant diversion exists in the form of Mr. Granger's pert daughter Sophy, with whom Pickett tumbles headlong into love.And then one day nineteen-year-old John Pickett stumbles by accident into a criminal investigation that will bring him once again to the attention of Bow Street for an entirely different reason, and will change the course of his life...

    But William’s recent death has once again plunged the island kingdom into war as his two eldest sons strive against each other for the right to wear their father’s crown. The town of Rochester is at the centre of the conflict and, while the battle rages, two men, one a Norman soldier and the other a local pig farmer, are brutally murdered. Godric, a young Englishman, is blamed for the slayings but manages to escape arrest by fleeing to the cathedral where, proclaiming his innocence, he claims sanctuary. Estrid, his widowed mother, is desperate to save her son but the only way to exonerate him is to discover the identity of the true murderer. Daughter of an English thegn killed at the Battle of Hastings, she is a woman of courage and determination but, when she begins to investigate the crime, she soon becomes entangled in a web of espionage, deceit and betrayal that places her own life in danger.

    Louisa Locke's cozy Victorian San Francisco Mystery series, are visiting Nate's family at their ranch near San Jose, California. What was supposed to be a pleasant romantic interlude for the two of them, plus a chance for Annie to get to know Nate's family better, turns serious when a crime is uncovered. And, as in Locke's short stories from this series, Annie gets help in resolving the crisis from a very unexpected quarter. Violet Vanquishes a Villain comes right after Deadly Proof, the fourth book in the series, although it can certainly be read as a stand-alone story.

    murder, mystery, and mayhem (plus romance) in medieval Wales! The Gareth & Gwen Medieval Mysteries Boxed set contains the first four books (three novels and a novella) in the series: The Good Knight, The Uninvited Guest, The Bard's Daughter, and The Fourth Horseman.The Good Knight: Intrigue, suspicion, and rivalry among the royal princes casts a shadow on the court of Owain, king of north Wales...The year is 1143 and King Owain seeks to unite his daughter in marriage with an allied king. But when the groom is murdered on the way to his wedding, the bride's brother tasks his two best detectives--Gareth, a knight, and Gwen, the daughter of the court bard--with bringing the killer to justice.And once blame for the murder falls on Gareth himself, Gwen must continue her search for the truth alone, finding unlikely allies in foreign lands, and ultimately uncovering a conspiracy that will shake the political foundations of Wales.The Uninvited Guest: It is the winter of 1143 and all is not well in the court of Owain, King of north Wales. His future in-laws are untrustworthy, the Norman lords on his eastern border are restless, and among his wedding guests lurks a cold-blooded killer. Gareth and Gwen have marriage plans of their own, but their love will have to wait while the pair race to separate truth from lies, friends from foes, and unravel the mystery before King Owain--and his new bride--fall victim to their uninvited guest.The Bard's Daughter (prequel novella):As a bard's daughter, Gwen has spent her life traveling from castle to castle and village to village with her family, following the music. In the winter of 1141, Gwen's family is contracted to provide the entertainment for the coming-of-age celebration of a lord's son. But before the celebration can begin, Gwen's father is found over the body of his friend, with a harp string as the murder weapon and blood on his hands.With the lord of the castle uninterested in finding the true killer, it is up to Gwen to clear her father's name before her father's music is silenced ... forever.The Fourth Horseman: May 1144. Newly wedded, Gareth and Gwen travel across the border into England on a diplomatic mission with Prince Hywel of Wales. Within moments of their arrival, however, the mission goes awry and a murder case drops (literally) at their feet. Hindered at every turn by a climate of civil war and constantly shifting political alliances, Gareth and Gwen race to solve the murder and expose a plot that threatens not only their lives, but the life of the future King of England himself.Murder, intrigue, and treachery take center stage in The Fourth Horseman, the third Gareth & Gwen Medieval Mystery.

    Unprepared for the story the postcards weave about their reclusive former owner, Sarah’s life is thrown into disarray as she is transported to Victorian London, colonial New Zealand and to the British Raj in India. Sarah’s journey through time could solve the mystery of her parents’ disappearance. But one impossible question remains: what will staying in the past do to her future?

    “You’ll be [Maggie Hope’s] loyal subject, ready to follow her wherever she goes,” predicts O: The Oprah Magazine. With a seamless blend of mystery, real-life historical figures, and World War II drama, this award-winning, New York Times bestselling series features a whip-smart secretary who defies expectations to become England’s most daring spy. Now her first four adventures are collected in one thrilling eBook bundle:  MR. CHURCHILL’S SECRETARYPRINCESS ELIZABETH’S SPYHIS MAJESTY’S HOPETHE PRIME MINISTER’S SECRET AGENTAlso includes a preview of the much anticipated new Maggie Hope novel, Mrs. Roosevelt’s Confidante!  London, 1940. Winston Churchill has just been sworn in, war rages across the Channel, and the threat of a Blitz looms larger by the day. But none of this deters Maggie Hope. She graduated at the top of her college class and possesses all the skills of the finest minds in British intelligence, but her gender qualifies her only to be the newest typist at No. 10 Downing Street. Her indefatigable spirit and remarkable gifts for code breaking, though, rival those of even the highest men in government, and Maggie finds that working for the prime minister affords her a level of clearance she could never have imagined—and opportunities she will not let pass. In troubled, deadly times, with air-raid sirens sending multitudes underground, access to the War Rooms also exposes Maggie to the machinations of a menacing faction determined to do whatever it takes to change the course of history.  Praise for the Maggie Hope series   “Delightful may seem a strange word to describe a novel that takes place against the backdrop of the bombings of London during World War II, but it’s appropriate for this debut novel. . . . As sweet as it is intriguing.”—USA Today, on Mr. Churchill’s Secretary  “A captivating, post-feminist picture of England during its finest hour.”—The Denver Post, on Mr. Churchill’s Secretary   “This wonderful debut is intelligent, richly detailed, and filled with suspense.”—Edgar Award–winning author Stefanie Pintoff, on Mr. Churchill’s Secretary  “With false starts, double agents, and red herrings . . . MacNeal provides a vivid view of life both above and below stairs at Windsor Castle.”—Publishers Weekly, on Princess Elizabeth’s Spy   “A heart-pounding novel peopled with fully drawn real and fictional characters . . . provides the thrills that readers have come to expect from MacNeal.”—Richmond Times-Dispatch, on His Majesty’s Hope   “A treat for WWII buffs and mystery lovers alike.”—Booklist, on The Prime Minister’s Secret Agent

     Who is Eden running from…? England, 1795 Kept woman Rachel Lovett is forced onto the streets when her benefactor loses all his money. Forced into stealing jewellery to survive, Rachel finds herself running from a thief taker – and must do all she can to keep her neck from the hangman’s noose. She is forced to join a brothel and soon finds herself introduced to the ruthless Paternoster Club… Cheltenham, 2013 Over two hundred years later a pair of skeletons are found in the grounds of a prestigious school, and local Private Investigator Eden Grey is called to the scene. It becomes clear that these are not recent murders – the bodies have lain there for centuries. Eden does all she can to unravel the historic mystery – but she has dangerous secrets of her own. As Eden’s past – and her true identity – starts to close in on her, and more strange cases land in her lap, Eden finds herself in a race against time to solve the mysteries. But who is Eden Grey? And what is she hiding from? Can she unravel the secrets of the past? PATERNOSTER is the first book in the Eden Grey Mystery Series, dual timeline conspiracy thrillers with a strong female lead. ‘Cheltenham will soon rival Oxford as a murder-mystery hot spot’ - Historical Novel Society ‘A vibrant voice from the dark heart of the past’ – Alison Bruce, author of the DC Goodhew novels ‘Fleet has found a tough, determined and likeable new heroine and if this is to be the start of a series, it’s well worth waiting for Eden Grey’s next case’ – Crime Review

    Adam Bascom trips over a body in Gressington churchyard, he never imagines it will change the whole direction of his life. As a recently-qualified physician trying to establish a practice in a small market town in north Norfolk, Adam should be devoting all his energy to his business. But it soon becomes clear that the authorities are intent on making sure the death is accepted as an accident and refuse any deeper investigation. Adam’s curiosity and sense of justice cannot accept this. He knows there are many unanswered questions about the death, but he has no standing that would allow him to become involved formally. Instead, he uses friends, old and new, unexpected contacts and even his own mother to help him get to the truth. Set against the turbulence of late-Georgian England, a country on the brink of war with Revolutionary France, the book reveals a land where spies keep constant watch on everyone the government deems ‘undesirable’, religion is polarised between the established church and a mass of dissenting sects, and the perennial ‘Irish question’ has at last spilled over into outright terrorism. Bad weather, poor harvests and enclosure have driven many people in the countryside into abject poverty. Only the smugglers along the coast offer regular and highly-paid ‘work’ helping to unload contraband. Yet here too, the Revenue’s Riding Officers, backed up by troops of dragoons, are waging an increasingly successful campaign to stamp out the major gangs. Adam must thread his way through all of this, encountering many new demands along the way, from a family torn apart by religious bigotry, and a teenage thief turned informer, to a secret section of The Alien Office, a government department dedicated to keeping a close eye on anyone likely to prove a threat to the realm. As he becomes more and more essential to the government’s efforts to combat internal dissension and prepare for war, Adam finds he must draw on all his medical and personal skills to bring the case to a successful conclusion.

    After burying her spinster aunt, orphaned Veronica Speedwell is free to resume her world travels in pursuit of scientific inquiry—and the occasional romantic dalliance. As familiar with hunting butterflies as with fending off admirers, Veronica intends to embark upon the journey of a lifetime.But fate has other plans when Veronica thwarts her own attempted abduction with the help of an enigmatic German baron, who offers her sanctuary in the care of his friend Stoker, a reclusive and bad-tempered natural historian. But before the baron can reveal what he knows of the plot against her, he is found murdered—leaving Veronica and Stoker on the run from an elusive assailant as wary partners in search of the villainous truth.

    He is twelve, or perhaps eleven. He has two mothers and various possible fathers, so he worries who will take care of him. He is self-confident yet vulnerable, intelligent yet sinister. He knows not many people like him.When his birth mother, Thalia the snake-dancer, takes him to live with her troupe of exotic performers, Postumus sees it as useful experience even though it involves him mucking out menagerie cages. No one anticipates how much havoc he will wreak.On his first day a tragedy occurs. No one else cares, so Postumus decides he alone must solve this crime and impose retribution on the guilty. As son and brother to the famous investigators Falco and Albia, he knows murder is punished by execution. Postumus single-mindedly sets out to accomplish this, sidetracked by nothing, not even a rehearsal of Falco's legendary play, The Spook Who Spoke...

    Is it the Outfit, the Mob, Bolsheviks, or the unions? In the dark speakeasies and nightclubs of Chicago’s underworld, Alfano treads the sharp edge of sanity and delusion, praying that it’s just mob vengeance and not typical Chicago politics. In Depression racked Chicago, three people crash into each other, each hoping for vengeance, redemption, and salvation. Alfano thought he’d seen it all in his twenty years on the force, but this is brutally and explosively different. Can he stop the killer or will the killer get to him first? . . . and to add pressure, the city’s corrupt mayor demands that Alfano catch the killer before the gates to the Century of Progress World’s Fair and Chicago are opened to America and the world. And coming in May, 2016, Book 2 in the Detective Tony Alfano series, Chicago Jazz. What will happen when an assassin employed by Mussolini’s fascists arrives in Chicago searching for three men intent on political murder? Can Alfano stop the assassin before they can kill . . . again?

    A captivating historical drama on-board the maiden voyage of the S.S. Minneapolis featuring series character Flora Maguire. For fans of Downton Abbey. Young governess Flora Maguire is on her way home from America on the maiden voyage of the S.S. Minneapolis with her young charge Eddy, Viscount Trent, when she discovers a dead body. Unconvinced when the death is pronounced an accident, Flora starts asking questions, but following threats, a near drowning and a second murder, the hunt is on for a killer. Time is running out as the Minneapolis approaches the English coast. Will Flora be able to protect Eddy, as well as herself? Is her burgeoning relationship with the handsome Bunny Harrington only a shipboard dalliance, or something more? And what secrets must Flora keep in order to stay safe? What readers are saying about MURDER ON THE MINNEAPOLIS: 'I'm a big fan of this author's work, so I was excited to read the first installment in her new mystery series. It did not disappoint. Along with the sparkling dialogue and likeable characters I have come to expect, I found an intriguing, page-turning "whodunnit"' 'With intrigue heaped upon intrigue [this] is certainly a great "who-dun-it" that kept my attention from start to finish' 'I was kept guessing right to the end. A great read and I will be looking out for more of this author's work' 'This is definitely a 5 star! Highly recommended' 'From the very first sentence I knew this was going to be a wonderful story. Lush and vibrant, articulate and dynamic, I can't say enough about the writing. Davison's prose is elegant and refined lending to the setting of the story. It pulls you in and won't let go'

    London, 1880. Kat Holloway, highly sought-after young cook to the wealthy of London, finds herself embroiled in murder when she’s accused of poisoning her employer, the loathsome Sir Lionel Leigh-Bradbury. Her only help as she works to clear her name comes from the mysterious Daniel McAdam, a handsome man-of-all-work who seems to know everyone and always happens to be in the right place at the right time. Kat and Daniel investigate the crime, but the mystery of Daniel’s background might be just as elusive and dangerous as the poisoner bent on framing Kat for murder.

    So when a leading cloth-manufacturer is found murdered and his business totters on the brink of collapse, everyone fears his fall will ruin hundreds of working families and cause the economy of the whole county to collapse. In near panic, the mayor and aldermen turn to an unlikely person to solve the riddle: Mr. Ashmole Foxe, a man who claims to be a mere bookseller, yet lives in grand style, dresses like a dandy and associates as easily with the demi-monde as the gentry. With few firm clues to go on and every sign the dead man himself had been hiding many secrets, Mr Foxe sets out to do as the City Fathers want. Who benefited from the death? Why had the murdered man been stockpiling cloth for months? Who is the stranger now trying to buy up all this surplus stock and what will he do with it? Follow Mr Foxe through Norwich’s teeming 18th-century streets as he seeks out the answers and tracks down a killer with more than profit on his mind.

    Warwickshire, England, 1938While Hitler and Chamberlain are preparing to sign the Munich agreement, the murderer of a Jewish shopkeeper is being hanged in Birmingham.After witnessing the execution, Inspector James Given, who brought the killer to justice, is surprised to find he has been taken off the investigation to pursue something completely different.Grovestock House, owned by the wealthy Barleigh family has witnessed a triple death.With the terrible events neatly written off as a murder and a double suicide, Given is supposed to tidy up a few loose ends with the help of local constable, John Sawyer.But Given is sure there is more to the case than meets the eye.What dark secrets were the Barleigh family hiding? Could there be another killer involved?And how will Given react when he is forced to confront the ghosts of his past…?

    Violently attacked, tormented and trapped, she sifts through the truths and deceits of her marriage to self-made industrialist, Jean Kinck. Why had he lied? France, snug in the prosperity of Napoleon III’s Second Empire, is shocked by the vicious destruction of the bourgeois Kinck family. Under pressure from his superiors, the Chief of Police, Monsieur Claude, must unravel the baffling connections between the family and a mysterious young man, Jean-Baptiste Troppmann, a cold case, a famous palmist and France’s rising tide of dissatisfaction with the Emperor Napoleon III. The Cast of a Hand is an unforgettable love story and a murder mystery based on one of the most shocking crimes of 19th century Paris. GS Johnston’s razor sharp prose interweaves and cross-pollinates the two narratives, both desperately trying to arrive at the truth.

    When Tyburn accidentally intercepts a coded latter from a hidden Jesuit priest in Warwickshire, he is entangled in a murderous and deadly conspiracy. Stalked by unknown enemies, he must race to uncover the conspiracy and hunt down the Jesuit to clear his name. . .or die a traitor's death. His only hope – an eleven-year old glover’s son named William Shakespeare.

    It's astonishing enough to everyone who knows New Orleans saloon-keeper Kentucky Williams that she owns a Bible... but someone is willing to do murder to steal it. Benjamin January and his worthless white sidekick Hannibal Sefton attempt to figure out who - and why.

    Lucius Marius Nola, a retired veteran of the Roman Army, inherits a farm in the Alban Hills on the outskirts of Rome. Nola is looking forward to a new life in the countryside, living off the land, and more importantly, escaping his violent and disturbingly troubled past. However, no sooner has Nola begun to enjoy life once again when, against his will, a strange turn of events draws him into a web of murder and intrigue. 'Twelve Miles From Rome' is the first of a thrilling series of ancient world mysteries featuring Lucius Marius Nola.

    Seventy-five years earlier twelve-year-old Gemma sat high above Elza on a Ferris wheel with young Jesse, knowing even then that he would be the love of her life. But, as they sat there, the happenings on the midway below results in Jesse having to hide a body and a secret that will alter the course of their young lives. Five years later Jesse’s best friend, Cliff Tidwell, is found brutally murdered and Jesse must stand trial for his death. To save him from the electric chair legendary Texas Ranger Brewster McKinney, police chief Jefferson Hightower, and an old buffalo soldier known as Cherokee-one-leg must untangle a web clues that stretch over fifty years and involve corrupt businessmen, Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders, small town gangsters, and a back woods bordello. But the one clue that can set Jesse free is a secret he refuses to reveal, the secret of the summer of ’36 and how the events of that summer caused what happened That Night at the Palace.

    This she can master, but Mirabella must face the greatest horror of all: Miss de Beauvais' Finishing School for Distinguished Young Ladies.Sherlock Holmes gets more than he bargained for when he hires his landlady's young ward to keep his laboratory in order. Mrs. Hudson's niece might be clever, but Mirabella Hudson is insubordinate, talks too much, is an accident waiting to happen--and, worst of all, is distractingly pretty.Unfortunately, 'pretty' is just what Sherlock Holmes needs.Sherlock might be a master of disguise, but pretty he is not. The Great Detective requires a female operative to go under cover at London's premier finishing school where Princess Elena Petrovic-Njegos of Montenegro is a client--and the target of an assassination plot. If the inexperienced Miss Hudson and her employer do not succeed in saving the princess, there is trouble brewing across the globe that could potentially lead to war on a massive scale. Montenegro is a small Serbian country, but She has among her allies the Mother Russia.One unsuccessful case could ruin this young detective's career before it starts. Above all, Sherlock must have work--and he must be in pursuit. Work is the blood in his veins. Work is life.The game is afoot! And there can be no greater puzzle than what he receives in the form of one Mirabella Hudson--who might stump even Sherlock Holmes. --mystery with romantic elements

    Should now and then one of the hotel guests fall prey to a dastardly murderer, however, it is up to Cecily Sinclair to restore order before Scotland Yard steps in and shuts down her infamous seaside hotel. New Prequel A PERILOUS PROMISE This totally new and never-before-seen prequel introduces some of the beloved characters of the Pennyfoot Hotel series. You will learn how Cecily became the owner of the hotel, see how her compulsion to solve puzzling crimes began and watch her fascinating first reactions to Hugh Baxter – the man destined to become a driving force in her life... Book I ROOM WITH A CLUE Cecily is forced to act when one of her guests falls from the roof garden of the hotel under suspicious circumstances. Her investigation has to be a tightly-held secret, so as not to alarm the distinguished guests, one of whom may be a killer... Book II DO NOT DISTURB A knock on the door in the dead of night, and seconds later, a man lies dead, poisoned by a mysterious substance. Who else to blame but the local herbalist – considered a witch because of her powerful potions. Once again Cecily is called upon to discover the real killer before her best friend is thrown in jail for a crime she simply couldn’t have committed... Book III SERVICE FOR TWO When the villagers of Badgers End arrive at the funeral of their beloved doctor, they are shocked and horrified to discover a stranger’s murdered body in the casket. Who is the victim and where is the good doctor’s body? Cecily must once more solve the mystery, while striving to please and protect her guests in the hotel... Downton Abbey fans will find much to enjoy in this charming historical mystery series set in an English seaside village. If you love Agatha Christie, you’ll love the Pennyfoot Hotel! There are twenty-one books in the Pennyfoot Hotel series, including nine Christmas editions.

    But the disturbing discovery of the bones of a woman and newborn baby make it clear that she has stumbled onto an historical crime scene, one that is interwoven with an unsettling local legend of witchcraft and unrequited love. Yet there is more to the case than a four-hundred-year-old mystery. The owners of a nearby cottage are convinced that it is haunted, and the local vicar is being plagued with abusive phone calls. Then a tragic death makes it all too clear that a modern murderer is at work…

    When Sherlock Holmes is called in, Imogene, harboring a secret desire to become a detective, sees her chance to learn from the great Mr. Holmes.

    Then add into such flights-of-fancy, kaleidoscope-like memories of Chicago mansions and childhood neighborhoods; followed by the improbable thought of a homestead—indeed a whole town—rising out of the rugged and desolate ridges along a familiar stretch of Route 66. All these images commingled to tickle my imagination. There are many events and stories hidden underneath shifting desert sands, and quite possibly many of these tales are doomed to ride ad infinitum on relentless desert winds—ghosts trapped on a plane-of-existence they can never escape. The town of Shiné (Shy-knee) is a fictional concatenation of several of these magical places, fanciful thoughts, and hidden dramas. A place where provocative and unanswered questions actually escape the entrapment of Mojave winds and take center stage. Hopefully, the small fact Shiné does not exist will not dissuade you from visiting…

    Dowden, Hall of Fame, TOP 50 Amazon reviewer'I can't stop reading this series! If you love historical mysteries, you will love the period and cultural detail...' Pauline'Cleverly written and filled with facts regarding old Japan.... Very similar to Holmes and Watson...' Eileen Sedgwick'An excellent Japanese detective series... I enjoy each and every story...' R. Russell'Stevens keeps on delivering... This is a great series. Anyone who enjoys Sherlock Holmes will enjoy the similarities in Stevens' characters and Doyle's. Fresh plots, exotic locale, who-done-its, and a unique set of protagonists. I've read all the Ennin series and look forward to each new adventure. Highly recommended...' Abby Normal'Entertaining read with Holmesian overtones, but very different setting...' Gerry H'Once you start this, I'm betting you won't be able to set it down until you finish it...' Judy'The author weaves intrigue, subterfuge and cunning into a very enjoyable story...' J. Cepeda'Historical setting and cultural background are excellently researched...' D. Werdin'Wonderful... Like a Japanese room arrangement with clean lines keeping clutter to a minimum...' AcerAcer'Ben Stevens is masterful. I can't wait to read his next set of stories...' Kindle Customer'This Japanese detective is a fine addition to the burgeoning field of Asian historical detectives which began with Judge Dee (China) and runs through I.P. Parker's Akitada...' Mcb.'If you like the Akitada books, you will enjoy this....' Mamakile'Something out of the ordinary... Well worth the read...' Amazon Customer'The Sensei is a brilliant detective. Ben Stevens, as always rocks. He's one heck of a storyteller...' Lisa'A feudal Japanese Sherlock Holmes... This ever-evolving excellent series... Vivid imagery and graphic detail which are a trademark of this writer...' Deborah Chaytor'Try it... and like it... I don't look for mysteries from the middle ages, even ones set in Japan, but for some reason I love this series...' Amazon Customer'Loved it!... Simply amazed... I thoroughly enjoyed this read...' Edwina Callan'Good job. Very enjoyable...

    Incidents involving another girl and gossip stir emotions to a frenzy, nearly leading to a lynching.Evidence against Ned is circumstantial and there are other suspects. Influenced by Ned’s stepsister and Ellen, a woman who has perked his interest, Simon Roth, the investigator, is inclined to give Ned the benefit of doubt. Then he discovers damaging new evidence.Still unwilling to view Ned as a cold-blooded killer, Roth puts his job and reputation in jeopardy as he seeks to assure a fair trial for the accused.

    Rose Janvier, Benjamin's wife, is left at home in pre-Civil-War New Orleans when Benjamin goes off to solve a crime in another city. When the high-living brother of one of her neighbors is murdered, Rose uses her own detective skills to track down the killer, despite the fact that the white City Guards have arrested her and everyone else on the street as suspects.

     (45 stories available at just $8.99 - the same price as 9 stories bought separately.) SERIES 1 The Cursed Temple The Man Who Was Scared of the Wind The Empress and the Monk The Ninja The Demon King SERIES 2 The Sixth Buddha The Picture of Death Buddha’s Hammer The Invisible Assassin The Black Death SERIES 3 The Dark Scrolls The Forty-eighth Ronin The Geisha and the Vampire The Water Barrel The Mountain Killer SERIES 4 The River-dancer The Touch of Death Wabi-sabi The Mad Dog Sickness The Rain Player SERIES 5 Attack of the 60-foot Buddha A Slave’s Tale The Sun Thief The Toymaker The Poet SERIES 6 The Village of the Dead The Yellow Killer The Beauty The Patient Assassin The Fourth Immortal of the Wine Cup SERIES 7 The English Killer The Strange Case of the Disappearing Dragon The Sumo-wrestler The Egyptian Tomb Raider The Boy on the Floating Island SERIES 8 The Dog The Pearl Diver The Girl at the Shrine The Cat Temple The Billionaire SERIES 9 The American A Death in the Orange Grove The Red River The Golfer The Way of the Empty Hand Reviews for ENNIN 'The greatest of Japan's detectives, Ennin, and of course his trusted servant and chronicler Kukai...' M. Dowden, Hall of Fame, TOP 50 Amazon reviewer 'These Ennin Mysteries are absolutely fabulous...' sshap 'I can't stop reading this series! If you love historical mysteries, you will love the period and cultural detail...' Pauline 'Cleverly written and filled with facts regarding old Japan.... Very similar to Holmes and Watson...' Eileen Sedgwick 'An excellent Japanese detective series... I enjoy each and every story...' R. Russell 'Stevens keeps on delivering... This is a great series. Anyone who enjoys Sherlock Holmes will enjoy the similarities in Stevens' characters and Doyle's. Fresh plots, exotic locale, who-done-its, and a unique set of protagonists. I've read all the Ennin series and look forward to each new adventure. Highly recommended...' Abby Normal 'Entertaining read with Holmesian overtones, but very different setting...' Gerry H 'Once you start this, I'm betting you won't be able to set it down until you finish it...' Judy 'The author weaves intrigue, subterfuge and cunning into a very enjoyable story...' J. Cepeda 'Historical setting and cultural background are excellently researched...' D. Werdin 'Wonderful... Like a Japanese room arrangement with clean lines keeping clutter to a minimum...' AcerAcer 'Ben Stevens is masterful. I can't wait to read his next set of stories...' Kindle Customer 'Thoroughly enjoyed it...' Daphne Frampton 'This Japanese detective is a fine addition to the burgeoning field of Asian historical detectives which began with Judge Dee (China) and runs through I.P. Parker's Akitada...' Mcb. 'If you like the Akitada books, you will enjoy this....' Mamakile 'Great short stories...

    People living there don’t expect a white Christmas but they hope for a dry Christmas. It is hot, humid and floodwaters everywhere have trapped people in inconvenient and dangerous situations. At a small specialty store in a high income community, a dozen or so people are trapped for 3 days and 2 nights. On the surface most appear to be strangers caught at random. Then there is a murder and it turns out the only real stranger among them is a detective whose presence is hardly coincidental. Set in 1982, this a traditional murder mystery and the first in a series featuring a 1980s detective who is the great grandson a famous Texas lawman from the 1900s. The free and easy 80s are a sharp contrast to the world his ancestor lived in, but Lt. Sinclair Plate finds murder is just as common.

    John and his fiancée prepare to marry, his family is blackmailed by a former acquaintance. Hoping to set things straight, he accepts an invitation to dine at the Blackmailer’s family estate.But how many should die...Estelle agrees to accompany Benedict, but nothing prepares her for the mysteries and bodies she stumbles across during her time at Hawthorne Hall.Before the shocking truth is exposed? Hawthorne Hall holds many secrets, but will Estelle and Benedict escape to see the day their union is blessed, or will they succumb to an untimely end?

    Until fate swept her aboard a pirate's ship and into its captain's embrace. Yet when he reveals a dark secret, her lover becomes her enemy.Ten years ago, Miles Zachary Fenton was framed for murder. For so long he has fought to clear his name and reclaim his dukedom. Now, when both appear to be just within reach, he is forced to abduct a meddling beauty, one who wreaks havoc with his emotions and complicates his plans.

    She seeks to evade her stepmother, who has attempted to kill her. She is smitten by the handsome captain, who sees her merely as a part of the crew. On the last night at sea, when she doffs her disguise and decides to say goodbye to him while he sleeps, her life is forever altered. And now she may not survive…

     For more than a century, Dr. Thomas Neill Cream has been listed as a potential 'Jack the Ripper' suspect. He was a sinister character, preying on the unfortunate souls who were forced to make a living as streetwalkers in Victorian London, and ultimately led those poor women to an untimely and torturous death. These crimes eventually branded him the 'Lambeth Poisoner'. However, during the time of the heinous Ripper murders, Dr. Cream was incarcerated in Joliet Prison, Illinois. Over the decades, this fact alone has caused debate as to whether or not he deserves to be under suspicion of being the Whitechapel fiend. Was it possible that Dr. Cream bribed his way out of jail, perhaps using a doppelganger to take his place while secretly finding a passage to England with murder in mind? This fascinating book, told from the standpoint of Cream himself, explains the twisted logic behind his actions. The author has done considerable and meticulous research, tracing Cream's life from his adolescent years in Canada to his last moments on the gallows at Newgate.

    Now he is an exile. In 1780, three years of wandering have brought him to Dayan, the last Chinese town before the Tibetan border. He expects a quiet outpost barely conscious of its place within the empire, but Dayan is teeming with travelers, soldiers, and merchants. The crowds have been drawn by the promise of an unmatched spectacle; an eclipse of the sun, commanded by the Emperor himself. Amid the frenzy, Li Du befriends an elderly Jesuit astronomer. Hours later, the man is murdered in the home of the local magistrate, and Li Du suspects it was no random killing. Everyone has secrets: the ambitious magistrate, the powerful consort, the bitter servant, the irreproachable secretary, the East India Company merchant, the nervous missionary, and the traveling storyteller who can't keep his own story straight. Beyond the sloping roofs and festival banners, Li Du can see the pass over Jade Dragon Mountain that will take him out of China forever. But he cannot ignore the murder that the town is all too eager to forget. As Li Du investigates, he begins to suspect that the murderer intends to kill again. The eclipse is coming. Li Du must solve the murder before the sun disappears. If he does not, then someone, perhaps Li Du himself, will never again see its light.

    It is a time when not much is expected of women, other than to be wives and mothers, and Kate wants to be neither. She wants to be a doctor but women are not allowed to enter the prestigious Edinburgh School of Medicine. She has a male friend, James, who is a doctor – he is smitten with her and wants to marry her, but she has made it clear that she has no such intentions. She spends a lot of time with him looking through his medical books to learn all that she can. She has drive and ambition – and a special gift. Kate can communicate with people who have passed over. She had, what her father thought, was an imaginary friend when she was a child, but her companion was the spirit of a little girl who had died in the Great Fire of Edinburgh. When Kate discovers that her first client at Grainger Undertakers has been murdered, she sets out on a journey that takes her deep into Edinburgh’s underground and into the spirit world to catch a serial killer.

    Whispered speculations drift through the shadows of Windsor Castle. Who are the Queen’s suitors? Who is her heir? To distract her political enemies from gossip, Queen Elizabeth stages a masquerade ball…Tasked with organizing the lavish preparations, Kate, the Queen’s musician, is overjoyed when her dearest friend, Lady Violet, arrives at court, eager and willing to help. Accompanied by her demanding mother-in-law, Violet welcomes any opportunity that will rescue her from the attentions of her husband’s mother.But just days before the masquerade, one of the Queen’s guards is found dead in front of the chamber that holds her most precious jewels. With no sign of foul play, the court believes the man perished from natural causes, but Kate suspects otherwise. And when Her Majesty’s pearl pendant necklace, an heirloom from her mother, Anne Boleyn, disappears on the night of the ball, Kate must once again play sleuth to uncover the culprit’s identity among the aristocratic masked merrymakers…“Amanda Carmack’s talent for creating a richly drawn setting, populating it with fully realized characters, and giving them a tight and engaging narrative is unparalleled.”—New York Times bestselling author Tasha AlexanderINCLUDES A PREVIEW OF MURDER AT WHITEHALL

    Nuptials of convenience blended family fortunes and kept bloodlines pure. After her presentation at court, which marked the beginning of the London season, Ann's life turns into a whirlwind of tea parties, balls, and husband hunting. When her parents suggest John Broadhurst, the Marquess of Dorchester, as a potential mate, Ann dislikes their choice. Even though he appears dashingly handsome, she finds him to be a boorish and aloof man. He, on the other hand, shows very little interest in her either, which wounds Ann's delicate ego. In spite of their lack of regard for one another, they marry to fulfill their parents' wishes. Ann, however, harbors a dark premonition that one day the marquess will break her heart. After beginning their married life together, her fears are realized as she is engulfed by a world of secrets, betrayal, and danger at Blythe Court.

    Landing an assignment to write a series of articles on country manor houses, Daisy travels to Wentwater Court to research her first piece. There she finds a household in turmoil, filled with holiday guests and recriminations. But that's nothing compared to the uproar when one of those guests turns up dead in an "accident." The Winter Garden Mystery: Continuing her assignment on country manor houses, Daisy travels to gloomy Occles Hall, which is under the charge of the autocratic Lady Valeria. While touring the gardens, Daisy discovers the body of a parlor maid that had gone missing two months prior. Distressed by the ineptitude of the local police force, Daisy plunges in to help find the killer before he strikes again. Requiem for a Mezzo: Back in London, Daisy attends a performance of Verdi's "Requiem." During the show, the lead soprano keels over dead of an apparent poisoning. Joining Daisy in figuring out what happened is Scotland Yard Detective Inspector Alec Fletcher. The two embark on finding who wanted the singer dead, and why.

    Meet Émilie d’Armand, a young woman who witnesses corruption and murder in seventeenth-century France (The Bishop’s Lady), and Katherine Holloway, an English cook sought after by the wealthy, who finds herself embroiled in murder, assisted only by the mysterious Daniel McAdam, who is more than he seems (A Soupçon of Poison). Finally, explore the darker side of Regency London in an alternate look at that period from the point of view of an army soldier whose family has lost face (A Matter of Honor).