He locates the youth in Bedlam asylum, silent and starving himself. When he tries to free Jessop, he is warned off the case by a politic lawyer, Anstis. Soon after, Belstrang finds himself drugged, robbed and falsely imprisoned.Once released Belstrang persists in his investigation, but he is thwarted at every turn: unseen forces are at work who seemingly want Thomas Jessop to die. When Belstrang confronts Anstis, even he turns up dead.The trail grows murkier by the hour, drawing Belstrang into the fear-ridden Catholic underworld - until he uncovers a plan with its roots in the Gunpowder Plot of more than a decade ago. Young Thomas, an embittered papist, was being used in a desperate scheme to mark the anniversary of the Plot. The scheme failed – and now the conspirators seem eager to cover up the whole business.But Belstrang’s a stubborn man. With the help of ex-soldier Daniel Oldrigg, he sticks doggedly to his purpose - and stumbles on the real causes of the Anniversary Plot, which stem from the very heart of a corrupt government.Belstrang must uncover the truth, or die trying.

    

    But Rownt has problems of his own: a gang of child-thieves is terrorizing the quiet neighborhood in which he lives, and his neighbors want protection. Then the Fox, head of London’s criminal underworld, becomes involved, and a deadly situation becomes deadlier when one of the Fox’s men stabs the wrong boy. In a world where violence and theft seem everyday occurrences, Rownt searches for justice among A Parcel of Rogues.

    A young nobleman. And death stalks them both.... The date is 1191 Aumary Belvoir is seventeen. Seventeen, and bound by an oath so holy, he dare not break it.
 Unexpectedly thrust into the position of the Warden of the Savernake; a woodland of one hundred and fifty square miles in Wiltshire, will Aumary succeed in stamping his authority on the forest? He has also acquired a half brother he did not know he had. With the help of his experienced staff and his willing family, things go well. The surprise brother, Robert proves a worthy assistant. Then the deaths begin. Are they accidents as they seem or is there something more sinister happening in the forest? Seventy year old Aumary is dictating his story to a scribe. He can no longer write for himself and wishes to set down for all time, the truth of two mysteries; the death of Arthur Duke of Brittany, King John's nephew and rival, and other more disturbing deaths closer to home. Aumary Belvoir sets off to uncover a plot so dastardly and deadly, so patient and well planned that it takes thirteen years to lay bare.

    Sampson, S.J. Parris and Rory Clements."A superb, page-turning debut. The author balances gimlet-eyed research with narrative drive and clever reveals... Danforth is a strong yet torn central character... I look forward to reading the second book in the series." Richard Foreman.Steven Veerapen was born in Glasgow and raised in Paisley. Pursuing an interest in the sixteenth century, he was awarded a first-class Honours degree in English, focussing his dissertation on representations of Henry VIII’s six wives. He then received a Masters in Renaissance studies, and a Ph.D. investigating Elizabethan slander. The Abbey Close represents his first foray into fictional writing. Steven is fascinated by the glamour and ghastliness of life in the 1500s, and has a penchant for myths, mysteries and murders in an age in which the law was as slippery as those who defied it.

    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.

     When a new acquaintance is charged with murder, Lola calls upon her trio of friends to clear his name. It will mean setting aside cocktail parties, night clubs, and late lie-ins, but Lola is willing to sacrifice much more to save an innocent man. Calling on her sophisticated upbringing as an Englishwoman's daughter and the Get It Done attitude taught by her Texan father, Lola will charm self-righteous hotel clerks, square off with cranky detective inspectors, and even tolerate a pompous German ex-officer to do what she knows is right. Welcome to the Regal Rose Hotel, the new posh and elegant hotel catering to the rich, famous, and eccentric in Jazz Age London. Try the hotel's signature drink, The Rose, at the Portage Club nightclub, dance the night away to the music of Dot and the Four Grooves, and sit with Lola Rose and her companions as they indulge in jazz, cocktails, rumors, and mysteries.

     Coroner Sir Henry Greville is conducting an inquest, following the discovery of the body of a girl, and he wants a quick and conclusive verdict. The victim is believed to have been promiscuous domestic servant Amy Brindley. The scant evidence implicates her former employer. Constable Thomas Lincraft is not convinced, and begins his own search for the truth, even though he risks being dismissed from his office by doing so. However, Thomas Lincraft is no ordinary Constable. His tenacity and intelligence provide him with a fierce sense of justice - and his deeply held religious beliefs shape his attitude towards the investigation. As the Constable begins to gather evidence and interview fresh witnesses, Lincraft uncovers secrets that others would prefer to keep hidden. But the truth - and murder - will out, leading to a shocking revelation. She Died Unshriven is the first in a series of mysteries featuring Constable Thomas Lincraft. Recommended for fans of CJ Sansom, Rory Clements and S. J. Parris. Author David Field is a retired criminal lawyer who now writes full-time. He is also the author of the contemporary crime series of novels featuring investigator DCI Mike Saxby. The first book in the series is Seventeen Cavendish Place.

    Accompanied by only her maid, Molly, she thinks she’s in for another long, dull trip aboard the Flying Scotsman.The last thing she expects to find as they departed from London is a body in her compartment. Despite Molly being accused of the murder, Thea knows her maid is innocent. Aided by a young Scotland Yard inspector and an American heiress, Thea uses the detective skills she learned from reading Sherlock Holmes to track down the real murderer, but will she find them before they can strike again?

    A fledgling reporter. A scandal to die for.New York City, 1919. Lillie Mead mourns the love she lost in the war. But when a wealthy British friend offers her a reporting job across the pond, she hopes accepting will help her rebuild her life. She barely has time to unpack before she’s assigned the scoop of a poisoned socialite’s death…As the clues take a turn for the scandalous, Lillie unearths shocking skeletons in the victim’s closet. But she never expected the threads of the beloved woman’s life to weave with hers. Can Lillie expose the truth before her own death makes the front page?An Unfortunate End is the first book in the Lillie Mead Historical Mystery Series. If you like captivating settings, cozy whodunits, and vivid glimpses into the past, then you’ll love Lisa Zumpano’s charming novel. Buy An Unfortunate End to expose secrets and scandals today!

    Much of the country is in the iron grip of Louis of France and his collaborators, and civil war rages as the forces of the boy king try to fight off the French. Most of this means nothing to Edwin Weaver, son of the bailiff of Conisbrough Castle in Yorkshire, until he is suddenly thrust into the noble world of politics and treachery: he is ordered by his lord the earl to solve a murder which might have repurcussions not just for him but for the future of the realm. Edwin is terrified but he must obey; he takes on the challenge and learns more until he uncovers the horrific secret which has been dead and buried for fifteen years, a secret which might kill them all - and realises there are some questions to which he might not wish to know the answers.

    Yet to Inspector Sam Blackstone, the case is as puzzling as any he has ever come across. As his investigation proceeds, Blackstone finds himself entering the world of the aristocracy and tramping the dangerous streets of London's Little Russia, where English law and order are not welcome. So begins the illustrious career of the talented inspector, who earns the equal ire and respect of his superiors for his controversial tactics. Absorbing in their detailed depictions of the period, gripping in their ingenious plots, this trilogy of historical whodunnits is the perfect box set for any mystery-lover. Praise for Sally Spencer 'Spencer's finest hour: a tightly plotted puzzler with surprises at every turn' – Kirkus Reviews 'Spencer is an accomplished craftsman who serves up a good puzzle and deftly solves it with intelligence and insight' – Publishers Weekly Sally Spencer worked as a teacher both in England and Iran - where she witnessed the fall of the Shah. She now writes full time.

    M. Powell, Karen Maitland and S J Parris. All is not as it seems… 1322, Yorkshire, England Sir Richard Lee, Sergeant-at-Law, has been sent to Sandal Castle by King Edward II to preside over the court of the Manor of Wakefield. On the way, he is threatened with his life when he comes across the outlaw Robin Hood. The Hood lets Sir Richard pass, but before long a man is found murdered – with an arrow through his eye. With the vicious murder and a brutal rape to be investigated, Sir Richard must make his mark and solve the mysteries. But with the current authority against him, and Robin Hood on his trail, it may not be as easy as it first appears… THE PARDONER’S CRIME is the first book in the Sandal Castle Medieval Thriller series: historical murder mysteries set in Yorkshire. ‘anybody who enjoys a pacy story ought to find plenty to praise’ - My Shelf Blog

    Set in the 1920s, it’s the first of a series of traditional murder mysteries featuring the amiable Detective Inspector Miles Felix of Scotland Yard and his shrewd but prickly assistant, Sergeant ‘Teddy’ Rattigan. It’s the spring of 1926. Following a macabre discovery, the Inspector investigates a fading aristocratic family where everyone seems to have a secret, even the servants.

     But he is shocked when the matron’s assistant – Patience Brooke – is found hanging outside the property, covered in blood. Desperate to protect the reputation of the Home and to stop a scandal from spreading, Dickens takes the investigation into his own hands. With the help of his good friend, Superintendent Sam Jones of Bow Street, and a description of the suspect as ‘a man with a crooked face’, Dickens's search takes him deep into the filthy slums of Victorian London. Can Dickens save his reputation? Will he find out the secrets of Patience Brooke’s troubled past? Or will the killer strike again …? The Murder of Patience Brooke is the first urban mystery in J. C. Briggs' literary historical series, the Charles Dickens investigations, a traditional British detective series set in Victorian London.The Charles Dickens Investigations Series: BOOK ONE: The Murder of Patience Brooke BOOK TWO: Death at Hungerford Stairs BOOK THREE: Murder by Ghostlight BOOK FOUR: The Quickening and the Dead