Book picks similar to
The Secret Book by Edmund Lester Pearson


mysteries
bibliomystery
historical
misc-mysteries

The Stolen Street Girl


Nell Harte - 2021
    Now, she must learn to survive.Forced to be both mother and father to her siblings after Ada’s mother turns to gin, and no longer able to scour the banks of the Thames as mudlarks, Ada turns to picking up cigarette butts from the filthy streets and repurposing the tobacco into a saleable item.Assisted by Elijah the son of a stonemason the Blair family manages to keep a roof over their heads, until their mother’s addiction spirals out of control and they find themselves out on the street.Desperate for safety, Ada takes a risk and is befriended by the well to do Mr Beauregard. But not all things are as they seem and soon Ada is torn from her family and thrown into a world of corruption she could not have imagined.When a chance meeting with Elijah reveals the truth, Ada’s life is at a crossroadsCan Ada leave behind the new life she now finds herself in? Will Elijah ever forgive her for what she has become? Or should Ada let the past remain behind and leave her family in peace.Nell Harte writes sweet and clean Historical Romance.

WINTER OF THE COMET (Molly Titchen Book 1)


Gordon John Thomson - 2014
    The action of this exciting historical mystery romance takes place in the lively and pulsating world of Restoration London, with its bear-baiting and dog-fighting pits, with its taverns and bawdy houses, its libertines and Puritans, its fops and its society beauties. In the cold winter of 1664, the Thames has frozen over, and a great comet has appeared in the skies above the city of London. The comet seems a portent of disaster because England is in a deeply troubled and divided state. The King, Charles II, had been welcomed back as a saviour four years before, but is now resented by increasing numbers of his own people. And war too is looming with the Dutch, England’s great seagoing trade rivals… Molly Titchen is a precocious 16-year-old orange seller at the new King’s Theatre in Drury Lane who dreams of becoming an actress, and strutting the stage in breeches parts. Yet being an actress in the King’s company seems to be a dangerous choice of profession at present as a succession of young actresses die in mysterious circumstances. The leader of the company, Sir Thomas Killigrew, asks a wealthy young physician and merchant, Henry Raven, to investigate the deaths of the actresses. Raven and his lawyer friends Anthony Mawdsley and Adam Strange are regular theatregoers and the three soon become drawn into the mysterious affairs at the King’s theatre. Yet Mawdsley is also chief secretary to the Lord Chancellor, the 1st Earl of Clarendon, and the King’s chief minister, and therefore has his hands full with affairs of state. When a mysterious masked man threatens the life of the King, Mawdsley is forced to turn to his friend Henry Raven for help. Raven in turn needs the help of the aspiring actress Molly, which brings them together in their search for a wicked murderer and a scarred madman with an evil plan for London on his mind...

The Secret


Elizabeth Gill - 2006
    A devastating discovery. From the bestselling author of Miss Appleby's Academy comes a gritty and emotional family saga. London, 1944. A young man is killed in an air-raid, leaving a wife and two children - and a secret. After the tragedy, Ailsa, Margaret and Luke are persuaded by to return to the north east. Despite their grief and bitterness, they find a new life there. But it isn't long before the past catches up with them, and they must confront the secret the family left behind.

The Codebreaker Girls


Ellie Curzon - 2021
    Rosie Sinclair is full of pride to be doing her bit for the war effort as a driver at Cottisbourne Park - the secret heart of Britain's fight against Germany, where a team of brilliant and eccentric codebreakers are battling to save the country.But when she's given a new mission to drive Major-General 'Bluff' Kingsley-Flynn down to Cottisbourne, Rosie finds herself on the frontline of a new battle - to uncover a possible spy at the Park who is jeopardising their vital work, and to resist her own growing attraction to the dashing Bluff himself...As the threat to her fellow codebreaker girls grows ever stronger, Rosie realises her country needs her more than ever. Can she save the day without losing her heart?

Defender of Rome: A Tale of the Ancient Republic


Ken Farmer - 2016
    Ever hear of the term Pyrrhic victory? A young Roman soldier is a part of history in which the phrase was created.

Long Shadows


John Oakes - 2016
    Winton Chevalier has lightning wits and surprising tenacity. He’s not a cop, but comes from a family of lawmen, and possesses a mind that’s as limber with evidence analysis as it is with a cutting joke. In many ways he’d be the perfect man for the job — but he has physical limitations and no experience investigating a kidnapping. Nevertheless, his dying father’s last wish propels him headlong into a sinister world where men kill for nothing. If he and his brother are to survive, Winton must harness old wounds and his indomitable will. In a world of shadows, he must cast the longest shadow of them all.

The Fall of the House of James


Annette Austin - 2018
    She’s attractive, opinionated and kind. But she’s a slave – a definitive non-starter as a son of a plantation owner in South Carolina in 1860. Yet, Lawrence cannot help himself and as he spends more time with her, his feelings continue to grow. However, there are other problems for Lawrence. He has been groomed to take over the Havers End plantation, but Lawrence has a deep uneasiness about becoming a slave owner. His position is not helped by his volatile relationship with his father, Edward and what the consequences will be if Edward finds out about his relationship with Jasmine. There are also concerns over his eldest sister, Belvedere Rossiter, and her growing friendship with a rebellious slave, Donald Archer. While Lawrence loathes Donald, Belvedere has an opposing view. Lawrence’s biggest dilemma is - does he choose to be the dutiful son or risk everything to be with Jasmine?

Seaton's Choice


Tessa Murran - 2020
    He lives a loveless existence at Darkcliffe Manor, in the Scottish Marches. When his father offers sanctuary to a desperate orphan, his world is turned upside down. Brenna Curwen is everything he should not want, soft, gentle, unsuited to life at the edge of lawlessness. He doesn’t need another mouth to feed or soul to protect for he has a future of duty and misery to face. Seaton shuns her until he notices that Brenna has hair like spun gold and amber eyes that see into his soul. But he is not alone in noticing her, and a rival, every bit as ruthless as he is, aims to seduce Brenna. Meanwhile, King James begins to stamp his authority on the Marches, once and for all. Amidst the turmoil of a way of life under siege, Seaton must confront a terrible choice between his heart and his head. If he gets it wrong, he will lose everything.Orphaned Brenna Curwen, with nowhere else to turn, is given shelter by an old admirer of her mother’s - Machar Bannerman, Laird of Darkcliffe Manor. But her protector is not what he seems, and if she is to survive in his crumbling tower house on the edge of the moors, she must find a way to deal not just with him, but also his three bastard sons. The worst of them is Seaton, more a savage than a gentleman, who makes it clear from the start that he resents her presence. As danger comes calling, so does a ruthless suitor, and Brenna has no one to turn to for protection save mistrustful, surly, beast of a man - Seaton Bannerman. Immerse yourself in the desolate beauty of the Scottish moors, as Seaton’s Choice takes you on a journey of savage passions, of old rivalries curdling into fresh violence, of evil plotting and power-hungry clans. Can love blossom in a mire of murder, mayhem and destruction?Extract from Seaton’s ChoiceThe young man reached a door and thrust it open without knocking. He held it for her to enter. Brenna walked into a surprisingly bright room with large windows, a study from the looks of all the books lined along the walls. There were curios of all kinds, crowded in - stuffed animals in bell jars, metal implements, swords and guns mounted on the walls. It had the feel of an educated mind behind it, one quite different from the brute of a man standing beside her. The dark lout persisted in staring at her without saying anything, and it was unnerving. The room was stuffy from a blazing fire in the hearth, and her face grew hot under his gaze. ‘What do you stare at, Sir,’ she said, tremulously, not quite catching his eye.‘You,’ he spat.‘Please do not, for I do not like it.’‘But I do, so I will keep doing it,’ he said, bringing his face closer to hers.Footsteps sounded, coming closer. The man took hold of her arm in a tight grip. ‘Whoever you are and whatever you are after, take this advice. Watch yourself around Laird Bannerman. He has the cunning of a thousand foxes, and a black heart to boot, and I fear you do not have the guile to manage him.’His eyes held hers, and for an instant, there was almost a hint of concern in his gaze. Brenna could feel his breath on her face, the tang of whisky carried with it. She glanced at his mouth, closer now, and held her breath.‘Seaton, unhand her, now.’ Brenna turned to see an older man staring at them with a livid look on his face. The man let go of her arm, and it felt as though the flesh still burned where he had touched her.

A Brighter Tomorrow: An engrossing Victorian family saga


Maggie Ford - 2021
    

Dugan Holler (The Revenge Series Book 4)


Ann Robbins-Phillips - 2014
    The family names change with marriage, but difficulties have followed. Settled now in Tennessee with their youngest daughter, Norabell, they move near their oldest daughter, August. There is one secret that could tear their family apart. Is truth the best answer, even when it means breaking promises? Old acquaintances of Lottie and her family are sworn enemies from an old incident in Cocke County, Tennessee. They now find themselves neighbors once again. They have learned neither the lessons that come from seeking revenge nor its cost.

Eagle and Wyvern


R.W. Peake - 2020
    King Alfred has been forced to flee from his winter court in Cippinhamm by Guthrum, self-styled King of the Danelaw and East Anglia, part of the great invasion force by the horde that will become known as the Vikings. Driven into the swamps of Somersetshire, Alfred spends a miserable winter at Athelney before finally feeling that the time is right to call the fyrd, the Saxon call to arms summoning the men of Westseaxe to rally to their King to drive the Danish invaders from their lands. Answering that call is young Titus of Cissanbyrig, a youth with an unusual name to go along with his unusual size and strength. Despite only being fourteen and that his village is under the control of Wulfhere, Ealdorman of Wiltshire who has sided with Guthrum, Titus decides to leave the only home he’s ever known, joining the call issued by the Lord of Wilton more than a dozen miles away, one of the nobles of Wiltshire who has remained faithful to the King. What drives Titus from his home is the enmity of his father, who blames him for Titus’ mother’s death in childbirth because of his size, but while he will never know it, the truth is more complex. Ultimately what sends young Titus on his first steps towards his destiny is his deep-seated, insistent belief that he’s not meant for a life behind the plow but for the sword, a conviction that has been passed to him across almost a millennium of time and distance, to a dusty Roman province in Spain, passed down by the man who was the first of his line, Titus Pomponius Pullus, Centurion of Rome. The Titus Chronicles-Eagle and Wyvern is the first of a new series by the author of the international bestselling Marching With Caesar series.

Deadly Riddles


Jack Parker - 2019
     "Let the games begin" said the mysterious voice over the phone. Mike Anderson, game programmer, returns to the city of Houston after 15 years of pursuing his career. Now he finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation where he is the prime suspect.

Where There's a Will


June Francis - 2020
    Now, ten years later she is forced to flee her home and journey to Liverpool seeking a better future for herself. There she is taken in by distant relatives and eventually reunited with her paternal grandmother.As Milly tries to build a new life she is haunted by her father’s mysterious disappearance. Her new friends strive to help her find answers, but meanwhile Milly’s mother seeks to remarry on the assumption that her husband is dead. Milly is caught up in the fallout when her grandmother learns of this plan, and the need to find her father is greater than ever. If she doesn’t, her hard-won security risks being ruined once more…

Bought the Farm Mysteries Books 1-3


Ellen Riggs - 2021
    

Nelson's Wake: Under Admiralty Orders - The Oliver Quintrell Series - Book 6


M.C. Muir - 2020