MEET MAVERICK BRITISH DETECTIVE DI SKELGILL... "MAD, BAD AND JUST A LITTLE BIT COZY."WHEN A HIGH-FLYING ADMAN is stabbed to death on a company weekend in the English Lake District, local detective Daniel Skelgill finds himself wrenched from his rural Cumbrian comfort zone.As the investigation unfolds, DI Skelgill is led a merry dance between London and Edinburgh, at every turn confronted by uncooperative suspects – colleagues, wife and lovers of the deceased – each of whom is possessed of motive and opportunity.Is this a crime of passion, a professional hit, or a cleverly calculated killing borne out of greed and jealousy?In this traditional-style whodunit, the case can only be solved by carefully piecing together the essential clues – but Skelgill is running out of time. The patience of his superiors wears thin, while the actions of an anonymous agent provocateur serve only to advance the moment when the killer must strike again.

     In the bleak midlands, Mary Queen of Scots has begun a long imprisonment. Plots and counter-plots swirl around her. In the earl of Shrewsbury’s crumbling castles, the captive queen hopes for rescue. At the heart of the earl’s household is Jack Cole, a haunted and secretive figure with a dark past. Converted to Queen Mary’s cause by a charismatic secretary, Jack finds himself entangled in a Catholic plot to free her. Yet the queen’s household is under surveillance. Everyone is a potential spy, or is being spied upon. As Jack is drawn into the dark web of Catholic plotting, he must face a hideous truth. Meanwhile, his wife Amy must choose whether to protect her husband or betray him. Poison is poured, daggers are drawn, and guns are loaded. England's future hangs in the balance. Moving from crumbling castles to the imposing palaces of Queen Elizabeth, Jack Cole must decide where his loyalties lie – with queen, country, or wife.