Search Results for: anne perry

Our dark past brought to life by leading contemporary crime writers

A new generation of crime writers has broadened the genre of crime fiction, creating more human stories of historical realism, with a stronger emphasis on character and the psychology of crime.

This superb anthology of 12 novellas encompasses over 4,000 years of our dark, criminal past, from Bronze Age Britain to the eve of the Second World War, with stories set in ancient Greece, Rome, the Byzantine Empire, medieval Venice, seventh-century Ireland and 1930s’ New York.

A Byzantine icon painter, suddenly out of work when icons are banned, becomes embroiled in a case of deception; Charles Babbage and the young Ada Byron try to crack a coded message and stop a master criminal; and New York detectives are on the lookout for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

Deirdre Counihan, Tom Holt, Dorothy Lumley, Richard A. Lupoff, Maan Meyers, Ian Morson, Anne Perry, Tony Pollard, Mary Reed and Eric Mayer, Steven Saylor, Charles Todd, Peter Tremayne

Essex Girls are disreputable, disrespectful and disobedient.
They speak out of turn, too loudly and too often, in an accent irritating to the ruling classes.
Their bodies are hyper-sexualised and irredeemably vulgar.
They are given to intricate and voluble squabbling.
They do not apologise for any of this. And why should they?

In this exhilarating feminist defence of the Essex girl, Sarah Perry re-examines her relationship with her much maligned home county. She summons its most unquiet spirits, from Protestant martyr Rose Allin to the indomitable Abolitionist Anne Knight, sitting them alongside Audre Lorde, Kim Kardashian and Harriet Martineau, and showing us that the Essex girl is not bound by geography. She is a type, representing a very particular kind of female agency, and a very particular kind of disdain: she contains a multitude of women, and it is time to celebrate them.

Seb Rolvenden is a writer who lives in a lighthouse in Essex. On his grandfather’s death he comes into some papers which reveal that Seb’s grandfather, when young, was involved in the sensational disappearance in London of Julian Warbeck, an impressionist painter, and his masterpiece, Ruffian on the Stair.

Seeing a book in this, Seb goes off in pursuit of a trail of clues left in his grandfather’s papers, unwittingly alerting others who are also after the lost masterpiece. His enquiries lead him to Jersey and to France, where among Seb’s discoveries is the grave of the Vickybird, a vicious Victorian rentboy and artist’s model whom his grandfather had known in London in the 1890s and who may have been the actual murderer of Julian Rawbeck.

As the mystery deepens a chance encounter leads Seb to the whereabouts of the missing masterpiece – but the painting has one further explosive secret to reveal to him.


Praise for Gary Newman’s Previous Novels

‘In what turns out to be an intriguing case of murder and romance, the author brings London’s East End and India under the Raj vividly to life’ Publishers Weekly

‘The author succeeds admirably in recreating Victorian London, both in character and setting. Fans of Anne Perry and other Victorian mysteries will enjoy.’ Library Journal

‘A most satisfying gothic detective tale’ Booklist

Each year, for the past seventeen years, Mysterious Bookshop proprietor Otto Penzler has commissioned an original Christmas story by a leading suspense writer. These stories were then produced as pamphlets, just 1,000 copies, and given to customers of the bookstore as a Christmas present. Now, all seventeen tales have been collected in one volume, showcasing the talents of: Charles Ardai Lisa Atkinson George Baxt Lawrence Block Mary Higgins Clark Thomas H. Cook Ron Goulart Jeremiah Healy Edward D. Hoch Rupert Holmes Andrew Klavan Michael Malone Ed McBain Anne Perry S. J. Rozan Jonathan Santlofer Donald E. Westlake Some of these stories are humorous, others suspenseful, and still others are tales of pure detection, but all of them together make up a charming collection and a perfect Christmas gift for all ages.

For many of us, a good, heart-pounding mystery is the perfect escape from real-world confusion and chaos. But what about the writers who create those stories of suspense and intrigue? How do our favorite novelists cope with our perplexing world, and what mysteries keep them up at night? In Private Investigations, twenty fan-favorite mystery writers share their first-person stories of grappling with mysteries they’ve personally encountered, at home and in the world. Caroline Leavitt regales us with a medical mystery, a time when she lost her voice and doctors couldn’t find a cure; Martin Limon travels back to his military stint in Korea to grapple with the chaos of war; Anne Perry ponders the magical powers of stories conjured from writers’ imaginations, and more.Exploring all the tropes of the genre–from haunted houses to elusive perpetrators, from respecting the legacy of victims of violence to regrouping after missed signals have derailed their lives–these writers’ true tales show just how much art imitates life, and how, ultimately, we are all private investigators in the our own real-life dramas.

‘Vital reading‘ STYLIST

‘…hooting with laughter – what a swashbuckler that Hannah Jewell is’ MARINA HYDE

‘Because 100 Nasty Women is so easy to read and witty, I didn’t expect it to be the life changing, important book that I’m discovering it to be’ PHILIPPA PERRY

‘A fantastic addition to your feminist library and historical knowledge.’ ANN SHEN, author of Bad Girls Throughout History

* * * * * *

100 fascinating and brilliantly written stories about history’s bravest, baddest but little known ‘nasty’ women from across the world.

These are the women who were deemed too nasty for their times, too nasty to be recognised, too nasty to be paid for their work and sometimes too nasty to be allowed to live.

When you learn about women in history, they’re often made out to be shining, glittering souls. But when you hear about these Bold-Yet-Morally-Irreproachable Women of History who were 100% Pure and Good™, you’re probably not being told the best bits of her life. You probably missed the part where she:

Slept around
Wore men’s clothes
Crashed planes
Led a revolution
Terrorised the seven seas
Wrote ~sensual poetry~
Punched a Nazi (metaphorically, but not always)

These are the women you’ve probably never heard of, but should. Take these stories and tell them to your friends, because everyone should know about the nasty women from history who gave zero f*cks whatsoever. These are the 100 Nasty Women of History you need to know about.

The fifth novel in Anne Perry’s breathtakingly tense and exciting spy thriller series, featuring young British photographer and secret agent Elena Standish, set in the 1930s when the world was a place of increasing fear and uncertainty…

As Hitler’s influence spreads across Europe, the future of Britain is at stake…

It is late summer 1934 when retired MI6 agent John Repton’s body is found near Wyndham Hall in the Cotswolds. Repton was killed while investigating the Wyndham family’s ties to fascist sympathisers, and Elena Standish is assigned to discover if one of them resorted to murder . . .

Meanwhile, Elena’s sister Margot is courting Lady Wyndham’s brother and, unaware that Elena is a spy, Margot invites her to attend a house party at Wyndham Hall along with her colleague James Allenby, who masquerades as her suitor. As the atmosphere becomes increasingly tense, Elena and Allenby begin to expose the allegiances of the people in the house. But Elena is torn, for she knows that revealing the truth will protect the nation’s security but could potentially destroy her sister’s happiness . . .

New York Times bestselling author Anne Perry’s twenty-first heart-warming Christmas novella.

When Mariah Ellison arrives in the picturesque village of St Helen’s to spend the festive season with her old friend Sadie Alsop, she is shocked to discover that Sadie has vanished. Her husband has no idea where she has gone or when she will return but, thankfully, Mariah has other friends in the village who are willing to offer their hospitality.

Once settled, she begins a rigorous search for Sadie that is fuelled by malicious gossip as harsh as the winter snow. Has Sadie run away? Has she been kidnapped? Has someone harmed her? And how long can she survive if she has no shelter from the bitterly cold weather? As Christmas Day approaches, Mariah is increasingly determined to solve the mystery of Sadie’s disappearance and bring her home in time to celebrate Yuletide together . . .

New York Times bestselling author Anne Perry’s twentieth heart-warming Christmas mystery.

The festive season is fast approaching, and Dr Crowe and his young apprentice Scuff are busy, as always, tending London’s sick and wounded. This year, however, Crowe is increasingly distracted by memories of a former patient, Eliza Hollister, for whom he cared deeply.

When Crowe sees Ellie being bullied by her domineering fiancé in the street, he is convinced that she is marrying a man she doesn’t love, and he is determined to find out why. While Crowe starts his investigations, Scuff is left to run the clinic – with a little help from a rather unexpected source. Forced to enter a dangerous world of blackmail and deception, will Crowe manage to reveal the truth before the bells ring out for Christmas?

A Christmas Deliverance is a heart-warming festive mystery set in Victorian London from the pen of the New York Times bestselling author Anne Perry.

The Fourth Enemy is the sixth gripping instalment in an exciting new generation of Pitt novels from the pen of highly acclaimed crime writer and New York Times bestselling author Anne Perry.

A sensational fraud case provides Daniel Pitt with his greatest challenge yet . . .

When a heart attack forces Marcus fford Croft to retire from his chambers, his daughter Miriam and son-in-law Daniel are relieved that he is stepping down and handing over to Toby Kitteridge. But Daniel and Toby are concerned that their new recruit, Gideon Hunter KC, who is a brilliant barrister with a penchant for taking risks, could jeopardise their chambers’ hard-won reputation . . .

Daniel’s old friend Inspector Ian Frobisher then alerts him to the fact that one of England’s most influential newspaper tycoons, Malcolm Vayne, is about to be arrested for fraud. Hunter jumps at the chance to prosecute in such a high-profile and controversial case, and Daniel soon finds himself assisting with a chilling criminal exploration into a murky world of power, greed and pure evil that endangers Miriam’s life . . .

The fourth novel in Anne Perry’s breathtakingly tense and exciting spy thriller series, featuring British secret agent Elena Standish, who will need every ounce of her strength and ingenuity to survive what lies ahead…

It is the summer of 1934 when MI6 receives intelligence that two German scientists have made a breakthrough in germ warfare. British agent Elena Standish must return to Berlin to prevent unimaginable horror and, with the help of her trusted friend, Jacob Ritter, embark upon a mission fraught with fear and uncertainty.

Meanwhile, her grandfather’s old adversary Johann Paulus has risen to power as an adviser to Hitler. By his side is his loyal supporter Hans Beckendorff, who is married to Elena’s childhood friend. But when Hans witnesses the bloodshed and atrocities of the Night of the Long Knives, he is torn between ambition and the realisation that he must protect his family from harm.

Three Debts Paid is the fifth gripping instalment in an exciting new generation of Pitt novels from the pen of highly acclaimed crime writer and New York Times bestselling author Anne Perry.

It is February 1912 when barrister Daniel Pitt is reunited with his old college friend, Inspector Ian Frobisher. Following allegations of plagiarism, one of their Cambridge University professors has committed an assault, and Ian has recommended that Daniel defends him.

Meanwhile, Daniel’s dear friend Miriam fford Croft has returned to London as a newly qualified forensic pathologist and is working with eccentric Dr Evelyn Hall. On Daniel’s first visit to the morgue, he is shocked to find Miriam examining the mutilated body of a young woman and, what’s worse, it is being compared to another corpse bearing identical wounds. As rumours spread of a serial killer, nicknamed ‘the rainy-day slasher’, stalking the streets of London, Daniel hears that Ian Frobisher is in charge of the case.

So begins the harrowing pursuit of a brutal murderer whose killing spree is far from over…

The third novel in Anne Perry’s breathtakingly tense and exciting spy thriller series, featuring young British photographer and secret agent Elena Standish, set in the 1930s when the world was a place of increasing fear and uncertainty…

Spring, 1934. With the threat of war looming, political tensions begin to rise…

Elena Standish, a young English photographer who works for British Intelligence, is visiting her grandparents’ home in Washington DC when tragedy strikes. A lavish party is held to mark her grandparent’s sixtieth wedding anniversary and Elena takes pride in capturing the event on camera, but when the beautiful wife of a renowned scientist is found murdered in the driveway, allegedly run over by Elena’s grandfather’s car, Elena’s world is turned upside down.

Arrested on suspicion of murder, Wyatt Baylor protests his innocence, claiming he has enemies who are trying to frame him. But who are these enemies and how can Elena defend a man she barely knows? Turning to secret agent James Allenby for help, Elena must uncover the truth behind the events of that fateful night. But can she trust Allenby or her family and is she willing to risk everything in her pursuit of the truth?

Death with a Double Edge is the fourth thrilling instalment in an exciting new generation of Pitt novels, from the New York Times bestselling author and queen of Victorian crime, Anne Perry.

It is May 1911 when Daniel Pitt is summoned to a murder scene in the slums of London’s East End. He fears the victim is his friend Toby Kitteridge, but relief is quickly followed by dismay when Daniel identifies the dead man as Jonah Drake, a distinguished senior barrister who has been killed with a double-edged sword. But what was Drake doing in Mile End? And does their head of chambers, Marcus fford Croft, know more than he is willing to admit . . . ?

With the police holding out little hope of finding Drake’s killer, Daniel and Kitteridge rise to the challenge. Within days, they have leads that take them from the underbelly of the East End to the very highest echelons of society. Then Daniel’s father, Thomas Pitt, receives a warning from Special Branch to cease the investigation. But Daniel and his father will not be deterred – despite the risks involved in the pursuit of justice . . .

New York Times bestselling author Anne Perry’s nineteenth heart-warming Christmas novella.

Gracie Tellman is preparing for Christmas with her husband and three young children when Millie Foster calls upon her. As a maid at Harcourt House, Millie is terrified that sinister goings-on, including the disappearance of food from the kitchens, will lead to her unfair dismissal, and she begs Gracie to investigate the situation.

With the promise that she will be back in time for Christmas, Gracie takes Millie’s place in the Harcourt household, never imagining the discovery she then makes. For the servants have been keeping a secret and their efforts are about to be rewarded in the most extraordinary way…

A Christmas Legacy is a heart-warming festive mystery set in Victorian London from the pen of the New York Times bestselling author Anne Perry.

New York Times bestselling author Anne Perry’s eighteenth enthralling Christmas novella.

When Celia Hooper discovers that her dear friend Clementine is to marry widower Seth Marlowe – a man with a sinister past – she calls upon her husband, Detective John Hooper of the Thames River Police, to help her find out what really happened to Seth’s first wife several years ago. Rumour has it that she killed herself and Seth’s daughter ran away to live on the streets but no one seems to know the truth.

Then Seth accuses Celia of sending him blackmail letters and it quickly becomes clear that she is not the only one trying to stop him from marrying Clementine. With Christmas fast approaching, lines are blurred, relationships are tested and the past won’t stay buried for ever . . .

A Christmas Resolution is an enthralling festive mystery set in Victorian London from the pen of the New York Times bestselling author Anne Perry.

A daring rescue reveals the true meaning of Christmas…

The queen of Victorian crime, New York Times bestselling author Anne Perry returns with the 16th novella in her festive crime series.

Christmas is coming and the streets of London are full of festive cheer. As young Worm returns to his home at the Portpool Lane clinic, he encounters the most beautiful woman he has ever seen and, spellbound, he follows her until she is dragged away by two evil-looking men.

Convinced that she is in grave danger, Worm begs Squeaky Robinson to help him track her down. But Elouise is embroiled with dangerous criminals who want information that only she can tell. They will stop at nothing to get what they want and, with Christmas day fast approaching, Worm and Squeaky must conjure up a daring plan to help Elouise before it is too late.

Praise for Anne Perry’s Christmas novellas: ‘A bite-sized mystery that could be fitted in after your Christmas lunch’ Daily Telegraph

New York Times bestselling author Anne Perry brings us the second exciting instalment in her new thriller series, set in a time of increasing fear and violence across Europe in the 1930s and featuring British photographer and secret agent Elena Standish.

It is the autumn of 1933 and, fresh from her exploits in Berlin, young British photographer Elena Standish is chosen for a secret assignment in Trieste to establish contact with an MI6 agent whose handler has gone missing, presumed dead.

Elena’s mission is to bring back the agent along with top secret information that could save the lives of thousands of people. But the agent is none other than Aiden Strother, the lover who broke Elena’s heart six years ago when he betrayed his country. With the revelation from MI6 that Aiden is, in fact, a loyal double agent, Elena knows she must put her sense of duty before her personal pride.

But with political tension growing across Europe, the unstoppable rise of Hitler, and an alarming discovery within the very heart of British Intelligence, Elena and her family fear that her life is, once again, in grave danger…

The third gripping instalment in an exciting new generation of Pitt novels, from the New York Times bestselling author and queen of Victorian crime, Anne Perry.

It is 1910 and a warehouse fire on the banks of the Thames has left one criminal dead and another charged with his murder. Convinced of his innocence, Jessie Beale begs barrister Daniel Pitt to defend the accused. It’s a hopeless case – unless Daniel can find an expert witness, whose testimony on fire damage is so utterly convincing that any jury would believe him.

Daniel’s friend Miriam fford Croft was taught by formidable forensic scientist Sir Barnabas Saltram, who has built his reputation on giving evidence of this kind. But when Saltram agrees to testify, thus saving an innocent man from the gallows, Daniel unwittingly starts a chain of events that has devastating consequences for all of them…

New York Times bestselling author Anne Perry brings us an exciting new thriller of espionage and murder set across Europe in the 1930s. The world is on the brink of war and no one is to be trusted as young photographer Elena Standish becomes embroiled in a terrifying game of cat and mouse…

It is 1933 and Europe is a place of increasing fear and violence. Young British photographer Elena Standish is on assignment in Amalfi when she meets Ian Newton, a charming Englishman with whom she falls in love. But what does she really know about him?

Accompanying him on a train across Italy to Paris, she finds him critically stabbed and dying. He tells her he is a member of Britain’s Secret Service, on his way to Berlin to warn MI6 so that they can foil a plot to assassinate one of Hitler’s vilest henchmen and blame Britain for it, thus causing a devastating diplomatic crisis. Elena promises to deliver the message. But she is too late, and finds herself fleeing for her life.

Meanwhile Lucas Standish, secret head of MI6 during the war, learns that his beloved granddaughter is being hunted in Berlin for murder. With Elena on the run, and at least one traitor in the British Embassy, it is impossible to know who to trust…

Praise for Anne Perry’s previous novels:

‘A brilliant Victorian police procedural in which well-realized characters and settings are fascinating in themselves‘ Booklist

‘Engrossing… Perry has always excelled in courtroom scenes and arguments between barristers, and she outdoes herself in two dramatic trials’Washington Times Daily

‘Perry balances plot and character neatly before providing a resolution that few will anticipate‘Publishers Weekly

The second thrilling mystery in an exciting new generation of Pitt novels, from the New York Times bestselling author and queen of Victorian crime, Anne Perry.

‘Anne Perry’s Victorian mysteries are marvels of plot construction’ New York Times

Daniel Pitt is delighted that his sister is visiting London with her American husband Patrick, a policeman, and their young daughters. But Patrick’s trip has another purpose, for which he enlists Daniel’s help.

Philip Sidney, a young British diplomat, is accused of robbery and assault in Washington, but he has taken diplomatic immunity and fled to England. The perfect opportunity to obtain justice presents itself when Sidney is accused of a small embezzlement at the British Embassy in the USA, but as Daniel digs deeper into the case it becomes clear that vengeance is involved.

When a witness is murdered in America suspicion of guilt falls on Sidney. But is somebody trying to frame him? And, if so, who and why? Daniel follows a trail that uncovers another murder, and leads from Washington to the idyllic Channel Islands, then to a dramatic scene in court that almost defies belief…

A festive house party takes a sinister turn…

Victor Narraway and his wife, Lady Vespasia, are invited to spend Christmas at Cavendish Hall with a gathering of old acquaintances, but it is not the quiet, rather stiff house party they had expected. While there, Victor must undertake his final mission for Special Branch, reminiscent of another one in the past, at which he had tragically failed.

When disaster strikes and one of the guests is left for dead, Victor fears that history is repeating itself. But which of them is intent on murder? And can Victor accept that he is not to blame…?

A Christmas Gathering is the gripping new festive mystery from the pen of Anne Perry, the master of Victorian crime.

A CHRISTMAS RETURN is the 15th novella in the festive series by Anne Perry, the queen of Victorian crime.

As the festive season approaches, Charlotte Pitt’s grandmamma, Mariah Ellison, is facing Christmas alone. When she receives an unexpected gift, memories are sparked of a Christmas in Haslemere long ago, when her beloved friend Cullen Wesley died and a local villager was brutally murdered, with no killer brought to justice.

The unsolved case has resurfaced and Cullen’s grandson, Peter, begs for Mariah’s help to solve the crime that led to his grandfather’s death. Mariah can’t resist a friend in need and she returns to Haslemere to investigate the murder and heal old wounds. But evil still lurks in the picturesque village and she’ll need all her wits about her to see that justice is done.

A Christmas Return is the enthralling new festive tale from the pen of Anne Perry, the master of Victorian crime.

A Christmas Message is Anne Perry’s 14th novella in her festive series.

Christmas 1900.

Victor Narraway, Thomas Pitt’s former boss and his new wife Vespasia are travelling by train from Jaffa to Jerusalem. Although enjoying their time together and the interesting people they meet, Vespasia soon becomes concerned that someone is watching their every move.

When one of their new acquaintances is found murdered, the only clue is a mysterious piece of parchment written in a foreign tongue, and a message imploring Narraway to continue the stranger’s quest. Sensing its importance, Narraway and Vespasia decide to fulfil their dead friend’s wish.

Continuing to Jerusalem with the parchment in hand, they quickly find themselves embroiled in danger. With Vespasia’s fears suddenly realised and a watcher on their trail, will Narraway and Vespasia’s fates follow that of their friend or can they make it to the Holy Land unscathed?

A Christmas Message is the tantalising new festive tale from the pen of Anne Perry, the master of Victorian crime.