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In April 1915 Joseph Reavley is serving as chaplain on the Front Line at Ypres. The war that should have been ‘over by Christmas’ has already decimated the British Expeditionary Force. To Joseph’s sector comes an ambitious young war correspondent determined to expose the horrors of trench life. But before he can dispatch his piece, he is found dead in no-man’s-land. Still seeking the man behind his parents’ murder, and to protect his sister Judith from the pain of an impossible romance, Joseph must find the truth. His search takes him to London and the beaches of Gallipoli, and at last to face a desperate moral judgement which challenges every belief he holds.

It’s March 1916, and Joseph Reavley is on sick leave and finding recovery slow and hard. His sister Hannah is caring for him at home, and it’s a delight to them both when Shanley Corcoran, an old friend, comes to visit. Corcoran confides in Joseph that he’s come very close to completing an invention that will paralyse the deadly German U-boats. Soon afterwards, however, the leading scientist on that project is found murdered, and it’s clear that someone has been betraying secrets to the enemy. Joseph’s brother Matthew, of the S.I.S., comes down to investigate, and together the two men embark on a search that will solve the crime and lead them to the spy.

You need a very long spoon indeed to dine with the devil. Early one morning, two bombs explode in an East London street. Forewarned of the attack, Thomas Pitt of the Special Branch, arrives in time to chase the bombers to a tenement in Long Spoon Lane. There, two men are arrested and one shot dead – but who and where and is the killer?
As Pitt investigates, he uncovers truths more disturbing than the acts of a few misguided idealists. There’s a web of corruption within the police force, and all the clues point to Inspector Wetron of Bow Street as its mastermind. But as head of the sinister Inner Circle, Wetron has powerful allies in every sphere.

The two figures had been on the bridge. He had grasped hold of her. To save her, or to push her?

Inspector William Monk is still feeling his way in a new post in the Thames River Police and knows he must solve the mystery to gain the respect of his men. Soon both he and Hester find themselves powerfully involved in the story of the dead woman, Mary Havilland, and her quest to vindicate her father, found dead two months previously. An engineer working for the Argyll Construction Company, James Havilland was convinced a major disaster would happen in the tunnels where London’s desperately needed new sewer system was being built. Maddened by his obsession, he’d apparently shot himself. Mary had never accepted that and now she was dead too. Was it chance or something more sinister?

Once again, Inspector William Monk, now of the Thames River Police, must face a dangerous foe.

It’s 1864, and after a game of cat and mouse, Monk has captured Jericho Phillips, the man he suspects of brutally killing a young mudlark and running an evil child prostitution ring. In bringing Phillips to justice, Monk hopes to close down the ring and avenge the memory of Durban, his old commander, who was determined to capture Philips. However at trial justice does not prevail. Oliver Rathbone, Monk’s friend, is hired anonymously to represent the accused and when he proves that vital evidence is missing, Phillips is freed. As Monk begins the investigation again, venturing deeper into London’s murky underworld, he realises that Durban may have had his own reasons for pursuing Phillips, and shockingly, that secret support for Phillips may reach further into civilised society than anyone could ever have imagined…

Attending the party and taking a leading role in the ensuing investigation is one of the most beloved characters from Anne Perry’s Thomas Pitt series: Lady Vespasia Cumming-Gould.
Lady Vespasia’s friend Isobel has made a cruel remark about Gwendolen Kilmuir on the night Gwendolen was meant to have become engaged to the eligible Bertie Rosythe. Gwendolen flees the room, and the next morning her body is found in the lake in the gardens of the estate. It appears she has jumped from the bridge. The host, Omegus Jones and Vespasia decide to find who or what might have led Gwendolen to resort to such an extreme measure. They vow to make the guilty party seek forgiveness and expiation through the task of taking a sealed letter written by Gwendolen before her death to her mother up in the north of Scotland.
The journey will be both physically and emotionally arduous but will bring answers to some unexpected and profound questions.

Henry Rathbone arrives to spend Christmas at the Dreghorn family manor house near Ullswater. He is greeted by the news that the master of the house, Judah Dreghorn has slipped while crossing a stream in the grounds of the estate in the middle of the night, and drowned. Not only this, but Ashton Gower, recently released from prison, is slandering Judah’s name, claiming that his family rightfully owns the estate and that the forged deeds for which he was imprisoned were in fact genuine. To Rathbone and the two remaining Dreghorn brothers, also returning to the Lakes for Christmas, Judah’s mysterious death and Gower’s outrageous claims seem inextricably linked.

Mariah Ellison isn’t merely disappointed to learn that she won’t spend Christmas at home with her married granddaughter: she is furious. Instead, Grandmama is being packed off to a house in the Romney Marshes to stay with her ex-daughter-in-law. Never having got on with Caroline, Mariah much disapproves of her new husband: decades younger than her, Joshua, an actor, is scarcely even respectable. There will be nothing to do, no one to visit, and no doubt the terrible weather will make even taking a walk impossible. It is going to be the worst Christmas of Grandmama’s life.

As if that weren’t enough, another visitor is foisted on the household. Then something shocking and quite unexpected happens. Has a crime been committed? Grandmama is surprised to find herself turning detective – another profession she deplores – and proving extremely good at it.

It’s July 1917, and as the sun sets over No-man’s-land so Joseph Reavley’s heart sinks with it. As chaplain he must keep up the men’s morale, but as rumours of mutiny grow stronger he is losing any chance of getting through to them. After the death
of an officer, twelve soldiers are arrested, and it falls to Joseph to uncover the truth about their involvement.
Joseph’s brother Matthew, of the S.I.S, is also in pursuit of the truth, whilst struggling to come to terms with his part in the Peacemaker’s death. Approached by a Junior Cabinet Minister who is being blackmailed, Matthew learns of a plot to destroy the only men who can bring about lasting peace. As he embarks on an investigation Matthew knows his own life is in danger but thinks it a small price to pay to secure the future of millions of people.

December 1890: Eleven days before Christmas, Clarice and her husband, Reverend Dominic Corde, arrive in the idyllic village of Cottisham to watch over the Reverend Wynter’s flock, whilst he takes a richly deserved holiday.

With its village green and thatched cottages, Cottisham is a far cry from the bleak London parish they’ve left behind. But Clarice can’t shake the feeling that the welcoming smiles of the locals are hiding dark secrets.



When a shocking discovery confirms her suspicions, Clarice can’t resist investigating. Could it be that the Reverend is not all that he seems? Are there black sheep in the fold? One thing is certain: Clarice is determined to uncover the truth. Even if it means putting her own life in danger.

The fifth in Anne Perry’s series of charming Christmas novellas.
For Superintendent Runcorn, Christmas has rarely looked so bleak. Believing that a change of scenery may help him finally forget Melisande Ewart, Runcorn heads for the beautiful, desolate Isle of Anglesey. Any hopes of Christmas passing quietly are dashed, however, when he discovers Melisande is also in Anglesey and, moreover, that she is engaged to another man.
Then the local vicar’s sister is found murdered and Melisande’s brother is implicated in the crime. Determined to assist Melisande in her time of need, Runcorn resolves to find the killer. Is it possible in doing so, that he will also win the heart of his one true love?

In the sixth of Anne Perry’s charming Christmas novellas, a community learns to come to terms with a terrible event from its past.
Emily Radley’s Christmas plans are shattered when she learns that her aunt is dying. Although estranged from her, Emily decides that she must journey to Susannah’s home in Ireland to assist her in her final days. When she reaches Connemara though, it is evident that Susannah has more on her mind than her health.
Then Daniel, the lone survivor of a ship wrecked in a violent storm, seeks refuge in Susannah’s house. Determined to understand why the village is not welcoming its new arrival, Emily discovers strange parallels with the unsolved death of another young man, Connor, many years before. Susannah, desperate to find out what happened to Connor before she dies, urges Emily to investigate. And as she does, Emily learns that some people will do anything to keep their secrets safe.

A brilliant standalone novel from Anne Perry, the undisputed master of the Victorian mystery.

1273 – the gorgeous, cosmopolitan and enlightened city of Byzantium is in acute danger. Only an alliance with the Church of Rome will stop the crusading fervour of the Italian and French troops on its borders, determined to strike through Byzantium to reach Jerusalem. Faced with the prospect of surrendering its gentile Orthodox theology to Roman Catholicism, the city is in turmoil as opposing factions seek to assert their authority.
For Anna, the brutal conflict only echoes her own life. Recently arrived in Byzantium to find out why her brother has been exiled for a murder she believes he did not commit, Anna is forced to pose as a eunuch so that she can move freely in all levels of society. As she does so she finds herself in the middle of intrigues that may not only free, or condemn, her brother, but will also determime the fate of Byzantium itself.

The fifth, and final, book in Anne Perry’s powerful series of novels set during World War One.
The war is coming to a close. Joseph Reavley’s regiment has suffered huge losses but all live in hope that peace will soon be upon them, when a further, brutal tragedy strikes the Front. Sarah Price, a young nurse, is savagely murdered and Joseph vows to find the person responsible.
Matthew, Joseph’s brother, is already at the Front to meet a prisoner who claims to be able to identify the shadowy Peacemaker, when he becomes implicated in the nurse’s death. If Matthew is to bring the prisoner to the office of the Prime Minister, he must work with Joseph to ensure that Sarah Price’s killer is found. If Matthew is able to put a stop to the Peacemaker’s schemes, there will be a chance for lasting peace; if he fails, then freedom and liberty could be all but a distant memory for future generations…

In the latest compelling book in Anne Perry’s bestselling Pitt series, Inspector Thomas Pitt must navigate the upper echelons of society if he is to find a murderer bold enough to kill in Buckingham Palace.
Early one morning, Inspector Thomas Pitt is awoken by a message from his boss, Narraway. A maid has been murdered. The maid worked at Buckingham Palace and Narraway needs his must trusted man to deal with the investigation.
The suspects are narrowed down to a group of guests, meeting with the Prince of Wales to discuss the funding for a huge project: the Cape to Cairo railway. If the murderer isn’t found, the Queen will veto royal support for the scheme.
It rests with Pitt to solve the murder – in doing so he must reconcile his own concept of justice with those who feel it is within their right to make their own laws, whatever the consequences.

Another fantastic Pitt novel from the master storyteller of the Victorian mystery.
1895 and an increasingly violent tide of political unrest is rising fast all over Europe. Special Branch’s Inspector Thomas Pitt knows that they must find those responsible before England is overrun by reformists intent on overthrowing the government. When he finds himself in pursuit of a suspected terrorist, Pitt has no hesitation in following the chase all the way to France.
But events take a sinister turn when Narraway, Pitt’s superior, is accused of involvement in the death of an Irish informant and abruptly removed from office. Aware that her husband’s own career is also in jeopardy if he is not reinstated, Pitt’s wife Charlotte determines to help Narraway clear his name.
As Charlotte and Narraway depart for Ireland and Pitt is drawn deeper into the investigation in France, it becomes clear that outside forces have conspired to separate them at a crucial time in the country’s history. With no one else to trust can they make it back to England and stop the revolt before it’s too late?

The seventeenth novel in Anne Perry’s acclaimed William Monk series

1864 – Monk and his wife Hester are doing their best to care for Scuff – a homeless boy slowly recovering from a terrifying ordeal at the hands of Jericho Phillips, the runner of a child prostitution ring. Although Scuff’s evil abductor is dead, there is no suggestion that the ring has been broken and Scuff is certain that more children are suffering an even worse fate.
Monk is determined to find the remaining children and uncover, once and for all, the men funding the operation. And when the body of small-time crook Mickey Parfitt washes up on Mortlake’s shore, it fortuitously points him in the right direction. But as Monk’s investigation continues, the reputations of respected gentlemen, including Arthur Ballinger, father-in-law of Monk’s friend Oliver Rathbone, start being called into question and his task becomes fraught with unforeseen dangers.
In an illicit world of blackmail, vice and corruption, Monk must follow the trail – and his conscience – wherever it leads, no matter how disturbing the truth may be.

As Rathbone sets forth on an odyssey into London’s dark streets, the outcome of his mission he cannot begin to guess…

Anne Perry writes a festive story of hope and redemption emerging from the depths of Victorian society in the seasonal novella A Christmas Odyssey. Perfect for fans of C. J. Sansom and Ann Granger.

‘A bite-sized mystery that could be fitted in after your Christmas lunch’ – Daily Telegraph

1864, and on a bitter December night in Victorian London, one man longs for a Christmas miracle. The city is preparing for the holidays yet James Wentworth is unable to focus on anything other than the disappearance of his wayward son, Lucien. In desperation, he turns to his old friend Sir Henry Rathbone for help.

Rathbone finds assistance in the shape of reformed criminal Squeaky Robinson and the enigmatic Doctor Crow, and as the group’s investigations take them deeper into the seedy underbelly of the capital, they uncover a squalid world of illicit pleasures and a trail that leads them closer to the man they seek.
But as they get nearer to their quarry, tales also begin to emerge of Lucien’s violent tendencies, his consuming obsession with a dangerous young woman and the disturbing Shadow Man. Can they bring Lucien home alive and, if so, will it be a grave mistake for all concerned?

What readers are saying about A Christmas Odyssey:

‘The book is pacey and full of atmosphere and tension‘

‘An enjoyable romp through the underworld’

‘Five stars‘

A Victorian tale of murder and intrigue taking place on a snowy Christmas in 1897…

During a bitter snowstorm, a mysterious stranger descends on the Netheridges’ country home in Whitby, where a group of renowned actors have gathered to prepare a Boxing Day production of Dracula. Amidst an atmosphere of competing theatrical egos and artistic disagreements, the unknown Mr Ballin is brutally murdered.

Determined to uncover the truth, but without help from the police who cannot reach the house through the snow, Caroline Fielding begins to investigate the circumstances surrounding the puzzling affair. Who was the victim? Was his appearance at the house as innocent and as circumstantial as he professed? And which of the guests knows more than they are letting on?

Inspector William Monk: In search of justice, he will not stop until he has found the truth.

1864: When the body of a brutally mutilated body of a woman is found on Limehouse Pier, Monk’s enquiries into her death unearth a suspicious connection between the victim and Dr Lambourn, a recently deceased scientist and staunch supporter for a new pharmaceutical bill aimed to regulate the sale of opium.

Investigating further, Monk learns that Lambourn’s widow refuses to believe that her husband’s death was suicide; she is convinced that he was murdered by government officials intent on keeping the lucrative trade of opium flowing.

With pressure mounting for the police to find the Limehouse killer, Monk is propelled headlong into an investigation that will delve the darkest depths of the opium trade and threatens to expose corruption in the very highest echelons of society…

1896. Newly promoted to Head of Special Branch, Thomas Pitt is forced to face the danger his new position brings when he uncovers the work of a traitor in his department. Not knowing who to trust, he must unmask the conspirator, whilst simultaneously protecting a suspected target, Austrian state visitor Duke Alois.

Meanwhile, Victor Narraway is investigating the mysterious death of Serafina Monserrat. Once the holder of many sensitive, political secrets, Serafina had suffered from dementia in her later years and Narraway is unsure whether what he has uncovered in his search for answers is the confused ramblings of an old woman, or a catastrophic plot which could trigger a war the likes of which the world has never seen before.

As the two investigations come ever closer it is clear that bluff and double-bluff are at play. When Pitt finally comes face to face with the suspected traitor will he, knowing the fate of the world is at stake, find the strength to stop the man by any means necessary?

A shocking shooting hides long-buried secrets…

The Time of Murder at Mayerling is the third novel in Paul Doherty’s Nicholas Segalla series. Perfect for fans of Anne Perry and C.J. Sansom.

Vienna, 1889. Glittering entertainments hide a world of sinister political intrigue at the court of the Hapsburgs. But this protected bubble explodes when horrifying news comes to light that the heir to the throne, the handsome Archduke Rudolph, shot his mistress before turning the gun on himself at the imperial hunting lodge at Mayerling. Is there more to the story than meets the eye? Rumours of foul play soon began to surface as Vetsera’s body is hurriedly buried in secrecy and the government suppress any inquiry. Scholar Nicholas Segalla is forced to risk his own life and uncover the truth behind the spectacular cover-up as he attempts to expose a murderer with a very surprising connection to the doomed prince.

What readers are saying about Paul Doherty:
‘Riveting story’
‘Paul Doherty’s books are a joy to read‘
‘The sounds and smells of the period seem to waft from the pages of [Paul Doherty’s] books’

Loyal, honest and, above all, principled. There is no finer detective in Victorian London than Thomas Pitt.

It is 1896, and Thomas Pitt is in charge of Special Branch. He is beginning to understand the power he now commands, but is still ill at ease at the glittering events he and his wife Charlotte must attend.

During a lavish party at the Spanish Embassy, a policeman breaks into Pitt’s conversation with investor Rawdon Quixwood to break the terrible news that Quixwood’s wife, Catherine, has been viciously assaulted at their home, and left for dead. Worse still, it appears that the assailant was someone she had trusted as she opened the door to the attacker herself.

At the same party, Charlotte sees Angeles Castelbranco, an ambassador’s daughter, flinch in fear at the teasing of some young men. A few days later, Angeles flees from the same group and, in her terror, falls from a window – what could have caused her to take that fatal step?

Pitt and his friend Victor Narraway vow to uncover the unspoken truth behind these two women’s deaths. But as they investigate, deception and violence get ever nearer and danger is only ever one step away…