Search Results for: anne perry

Pitt’s pursuit of the truth makes him some powerful enemies…

After sending a man to the gallows for the murder of a Whitechapel prostitute two years after the ghastly crimes of Jack the Ripper, Superintendent Thomas Pitt is suddenly confronted with another chillingly similar killing that raises speculation that the wrong man has been convicted… or that the Ripper has returned. The thrilling sixteeth novel in Anne Perry’s Thomas Pitt mystery series would be the perfect read for fans of C. J. Sansom and Sherlock Holmes.

‘Stands as one of her most intricately constructed plots… Perry packs a triple wallop into the final pages, one climax following another’ – Chicago Sun-Times

Inspector Thomas Pitt knows the murder of a prostitute in a bedroom on decrepit Pentecost Alley would normally cause little comment, but under Ada McKinley’s body is a Hellfire Club badge inscribed with the name ‘Finlay Fitzjames’. Finlay’s father – immensely wealthy, powerful, and dangerous – denies the possibility that his son has been in Ada’s bed. The implication is clear: Pitt must arrest someone else. But Thomas Pitt will not be intimidated, and with the help of his quick-witted wife, Charlotte, he stubbornly pursues his investigation, determined to expose the truth.

What readers are saying about Pentecost Alley:

‘[Anne Perry’s] books are always gripping and beautifully written‘

‘Anne Perry writes with amazing clarity of London – a joy to pick up each book‘

‘Five stars‘

A body is found floating towards Traitors Gate – a coincidence, or symbolic?

In the fifteenth novel in the Thomas Pitt mystery series, Thomas and Charlotte must battle against the political games at play in the foggy streets of Victorian London. Perfect for fans of C. J. Samson and Ann Granger.

‘Perry’s infallible feeling for the historical moment yields animated political views of Victorian society at play’ – New York Times Book Review

Someone in the Colonial Office is passing secrets to Germany about England’s strategy on Africa. While Police Superintendent Thomas Pitt investigates this matter of treason, he is quietly looking into the tragic death of his childhood mentor, Sir Arthur Desmond. Pitt believes that Sir Arthur was murdered, and that the crime is connected with the treachery in the government. And when the strangled body of an aristocratic society beauty is found floating near lonely Traitors Gate, Pitt and his clever wife, Charlotte, begin to see clearly the pattern of tragedy and frightening evil that Pitt must deal with, at the risk of his career – and his life.

What readers are saying about Traitors Gate:

‘Another excellent Anne Perry’

‘She takes you into the heart of Victorian London‘

‘Five stars‘

Beheadings in Hyde Park terrorise Victorian London…

A series of attacks in Hyde Park has Superintendent Pitt’s work cut out, as he pursues a deadly killer in Anne Perry’s gripping mystery, The Hyde Park Headsman. Perfect for fans of C. J. Sansom and Sarah Perry.

‘[Anne] Perry’s strengths: memorable characters and an ability to evoke the Victorian era with the finely wrought detail of a miniaturist’ – The Wall Street Journal

Not since the bloody deeds of Jack the Ripper have Londoners felt such terror as that caused by the gruesome beheadings in Hyde Park. And if newly promoted Police Superintendent Thomas Pitt does not catch the murderer quickly, he is likely to lose his own head, professionally speaking. Yet even with the help of Charlotte Pitt’s subtle investigation, the sinister violence continues unchecked. And in a shocking turn of events, the case proves to be Pitt’s toughest ever.

What readers are saying about The Hyde Park Headsman:

‘Gripping story‘

‘This was a real page turner, enjoyed it enormously‘

‘Anne Perry writes with amazing clarity of London – a joy to pick up each book‘

A fresh case rakes up the past, with shocking revelations…

With resentment at every turn, Inspector Pitt tries to untangle one of his most convoluted cases to date in Anne Perry’s gripping mystery, Farriers’ Lane. Perfect for fans of C. J. Sansom and Harriet Smart.

‘With a steady hand at dissecting character and motivation, a keen grasp of social history and a flair for description of Victorian London, Perry guarantees a good read to those who like their murder in a believable historical and psychological context’ – Publishers Weekly

The distinguished Justice Stafford’s shocking death from opium poisoning resurrects one of the most sensational cases ever to inflame England: the murder five years before of Kingsley Blaine, whose body was found crucified in Farriers’ Lane. Amid the public hysteria for revenge, the police had arrested a Jewish actor who was soon condemned to hang. Police Inspector Thomas Pitt, investigating Stafford’s death, is drawn into the Farriers’ Lane murder as well, for it appears that Stafford may have been about to reopen the case. Pitt receives curiously little help from his colleagues on the force, but his wife, Charlotte, gleans from her social engagements startling insights into both cases. And slowly both Thomas and Charlotte begin to reach for the same sinister and deeply dangerous truth.

What readers are saying about Farriers’ Lane:

‘Lovers of a good ‘whodunit’ will not be disappointed with the twists and turns of the plot, neither will readers who like to bond with their literary heroes as Thomas and Charlotte Pitt are a very likeable duo who complement each other perfectly’

‘The atmosphere of turn of the century London is so absorbing and tangible that you can almost feel yourself shrouded in a cold blanket of East End fog and hear the Hansom carriages clatter along the streets’

‘Every book is enthralling‘

Will the hidden layers of conspiracy triumph before Pitt can solve the case?

A grisly murder of a moneylender draws Inspector Pitt once more into a world of power and greed in Anne Perry’s Belgrave Square. Perfect for fans of C. J. Samson and Sherlock Holmes.

‘[Anne] Perry’s characters are vivid and well-drawn… If you want to be privy to the romance, politics, and scandal of Victorian London, this descriptive, leisurely paced mystery may well be your cup of Earl Grey tea’ – Houston Chronicle

The murder in Clerkenwell of an obscure moneylender named William Weems brings discreet rejoicing among those whose meagre earnings he so mercilessly devoured. Yet when Inspector Thomas Pitt finds a list including some of London’s most distinguished gentlemen in Weems’ office, he begins to realize this was no common usurer but a vicious blackmailer. Charlotte Pitt has connections to this distinguished London society, and, at glittering balls and over gossipy tea tables, she begins to perceive a world of passion, power, and greed that the police are seldom permitted to see…

What readers are saying about Belgrave Square:

‘Brilliant set of books. Will carry on reading them as fast as Anne Perry writes them, they are simply the best‘

‘I love all Anne Perry books, this was no exception, [was] sorry when I got to the end‘

‘Five stars‘

Unexpected clues and unexpected dangers…

The death of the doctor’s wife in a ferocious fire shocks genteel Highgate Village. But when it proves to be arson, Inspector Thomas Pitt finds himself in charge of a complicated case of murder, in Anne Perry’s Highgate Rise. Perfect for fans of C. J. Sansom and Sarah Perry.

‘Perry uses her well-mannered prose, satiric wit and sense of place and time to construct a completely believable and human world. A sterling performance’ – Library Journal

Clemency Shaw, the wife of a prominent doctor, is killed in a tragic fire in Highgate. But the blaze was deliberate, so was she or her husband the intended victim? Could the doctor have set it himself to inherit Clemency’s large fortune? While Inspector Thomas Pitt tries to build a case from the scarce clues, his wife Charlotte retraces the dangerous path that Clemency walked in the last months of her life, finding herself enmeshed in a sinister web that stretches from the lowest slums to the loftiest centres of power.

What readers are saying about Highgate Rise:

‘This is a very satisfying book and I enjoyed it greatly‘

‘Taking book to work, can’t put it down‘

‘Five stars‘

Enjoy two of Anne Perry’s enchanting Christmas novellas, combining thrilling intrigue with tales of hope and redemption in Victorian England, in one special edition.

A Christmas Grace:

Featuring Thomas Pitt’s sister-in-law Emily, is a tale full of secrecy, hope and acceptance. Emily’s Christmas plans are shattered when she learns that her aunt is dying. Although estranged from her, Emily feels she must journey from London to Susannah’s home in Ireland. When she reaches Connemara though, it is evident that Susannah has more on her mind than her health. Then 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 Daniel, 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 Christmas Odyssey:

Henry Rathbone promises to help an old friend in a festive story of courage and redemption. On a bitter December night in 1864, 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 Henry Rathbone, who finds assistance in the shape of reformed criminal Squeaky Robinson and the enigmatic Doctor Crow. As the group’s investigations take them deeper into the seedy underbelly of London they uncover a squalid world of illicit pleasures and a trail that leads them closer to the man they seek. But tales also 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?

A double festive treat for Christmas, bringing together two of Anne Perry’s spellbinding seasonal novellas in one special edition.

A Christmas Journey:

A tranquil weekend party in early December at a magnificent country house is shattered by a suspicious death. 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. When Gwendolen Kilmuir’s body is found in the lake in the gardens of the estate, it appears she 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.

A Christmas Visitor:

Henry Rathbone, one of the engaging characters from Anne Perry’s William Monk series, arrives to spend Christmas at a family manor house near Ullswater, but his host, Judah Dreghorn, has slipped while crossing a stream in the grounds of the estate 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 jailed were in fact genuine. Rathbone and the two remaining Dreghorn brothers, also returning to the Lakes for Christmas, must discover the truth behind Judah’s death and Gower’s outrageous claims.

A young girl is searching for the truth behind her uncle’s death. Can she solve the mystery before the Christmas bells toll?

Set in the Victorian world where Anne Perry reigns supreme, A Christmas Promise culminates in a radiant finale that will remain with you long after the final page is turned. Perfect for fans of C. J Sansom and Harriet Smart.

‘[Perry] writes with detail that invades the senses’ – Lincoln Journal Star

Three days before Christmas, in the freezing slums of London’s East End, thirteen-year-old Gracie Phipps encounters Minnie Maude Mudway, who is only eight, alone, and determined to find her friend Charlie. However Charlie is no ordinary companion: He is a donkey who belonged to Minnie Maude’s Uncle Alf. Gracie is shocked to learn that only the day before, someone brutally murdered Uncle Alf and made off with his rag-and-bones cart and the beloved beast who pulled it. Now, come hell or high water, Minnie Maude means to rescue Charlie-and Gracie decides to help. But the path that Uncle Alf had taken to his death was not his regular route, and in his cart were not just the usual bits of worn silver and china but also, the children are told, a dazzling golden box. What its contents may have been no one can say, for, like Charlie and the cart, it too has vanished.

Uncertain where their four-legged friend may be, the children are drawn into an adult world far beyond their innocent imaginings. And in a shop gleaming with beautiful objects, they recruit an unexpected ally: Mr. Balthasar, who warns them that the shining prize may be just a Pandora’s box of evil…

What readers are saying about A Christmas Promise:

‘You feel you are there in Victorian England with all the smells, sights and sounds that accompany the story-telling’

‘Very atmospheric, entertaining, well written and just that bit different‘

‘Five stars‘

Allotment wars!

Lord Bellington, Carsely’s biggest landholder, has enraged locals by saying he is going to sell off their allotments to make way for a new housing development. So when he turns up dead, poisoned by antifreeze, nobody mourns his passing.

On another fine summer’s day Agatha visits Carsley’s allotments where everything looks peaceful and perfect: people of all ages digging in the soil and working hard to grow their own fruit and veg. Agatha feels almost tempted to take on a strip herself . . . but common sense soon prevails. She doesn’t really like getting her hands dirty.

She is introduced to three oldtimers who have just taken over a new strip; Harry Perry, Bunty Daventry and Josephine Merriweather are lamenting the neglected condition of the patch. But as Harry starts to shovel through the weeds and grass his spade comes across something hard so he bends down and tries to move the object. And then he starts to yell . . .

The body is that of Peta Currie, a newcomer to the village – but who would want to murder her? Blonde and beautiful she’s every local male’s favourite. And then Lord Bellingham’s son engages Agatha to do some digging of her own and very soon Agatha is thrown into a world of petty feuds, jealousies and disputes over land. It would seem that far from being tiny gardens of Eden, Carsley’s allotments are local battlefields where passions – and the bodycount – run high!

Praise for the Agatha Raisin series:

‘Sharp, witty, hugely intelligent, unfailingly entertaining, delightfully intolerant and oh so magnificently non-PC, M.C. Beaton has created a national treasure’ Anne Robinson

‘M.C. Beaton’s imperfect heroine is an absolute gem’ Publishers Weekly

‘The Miss Marple-like Raisin is a refreshing, sensible, wonderfully eccentric, thoroughly likeable heroine’ Booklist

From New York Times bestselling author Tasha Alexander comes the third Lady Emily mystery.

A deadly dance between two implacable enemies . . .

At her friend Ivy’s behest, Lady Emily Ashton reluctantly agrees to attend a house party at the country estate of Lord Fortescue, a man she finds as personally odious as he is politically powerful. But on arrival she finds him to be the least of her problems. Among the guests is Kristiana von Lange, an Austrian countess who had once been linked romantically with Emily’s fiancé, Colin Hargreaves, and she makes no secret of that fact, tormenting Emily for her own amusement.

Annoying for Emily – but then matters turn deadly serious when Lord Fortescue is found murdered and his protégé, Robert Brandon – Ivy’s husband – is arrested for the crime. Emily’s efforts to clear her friend’s name take her to Vienna, a place of glittering balls, sordid back streets, chic cafes . . . and home to her nemesis, the Countess von Lange.

Praise for Tasha Alexander

‘A thoroughly enjoyable adventure with both historical texture and emotional depth’ Anne Perry

‘Captivating characters are superbly brought to life in this riveting historical . . . [a] cleverly plotted and suspenseful mystery‘ FreshFiction

‘A captivating addition to the adventures of an irresistible Victorian iconoclast’ Booklist

‘Immediately engrossing and thoroughly entertaining . . . Alexander writes with a fullness and richness that leaves the reader extremely satisfied’ Crimespree

‘Sometimes touching, sometimes funny and always absorbing, this Victorian-era mystery hits all the right notes‘ Romantic Times

‘Enchanting… Alexander keeps readers guessing until the very end‘ Publishers Weekly

‘Tasha Alexander is one to watch – and read… despite her cliffhanger climaxes and witty repartee, there’s a depth of sensitivity that sets her apart‘ The Huffington Post

From New York Times bestselling author Tasha Alexander comes a stunning novel of historical suspense set in Victorian England, meticulously researched and with a twisty plot that involves stolen antiquities, betrayal, and murder

Lady Emily’s first mystery . . .

For Emily, accepting the proposal of Philip, the Viscount Ashton, was just an easy way to escape her stifling home life and overbearing mother. So when her new husband dies on safari soon after the wedding, she feels little grief. After all, she barely knew the man.

Now, nearly two years later, she discovers that Philip was a far different man from the one she had married so cavalierly. His journals reveal him to have been a gentleman scholar and antiquities collector who, to her surprise, was deeply in love with his wife. Emily becomes fascinated with this new image of her dead husband and immerses herself in his intellectual pursuits, studying Greek and spending time in the quiet corridors of the British Museum.

But there, amid priceless ancient statues, she uncovers a dark, dangerous secret involving stolen artifacts from the Greco-Roman galleries – and as she sets out to solve the crime she discovers even more surprises about the husband she never knew . . .

Praise for Tasha Alexander

‘This engaging, witty mix of Victorian cozy and suspense thriller draws its dramatic spark from the endearingly headstrong heroine’s growth in life and love. A memorable debut‘ Booklist

‘Enchanting… Alexander keeps readers guessing until the very end‘ Publishers Weekly

‘Tasha Alexander is one to watch – and read… despite her cliffhanger climaxes and witty repartee, there’s a depth of sensitivity that sets her apart’ The Huffington Post

‘Fans of Anne Perry and Elizabeth Peters will welcome this debut novel‘ The Denver Post

Set amid the beauty and decadence of the Ottoman Empire, Lady Emily’s next adventure is full of intrigue, treachery, and romance.

Looking forward to the joys of connubial bliss, newlyweds Lady Emily and Colin Hargreaves, diplomats of the British Empire, set out toward Turkey for an exotic honeymoon. But on their first night in the city, a harem girl is found murdered, strangled in the courtyard of the sultan’s lavish palace.

Sir Richard St. Clare, an Englishman who works at the embassy in Constantinople, recognizes the girl as his own daughter who was kidnapped twenty years earlier. Emily and Colin promise the heartbroken father that they’ll find her killer, but as the investigation gains speed, they find that appearances can be all too deceiving.

As a woman, Emily is given access to the forbidden world of the harem and quickly discovers that its mysterious, sheltered walls offer no protection from a ruthless murderer. As the number of victims grows, Emily must rely on her own sharp wit if she is to stop a killer bent on exacting vengeance – no matter how many innocent lives he leaves in his wake.

Praise for Tasha Alexander

‘The fourth book of Alexander’s Victorian-era series has a lush setting and beautiful details. . . . The romance and lovely writing sweep the readers along. [Emily’s] voice and the accurate historical details will keep the reader enthralled‘ Romantic Times

‘The strong female lead and historically accurate details will please readers of Anne Perry, Laurie R. King, and Deanna Raybourn seeking a new fan-favorite author‘ Library Journal

“In this book, despite murder and mayhem and treason (oh my!) it’s all gorgeous gowns, rippling water, veils of silk and veils of hair . . . Whatever Emily decides to do with herself I am only too happy to come along for the ride‘ Fiction Nation

‘Alexander doesn’t miss a beat. Tightly woven plots, flowing prose and three-dimensional characters make Tears of Pearl a must-read. Readers won’t be able to stop themselves from racing through the pages as they search alongside Lady Emily for the killer’ examiner.com

‘Infused with wit and charm, with just the right amounts of danger, romance and detection blended in’ Denver Post

122 fantastic stories from Britain’s best crime writers

For ten years the Mammoth Best British Crime series has been publishing an annual volume of the most outstanding crime and mystery short fiction published in the UK. Over 400 stories by the very best writers in the field have been published. Contributors have included, among many others, Mark Billingham, Liza Cody, Roger Jon Ellory, Reginald Hill, Peter James, Simon Kernick, Alexander McCall Smith, Val McDermid, John Mortimer, Anne Perry, Ian Rankin, Derek Raymond and Andrew Taylor.

On several occasions, stories published in The Mammoth Book of Best British Crime have won some of the most prestigious awards in the field, including the Crime Writers Association Short Story Dagger, The Mystery Writers of America Edgar award and the Anthony award, while countless others have featured on the respective shortlists.

This truly bumper collection of over 120 stories, an omnibus edition of Volumes 7, 8 and 9, showcases as ever the impressive breadth of crime writing, from cosy tales of detection to noir mayhem and psychological suspense and terror. There are puzzles to solve, nagging questions about the nature of the society in which we live, but, above all, there is an abundance of first-class entertainment.

Over 1600 pages of outstanding crime fiction by: Lin Anderson, Kate Atkinson, Ian Ayris, Ray Banks, Robert Barnard, Colin Bateman, Mark Billingham, Nigel Bird, Tony Black, Stephen Booth, Paul D. Brazill, Simon Brett, Gerard Brennan, Christopher Brookmyre, Alison Bruce, Ken Bruen, Declan Burke, Col Bury, Tom Cain, Ann Cleeves, Liza Cody, Natasha Cooper, Bernie Crosthwaite, Judith Cutler, Colin Dexter, Martin Edwards, Matthew J. Elliott, Kate Ellis, R. J. Ellory, Chris Ewan, Christopher Fowler, Simon R. Green, Jon Courtenay Grimwood, Allan Guthrie, Sophie Hannah, John Harvey, Mick Herron, David Hewson, Reginald Hill, Matt Hilton, Kate Horsley, Peter James, Paul Johnston, L. Kennedy, Bill Kirton, John Lawton, Simon Levack, Michael Z. Lewin, Toby Litt, Peter Lovesey, Phil Lovesey, Stuart MacBride, Adrian Magson, Barry Maitland, Alexander McCall Smith, Keith McCarthy, Val McDermid, Brian McGilloway, Denise Mina, Steve Mosby, Edward Marston, Amy Myers, Barbara Nadel, Stuart Neville, Christine Poulson, Ian Rankin, Sarah Rayne, Peter Robinson, Nicholas Royle, Zoë Sharp, Roz Southey, Sally Spedding, Jay Stringer, Andrew Taylor, Marilyn Todd, Peter Turnbull, L. C. Tyler, Simon Kernick, Nick Quantrill, Sheila Quigley, Louise Welsh, Marc Werner and Kevin Wignall.

‘Delightful… as ever, Bowen does a splendid job of capturing the flavour of early twentieth-century New York and bringing to life its warm and human inhabitants.’ Publishers Weekly

Out of the frying pan and into the fire!

Molly Murphy can’t seem to fit in anywhere. Not with the new immigrants pouring in from the Old World and certainly not with the society folk she envies from afar. After bungling a job as a lady’s companion, Molly decides to become an assistant to the notorious private investigator, Paddy Riley. Unfortunately, Paddy’s underworld dealings leave him deader than a doornail and Molly in possession of his detective agency.

Before long, Molly has set off on a journey that will take her through the back alleys of Manhattan and into the bars and lounges of the literary scene, where she spends time with writers, actors, poets, and musicians. It’s quite an eye-opening turn for innocent young Molly, but she’s resolute in her decision to find out exactly what happened that day in the office of Paddy Riley.

Armed with nothing more than her fiery will and matching wild red hair, Molly has no idea of the danger her pursuit may bring in this fascinating, well-researched, and suspenseful second novel in Rhys Bowen’s Agatha-award winning series.

‘An evocative trip through Old New York… in the company of Irish immigrant Molly Murphy, a spirited and appealing guide.‘ SJ Rozan, author of Winter and Night

‘Irish humour and gritty determination… with charm and optimism.’ Anne Perry

‘Molly grows ever more engaging against a vibrant background of New York’s dark side at the turn of the century.’ Kirkus Reviews

Murphy’s Law is the captivating first entry of Rhys Bowen’s New York Times bestselling Molly Murphy series.

Meet Molly Murphy, a resourceful young woman who lives by her own set of laws…

Molly Murphy always knew she’d end up in trouble, just as her mother had predicted. So when she commits murder in self-defence, she flees her cherished Ireland for the anonymous shores of America. When she arrives in New York and sees the welcoming promise of freedom in the Statue of Liberty, Molly begins to breathe a little easier. But when a man is murdered on Ellis Island, a man Molly was seen arguing with, she becomes a prime suspect in the crime.

If she can’t clear her name, Molly will be sent back to Ireland where the gallows await, so using her Irish charm and sharp wit, she escapes Ellis Island and sets out to find the wily killer on her own. Pounding the notorious streets of Hell’s Kitchen and the Lower East Side, Molly undertakes a desperate mission to clear her name before her deadly past comes back to haunt her new future.

‘Irish humour and gritty determination… with charm and optimism.’ Anne Perry

‘Delightful… as ever, Bowen does a splendid job of capturing the flavour of early twentieth-century New York and bringing to life its warm and human inhabitants.’ Publishers Weekly

‘Molly grows ever more engaging against a vibrant background of New York’s dark side at the turn of the century.’ Kirkus Reviews

Eccentric, coldly rational, brilliant, doughty, exacting, lazy,in full bohemian colour the world’s most famous literary detective and his loyal companion Dr. John Watson investigate a series of previously unrecorded cases in this second collection of totally original and confounding tales. As in the popular debut volume, Murder in Baker Street, Anne Perry and ten more popular mystery writers,including Sharyn McCrumb, Carolyn Wheat, Malachi Saxon, Jon L. Breen, Bill Crider, Colin Bruce, Lenore Carroll, Barry Day, Daniel Stashower, and Loren D. Estleman, celebrate the mind and methods of Sherlock Holmes in this paperback version. In addition, Christopher Redmond illuminates the vast possibilities that new technology offers in “Sherlock Holmes on the Internet,” while in “A Sherlockian Library” editors Lellenberg and Stashower provide a new list of fifty essential titles on Arthur Conan Doyle and the Holmes canon. Finally, an essay by mystery novelist Philip A. Shreffler explores one of English literature’s most famous friendships in “Holmes and Watson, the Head and the Heart.” This is truly a treasury of never-before-published Sherlockian tales that should not be missed.

London, 1868. As the Christmas season begins, Claudine Burroughs feels little joy in its endless social calls and extravagant events. Working at a clinic for desperate women has opened her eyes to a different world.

Then her two worlds collide. A prostitute smuggled into a grandiose Christmas party is found brutally beaten. Poet Dai Tregarron stands accused. But Dai insists he was trying to protect her from the violence of three young men. Claudine believes him, but with society closing ranks against him, how can she prove his innocence without risking everything?

1857. After the fire of mutiny has swept through British India, young Lieutenant Victor Narraway arrives at a battered military base at Cawnpore. It is just two weeks before Christmas, but no one is able to celebrate: they have been betrayed. A soldier under arrest for dereliction of duty has killed a guard and escaped to join the rebels, taking crucial information that led to the massacre of nine men on patrol. Someone must have helped him, and medical orderly John Tallis is the only man unaccounted for at the time. He is now on trial for his life, and Narraway is commanded to defend him.

Narraway knows that his is an impossible task. The British Army needs justice to be carried out in full, and there seems no doubt of Tallis’s guilt. But Narraway cannot see any motive for his actions. Will an innocent man hang before Christmas?

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

It is a time of progress, with the Empire’s interests expanding and the contentious new Suez Canal nearing completion. Many people stand to gain – and to lose – as the world rapidly changes.

When a Thames pleasure boat is blown up with the loss of many lives, an Egyptian man is quickly sentenced to hang for the crime. But William Monk, head of the River Police, discovers the evidence was flawed. As he and his wife Hester investigate further, Monk begins to wonder if the wrong man was convicted. If justice itself has been tainted, exposing the true culprit will be far more dangerous…

Greenwich, 1897. A macabre scene is discovered outside a house on Shooters Hill. There has been a vicious fight, and amid the bloodstains are locks of long auburn hair. Thomas Pitt, head of Special Branch, is called: this is the home of Dudley Kynaston, a minister with access to some of the government’s most dangerous secrets, and any inquiry must be handled with utmost discretion. An auburn-haired maid has disappeared from Kynaston’s household, but no major crime appears to have taken place. Then a disfigured body is found in the gravel pits nearby. Could this be Kynaston’s missing servant? As Pitt begins to investigate, he finds small inconsistencies in Kynaston’s story. Are these harmless omissions, or could they lead to something more serious, something that could threaten not just Kynaston’s own family but also his Queen and country?

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…

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’