Showing titles in Historical

Adapted from the major television series created by Mark Gatiss - new season coming soon! London, 1946. Much of the capital, and indeed the country, remains beset by rationing and bomb damage. But for some there are other, more immediate concerns: crimes of a serious and sometimes deadly nature...

Palm Sunday brings spring to Crofter’s Green—and a deadly secret. When a postal van crashes outside the Cozy Cup, Dorothy agrees to hold a registered parcel for the shaken driver. Minutes later, the parcel vanishes—and the postman is found murdered. The only clues are an address in London and a faint cipher that points back to St Mary’s Church. As Alice, Blake, Harry, and Evie follow the trail, the Homefront Sleuths uncover a chilling wartime plot that could leave the village in ruins.

Love is in the air in wartime England—but so is murder. Crofter’s Green is abuzz with excitement. Seven young couples are preparing to say their vows at a Valentine's Day celebration—an event made even more thrilling by the expected arrival of a very important (and very secret) guest: the most famous woman in the world.

Dunhaven Castle has secrets. Some of them are buried in the past. When Cate Kensie inherits a crumbling Scottish estate, she expects history, eccentric residents, and the occasional mystery hidden in the walls. What she doesn't expect is to discover that Dunhaven Castle doesn't just remember the past—it opens doors to it.

Set in a lovingly evoked Brooklyn just after the end of World War I, The Haunted Bookshop cleverly juxtaposes a pair of middle-aged bookshop owners and two young lovers with a nest of German saboteurs, complete with mysterious clues, red herrings, blushing romance, derring-do, a desperate race to the rescue, and an explosion. More important, the novel is an eloquent hymn to the bookseller’s trade and a fervent plea for the revivifying and redemptive power of literature.

A young man died, consumed by fire. There was no evidence of crime, but suspicions persist. Julian Courtauld had raised hackles, not that he cared. Rich, confident and handsome, he saw a glittering future for himself. He was a budding playwright, he had girls swooning at his feet despite just becoming engaged to a dazzling heiress. And then the fire ended it all. Five years later a parcel arrives on Miss Busby's doorstep. The anonymous letter begs for her help.

The Homefront Sleuths thought their biggest challenge would be planning Blake and Katherine's perfect autumn wedding. But when a mysterious government inspector turns up dead at the Harvest Festival, their cozy village celebration becomes the scene of something sinister. What starts as a puzzling murder quickly becomes a race against time. Missing microfilm, coded messages, and suspicious "diplomats" suggest this case is far more dangerous than anything the Sleuths have faced before. With potential Nazi spies lurking behind familiar faces, no one in Crofter's Green is above suspicion.

When a charming American actor arrives to direct a Christmas production of A Christmas Carol for evacuee children at a grand country manor, it seems like the perfect holiday treat. But on the very day Pearl Harbor is attacked, the actor is found murdered—and he's been carrying mysterious coded messages that suggest this "Christmas spirit" hides something far more dangerous.

A spy missing. A village full of secrets… and one very persistent Pomeranian. The peaceful village of Crofter’s Green buzzes with questions when a young commando trainee is found dead at the ruins of St. Swithin’s Abbey. The military calls it an accident—but is it? And what does it have to do with the legend of the Judas Monk, a tale of betrayal that has haunted the abbey for centuries? Harry Jenkins and the Homefront Sleuths must untangle a web of wartime deception before the truth is buried for good. As the investigation unfolds, each of the Sleuths has their own challenges to face.

Inspired by the real-life memoirs of Edinburgh's first detective, James McLevy, here are more fantastic fictional adventures featuring the tenacious Victorian crime-solver. Once again, McLevy and his faithful sidekick Constable Mulholland patrol the dark wynds and back alleys of 1840s Leith tracking down evildoers—aided by a surprising ally: the beautiful and resourceful brothel-keeper Jean Brash.

‘A triumph’ — Janice Hallett, bestselling author of The Appeal The Sunday Times Top Five Bestseller A BBC Two Between the Covers Book Club Pick A Guardian Best Crime and Thrillers of the Year Pick An epic and sweeping mystery set in Georgian high society, Laura Shepherd-Robinson's The...

July, 1941. When Evie Harris vanishes after visiting her late fiancé's parents, the Homefront Sleuths of Crofter's Green vow to find her. But their investigation takes a bizarre turn when Nigel's police superiors send him to nearby Clarion Castle. There, the first under-butler has just taken his final bow in the castle's wine cellar. Could there be a connection with Evie's disappearance? Or with a hush-hush VIP visit to the castle?

When the celebrated biographer of the infamous pirate Blackheart takes a suite at the Mayfair Hotel to live out his final months, Goliath the porter is desperate to ask the one question that has haunted treasure hunters for decades: Where is the loot buried? Forbidden to disturb a guest, he instead visits the man writing the author’s own life story, only to discover him dead at his desk. Accused of the crime, Goliath turns to Cleo and Harry to clear his name.

February 1913. Lady Hardcastle and her diminutive but brave lady’s maid, Flo, have been invited by their friend JB McIntyre to spend the weekend at his recently renovated Tudor fort on a remote island off the Devonshire coast. But the holiday quickly turns sinister when first a number of valuable jewels go missing—and then a fellow guest is murdered with a most unusual weapon.

Full-cast BBC Radio 4 dramatisations of the first five Falco novels by Lindsey Davis, starring Anton Lesser as Marcus Didius Falco. The Silver Pigs: One fine day, A.D. 70, Sosia Camillina quite literally runs into Marcus Didius Falco on the steps of the Forum. It seems Sosia is on the run from a...

Based on the real-life memoirs of the 19th Century investigator who inspired Sherlock Holmes, Inspector James McLevy, this atmospheric mystery series features the fictional casebook of Edinburgh's finest thief-taker. Accompanied by his loyal partner, Constable Mulholland, McLevy prowls the murky streets of 1840s Leith bringing criminals to justice—assisted by the madam of Edinburgh's finest bawdy-house, the deliciously immoral Jean Brash.

This collection of recordings about Brother Cadfaelóa Benedictine monk and amateur sleuth in the 12th centuryó are performed here by the ideal actor. Sir Derek Jacobi, who portrayed Cadfael in several television adaptations, captivates listeners with his renderings of Monk's Hood, Saint Peter's Fair, The Heretic's Apprentice, The Potter's Field, The Summer of the Danes, and Brother Cadfael's Penance.

London, 1941: Miss Jane Treen is at her desk, strong black coffee in hand and fluffy ginger cat by her side, when her top-secret government work is interrupted by an urgent call to Devon. A woman has been found dead in a lake in a place where she shouldn’t have been. Jane needs to gather the clues and find the killer before someone else from the agency gets hurt… Shy and handsome code-breaker Arthur Cilento is bewildered by the arrival of the efficient Miss Treen and her cat Marmaduke.

When the body of a young man is found stuffed into the tomb of a medieval knight, Parish Constable Daniel Haze is tasked with investigating his first solo murder case. Suspicion instantly falls on the only stranger to arrive in the village of Birch Hill just before the crime took place, but the American captain proves to be an unexpected asset. A former soldier and a skilled surgeon, Jason Redmond is not only willing to assist Haze with the investigation but will risk his own safety to apprehend the killer.

Perfect for fans of Hilary Mantel and Philippa Gregory, C. J. Sansom's bestselling adventures of Matthew Shardlake continue in the fourth book, the haunting Revelation. 'When it comes to intriguing Tudor-based narratives, Hilary Mantel has a serious rival' - Sunday Times ‘Sansom has the trick...

When young Tyballis discovers her husband has been arrested for murder, she is delighted. As a young orphan coerced to marry her abusive neighbor, she was horribly used. Now is her chance to be rid of him for good and find the confidence she never had. When Tyballis joins forces with the motley network of Andrew’s informers and thieves, they are lured into the dark and dangerous world of medieval London’s political intrigue and back alley slums.

This hugely engaging story of murder, superstition, religious politics and drama in a medieval monastery was one of the most striking novels to appear in the 1980s. The Name of the Rose is a thrilling story enriched with period detail and laced with tongue-in-cheek allusions to fictional characters, the most striking of which is the Franciscan friar William of Baskerville, who displays many characteristics of Sherlock Holmes.

July 1912. Lady Hardcastle and her tenacious lady’s maid, Florence Armstrong, are enjoying a convivial gathering at the home of their dear friends, the Farley-Strouds. The only fly in the idyllic ointment seems to be the lack of musical entertainment for the forthcoming summer party—until, that is, Lady Hardcastle’s brother Harry calls with news of a murder.

*PREORDER NOW* The latest instalment in the Sunday Times bestselling Ali Dawson Mysteries sees Ali investigating the case of a boy who vanished twenty-seven years ago and finding herself in the past once again - only this time she's in the middle of the Blitz of 1940 Praise for the Ali Dawson...

July 1910. Lady Hardcastle and her tireless sidekick Flo have finally embarked on a long-overdue seaside break. But just as they’re wavering between ice creams and donkey rides, their fellow guests start to go missing - and the duo find themselves with a hysterical hotel manager and a case to solve. The first to disappear is Dr Goddard, a scientist doing something terribly top-secret for the government.

A onetime Crusader turned Benedictine monk, Brother Cadfael is a most unusual detective. Living a quiet life as a monastery herbalist, he spends his days ministering to his brothers using the medical skills he acquired in the Holy Lands—but his worldly knowledge and wide experience of human nature are frequently called upon when there is a murder to solve....

When the body of a renowned British archeologist is found inside a sarcophagus he was bringing back from a dig in Egypt, Redmond and Haze must determine who aboard the Sea Witch had reason to want him dead. The method of murder suggests it was someone familiar with the funerary rites of the Ancient Egyptians, casting suspicion on members of the expedition, but there were others aboard the vessel who might have harbored a grudge against Blake Upton for reasons unconnected to the dig.

When Nicole Rayburn travels to Lockwood Hall and begins to research Alys’s story for a new book, she discovers startling irregularities in Alys’s case. Nicole’s suspicions mount as every answer leads to more questions. What really happened to Alys? And what became of her son, who disappeared the day she was hanged? Could it be that Alys’s death was the result of a well-planned conspiracy, or is there another, less obvious answer? And who is trying to sabotage Nicole's efforts by stealing her work?

Inspector Lestrade of Scotland Yard was made to look a fool in the Sherlock Holmes stories. Now he gets his own back, introducing 16 tales of detectives whose abilities rival that of the great Sherlock Holmes.

Adapted from the major television series created by Mark Gatiss - out now! 'A delicious read' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ READER REVIEW London, 1946. Gabriel Book is an erudite and unconventional London bookseller married to Trottie, the owner of the wallpaper shop next door. He is also a sleuth who uses...