London, 1859. When a man is killed in a hydraulic burst, novice detective Campbell Lawless stumbles on to the trail of Berwick Skelton: an elusive activist who crossed swords with London's illuminati. The Worms, a gang of urchins, help Lawless investigate the 'Skeleton Thefts', revealing to him the disillusion lurking beneath society. Can he track down the underworld mastermind before he wreaks vengeance on those who ride roughshod over his people?
A novice Scotland Yard detective chases his nemesis through the London underworld in this “extravagant and thoroughly enjoyable” historical mystery debut set in Victorian England (The Scotsman). Before Sherlock Holmes, there was Campbell Lawless . . . London, 1859. Great exhibitions. Foreign conquests. Underground trains. The era of Victorian marvels is also the time of the Great Stink. Beneath the respectable surface, a multitude of ills need flushing out. When a man is killed in a hydraulic burst, novice detective Campbell Lawless stumbles on to the trail of Berwick Skelton. This elusive activist rose from humble beginnings to cross swords with London’s illuminati, before vanishing, heartbroken, amid presages of disaster. The Worms, a gang of urchins, help Lawless investigate the ‘Skeleton Thefts’ mystifying society, revealing to him the disillusion that lurks beneath the filthy cobblestones. Berwick’s trail leads to music hall hoofers, industrial sabotage, royal scandal—and even major figures like Karl Marx and Charles Dickens. Lawless peels away veneers of secrecy to convince the powers-that-be of Berwick’s revolutionary plans. Can he track down the underworld mastermind before he wreaks vengeance on those who ride roughshod over his people?
In London’s East End, a corpse tumbles from a ship. Tangled in tarpaulin, it has lain forgotten for years. A scrap of paper in its pocket reads ‘Roxbury’. The shadows of European machinations loom over the capital. For Sergeant Campbell Lawless, fears become reality as a series of explosions tear across the country. Home Office anxieties lead Lawless to Roxbury House, where the Earl of Roxbury, the country’s foremost weapons manufacturer, resides with a cavalcade of innovative scientists and researchers. Lawless places his best agent, ex-street urchin Molly, in the Earl’s home as he races to find those behind the attacks before the tinderbox of Europe is ignited.
It is 1863, and as a reluctant Inspector of Vice, Campbell Lawless undertakes a reckoning of London’s houses of ill repute, a shadowy netherworld of frayed glamour and double standards, mesmerising and unspeakable by turns. From the erotic booksellers of Holywell Street to the alleys of Haymarket, he discovers backstreet cast-offs and casualties of the society bordellos, and becomes fascinated by a musician who has established a foundation for fallen women. But his inquiries draw the attention of powerful men, who can be merciless in defending their reputations. Lawless must unlock the heart of a clandestine network, before he too is silenced...
This book has been considered by academicians and scholars of great significance and value to literature. This forms a part of the knowledge base for future generations. So that the book is never forgotten we have represented this book in a print format as the same form as it was originally first published. Hence any marks or annotations seen are left intentionally to preserve its true nature.
Sherlock Holmes is a warlock—and an idiot—in book 1 of this hilarious fantasy series twist on the classic detective novels Sherlock Holmes is an unparalleled genius. Warlock Holmes is an idiot. A font of arcane power, certainly. But he’s brilliantly dim. Frankly, he couldn’t deduce his way out of a paper bag. The only thing he has really got going for him are the might of a thousand demons and his stalwart companion. Thankfully, Dr. Watson is always there to aid him through the treacherous shoals of Victorian propriety… and save him from a gruesome death every now and again.
"Who is John Macnab? Three prominent Scottish landowners receive a challenging note which tells them that he intends to poach from their estates without being caught, though if he is caught, he will donate money to a good cause. The reactions of the landowners provide conflicting evidence as to his identity, prompting speculation as to whether he is a gentleman or a tramp ...
Source documents compiled by insurance investigator Ralph Henderson are used to build a case against Baron "R___", who is suspected of murdering his wife. The baron's wife died from drinking a bottle of acid, apparently while sleepwalking in her husband's private laboratory. Henderson's suspicions are raised when he learns that the baron recently had purchased five life insurance policies for his wife. As Henderson investigates the case, he discovers not one but three murders. Although the baron's guilt is clear to the reader even from the outset, how he did it remains a mystery. Eventually this is revealed, but how to catch him becomes the final challenge; he seems to have committed the perfect crime.
WINNER OF THE COSTA NOVEL AWARD What if you had the chance to live your life again and again, until you finally got it right? During a snowstorm in England in 1910, a baby is born and dies before she can take her first breath. During a snowstorm in England in 1910, the same baby is born and lives to tell the tale. What if there were second chances? And third chances? In fact an infinite number of chances to live your life? Would you eventually be able to save the world from its own inevitable destiny? And would you even want to? Life After Life follows Ursula Todd as she lives through the turbulent events of the last century again and again. With wit and compassion, Kate Atkinson finds warmth even in lifeâe(tm)s bleakest moments, and shows an extraordinary ability to evoke the past. Here she is at her most profound and inventive, in a novel that celebrates the best and worst of ourselves.
