"Medieval mystery fans have cause for rejoicing with the return of Brother Athelstan" Booklist on Bloodstone January, 1381.As guests of the Regent, John of Gaunt, Brother Athelstan and Sir John Cranston have been attending a mystery play performed by the Straw Men, Gaunt’s personal acting troupe, in St John’s Chapel in the Tower of London when the evening’s entertainment is rudely interrupted by sudden, violent death. Who would have the audacity to murder two of Gaunt’s VIP guests and the wherewithal to strategically position two severed heads on the stage without being noticed? The Regent orders Athelstan to find out. Could there really be a spy at the heart of the royal court? Could it be the work of the Upright Men, the band of rebels led by Wat Tyler? Could there be a connection with the mysterious female prisoner Gaunt has locked up in the Tower? Whose are the severed heads and what is their significance? Athelstan is about to tackle his most baffling case yet.
Autumn, 1379. The power of the crown is invested in John of Gaunt, and the kingdom is seething with discontent. The French are attacking the southern ports and peasants are planning a revolt organised by a mysterious leader who proclaims himself ‘Ira Dei’, the Anger of God. His plans plunged into chaos by a series of bloody murders, Gaunt turns to Sr John Cranston to catch the assassin and recover a vanished king’s ransom in gold. Together, Cranston and his ally, Brother Athelstan, face threats and attack from the powerful as well as the seedy underworld of medieval London as they attempt to bring a cunning murderer to justice.
When a city councilman is gunned down, Rene Shade refuses to write off his death as a burglary-homicide as he is ordered to do. Now, Shade's quest for the truth leads him on a chilling chase through a treacherous swamp of leeches and cottonmouths--while dodging his own unresolved past.
'Outstanding... Doherty keeps the action brisk, the crimes baffling, and the deductions and solution fair' - Publishers Weekly Starred Review Past crimes lead to new murder in the latest gripping Brother Athelstan mystery, set in 14th century London. November, 1381. London has been rocked by a series of bizarre and brutal murders. The corpses of a number of prostitutes have been discovered, their throats slit, their bodies stripped; in each case, a blood-red wig has been placed on their heads. At the same time, a mysterious explosion rips through a royal war cog bound for Calais, killing all on board. Could there be a connection? Summoned to assist in the investigations by Sir John Cranston, Brother Athelstan uncovers rumours that the mysterious Oriflamme is responsible. But who – or what - exactly is he ... and why has he suddenly reappeared after almost twenty years?
Best Book of the Year The Los Angeles Times • The Washington Post Los Angeles was the fastest growing city in the world, mad with oil fever, get-rich-quick schemes, and celebrity scandals. It was also rife with organized crime, with a mayor in the pocket of the syndicates and a DA taking bribes to throw trials. In A Bright and Guilty Place, Richard Rayner narrates the entwined lives of two men, Dave Clark and Leslie White, who were caught up in the crimes, murders, and swindles of the day. Over a few transformative years, as the boom times shaded into the Depression, the adventures of Clark and White would inspire pulp fiction and replace L.A.’s reckless optimism with a new cynicism. Together, theirs is the tale of how the city of sunshine went noir.
"True and glorious indulgence. A dazzling example of a golden age mystery." —Daisy Goodwin, author of Victoria and The American Heiress on The Mitford Murders Set amid the legendary Mitford household, Bright Young Dead is the second in the thrilling, Golden Age-style Mitford Murders series by Jessica Fellowes, author of the New York Times bestselling Downton Abbey books. Meet the Bright Young Things, the rabble-rousing hedonists of the 1920s whose treasure hunts were a media obsession. One such game takes place at the 18th birthday party of Pamela Mitford, but ends in tragedy as cruel, charismatic Adrian Curtis is pushed to his death from the church neighbouring the Mitford home. The police quickly identify the killer as a maid, Dulcie. But Louisa Cannon, chaperone to the Mitford girls and a former criminal herself, believes Dulcie to be innocent, and sets out to clear the girl's name . . . all while the real killer may only be steps away.
As head of household for none other than Agatha Christie, Phyllida Bright finds her position includes polishing silver, serving luncheons…and drawing inspiration from the crime author’s fictional detectives when mysterious deaths at Mallowan Hall baffle her famous employer… Tucked away among Devon’s rolling green hills, Mallowan Hall combines the best of English tradition with the modern conveniences of 1930. Housekeeper Phyllida Bright manages the large household with an iron fist in her very elegant glove. In one respect, however, Mallowan Hall stands far apart from other picturesque country houses. For the manor is home to archaeologist Max Mallowan and his famous wife—Agatha Christie… Phyllida is both loyal to and protective of the crime writer, who is as much friend as employer. An aficionado of detective fiction, Phyllida has yet to find a gentleman in real life half as fascinating as Mrs. Agatha’s Belgian hero, Hercule Poirot. But though accustomed to murder and its methods as frequent topics of conversation, Phyllida is unprepared for the sight of a very real, very dead body on the library floor… It soon becomes clear that the victim arrived at Mallowan Hall under false pretenses during a weekend party. And when another dead body is discovered—this time, one of her housemaids—Phyllida decides to follow in M. Poirot’s footsteps to determine which of the Mallowans’ guests is the killer. Now only Phyllida’s wits will prevent her own story from coming to an abrupt end…
How the Light Gets In is the ninth Chief Inspector Gamache Novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Louise Penny. "There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in." —Leonard Cohen Christmas is approaching, and in Québec it's a time of dazzling snowfalls, bright lights, and gatherings with friends in front of blazing hearths. But shadows are falling on the usually festive season for Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. Most of his best agents have left the Homicide Department, his old friend and lieutenant Jean-Guy Beauvoir hasn't spoken to him in months, and hostile forces are lining up against him. When Gamache receives a message from Myrna Landers that a longtime friend has failed to arrive for Christmas in the village of Three Pines, he welcomes the chance to get away from the city. Mystified by Myrna's reluctance to reveal her friend's name, Gamache soon discovers the missing woman was once one of the most famous people not just in North America, but in the world, and now goes unrecognized by virtually everyone except the mad, brilliant poet Ruth Zardo. As events come to a head, Gamache is drawn ever deeper into the world of Three Pines. Increasingly, he is not only investigating the disappearance of Myrna's friend but also seeking a safe place for himself and his still-loyal colleagues. Is there peace to be found even in Three Pines, and at what cost to Gamache and the people he holds dear? One of Publishers Weekly's Best Mystery/Thriller Books of 2013 One of The Washington Post's Top 10 Books of the Year An NPR Best Book of 2013
Since Alan Auhl came out of retirement the young detectives call him a retread. Some days he feels like one. Cheaply slapped together. Just about guaranteed to wear down quickly. But he does things his own way and gets results—even if his cases are a bit colder now. Like the skeleton that’s just been found under a concrete slab. Or the old farmer, dead five years, whose daughters still don’t believe it was an accident. Or the doctor who’s murdered two wives and a girlfriend and left no evidence at all. Auhl will stick with these cases until justice is done. One way or another. Garry Disher has published fifty titles—fiction, children’s books, anthologies, textbooks, the Wyatt thrillers and the Peninsula Crimes series. His previous standalone novel, Bitter Wash Road, won the German Crime Prize in 2016. ‘Peter Temple and Garry Disher will be identified as the crime writers who redefined Australian crime fiction in terms of its form, content and style.’ Age ‘A top-class writer.’ Times ‘Garry Disher deserves his reputation as one of Australia’s finest crime writers.’ Stuff NZ ‘Disher is a master of concise writing, concise but not spare...A good solid page-turner.’ Otago Daily Times ‘Well-crafted and leanly written, this tense novel grips from beginning to end.’ Canberra Weekly ‘The reader is taken on a breathtaking ride...[Disher’s] characters, vivid prose and settings are wonderful.’ ReadPlus ‘Victorian crime fiction king Garry Disher is a literary machine...Bring on the next case.’ Herald Sun ‘One of the most engaging aspects of Disher’s writing is the way he evokes a sense of place, and Melbourne and its surrounds are just as much a part of the story as any of the characters. He is also a master of intrigue; his characters often walk a fine line between what is considered inside and outside the law—and Alan Auhl is no exception.’ Good Reading ‘There are many twists to a tale that opens with one of those closely observed vignettes of outer suburban life that Disher does so well...It’s a riveting opening scene, setting in motion just one of the cases with which the amiable Auhl will deal in the most cathartic of ways.’ Age
In 1376, the famed Black Prince died of a terrible rotting sickness, closely followed by his father, King Edward III, who ended his life a bitter old man, his former glories forgotten. The crown of England is left in the hands of a mere boy, the future Richard II, and the great nobles, led by Richard's uncle and Regent, John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, gather like hungry wolves round the empty throne. A terrible power struggle threatens the country, and one of London's powerful merchant princes, Sir Thomas Springall, is foully murdered within a few days of the old king's death. Coroner Sir John Cranston and Dominican monk Brother Athelstan are ordered to investigate. As others associated with Springall are found dead, Cranston and Athelstan are drawn ever deeper into a dark web of intrigue...
