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A Brother Athelstan historical mystery - December, 1380. When the corpse of Sir Robert Kilverby is discovered in a locked room, Brother Athelstan accompanies the King's coroner to investigate. For Sir Robert had in his possession a priceless relic, a sacred bloodstone, which has now disappeared. Did Sir Robert die of natural causes or was he murdered? Athelstan is sceptical of rumours of a curse hanging over Sir Robert, but when it is discovered that a second old soldier has been gruesomely slain on the same night, the rumours no longer seem so far-fetched . . .

"Medieval mystery fans have cause for rejoicing with the return of Brother Athelstan" Booklist on Bloodstone - January, 1381. 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, when the evening's entertainment is rudely interrupted by the sudden, violent deaths of two of Gaunt's VIP guests, their severed heads left on stage. The Regent orders Athelstan to find out who committed such a heinous act, leading Athelstan to tackle his most baffling case yet.

An intriguing medieval mystery featuring Brother Athelstan February, 1381. London lies frozen in the grip of one of the bitterest winters on record. The ever-rising taxes demanded by the Regent, John of Gaunt, are causing increasing resentment among the city's poor. When the seething unrest boils over into a bloody massacre at a splendid Southwark tavern, The Candle Flame, in which nine people, including Gaunt's tax collectors, their military escort and the prostitutes entertaining them, are brutally murdered, the furious Regent orders Brother Athelstan to get to the bottom of the matter. For not only has Gaunt's treasure trove been stolen, he has reason to believe a French spy is active along the Thames, carefully recording for his masters in the Louvre the state of English war cogs. And a professional assassin, Beowulf, who has sworn vengeance against Gaunt and his minions, also stalks the shadows. Once again, Athelstan must enter the murky world of murder, where the darkness constantly shifts and no one is who or what they seem.

The new Benjamin January novel from the best-selling author RAN AWAY. So began a score of advertisements every week in the New Orleans newspapers, advertising for slaves who'd fled their masters. But the Turk, Hüseyin Pasha, posted no such advertisement when his two lovely concubines disappeared. And when a witness proclaimed he'd seen the 'devilish infidel' hurl their dead bodies out of a window, everyone was willing to believe him the murderer. Only Benjamin January, who knows the Turk of old, is willing to seek for the true culprit, endangering his own life in the process . . .

A Liberty Lane mystery - Autumn, 1839. As the London nights darken, rumours spread about the devil's chariot, which preys on young women walking alone at night. Novice private investigator Liberty Lane has no time for such horror stories, so when a poetic young man begs her to find his missing fiancée, she accepts, suspecting there is a more prosaic explanation. Meanwhile, she is engaged to help prevent a royal scandal involving Prince Albert's worldlier brother, Prince Ernest. Liberty begins work on both cases, but when young women begin showing up dead, the tales of the devil's chariot don't seem so ridiculous any more.

A medieval mystery featuring sleuthing monk Brother Athelstan May, 1381. The Great Revolt draws ever nearer. The Upright Men openly roam the streets of London, waiting for the violence to begin. Their mysterious envoy, the Herald of Hell, appears at night all over the city, striking terror into the hearts of those who oppose them. But who is he? When his chancery clerk is found hanged in a notorious Southwark brothel, the ruthless Thibault, John of Gaunt's Master of Secrets, summons Brother Athelstan to investigate. Did Amaury Whitfield really kill himself following a visit from the terrifying Herald of Hell? Athelstan is unconvinced. In the dead man's possession was a manuscript containing a great secret which he had been striving to decipher. If he could only unlock the cipher and interpret the messages being carried to the so-called Herald of Hell, Athelstan would be one step closer to catching the killer. But can he crack the code before the Great Revolt begins?

July, 1573. Recently widowed, Ursula Blanchard is living a quiet life on her Surrey estate, caring for her infant son. But her peaceful existence is shattered when Ursula's neighbour Jane Cobbold is found dead in her own flowerbed, stabbed through the heart with a silver dagger - and Ursula's manservant Brockley is arrested for the crime. Determined to prove Brockley's innocence, Ursula seeks help from her old mentor Lord Burghley. But when a second death occurs and the queen's new spymaster, Francis Walsingham, gets involved, once again Ursula is reluctantly drawn into matters of espionage and affairs of state.

Widow Ursula Blanchard is urged to remarry for the sake of Queen and Country in this latest enthralling historical adventure January, 1576. After three husbands, widow Ursula Blanchard has no desire to marry again. However, she is not in a position to refuse when Sir Francis Walsingham decides she must wed Count Gilbert Renard, the illegitimate son of King Henri II, in order to build a strategic alliance with the French. When the Count arrives at her country home to pay court, Ursula's misgivings grow stronger. Then one of her household staff is found dead at the bottom of the stairs. An accident - or something more sinister? The disturbing chain of events that follows sees Ursula heading on a perilous journey in a race against time to prevent a national catastrophe. En route she will encounter danger, hardship, conspiracy - and murder.

An Abbot Agency Mystery Bea Abbot's domestic agency does not, repeat not, investigate murder...that is, until she finds herself in the company of a dead man dressed as a pantomime dame. It looks like suicide, but why don't his red-spangled shoes fit? Matthew Kent was an entertainer known to be a kindly and modest man in private, so why had he staged this grotesque charade in death? And why is his daughter so keen to hustle his mortal remains away without publicity? Then again, who exactly inherits his delightful Kensington house, and which of the women around him - two surviving wives and a daughter - really cared about him, rather than his money? Bea's own house is in chaos as builders remodel the agency offices, and to make matters worse, Max, her Member of Parliament son, moves in with her when his marriage looks like breaking down. Struggling to run the agency from her bedroom, concerned about both her young assistants' emotional problems, Bea tries to discover what the body on the bed was really like in life, why there is so much confusion about his death, and who is destined to die next...

One lousy Monday, Jenna loses her gorgeous job, her even more gorgeous boyfriend, and her home. In an attempt to put aside her personal woes, Jenna goes to catalogue books for an elderly cousin, Kitty Everest, at her country mansion. Horrified to discover that Kitty may be forced to sell Holtby House, Jenna throws herself into a scheme to save it. But when an attempt is made on her life, Jenna finds herself in a race to save Holtby, Kitty - and herself.

This gripping Irish thriller is an intriguing new departure for comic noir writer Declan Burke. "A dying man, if he is any kind of man, will live beyond the law." The elderly German, Karl Uxkull, was senile or desperate for attention. Why else would he concoct a tale of Nazi atrocity on the remote island of Delphi, off the coast of Donegal? And why now, 60 years after the event, just when Irish-American billionaire Shay Govern has tendered for a prospecting licence for gold in Lough Swilly? Journalist Tom Noone doesn't want to know. With his young daughter Emily to provide for, and a ghost-writing commission on Shay Govern's autobiography to deliver, the timing is all wrong. Besides, can it be mere coincidence that Karl Uxkull's tale bears a strong resemblance to the first thriller published by legendary spy novelist Sebastian Devereaux, the reclusive English author who has spent the past 50 years holed up on Delphi? But when a body is discovered drowned, Tom and Emily find themselves running for their lives, in pursuit of the truth that is their only hope of survival.

Libertus visits the villa of his absent patron, Marcus Aurelius one morning and comes upon a gruesome discovery, but worse things are to follow as news arrives from Rome which will turn the lives of the whole Empire upside down . . .

The comfortable, upper-class lives of the aristocratic Barsham family are set to change forever with the onset of World War I. August, 1914. The silver wedding celebrations of Sir George Barsham, MP, and his wife, Lady Adelaide, are overshadowed by the declaration of war with Germany. Over the following months, as the male estate workers head for the Front and the maids disappear to work in the newly-opened munitions factory, the Barsham family's comfortable, aristocratic lifestyle is set to change forever. Determined to do his bit for King and country, James Barsham enlists as an officer and heads for Flanders, leaving Lady Adelaide's maid Polly devastated. To Lady Adelaide's dismay, her younger daughter Millie learns to drive an ambulance: a most unladylike skill. Meanwhile Millie's sister Gina finds fulfilment in helping the local wives and children, left destitute while their husbands are away fighting. During the course of the war, with devastating loses, the strength of character of the four Barsham siblings will be tested as never before. They will encounter hardship, danger, heartache - and unexpected love.

When Errol 'Handy'White returns to his native Los Angeles to attend the funeral of his old friend R.J. Burrow, who has been brutally murdered, a terrible secret threatens to reveal itself. Twenty-six years earlier, Handy, R.J. and O'Neal Holden pulled a heist that went horrible awry, and Handy's been waiting for it to come back and haunt them ever since. Was the murder linked to the past? Handy knows he can't leave until he finds out for sure.

Food critic and blogger Tiffany Austin investigates a murder at a pizza baking contest in her Southern home town in this second instalment of the Tiffany Austin Food Blogger Mystery. "I was hooked from start to finish!" Laura Childs, New York Times bestselling author of the Tea Shop Mysteries on Eat, Drink and Drop Dead The Bon-Appetempting Pizza Bake-Off has the small town of Branson, Georgia buzzing. Not least its organizer, Southern Style's food critic and blogger Tiffany Austin. But right before the finals one of the celebrity judges falls ill, and to Tiffany's horror the magazine replaces him with none other than handsome TV star and restaurateur Bartholomew Driscoll. Tiffany once gave his restaurant a poor review, and she's convinced he's only accepted the job to get revenge. She fully expects Driscoll will find a way to ruin the contest . . . but she definitely doesn't expect to trip over his dead body backstage! Soon, it's clear Tiffany wasn't the only person who had less than positive feelings towards the sharp-tongued Driscoll. She's surrounded by suspects - but which of the motley crew of contestants, family members and scorned friends and colleagues had the guts to commit murder? With the help of her BFF Hilary and annoyingly handsome detective Bartell, and with cat Lily and puppy Cooper as emotional support, Tiffany investigates, only to discover that revenge is indeed a dish best served cold . . . A Crust to Die For is an appetizing culinary cozy for fans of Joanne Fluke, Lucy Burdette, Krista Davis and Jenn McKinlay. Lovers of smart, savvy female sleuths, twisty mysteries and mouth-watering food shouldn't miss it!

Life is looking up for Rina Martin, with the expected revival of her television career, but as her happy summer ends, storm clouds are on the horizon . . . Summer in Frantham had been long and lazy and DI MacGregor had enjoyed the peace and quiet after a traumatic year. In the Martin Household at Peverill Lodge, change is afoot. Tim is now engaged and preparing to move out, an event Rina views with a mix of pleasure and regret. She will miss Tim tremendously. And there is news of the revival of her television career. Lydia Marchant Investigates looks set to make it back onto the small screen But nothing stays peaceful for long. Old enemies have returned, the skeletal remains of a woman are found during excavations at the local airfield and then a man is murdered outside a local pub just a few miles away from Frantham. As the hot, peaceful summer ends, the autumn is set to turn nasty. Stormclouds are gathering, and Rina, Mac and their friends are about to be swept up into the maelstrom . . .

Wade Benedict has a job to do: infiltrate a treacherous land and rescue Chloe Madison. It was her father's dying wish - and Wade is taking it personally. The problem is, this stubborn, angry and courageous woman doesn't want to be saved. Her rage at the oppressive treatment of women has pulled Chloe into the dangerous world of an underground rebellion. She can't desert the women with whom she forged a darling alliance, and this self-appointed rescuer can't force her to abandon her friends or her commitments - even though her own life is at stake. But Chloe has met her match in Wade, a man as honorable and determined as she. As they make their escape through the treacherous mountains, unspoken passion wears away at the sharp edges that guard their hearts. And when deadly danger stalks them in Turn-Coupe, Louisiana, together they must face a battle that can only be won by the indomitable will of family . . . and of love.

Featuring the worldly wise DI Brock and his wry sidekick DS Poole. When a woman's body is found by the Thames river police, floating opposite the Houses of Parliament in London, it doesn't take DI Brock long to work out that she's been murdered. There are marks of a ligature around her neck, and signs that she engaged in sexual intercourse shortly before death. Further investigation reveals the woman was one of a stable of prostitutes run by a shadowy figure wanted in his native Australia. But the investigation presses other names upon Brock and Poole, and they must suffer several missed turns and pay the price for their assumptions before they get their man.

An intriguing 1930s country house murder mystery: first in the brand-new Florence Norris series - When there's a brutal murder at Mullings, ancestral home of the wealthy Stodmarsh family, housekeeper Florence Norris and local publican George Bird are determined to protect their nearest and dearest from suspicion. Could there be a connection with the mysterious 'ornamental hermit' who lives on the estate? It's up to Florence to find out.

'It comes so fast, I'm never prepared. It comes without warning.' Christmas is only two weeks away when Angela Steinhart 'sees' a bomb explode in her local shoppong centre - with horrific consequences. For once, she is listened to, but falls under suspicion of intending to plant a bomb herself. Meanwhile, an unhappy loner working as the store Santa Claus plans a Christmas surprise only Angela can foresee...

Policemen Harpur and Iles get mixed up in the criminal world of fine art dealing Detective Chief Superintendent Colin Harpur feels a sort of warmth towards Jack Lamb, a brilliantly prosperous but profoundly dodgy fine arts dealer. Lamb is the greatest informant Harpur has ever dealt with - might be the greatest informant any police officer has ever dealt with - and although Jack ended this arrangement some time ago, Harpur still feels indebted to him. Lamb's posh manor house is stuffed with expensive paintings, ripe for the pinching . . . and small-time thief George Dinnick and his crew intend to relieve him of a few. But their plans are complicated by local big-time crook Ralph Ember, who is on the lookout for some art to elevate his gentleman's club, The Monty; and who else would he visit to procure this art but Jack Lamb? Add to the mix odd-job man and stolen-art procurer Basil Gordon Loam - aka Enzyme - who Harpur and Iles would very much like to see locked up, and things start to get complicated indeed.

Bea Abbot's friend Leon Holland asks for her help to establish an alibi. But why does he need one? And is his life really in danger, as events seem to suggest? Then everything is thrown into chaos as a virus infects the Abbot Agency's systems ... deliberately. But why? Bea is about to find herself drawn into a vicious - and deadly - power struggle.

With her natural good looks, fashionable clothes and lavish use of make-up, Fiona Norwood, the rector's new wife, has caused quite a stir amongst the close-knit parish community of Aberthwaite. But Fiona is hiding a secret in her past, and with the gossip and rumour rife it can only be a matter of time before Fiona's secret is out - and the revelations and heartache that ensue will have unforeseen consequences for more than one member of the parish.

A cozy featuring the return of Mrs Pargeter For Mrs Pargeter, it is a matter of principle that she should complete any of her late husband's unfinished business. Amongst the many bequests he made to her, perhaps the most valuable is his little black book, in which he listed all the people who ever worked for him, with details of their particular skill sets. This means that whenever Mrs P has a crime to solve she can readily contact someone with the relevant expertise to help in her enquiries. Attending the funeral of the rich and respected Sir Normington Winthrop, because his is one of the names in the little black book, Mrs Pargeter sets out to discover the connection between Sir Normington and her late husband. Her investigations will draw her into a shady world of gun-runners, shifty politicians - and a kidnapped vicar.

An intriguing medieval mystery featuring sleuthing monk Brother Athelstan February, 1381. A ruthless killer known as the Ignifer - Fire Bringer - is rampaging through London, bringing agonising death and destruction in his wake. He appears to be targeting all those involved in the recent trial and conviction of the beautiful Lady Isolda Beaumont, burned at the stake for the murder of her husband. As the late Sir Walter Beaumont was a close friend of the Regent, John of Gaunt orders Sir John Cranston and Brother Athelstan to investigate. In the dead man's possession was a copy of the mysterious 'Book of Fires', containing the secret formula of a devastating weapon, the so-called Greek Fire. The manuscript has since disappeared, and Gaunt is desperate for it not to fall into the hands of the Upright Men, who are busy plotting the Great Revolt. Was Isolda really guilty of murder? Who is the terrifying Fire Bringer - and what does he want? Brother Athelstan is about to tackle his most challenging, and potentially dangerous, case yet.

Troubles never arrive singly for antiques dealer Lina Townend and her business partner Griff Tripp . . . - The local antiques fair Lina Townend and Griff Tripp set up stall at may be a disaster, but when a local director swoops in and begs Griff to star in her latest production, Lina hopes it will take Griff's mind off a problem he won't share. Lina's own good luck is non-existent - her relationship is going nowhere and her business is faltering. But there's worse to come: 'pranks' played on the Curtain Call cast turn nasty. Could the play's name be a terrible omen?

The enthralling new Burren mystery . . . April 1511, Ireland. Mara, Brehon of the Burren, is celebrating the christening of her son when she notices that three of her law students have disappeared from the party. The next morning, one of them is found dead on a lone mountain pass with suspicious wounds. He was carrying an important legal document that has now disappeared. But why did he choose to deliver it during the night, and what of the two other missing students? Mara must uncover the truth, and it at first seems that the stolen deed holds all the answers . . .

Having accepted a commission to ghost-write the autobiography of retiring racehorse trainer Elspeth Maudsley, it becomes increasingly clear to Harry Radcliffe that there are things Elspeth isn't telling him about her past. What's more, it seems that someone is determined to stop him writing this book - whatever it takes.