The Backward House

A fiery young socialite. A savvy ex-soldier, damaged by war. Bright and Wallace's first case is a conundrum in the countryside.
In 1920s Scotland, Wylie Wallace is a shrewd and worldly veteran of the Great War, struggling to find his place in Edwardian society. When his childhood friend Sylvia Bright meets him for tea and cakes, Wallace is shocked to find Sylvia escorted by police. She tearfully explains that her husband Michael has been murdered at their lavish home close to Edinburgh - and she's the prime suspect. As Michael's eccentric family are summoned to the off-kilter homestead, Bright and Wallace bond over Sylvia's pluck and intelligence, and Wallace's courage and wisdom. But as they delve deeper into the guests' quirks and grudges, violence erupts, and Bright and Wallace forge an investigative partnership, determined to shed light on a house full of shadows. Jim Carmichael's Bright & Wallace mysteries are cosy crime thrillers set in a period of hardship and hope. Colourful characters and authentic period detail, with plenty of twists, false trails, and nefarious villainy.