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1953. Refugee Mei has tried to bury her 'gift' of speaking to ghosts, but then former silent film star Holly Zhang invites her to be one of six mediums competing over a series of séances at the infamous Maidenhair House. The startling summons revives Mei's link to the man who destroyed her life. The staggering reward on offer might explain why Mei agrees to take part, but the only prize she wants is revenge. Years later, the events of those nights have faded into urban legend but if Mei wants to finally lay the ghosts she carries to rest, she must uncover what really happened at Maidenhair House.

'Fans of Richard Osman, welcome to your new club' A. J. FinnSomething old, something red, something stolen, something dead. Sunset Hall, a house-share for the old and unusual, is gearing up as energetically as it's aged inhabitants can for Bernadette's big wedding day. However, with the RSVPs comes an anonymous note that threatens to cast a pall over the upcoming festivities. Agnes is in (somewhat begrudging) wedding planning mode and she and the not-so-sprightly gang of pensioners decide to hide the note from the betrothed, not wanting to cause stress. It is up to Agnes to dig into this poison pen letter, determined to help the wedding go off without a hitch . . . aside from the bodies they've already had to hide from the blushing bride. Till death us do part, which might be sooner than you think ... 'A quirky and charming cosy mystery' Katy Watson

April 1867. Amid the usual bustle at King's Cross, a large wooden box is loaded onto a train bound for Lincoln, its watchful escort insistent it remain in sight. But a daring robbery derails those plans, leaving behind a dead man and a vanished treasure. Detective Inspector Colbeck is called in after a plea from the Dean of Lincoln Cathedral to find the killers and recover a priceless silver model of the cathedral. With the annual Horse Fair flooding the city with visitors, Colbeck and Sergeant Leeming must navigate a web of confusion to track the culprit, although Colbeck grows certain the thief is still close at hand. But time is short, and the Railway Detective faces one of his most complex cases yet.

Italy, 1940. Lili Passigli's studies in Ferrara abruptly end when Mussolini's Racial Laws mark her as Jewish and 'inferior'. With Fascist propaganda spreading and hatred staining the city, the world around Lili darkens further with Germany's invasion of northern Italy. Stranded in Nazi-occupied territory, Lili and her best friend Esti, along with Esti's young son, must flee south with the help of the Resistance. On this trek through the war-ravaged country, they face untold challenges and devastating decisions as they fight to reach the Allies and freedom.

At Marigold Cottages, landlady Mrs B only rents to favoured tenants, and they're an eccentric (read: odd, slightly broken) bunch. There is anxious playwright Sophie, agoraphobe Hamilton, single mum and sculptor Ocean, perfectionist Lily-Ann, and the mysterious Nicholas. Their quirky community is upended when ex-con Anthony moves in and a dead body turns up on their doorstep shortly after. The police arrest Anthony, but Mrs B, convinced of his innocence, confesses instead. Horrified, her tenants form the 'Marigold Cottages Murder Collective' to clear her name. When a second body appears, they discover every resident has something to hide - and the killer may be closer than they think.

1900. Archaeologist Abigail Wilson returns to the Eternal City as a guest speaker for a festival on Classical Rome, although she also hopes the trip will be a well-earned holiday for herself and her husband, private investigator Daniel Wilson. However, the bloody history of the ancient arena seeps into the present with the violent murder of one of Abigail's colleagues and his wife at the Colosseum itself. Moving from the Forum to the Spanish Steps, Rome is suddenly the backdrop of another investigation for the Museum Detectives who clash with local authorities and a rising mafia influence in a race to uncover the truth.

October, 1942. Thousands of American GIs are stationed across eastern England building airfields to bomb Nazi Germany and Cambridge's dance halls and pubs are a hot spot for Yanks on leave. Detective Inspector Eden Brooke is called to the aerodrome east of the city when the remains of an airman, identified by his dog tag, are uncovered by workers extending the runway. However, this is no recent burial. A fresh murder means that a black US serviceman faces the hangman's noose, but Brooke sees through the clouds of tension and prejudice and believes he sees an innocent man.

Nico Doyle, former NYPD detective, now feels at home in his late wife's sun-drenched Tuscan hometown, spending his days helping at the family trattoria. But Gravigna is thrown off balance by the arrival of Michele Mantelli, an influential wine critic who can make or break local businesses, and he seems to have it in for the vineyards belonging to Aldo, Nico's landlord. When Mantelli is poisoned, the local police have the headache of a high-profile murder on their hands, and Nico is called in to help. But narrowing down the pool of suspects will mean untangling the roots of local rivalries that go deeper than anyone expects. First published as The Bitter Taste of Murder

1948. The shadow of war still lingers over Britain and Beattie Cavendish, former Secret Operations Executive agent, refuses to settle into civilian life. When offered an undercover role at the newly formed GCHQ, the nerve centre of Britain's intelligence network, she doesn't hesitate. Her first mission is to infiltrate the powerful Bowen family and find out what she can about politician Ralph Bowen who is suspected of being a communist sympathiser. Her mission takes a deadly turn when the Bowen's housekeeper, Sofia, has her throat cut. As the investigation spirals, Beattie teams up with war-weary detective Patrick Corrigan to expose a dangerous web of spies and secrets all leading back to The White Pearl Club, a Soho establishment that caters to gentlemen with dangerous appetites. As powerful forces attempt to bury the truth, Beattie must survive a ruthless game of deception and the dark underbelly of 1940s Soho at the dawn of the Cold War.

When Mary Russell was a child, she adored her Uncle Jake, the black sheep of the family. But she hasn't heard from him in many years, until he presents himself at her door with an abundance of problems for his clever niece to deal with. Not the least of which is the reason the family rejected him in the first place: his involvement in the infamous disappearance of the Irish Crown Jewels from Dublin Castle in 1907. It was a theft that shook a government, enraged a King and threatened the establishment. Juggling conflicting loyalties and international secrets, Russell is entangled in the web of a case that not even the great Sherlock Holmes could solve.

'Echoes of David Peace's Red Riding Quartet - a slice of Yorkshire Noir to savour' - Chris SimmsOctober, 1995. Adrian Brown's second year at Leeds University is a blur of throbbing bass line and neon-lit nights out. However, a violent encounter with a man he met in a basement club has the power to sober him up. Sheila Hargreaves, who has grown fond of Adrian following their brush with the infamous Lollipop Man, has written a book about the murders and is busy with a new TV show, Yorkshire CrimeTime. And then her erratic co-presenter Tony Tranter goes missing, and his body turns up riddled with stab wounds. Could his death be linked to recent violent attacks on me? oving from dark city corners to the glare of the TV studio lights, Sheila and Adrian find themselves on the trail of another killer. 'Sellers is a writer of pulse-pounding tension. Every book hits the mark perfectly. I'm a huge fan - Michael Wood''Fabulous suspense, gut-churning tension and terrific plotting had me gripped' - MK MurphyGripping and engrossing, this is another unforgettable thriller from Sellers, a writer at the height of his powers. I raced through it at the speed of light' Awais Khan'A powerful brew' Peterborough Evening Telegraph'The Devil's Smile is yet another brilliant slice of gritty Northern Noir, a must read for crime readers everywhere' The Derbyshire Times

May, 1941. Amid the turmoil of the Blitz, the body of a St Paul's chorister is found in the cathedral crypt. Detective Chief Inspector Coburg and Sergeant Lampson face a delicate investigation within London's most cherished landmark. The dead man was far from popular, and the cathedral's wartime staff - Night Watch volunteers, clergy - and visitors offer no shortage of suspects. When the inquiry uncovers ties to Bletchley Park's secret operations and a murky trade in art and rare books, the mystery deepens. And when the killer strikes again, Coburg must act swiftly to preserve both justice and the sanctity of St Paul's.

St Ives in summer hides its shadows well. And as the season gets underway, Chief Inspector Louis Peppiatt is handed a cold case: the disappearance of a local farmer over thirty years ago. Among his first stops is Merrin McKenzie, connected to the troubled family and to Peppiatt through a previous investigation. But who's still hiding the truth decades late? s Peppiatt and Merrin follow the faint threads of the past, they uncover shocking secrets and betrayals that expose the darker undercurrents of their seemingly peaceful Cornish town.

January 1901. Abigail and Daniel Wilson, often lauded as 'The Museum Detectives', are on their way to the Great Pyramid at Giza. Their explorations, including the Robbers' Tunnel, take a very sinister turn when they come upon the body of a man who has been brutally murdered. Investigations by the local police reveal him to be Simeon McGruder, an American writer who was penning an article about the mysteries of the Sphinx. When Daniel and Abigail return to Cairo they are asked by the American Embassy if they can take on the case, but they have a difficult path to tread as they try to keep different factions onside: the British and American authorities, the puppet Egyptian Government and officials, while at the same time facing lies and deviousness from McGruder's associates and friends.

Simmy Brown is four months pregnant, working partly from home, partly from her Windermere florist shop and very much feeling her age when her husband, Christopher, asks her to deliver flowers to Eleanor Padgett. As anexpert in antique textiles, Eleanor has been a considerable help to him at his auction house. The visit out to the charming Lake District village of Dacre is squeezed into Simmy's endless to-do list. It is a moment of calm to appreciate the approach of spring and the interesting churchyard, but this is shatteredwhen she discovers the body of a young man among the graves. It is not long before Simmy once again finds herself in a complex and puzzling investigation, led by DI Moxon and aided by her friends Ben and Bonnie.

The famed Malabar Rose, a priceless ruby destined for Queen Victoria, is placed under the protection of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson. Yet, in the most baffling of circumstances, the jewel vanishes without trace. Could the theft be linked to illusionist extraordinaire the Great Salmanazar? While Holmes and Watson wrestle with the mystery, it is Mrs Hudson - sharp-witted as ever - and her resourceful maid Flotsam who uncover the grand deception at work. For devotees of Sherlock Holmes, this series offers both a faithful echo of the original mysteries and an inventive reimagining of life below stairs at Baker Street.