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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

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.

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.

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.

'As Rebecca Tope tells it, every rural idyll is blighted by underlying menace. Such is her writing skill, I'm inclined to believe her' Daily MailWith the approach of autumn, a heavily pregnant Simmy Brown is anticipating the imminent arrival of her new child and juggling the move of her florist business to Keswick. A bouquet order to be delivered to the beautiful but remote Eskdale is an awkward addition to Simmy's to-do list. There she encounters three generations of women - and the next day, one of them is brutally murdered. Drawn into the mystery, Simmy and her friends soon find themselves navigating eccentric artists and fractured families. As her new assistant Evie proves unexpectedly determined to try her hand at sleuthing, and tangled motives begin to surface, Simmy realises the truth is darker than anyone imagined - and closer. And time is running out, in more ways than one. 'A Rebecca Tope novel, be it one of her Lake District, Cotswold or West Country Mysteries is a guarantee of a complex, page turning plot that will keep the reader guessing until the last page. A thoroughly enjoyable read which I heartily recommend.' Mystery People

One city, one day, and a battle of wills reaches boiling pointJoseph Severin, a respectable North London businessman, has a lucrative side job. He's doing the books, old school (because these days the only trail you can't trace is a paper one) for a rogue MI5 outfit, the Shadows, headed by psychopathic Sebastien. However, when the game is rumbled, Sebastien sends hitman Mr Phipps to kill Severin and get those books back. The spider web of collateral damage will be extensive, taking in Lottie, for whom Severin has developed a sudden, wild passion; Sonya, a Russian escort with a desperate deadline; and at MI5, the ambitious Ellerby, who has them all in her sights. It's the hottest summer in fifty years and in the shadows, a deadly domino effect is about to spill out into the harsh light of day. An earlier version of this book was published as One London Day by C.C. Humphreys, now expanded and revised 2026.

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.

London is sweltering and housemaid Flotsam longs for a break from the oppressive heat, although housekeeper Mrs Hudson remains unruffled. However, Baker Street is about to be consumed by an extremely weighty matter: the last Will and Testament of armaments tycoon Charles Belladonna. Belladonna left his considerable fortune to an only son who went missing, stolen from his cot, years before. Now not one but seven young men appear, each claiming to be the long-lost heir. The tangled case draws the War Office's attention, and a demand for Mr Sherlock Holmes's assistance. Only the razor-sharp minds above and below stairs at Baker Street stand a chance of uncovering the truth and foiling the sinister forces at work. For readers who treasure Conan Doyle, the Holmes & Hudson series offers a loving homage, enriched by fresh voices in the Holmes and Watson household.

London, 1883. The brutal murder of Rose Parmiter, beloved cook at Evergreen House, shatters the sanctuary Rebecca Harris has built for vulnerable women and children. As grief grips the household, unsettling events begin to stir - echoes of a past that refuses to stay buried. The malign legacy of the Everley family, who called Evergreen House home, casts a sinister shadow, and when two more lives are claimed, dread spreads through the refuge. Rebecca must draw out the poison of the past before Evergreen's promise of hope is consumed by darkness.