British Authors Mystery

Three British couples meet around the pool on their Florida holiday and become fast friends. But on Easter Sunday, the last day of their vacation, tragedy strikes: the 14-year-old daughter of an American vacationer goes missing, and her body is later found floating in the mangroves. When the shocked couples return home to the UK, they remain in contact, and over the course of three increasingly fraught dinner parties they come to know one another better. But they don't always like what they find.

Penny is invited by Alex Adamas, her secret crush, to a glamorous evening at the Vienna State Opera. But she quickly discovers that there are no romantic motives behind this rendezvous. Alex is on the trail of a poisoner at the opera house, and soon Penny is up to her ears in a new case. One that's going to challenge her in every way…

In MI5 a scandal is brewing and there are bad actors everywhere. A key member of a Downing Street think-tank has disappeared without a trace. Claude Whelan, one-time First Desk of MI5's Regent's Park, is tasked with tracking her down. But the trail leads straight back to Regent's Park HQ itself, with its chief, Diana Taverner, as prime suspect. Meanwhile her Russian counterpart has unexpectedly shown up in London but has slipped under MI5's radar.

Following the suspicious deaths of his uncle and his cousin, Phineas Webster returns reluctantly from America to take up his position as the new Duke of Ely. Shocked to find the estate in ruins, the stables and pastures empty, Phin is even more disturbed to find himself greeted by a beautiful woman pointing a shotgun at him. Celeste Stirling, whose mother died in the same accident that claimed the life of the old duke, has been looking after the estate since his death. Having been persuaded not to shoot him, she agrees to stay on and help Phin restore the estate. The pair also delve into ...

Movie star Mary Marvell consults with Hercule Poirot after receiving threatening letters that warn her to return her diamond, the famous "Western Star", to its rightful owner. But who does own the diamond, and is it even the genuine article?

Dorothy Martin and her husband, retired Chief Constable Alan Nesbitt, go on a trip to Orkney in Scotland to visit an old friend and see some intriguing Stone Age excavations. They realize there’s considerable dissension between the archaeologists and the principal donor for the newest dig, a wealthy and abrasive American. When a more recent corpse is found at the dig, various suspects are named, but there’s not enough evidence to bring a case against anyone.

When you look in the mirror, who do you see? With Mandy the haunted doll now safely ensconced in Mason Town Museum, sealed in a glass case, Shady Groves and her colleagues, Annie and Ray, can relax. After a fashion. The small-town museum they run is not like others, it’s a place that seeks to contain and understand artifacts and relics charged with negative energy. Their aim is to gradually reduce how potent that energy can be, and the destruction it can lead to. All is well, until Shady chances upon a mirror in a thrift store. The reflection staring back at her is not quite her own.

Tommy and Tuppence Beresford wait anxiously for a letter from Russia that may contain information of international importance hidden beneath the stamp. The letter is anticipated by more than just the Beresfords, and they must fight to keep the information from getting into the wrong hands.

Vincent is the beautiful bartender at the Hotel Caiette, a five-star glass-and cedar palace on the northernmost tip of Vancouver Island. New York financier Jonathan Alkaitis owns the hotel. When he passes Vincent his card with a tip, it’s the beginning of their life together. That same day, a hooded figure scrawls a note on the windowed wall of the hotel: ‘Why don’t you swallow broken glass.’ Leon Prevant, a shipping executive for a company called Neptune Avramidis, sees the note from the hotel bar and is shaken to his core.

Words can kill A famous author is found dead at the Lakeside Inn, leaving a manuscript bursting with secrets. Amelia Farnsworth, with her feline companion, Lady Grey, dive into a mystery. Guests with quirky talents and suspicious motives ramp up the drama. A conspiracy theorist whispers of aliens while a retired magician’s tricks aren't all on stage. A chef’s magical meals stir intrigue with red herrings adding zest to the rousing investigation. As the annual harvest festival approaches, danger lurks around every corner. Will Tumblebrook's charm crumble under the weight of deceit? ...

Nigel Bird and his stories have appeared in so many places that it’s about time the best of them were brought together in one collection. His work has also received so much praise that this collection should be a must for the fan of the short story, particularly those fans with a taste for noir, crime or unusual fiction. Praise for his work and, indeed, for some of the stories collected here includes: 'A tremendous writer.' Donald Ray Pollock (The Devil All The Time) 'A rare talent.' Allan Guthrie (Bye Bye Baby) ‘I was surprised by every story. These are short, punchy, thoughtful, hard ...