British Detective Mysteries

The Vanishing Act By Claire Winfield In the quiet Yorkshire village of Beckwith, the disappearance of librarian Eleanor Bird barely ripples the surface—until Detective Inspector Martha Davies is called in. At first glance, Eleanor seems like the kind of woman who might slip away unnoticed: quiet, solitary, unremarkable. But as Martha begins to unravel the threads of her life, a different picture emerges—one of a woman with a radical past, hidden names, and secrets buried deeper than the village wants to admit. With the help of Eleanor’s anxious colleague Penny, and a growing unease ...

When famed mystery author Imelda Bywater turns up dead during her annual seaside writing retreat, recently retired police detective Mike Atwell can't resist the chance to solve one more case. Teaming up with his quirky ex-wife, Sharon, and genius teen hacker, Dexter, Mike finds himself pulled into the glitzy world of writers, agents, and obsessive fans on the hunt for Imelda's killer. Everyone's a suspect—from Imelda's cuckolded publisher husband, the kooky married writers next door, and even the arrogant guest upstairs. The list keeps growing as secrets and lies unravel.

When Constable Evan Evans and his new fiancée decide to travel south from home in Llanfair, Wales, to visit his mother in Swansea, they're not expecting the disturbing news that greets them on their arrival: the young thug convicted of murdering Evan's father several years earlier is suspected of murder once again.

World War II has finally come home to Britain, but it takes more than nightly air raids to rattle intrepid spy and expert code breaker Maggie Hope. After serving as a secret agent to protect Princess Elizabeth at Windsor Castle, Maggie is now an elite member of the Special Operations Executive–a black ops organization designed to aid the British effort abroad–and her first assignment sends her straight into Nazi-controlled Berlin, the very heart of the German war machine. Relying on her quick wit and keen instincts, Maggie infiltrates the highest level of Berlin society, gathering information to pass on to London headquarters. But the secrets she unveils will expose a darker, more dangerous side of the war–and of her own past.

X, one of the least used letters of the alphabet. But for Detective Chief Inspector James Thaw and Detective Sergeant Kevin Friday, there were far too many X’s for their liking. Investigating a kidnapping involving the wealthy Mayhew family, the detectives soon find themselves immersed in a series of murders, each more baffling than the last. Only DCI Thaw pieces together what is really going on. Only he can see that “X marks the spot” is the key to the whole mystery.

Chapel of Shadows is a gripping, psychological thriller that follows the journey of Tom Shearer, a seasoned detective on the verge of retirement, as he uncovers a chilling conspiracy. When Shearer is relegated to investigating cold cases due to failing health, he stumbles across a disturbing pattern: a series of victims linked to the same psychiatrist, Dr. Malcolm Quarrie. As Shearer digs deeper, he discovers that these seemingly unrelated cases may not be accidents — they might be the work of a manipulative mastermind with a dark agenda. But Quarrie is no ordinary criminal. He’s a ...

In appearance Hercule Poirot hardly resembled an ancient Greek hero. Yet, reasoned the detective, like Hercules, he had been responsible for ridding society of some of its most unpleasant monsters. So, in the period leading up to his retirement, Poirot makes up his mind to accept just 12 more cases: his self-imposed "Labors". Each would go down in the annals of crime as a heroic feat of deduction.

For LA producer Larry Brooker, this is the movie that could bring the fortune that has so long eluded him.... For rock superstar, Gaia, desperate to be taken seriously as an actor, this is the role that could get her an Oscar nomination.... For the City of Brighton and Hove, the publicity value of a major Hollywood movie being filmed on location, about the city's greatest love story - between King George IV and Maria Fitzherbert - is incalculable.

Jake Hughes cannot run from the fact that he is entering a head on collision with the Mob! Six weeks earlier Jake Hughes was living the quiet life in America with his wife Emily, They decide to take their annual vacation, walking in England. A chance meeting during the walk awakens a hidden memory in Jake, dragging him into direct conflict with a powerful Mafia Family, catapulting him into a a game of cat and mouse, challenging life or death! He teams up with, Jonty Ball, a retired detective inspector, between them they thread the pieices of an unsolved murder twenty years earlier. Is it ...

Some people will do anything for family … even kill. After a frantic missing persons case goes wrong, private investigator Thomas Blume is facing a wrecked car and a disastrous winter when a mysterious invitation arrives, promising a big payday with only one catch … he must solve the case of a murdered billionaire. But when Blume realizes something far more valuable than money has been taken from the victim, he finds himself battling across country mansions, dark alleyways, and through layers of intrigue, family feuds, and corporate conspiracy, to enter a dangerous world of ...

When a fire consumes a remote girls’ boarding school in Sussex, the death of a single unnamed student is quietly dismissed as tragic misfortune. But when Evelyn Everly is handed the official report, one detail refuses to let her go: a surviving shoe, stitched with a name that matches her own. Drawn into the school’s shadowed history, Evelyn discovers a pattern of disappearances, a hidden trust fund, and a web of silence that leads disturbingly close to her own ruined family. As she pursues the truth, old enemies resurface—and someone clearly wants her investigation buried. With help ...

Soaring to the edge of Earth’s stratosphere, a 1912 scientific expedition traveling aboard a uniquely designed dirigible sets out for advanced observations of the moon and stars. Yet lies, hidden agendas and personal conflicts threaten the mission. Amidst all this, an unexpected love affair draws two passengers together. Daschle’s heart has been shattered by one who did not return his love for her. Irina could be his salvation as their journey takes them to the edge of Heaven and back.

London 1884. When a thief robs Fleet Street reporter Penny Green, she finds herself caught up in a horrifying murder. Someone is terrorizing the residents of St Giles Rookery, and Scotland Yard sends Inspector James Blakely to investigate. When the serial killer claims a victim outside the slums, Victorian London is sent into panic. Can Penny's friendship with the people of St Giles uncover the culprit? She and James must overcome their complicated relationship to work together, but each new murder threatens to derail their work for good.

A summer wedding.... An eccentric aunt.... What can possibly go wrong? Libby's instincts tell her there's something amiss in the picturesque villages, small towns, and rural farms of Exmoor. Then, people begin to disappear.... She's joined forces with on-off partner Max in a private investigation business, but she's getting cold feet about the idea of marriage. After all, it's taken plenty of hard work to regain her independence after her husband's death. Meanwhile, a sinister new acquaintance sends shivers down her spine....

For an instant the two trains ran together, side by side. In that frozen moment, Elspeth witnessed a murder. Helplessly, she stared out of her carriage window as a man remorselessly tightened his grip around a woman's throat. The body crumpled. Then the other train drew away. But who, apart from Miss Marple, would take her story seriously? After all, there were no suspects, no other witnesses...and no corpse. This title was previously published as What Mrs. McGrillicuddy Saw!

World War II rages on across Europe, but Maggie Hope has finally found a moment of rest on the pastoral coast of western Scotland. Home from an undercover mission in Berlin, she settles down to teach at her old spy training camp, and to heal from scars on both her body and heart. Yet instead of enjoying the quieter pace of life, Maggie is quickly drawn into another web of danger and intrigue.

On the day of Alec Salter’s fiftieth birthday party, his wife, Charlotte, vanishes. Most of the small English village of Glensted is at the party for hours before anyone realizes she is missing. While Alec brushes off her disappearance, their four children—especially fifteen-year-old Etty—grow increasingly anxious as the cold winter hours become days and she doesn’t return. Then Etty and her friend Morgan find the body of Morgan’s father—and the Salters’ neighbor— Duncan Ackerley, floating in the river.

It had been a typical New Year's Eve party. But as midnight approaches, Mr. Satterthwaite - a keen observer of human nature - senses that the real drama of the evening is yet to unfold. And so it proves when a mysterious stranger knocks on the door. Who is this Mr. Quin? Mr. Satterthwaite's new friend is an enigma. He seems to appear and disappear almost like a trick of the light. In fact, the only consistent thing about him is that his presence is always an omen - sometimes good, but sometimes deadly....

Halloween means parties and the local residents association are planning a get-together at the Queen Languoreth to celebrate Halloween. However, with everyone out in the street at the same time, this opens the window for a gang of cat-phobic robbers to come in and take advantage. Leger and Ginger have overheard the men planning the robbery in an alleyway but can they uncover the identity of Gus and Andy in time? Meanwhile, a local man has discovered the body of a cat who looks just like Leger and taken the body to Annabella for burial. Annabella isn't sure it's really Leger who has died but...

With her books sporting other people’s names, ghostwriter Jake O’Hara works behind the scenes. But she never expected a séance at a New York apartment to be part of her job. Jake had signed on as a ghostwriter, secretly writing for a grande dame of mystery fiction whose talent died before she did. The author’s East Side residence was impressive. But her entourage—from a Mrs. Danvers-like housekeeper to a lurking hypnotherapist—was creepy. Still, it was all in a day’s work, until a killer started going after ghostwriters, and Jake suspected she was chillingly close to the ...