British House

When Mr. Rushworth, the former husband of Edmund's sister Maria, is discovered dead in his home, Jonathan and Juliet find themselves with problems far weightier than the marriage market. In one of the greatest scandals of its day, Maria abandoned her new husband in favor of the notorious rake Henry Crawford, and when he wouldn't marry her, was forced to flee to the continent in disgrace. Now Maria is back, accompanied by a daughter she claims Mr. Rushworth fathered after their divorce—and who he wrote into his will just before his death.

The life and adventures of Thomas Cochrane, a young man who rose from midshipman to admiral, are so extraordinary that, to paraphrase Patrick O'Brian, one has to suspend disbelief. In fact, O'Brian admitted to using Cochrane as the model for his character Jack Aubrey. Second only to Nelson among the heroes of the Royal Navy, Cochrane became a household name in Britain during the 1800s as the Admiralty called upon his extraordinary skill as a sailor, his mastery of gunnery, and his daring use of ruses...

This is another of the great action-packed stories taken from the records of Cornwall’s Company of Archers. The mouse-eaten parchments on which this particular tale is based were found in a chest at the Bodleian Library during the 1887 renovation of its basement. It is the witty and almost true story, with a bit of embellishment that Harry Flashman would have enjoyed, about the early days of the Windsor family during the early days of Britain's rise as a great military power and the founding of the great merchant companies that came to have more power and commanded more allegiance than ...

Georgina Drake’s job photographing beautiful Hartington Hall takes a dramatic turn when she enters the ancient ice house to find the lady of the manor dead on the floor. The second wife of the irascible owner of the hall, Karen Berry had plenty of enemies. Her death could have been an accident, but when Georgina hears how Karen had argued with her husband, alienated her two step-daughters, and fired the long-standing housekeeper for theft, she’s not convinced.

The Open Championship returns to St. Andrews, Scotland, the Home of Golf. But an official with the Links Trust turns up dead, stuffed into the Bottle Dungeon at St. Andrews Castle, and, as usual, Hacker has to help find the killer. There are Russians everywhere in the Auld Grey Toon, along with a famous U.S. resort developer, and an alcoholic caddie on the run. Luckily, Hacker has his significant other, Mary Jane, along for the ride, with an ending no one sees coming.

Alastair Niven has plied a career as a writer, a lecturer and an administrator, including as director of literature at both the Arts Council and the British Council. He was president of English PEN during an epoch of controversial change and has had a special interest in Africa dating from his university years. Dedication to public service finally led him to Cumberland Lodge in Windsor Great Park, where he headed its royal foundation for discussion of educational and ethical issues.

The woman in white—surreal artist Damaris Gethin—has invited a select group to the opening of her exhibit Artist in Crime, held in the eerie subterranean Hades Gallery. As costumed models reenact famously violent deaths, the artist herself portrays Marie Antoinette on the day of her execution, complete with a guillotine on the stage. It's not a prop; within ten minutes of Rachel's promise to solve Damaris's future murder, the artist slips her neck into the collar of the device and the very real blade sends her head rolling at the feet of her horrified audience.

This clean and wholesome regency romance follows the adventures and exploits of a sensible widow, a managing earl, an absent-minded botanist, a high-strung heiress, a coldhearted guardian, and a villainous kidnapper.

Haunted Montague by Harper Stanwick, Sr. is a gripping mystery fiction novel set in the eerie, fog-shrouded valleys of the English countryside during the early 20th century. This chilling story of secrets, shadows, and psychological suspense will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. Explore the haunting mystery surrounding Montague Hall, a sprawling estate with a dark past. Follow Major Sauer and his friends as they uncover secrets buried deep within the ancient walls of the house. Encounter eerie apparitions, unsettling whispers, and chilling discoveries that will leave ...

Nora Fallon quits a lucrative career in a London publishing house to open a bed and breakfast in Ireland. Despite her enthusiasm for the new venture, Nora’s motives aren’t purely business. Not only leaving her career, but Nora is also abandoning the man she adores but can’t have - Dylan Cooney. Returning to the small town of Boyle in Ireland where she grew up, Nora is determined to break from her unhealthy relationship. She purchases an old home on the edge of town and restores it to its former glory. As she works to make the Cara Maith B&B a success, she pushes the thoughts of one ...

Jas’ fantasy is Mr. Darcy, elegant balls, and amusing assemblies. So romantic. Jas’ reality? Rory, boring work, and painting the hall. Not romantic … at all. An accidental purchase of a lover’s locket enables Jas to time travel back to its origins: the Regency era. Her excitement is short-lived, however, when she realizes she is not just an observer but is inhabiting the real lives of real, living people; people never mentioned in any of Jane Austen’s novels; people whose lives are neither romantic nor elegant. So much for fantasy. Seeking romance in the Regency era seems like a ...

‘A man does not leave school at fourteen, make a fortune by forty and go on to become a skilful and powerful politician without ruthlessness.’ Hugh Mason was the kind of man it was very easy to hate, if you were not susceptible to his particular kind of charm. He had of necessity hurt a lot of people on his way up. Taciturn and enigmatic, his extended family did not really know him well. At a weekend gathering for his 60th birthday, it slowly becomes apparent that Hugh plans to give substantial funding and support to a new right-wing political group called the Freemen. The next morning ...

Christmas at a fairytale German castle turns into a nightmare for Agatha and Eustace… Agatha and Eustace along with their Basset hound, Talleyrand, agree to spend Christmas with their friend Ernst Marlow at the castle of his friend in the middle of Germany’s Teutoburg Forest. They expect a holiday filled with snow-covered landscapes, roaring fires, and festive cheer. But as they arrive at the ancient fortress, they are met with a chilling atmosphere that feels more like a scene from a Grimm’s fairytale than a cozy winter retreat. The castle, steeped in legends of dark forests and ...

Emily Winters would do anything for her best friend Josie. Every week they meet for a catch-up at the Old Boathouse - an idyllic little café by the Thames where Josie’s boyfriend Jack works. As the summer draws on, life seems perfect. Emily’s writing career is taking off and she’s throwing herself into the dating scene. There’s just one problem: she compares all the men she meets to Jack. And none of them measure up.

If someone was in your house, you’d know...wouldn’t you? But the Hunter family are deaf and don’t hear a thing when a shocking crime takes place in the middle of the night. Instead, they wake up to their worst nightmare: the murder of their daughter. The police call Paige Northwood to the scene to interpret for the witnesses. They’re in shock, but Paige senses the Hunters are hiding something. One by one, people from Paige’s community start to fall under suspicion. But who would kill a little girl?

One of the most controversial royal figures of the twentieth century, Princess Margaret was admired as well as vilified for most of her adult life. However, she was deemed 'witty, wicked and wonderful' by those who knew her well and this charismatic Princess did much to help bring the monarchy and its attitudes into the modern world Adored younger daughter of King George VI and only sister of Queen Elizabeth II, Margaret was born a pre-war princess whose world was hugely impacted by the strictures and protocol of another age, leading to conflict and misunderstanding in both her private and ...

Dana didn’t heed the warning about not using the house on the island at Christmas time. She went ahead and did it anyway. But some doors are better left unopened. When Dana and Sterling decide to escape London’s dreary confines, and spend Christmas at the families island house, they defied a Christmas tradition. No one should spend Christmas day at the cove. When the couple arrive they discover a ghostly Christmas tree, its candles burned to stubs, and a dust-covered copy of A Christmas Carol, relics of a bygone era. But their fascination turns to horror when the veil between the living...

An altogether different kind of book on English gardens - the first of its kind - a look at the history of England’s magnificent gardens as a history of Britain itself, from the 17th-century gardens of Charles II to those of Prince Charles today.

Amber ignored the tales of Gull's Nest, the sea-cliff house shrouded in dark history. When she realizes the legends are terrifyingly real, it's already too late. Amber's world spiraled into the unknown when her brother, Jeremy, ignored all cautions and bought Gull's Nest, an eerie house perched on a sea cliff, notorious for its dark past. Jeremy's disturbing visions were hardly a shock, given his penchant for delving into the mystical, beyond mere earthly indulgences. Amber's visit to Gull's Nest took a chilling turn when she was greeted not by her brother, but by the police, demanding she ...

The Birds seem to be the perfect family: mother, father, four children, a picture-book cottage in the country. But one Easter weekend, something happens - something so unexpected, so devastating, that no one can bring themselves to talk about it. The family shatters, seemingly for good. Until, years later, they are forced to return to the house they grew up in, and to confront what really broke the family apart.