British Women Detectives

A cosy mystery compilation perfect for fans of Sally Smith, Steve Higgs, LJ Ross, Robert Thorogood, and Richard Osman. When she relocates to Spain’s Costa del Sol, Karen McLaren turns her back on an unfaithful husband and a long teaching career. She arrives at the Club Britannia complex for the over-60s carrying many plans for her future… …finding herself investigating crimes along with an eccentric group of Spanish and expat friends isn’t one of them. But Karen discovers she has a real talent as an amateur sleuth. She’s aided by her sharp intellect, the expert lip-reading skills ...

Charlotte Lockwood and Angus Darrow, private investigators based in Exeter, Devon, are approached by a convicted murderer who insists that he's innocent. The case is a cold one, and all evidence points towards his guilt. With their investigative skills put to the test, Lockwood and Darrow must delve deep into the past to uncover new leads and evidence. But the more they dig, the more confusing the case becomes. As they unravel the mystery, they begin to question whether the convicted murderer is telling the truth or simply trying to manipulate them. Can they uncover the truth behind the ...

London, 1850: A young Charles Lenox struggles to make a name for himself as a detective...without a single case. Scotland Yard refuses to take him seriously and his friends deride him for attempting a profession at all. But when an anonymous writer sends a letter to the paper claiming to have committed the perfect crime - and promising to kill again - Lenox is convinced that this is his chance to prove himself. The writer's first victim is a young woman whose body is found in a naval trunk, caught up in the rushes of a small islets in the middle of the Thames.

Judgement is in the eye of the beholder Adrian Harvey, London wine merchant, has lost the Christmas spirit. Someone is stalking him, stealing his post and vandalising his shop. When the police question him after an anonymous tip-off, he's more than anxious. He's scared. And who is that nun? Long time neighbour and friend DI Beatrice Stubbs is dispatched to Germany to investigate a series of apparently related art thefts, so Adrian seizes the chance to flee the city. He follows her to Hamburg to do some Christmas shopping and visit his ex. Yet the stalker is still on his heels. While ...

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!

Feisty, passionate Beatrice Steele has never fit the definition of a true lady, according to the strict code of conduct that reigns in Swampshire, her small English township—she is terrible at needlework, has absolutely no musical ability, and her artwork is so bad it frightens people. Nevertheless, she lives a perfectly agreeable life with her marriage-scheming mother, prankster father, and two younger sisters— beautiful Louisa and forgettable Mary. But she harbors a dark secret: She is obsessed with the true crime cases she reads about in the newspaper.

When a series of women are stabbed to death in their showers, DI Charlie Reed puts her neck on the line, disregarding the orders of her superiors in a desperate bid to catch the killer before they can strike again. DI Charlie Reed is called to the scene of a murder in Fallowfield, a young woman found stabbed to death in the shower. The attack was frenetic, the victim suffering more than a hundred wounds. And yet there is no trace of evidence at the scene. With the help of her faithful sidekick DS Paul Rigsby, Reed investigates and a man is brought in for questioning. But while he is in ...

A brilliant amateur sleuth – much like Miss Marple – falls to her death on the staircase of her old grand hotel. The police believe it was an accident. But her granddaughter is convinced: it was murder. After all, her grandmother was working on a dangerous case. Penny Küfer, still in training to become a licensed detective, is sent to uncover the truth – in the family's remote, crumbling grand hotel that hides more than just dust and cobwebs. A break-in at the dead woman’s archive, strange long-term guests, whispers of hidden diamonds … the case quickly spirals out of control. ...

Detective Sergeant Ashley McCoy is about to face her most challenging case yet, when her own brother is accused of the callous murder of a young woman. Though desperate to prove his innocence, Ashley is prevented from investigating the case. Instead, she is sent to solve a strikingly similar murder. As she struggles with the immense pressures of work, her own personal life starts to implode when her partner abandons her. Just as things can’t seem to get any worse, a past case comes back to haunt her. Sometimes it takes the pain of the past to uncover the mysteries of the present…

It was supposed to be the perfect reunion: six university friends together again after twenty years. Host Ali finally has the life she always wanted, a career she can be proud of and a wonderful family with her college boyfriend, now husband. But that night her best friend makes an accusation so shocking that nothing will ever be the same again.

Relics. Risks. Revelations. Angus Darrow just wants to finish renovating his Exmouth flat. Charlotte Lockwood just wants something — anything — to distract her from the endless smell of paint. When the local museum reports missing artefacts, Charlotte takes the case. But what seems like a simple undercover job soon turns into something far more sinister. Meanwhile, Angus can’t shake the feeling that something isn’t quite right with his neighbour... As Charlotte and Angus race to uncover the truth, it’s not just missing artefacts they need to worry about… it’s staying one step ...

Susan Elia MacNeal introduced the remarkable Maggie Hope in her acclaimed debut, Mr. Churchill's Secretary. Now Maggie returns to protect Britain's beloved royals against an international plot - one that could change the course of history. As World War II sweeps the continent and England steels itself against German attack, Maggie Hope, former secretary to Prime Minister Winston Churchill, completes her training to become a spy for MI-5.

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.

An ex-husband. A former best friend. A kidnap. When Charlotte's ex-husband Idris, the newest star of the Vipers' Nest TV Show, is kidnapped, his current wife Michelle reaches out to Charlotte for help. It's a difficult request, considering that Idris cheated on Charlotte with Michelle, who was once Charlotte's closest friend. Despite the painful history between them, Charlotte agrees to help Michelle track him down. Working alongside her partner Angus, they set out to uncover the truth behind Idris's disappearance. With only a handful of clues to go on, they must race against time to find ...

DI Sheridan Holler is used to solving crimes on Liverpool’s streets, but after a decayed corpse turns up in a cemetery, she finds herself reopening not one but two cold cases. Seven years earlier, two women were gunned down and the only suspect, small-time drug dealer John Lively, was never seen again. Case closed. Until the body in the cemetery is identified as his.

The theft of a priceless emerald neckless leads to murder and Blythe, the Dowager Duchess of Ashby along with Bow Street Runner Owen Kennedy must rely on a lie to find the killer before they become the next victims.

A new assignment for Penny Küfer! Has Niní Delight, the head of a luxury lingerie chain, really taken her own life with arsenic? The young woman had everything one could wish for: the villa of her dreams, professional success, a famous burlesque diva for a sister and, on top of that, a mysterious new lover. Who’d want to end such a life in this way? The police have ruled out foul play. But—as Penny will soon discover—nothing is what it seems in the world of silk, French lace, and glamour...

Inspector Ralph McGinniss, Lord of the Realm, returns to his ancestral seat at Daroonga Castle in Oxfordshire for his annual holidays, only be called upon to investigate the housekeepers’ death from his cousin’s estate. Agnes Tonbridge is found dead on the front lawn. Was this an accident, or a chance to cover up other dealings by the inhabitants? Bedwin Hall is full of surprises. Lady Petunia, the daughter of the house is under suspicion. Ralph’s brother Stephen McGinniss is making a nuisance of himself with the Inspector’s fiancé, Lady Annabelle Frampton. Claire Lane, noted ...

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…

'This book was epic. I enjoyed it from the first page till the end!' - Bookbub reader Man-eating soap star Melody Montague is divorcing her first husband, fellow actor Patrick Hunt, but there's a problem. Melody's copy of the pre-nuptial agreement has been lost, an oversight that stands to cost the actress several million pounds. Charged with sorting out the unholy mess are ex-barrister turned private eye Maggie Bainbridge and her faithful assistant Jimmy Stewart. So far, so perfectly routine. But the players start to die, and each time, the killer leaves his deadly calling card. A severed ...