Historical Detective

1792, England: Lord Francis and Lady Ottilia Fanshawe are on their way home when their coach comes to a sudden stop. A woman is standing in the middle of the road - covered in blood. The woman refuses to speak but on further investigation they find the body of a man hidden in the woods. Ottilia insists on bringing the woman home to find out what occurred. But the more she finds out the more complicated the case becomes....

In "Hard Water," a historical fiction novel set in the scorching July of 1884, William Pinkerton has assigned Oliver Redcastle to capture a train robber who happens to be a tight-rope-walker. But this mission is anything but simple, as Redcastle finds himself entangled with two beautiful women, a dangerous cult, and reminders of his Civil War past. As old loves and hatreds are reignited, Redcastle must navigate a web of personal and professional hazards to complete his mission. Along the way, he encounters some of the most powerful figures in Midwestern industry and politics, including John...

When the luxurious Blue Train arrives at Nice, a guard attempts to wake serene Ruth Kettering from her slumbers. But she will never wake again - for a heavy blow has killed her, disfiguring her features almost beyond recognition. What is more, her precious rubies are missing. The prime suspect is Ruth's estranged husband, Derek. Yet Hercule Poirot is not convinced, so he stages an eerie reenactment of the journey, complete with the murderer on board.

Lisbon, May 1941 Lopes is a man on the edge. Trapped in a loveless marriage in a state that condemns divorce, his life is a series of disappointments. His mistress despises him, only tolerating his presence for the money he provides to care for their son. His career as a detective, once his sole distraction, has come to an abrupt end due to a matter of principle. But change is on the horizon. Unbeknownst to Lopes, someone influential within the state has taken notice of him. They require his unique skills, tenacity, and ingenuity to uncover a deadly secret hidden within the city. A secret ...

A brand new collection from Louis L'Amour, the legendary New York Times best-selling master of the short story. Here in Off the Mangrove Coast are fast-moving, historically detailed stories of the travails of extraordinary men and women struggling to break free, to capture fortune and fame, or find love. Here are the characters and the great tales that have made Louis L'Amour one of the world's most popular authors. Here are the works of a master craftsman which will live forever in the listeners' imaginations.

When Thomas Pitt is summoned to Queen Victoria's private chambers, he hardly knows what to expect. When she tells him that the body of one of her closest confidants - Sir John Halberd - has been found in the Serpentine, he knows he is facing his most daunting and dangerous investigation yet. Sir John was a man who kept many secrets, moving within a circle of the most powerful and prominent members of London society. And the more Pitt learns about Sir John's past, the more he puts himself and his loved ones at risk.

Beautiful young Elinor Carlisle stood serenely in the dock, accused of the murder of Mary Gerrard, her rival in love. The evidence was damning: only Elinor had the motive, the opportunity, and the means to administer the fatal poison. Yet, inside the hostile courtroom, only one man still presumed Elinor was innocent until proven guilty: Hercule Poirot was all that stood between Elinor and the gallows.

1930: Miss Clara Vale, chemistry major turned detective, is taking a night off from sleuthing to attend the launch party of a new exhibition at the Hancock Museum in Newcastle. But when the piece de resistance, a rare ornate sarcophagus, is finally opened and it turns out the mummy inside it is a fake it looks like there is no rest for Clara after all... Later that night, she is summoned back to the museum and asked to investigate a series of stolen Egyptian artefacts.

Framed in the doorway of Hercule Poirot's bedroom stands an uninvited guest, coated from head to foot in dust. The man stares for a moment, then he sways and falls. Who is he? Is he suffering from shock or just exhaustion? Above all, what is the significance of the figure 4, scribbled over and over again on a sheet of paper? Poirot finds himself plunged into a worldof international intrigue, risking his life - and that of his twin brother - to uncover the truth.

When a number of leading scientists disappear without a trace, concern grows within the international intelligence community. And the one woman who appears to hold the key to the mystery is dying from injuries sustained in a plane crash. Meanwhile, in a Casablanca hotel room, Hilary Craven prepares to take her own life. But her suicide attempt is about to be interrupted by a man who will offer her an altogether more thrilling way to die....

The city of Rome is agitated and distraught as every news broadcast opens with coverage of the shocking murder of two women, committed by an incredibly clever serial killer, who manages to vanish without a trace and who repeatedly mocks the police with the sarcastic notes he leaves behind at the murder scene. Money, power, drug cartels, and street gangs are mixed up in this affair, and everyone suspects everyone else. The murdered women worked as prostitutes in a nightclub with a dubious reputation, La Casa, located on Rome’s prestigious and famous Veneto Street, and the young chief of ...

It's Christmas Eve 1931. On the way to see a client, Maisie Dobbs witnesses a man commit suicide on a busy London street. The following day, the prime minister's office receives a letter threatening a massive loss of life if certain demands are not met—and the writer mentions Maisie by name. After being questioned and cleared by Detective Chief Superintendent Robert MacFarlane of Scotland Yard's elite Special Branch, she is drawn into MacFarlane's personal fiefdom as a special adviser on the case.

A ski holiday with friends at a mountain resort. What could possibly go wrong? It’s supposed to be the engaged couple’s vacation from sleuthing, instead they are confronted with a murder at the isolated hotel. Aside from their party, the guests are strangers to each other. And the victim was new to the area so who shot him and why? Rumors of a kidnap plot from an eccentric author, a Russian ex-pat pining for the old days of the Empire and a feuding staff add to the confusion of motives. With the help of the local sheriff, they discover a cache of money but then a young woman goes ...

A detective mystery novel set in the fictional coastal town of Scarhaven during an obscure historical timeframe. In the sleepy coastal town of Scarhaven, shadows of deception and secrets of the aristocracy wait to be uncovered. When the renowned actor Bassett Parker vanishes mysteriously after a rehearsal, the stage is set for a dramatic investigation. Enter Parker’s business manager, Goff, and an ambitious young playwright named Richard Copplestone. Together, they embark on a quest that will unravel the intricate web of lies enveloping Scarhaven. Their search leads them to the Theatre ...

The death of a fiendish nobleman strikes close to home as Sebastian St. Cyr is tasked with finding the killer to save his young cousin from persecution.

A vanished groom. A sealed room. A wedding no one will forget. Retired but restless, Sherlock Holmes accepts an invitation to a lavish wedding in sun-drenched Marrakesh — only for the groom to disappear during the ceremony from a room locked from the inside. Now Holmes and Dr. Watson must navigate a city of secrets, superstition, and simmering tensions to uncover the truth. Was it a magician’s trick, a lover’s betrayal, or something far more sinister? As shadows lengthen and another body turns up, Holmes faces a mystery more personal — and dangerous — than any he’s known since ...

The Leonides are one big happy family living in a sprawling, ramshackle mansion. That is until the head of the household, Aristide, is murdered with a fatal barbiturate injection. Suspicion naturally falls on the old man's young widow, fifty years his junior. But the murderer has reckoned without the tenacity of Charles Hayward, fiancé of the late millionaire's granddaughter.

It's October 1814. London suddenly finds itself in the grip of a series of heinous murders eerily similar to the Ratcliffe Highway murders of three years before. In 1811, two entire families were viciously murdered in their homes. A suspect - a young seaman named John Williams - was arrested. But before he could be brought to trial, Williams hanged himself in his cell. The murders ceased. But when the lead investigator is killed in the same brutal way three years later and others possibly connected to the original case meet violent ends, the city is paralyzed with terror once more.

Beautiful Caroline Crale was convicted of poisoning her husband, but just like the nursery rhyme, there were five other "little pigs" who could have done it: Philip Blake (the stockbroker), who went to market; Meredith Blake (the amateur herbalist), who stayed at home; Elsa Greer (the three-time divorcee), who had her roast beef; Cecilia Williams (the devoted governess), who had none; and Angela Warren (the disfigured sister), who cried all the way home.

Sixteen years later, Caroline's daughter is determined to prove her mother's innocence.

Hercule Poirot is travelling by luxury passenger coach from London to the exclusive Kingfisher Hill estate. Richard Devonport has summoned him to prove that his fiancée, Helen, is innocent of the murder of his brother, Frank. There is one strange condition attached to this request: Poirot must conceal his true reason for being there from the rest of the Devonport family.