Victorian Suspense

An 18th century castle full of mystery and dark secrets is the setting for murder and forbidden romance in this captivating Gothic historical romance novel by Sophia Queen. What would you do to escape an arranged marriage to a ruthless lord? Karina Rouelle must flee her uncle's home in the night and hide her true identity from society by becoming an undercover spy with an elite, all-female investigative agency. Her first assignment, posing as a governess at Westford castle in order to investigate the suspicious death of the Countess of Westford, quickly becomes complicated when she finds ...

Near destitute after the sudden death of her wastrel husband, Lady Pipworth must find a way to support herself and her young nieces until her brother returns home to assume his role as head of the family. Thanks to her three brothers who raised her, Adalia's one outstanding skill in life is gambling, and with a dower house now at her disposal, plans to fill the coffers - scandal begetting or not - begin to take shape.

A nail-biting story full of romance and hijinks, A Lady's Destiny follows along as our heroine attempts to free herself from her abductors and unravel a mystery before it’s too late. Mrs. Beatrice Marsh has sworn off all love after her husband’s death, despite the fact she’s only twenty-two years old, but her sister Diane is convinced she’s making a mistake. After a matchmaking scheme goes awry and Beatrice is abducted during Diane’s attempt to match her with a family friend, a handsome widower with little interest in moving on from his shadowed past, the unlikely pair are forced ...

When wealthy banker Sir Gerald Mariner posts a handsome reward for finding his missing infant, all of London joins in, hoping to win that money for themselves. Usually discouraged by a saturated market, photographer and private detective Sarah Bain is instead curiously allured as she realizes the case hits much closer to home than she first thought.

Forbidden to marry Heath, the one man she truly loves, Lydia Catherine Hayden, an American heiress from Boston, boards a train and heads west to become a mail-order bride when matchmaker, Milly Crenshaw, introduces her to Wyatt from Iowa. Five years have gone by, and she isn’t interested in any of the society gentlemen of whom her father would approve. Her love for Heath has turned to a mild hate since hearing he married someone else. When the Wild Whitman Gang involved in an Iowa train robbery use orphans traveling west as human shields to make their escape, they converge on Lydia’s ...

Lord Ackley's grand estate is on the brink of collapse, burdened by debts that imperil his family's legacy. In a last-ditch effort to save his home, he makes a Faustian bargain with the formidable Duke Manchester, trading his daughter's hand in marriage for a lifeline to solvency. Aislinn, Lord Ackley's beautiful daughter, is oblivious to the dark forces driving her family's fate. She's swept off her feet by the charming Duke Manchester, but their love is forbidden, and the consequences of discovery are deadly. As the Ackley family's secrets begin to unravel, a sinister presence lurking ...

Severine de Cabrillac, orphan of the French Revolution and sometime British intelligence agent, has tried to leave spying behind her. Now she devotes herself to investigating crimes in London and finding justice for the wrongly accused. Raoul Deverney, an enigmatic half-Spaniard with enough secrets to earn even a spy's respect, is at her door demanding help. She's the only one who can find the killer of his long-estranged wife and rescue her missing 12-year-old daughter.

Ghost stories date back centuries, but those written in the Victorian era have a unique atmosphere and dark beauty. Michael Sims, whose previous Victorian collections Dracula’s Guest (vampires) and The Dead Witness (detectives) have been widely praised, has gathered twelve of the best stories about humanity’s oldest supernatural obsession. The Phantom Coach includes tales by a surprising and often legendary cast, including Charles Dickens, Margaret Oliphant, Henry James, Rudyard Kipling, and Arthur Conan Doyle, as well as lost gems by forgotten masters such as Mary E. Wilkins Freeman and W. F. Harvey. Amelia B. Edwards’s chilling story gives the collection its title, while Ambrose Bierce ("The Moonlit Road"), Elizabeth Gaskell ("The Old Nurse’s Story"), and W. W. Jacobs ("The Monkey’s Paw") will turn you white as a sheet. With a skillful introduction to the genre and notes on each story by Sims, The Phantom Coach is a spectacular collection of ghostly Victorian thrills.

Sarah Bain and her friends Lord Hugh Staunton and Mick O'Reilly are crime-scene photographers for the Daily World newspaper. After solving a sensational murder, they're under pressure to deliver another big story. On a foggy summer night, they're called to the bank of the River Thames. The murder victim is an unidentified woman whose face has been slashed. But as Sarah takes photographs, she discovers that the woman is still alive.

A Devil’s Bargain – A Gothic Tale of Love, Curses, and the Shadows That Bind Us There are houses that whisper. Houses that breathe. Houses that remember every soul that ever dared to cross their threshold. Ravenshade Manor is one of them. When Evelina Harrow arrives at the decaying estate, she believes she’s simply settling a family debt. But from the moment she steps inside, the house knows her name. The walls shift when she isn’t looking. Shadows move where no light should be. And then there’s Lucien D’Armand—the cursed and enigmatic lord of Ravenshade, a man who walks the ...

With the scandalous nature of her birth to live down, Isabella Fairmont dreams of a proper marriage—even if a passionless one. She saves her deepest desires for the novel she dares to pen, wherein a handsome lord with dark powers seduces her. But then her courtship with an appropriate suitor is threatened by the sudden attentions of the reclusive Earl of Black… whose pale blue eyes and brooding sensuality are exactly as she described in her book.

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 ...

Following a humiliating fourth season in London, Lady Elizabeth Fraser is on her way back to her ancestral country estate when her train careens off the rails and bursts into flames. Though she is injured, she manages to drag herself and her unconscious mother out of the wreckage, and amid the chaos that ensues, a brilliant young railway surgeon saves her mother's life. Elizabeth feels an immediate connection with Paul Wilcox - though society would never deem a medical man eligible for the daughter of an earl.

Can Miss Louisa Smallwood trust the man who has stolen her heart? Or, should she heed the warnings of the companion her father has chosen? Given one more Season by her father, Miss Louisa Smallwood is delighted when he finds a companion for her, a Miss Martin. However, things do not go according to plan when Miss Martin attempts to prevent Louisa from spending any time with Lord Williamson. Viscount Daniel Williamson has never felt any such affection for anyone before, but now that he has met Miss Smallwood, he can think of nothing other than being in her company. However, Daniel is caught ...

This is the second volume of short stories by USA Today best-selling author, M. Louisa Locke, set in the gas-lit world of Victorian San Francisco. The first story, Beatrice Bests the Burglars, finds Mrs. O’Rourke, the O’Farrell Street boardinghouse cook, home alone and in danger. In Dandy’s Discovery, something odd is happening at the boardinghouse, but Dandy, the Boston Terrier, discovers the culprit and all is well.

The Rayne family is trapped in a rut of bad luck. And now, it's up to Lady Theodosia Rayne to steal back the Theodosia sword, a gladius that was pilfered by the rival, loathed Renshaw family. Hopefully, recovering the stolen sword will break the cycle and reverse her family's fate. Damian Renshaw, the Duke of Devlin, is feared by all - all, that is, except Lady Theodosia, the brazen spitfire who enters his home and wrestles an ancient relic from his wall.

Worcester, April 1893. Detective Inspector Ravenscroft receives a strange note from a lonely old woman fearing for her life. But when he visits her, she is already dead. Did Miss Maud Fincher's heart give out or was she scared to death? Maud Fincher was part of a group of locals trying to speak to their deceased loved ones through the medium of séance. Ravenscroft thinks this is harmless nonsense . . . until the old lady's last surviving heir is murdered.

A mystery that surrounds Julianna’s family could lead her to the man that steals her heart. Miss Julianna Newton is struggling to return to a society that does not want her. A year after her brother’s death, she has been blessed with a kind sponsor, who helps her secure invitations to the most exclusive events of the London Season. Much to her surprise, she finds that one Lord Sharpe is determined to help her make the right acquaintances, due to a promise he made to her late brother, Francis. When Lord Sharpe and Miss Newton spend more time together, strange happenings occur, forcing ...

1887, the Cornwall coast. For years, rumors have flown through the village of Suttonsbury about Ashthorne Hall—that its occupants hoard pirate treasure, that a ghost walks its halls—but botanist Hyacinth Bell only cares about the estate’s extensive one-of-a-kind orchid collection. As an independent woman, she is eager to focus on her career, even if it means waiting to pursue a romantic relationship. After all, love—like an orchid—must be nurtured and tended before it can bloom. What she doesn’t expect is to be swept away by Lucas Harding, the manor’s caretaker, upon their first meeting.

Can love truly overcome anything? The ‘Shadows’ are now all wed and settled – save for one. Lady Ann is the only one left unmarried, feeling alone and set apart from the others. It is just as well that she has found herself sought out by Lady Sapphira. The lady is desperate for the ‘Shadows’ to help her discover who has been sending her poison pen letters, finding each one more distressing than the last. Throwing herself headlong into solving the puzzle and protecting Lady Sapphira, Ann cannot help but notice one particular acquaintance, Lord Aldridge. But can she really allow her...