Murder Most Holy

Brother Alcuin is sure that the dead brother he is praying over has been murdered.  Bruno did not slip on a set of stairs and bash his head in as Father Prior has determined.  Alcuin also knew that the killer had meant to kill him, not Bruno.  However, Alcuin’s prayers would not be answered, for he was to disappear as he prayed.

Elsewhere Sir John Cranston has been challenged by the Lord of Cremona to solve a mystery.  John of Gaunt has guaranteed the thousand crown sum, which the Lord has bet.  If Cranston were to lose, he will beholden to Gaunt, and he does not want that.  He only has a short time to solve the conundrum.

And at Athelstan’s church, which is under renovation, a skeleton holding a crucifix is found beneath the altar.  Unfortunately, the church records have disappeared, so they have no idea to whom the skeleton belongs.  When Cranston arrives, he takes the opportunity to examine the skeleton.  He determines that it belonged to a young woman and that she had been strangled.  He also is sure that she has only been there for no more than fifteen years.

The following day a man claims that he had prayed alongside the skeleton’s coffin, and now his arm was healed.  Athelstan’s parishioners believe that they have a saint on their hands.  Athelstan is not so sure.

Prior Anselm of Blackfriars comes with Cranston and asks Athelstan to investigate the mysterious deaths, which are happening, for Bruno’s death is not the only one now.  One of the first things that Athelstan discovers is blood on a candlestick, despite the friars stating that one of the friars has simply fallen from a ladder and bashed in his head.  Unfortunately, the night they are there, one of the friars apparently commits suicide, however, Athelstan and Cranston quickly determine that it is another case of murder.

Can they stop further murders from occurring and also solve the puzzle given to Cranston, or will he be forced into a life of penury?

Author Paul Doherty has written an amusing, yet complex murder mystery in this thriller.  A thoroughly enjoyable read.

Why Kings Confess

Surgeon and anatomatist, Paul Gibson has just stumbled on a badly injured woman.  When he checks on her, she asks him to check on her friend, which Gibson does.  He is shocked not only to find him dead but cut open and his heart removed.

The man was a French doctor newly emigrated to London, Gibson finds out based upon his papers.  He is unsure whether the woman will survive.  So, he calls upon his friend, Viscount Devlin, for help.

Going to the site of the killing, Devlin is unable to find much, until he is just about to leave.  He discovers a footprint in blood.  Surprisingly it is the footprint of a woman’s shoe.  Later that day Lord Jarvis warns Devlin off his investigation.

In an attempt to help a French woman’s child, Devlin and Gibson learn from her that there seems to be a connection to Marie-Therese, daughter of the late Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette.  Having travelled to speak to Marie-Therese, Devlin and Tom, his tiger, are set upon by highwaymen.  Fortunately, they escape, but Devlin is sure that someone is wanting him dead.

There are more deaths to come.  Is it an attempt to upset the peace feelers that Napoleon is trying to establish with Britain or is there something more sinister?  What is the connection to Devlin? 

Author C. S. Harris has those answers awaiting Devlin and Gibson in the remaining pages.  Another good rollicking read in this series by this historical novelist.

The Woman Before Me

Cate Austin is a newly minted prison  probation officer.  She quickly learns that the guardians in the prison have no use for their charges.  Her first case is that of Rose Wilks, a woman who had killed a child.

When Cate meets Rose’s partner, she discovers that Rose and Jason are not married.  Rose has not told her this.  Jason’s ex, Emma, was the mother of the boy Rose is accused of killing.  They had given birth at the same time and were in the hospital together.  Only, shortly after Rose and Jason’s son had died.  She befriended Emma.  Jason also tells Cate that Rose will never be able to have another child.

Now it is Cate’s job to determine whether Rose should be released on parole.  Is she remorseful for the death that she had caused?  She interviews Rose, and those closely involved in the incident.  Based on what she has learned, can she recommend release?

Author Ruth Dugdall has interspersed throughout this psychological thriller, the thoughts and reminiscing of Rose, which she records in a black book.  It is only after the decision of the Parole Board that Cate gets to read it.  Dugdall’s novel was a different, yet intriguing kind of read.

What Darkness Brings

The Earl of Hendon has just approached Viscount Devlin to investigate the murder of a jeweller.  His daughter, Kat Boleyn is married to Russell Yates, the man accused of the murder.  She and Devlin has at one time been lovers, and she actually didn’t want Hendon to approach Devlin.

Devlin begins his investigation at the site of the murder.  The butler informs him that the victim had been visited by a man who looked very much like him, although he appeared to be older.  He goes to see the man who he recently accused of murder.  The man, Jamie Knox, gives him an old manuscript, which he had planned on selling to the victim.  He also denies knowledge about the death of the victim.

From an exiled Frenchman, Devlin learns that the victim was in possession of a blue diamond, that he was selling for one Thomas Hope.  However, Hope denies any knowledge of a blue diamond.  However, an acquaintance of Hero, Devlin’s wife, suggests that the victim might have been trying to sell the diamond to the Prince Regent.  Devlin also learns the provenance of the blue diamond.  It had at one time been part of the French Crown Jewels.  Could Napoleon’s agents be trying to get the diamond back?

Author C. S. Harris has Devlin doing an extensive search for the killer.  It is through the help of his wife, Hero, that he comes to a surprising discovery, and the apprehension of the missing diamond.  This was a thoroughly enjoyable read.

No Simple Death

Detective Garda Sergeant Mike West and Detective Garda Pete Andrews have been called out to a churchyard where a body has been found on top of a grave.  The pathologist, Dr. Niall Kennedy thinks that the man has been dead about ten hours.

The men assigned to examine the area quickly locate the murder weapon, which was a large kitchen knife.  The killer must have been very confident to have dropped it so close nearby.

The words on a note found in the pocket of of the victim seem to have a profound effect on the woman who found the body, but she refuses to admit anything to West.

Through connections, Andrews discovers the identity of the victim.  His name is that of a man who is missing and apparently the husband of the woman who found him.  Why didn’t she recognise him?  Checking the file of the missing man shows that it is not the same man.  West returns to the hone of the woman only to find that she is gone.

One of his team suggests that the words on the note is a place in Cornwall, so West travels there and surprisingly finds the missing woman there.  She too was there chasing what she thought her husband had hinted at in the note.

West learns a bit about the missing man from the woman, but more from a call from Andrews.  Apparently he is a con artist and is currently married to someone else.  Back in Cornwall, he discovers that the missing man has now been killed.  What is the connection between the two?

Will West and his team find the connection and thereby discover the killer before he kills again?  Author Valerie Keogh has created an interesting plot that doesn’t just involve murder that crosses international boundaries, but also has a deeper crime involved.  Keogh definitely catches the reader’s attention and holds it.  A thoroughly enjoyable read.

Where Shadows Dance

Surgeon Paul Gibson had requested a particular body from the Resurrection Men. He had apparently died of heart failure at an early age, however when Gibson had him on his dissection slab he discovered that the cause of death was a stiletto inserted into the base of his skull.

Gibson immediately turns to his friend, Viscount Devlin.  How could Devlin investigate a murder that apparently never occurred? 

The first thing that Devlin discovers is that the victim had worked for the Foreign Office.  Later that same day, Devlin is shocked when miss Hero Jarvis accepts his offer of marriage.  They had had one brief encounter in the past and now both thought this was the best solution in light of the circumstances.  Despite the quickly upcoming nuptials, Devlin continues with his investigation.

Shortly after this, Magistrate Lovejoy has a badly decomposing body delivered to Gibson.  He discovers that the man had been killed in the same fashion as the first victim, and it appears from what they learned about this victim, the killing occurred on the same night as the first.  Gibson informs Devlin, who then finds out that the man was an American and the ship he had arrived on departed very quickly.

The investigation turns nastier when Hero is kidnapped.  Is this for ransom or some international political reason?  What must Devlin and her father do to get her back?

Author C. S. Harris presents both Devlin and Hero with a major conundrum.  Can he rescue her, and will this solve the issue of  Identifying the killer?  Harris also has a surprise for the reader in this thriller.  A very enjoyable read.

She Lies in Wait

DCI Jonah Scheens and DC Juliette Hanson are on the scene of an apparent homicide.  It is at a campsite where thirty years ago seven kids had camped, but only six had gotten up in the morning.  Scheens is positive that the remains belong to a teenage girl by the name of Aurora Jackson.

Scene-of-crime-officer, Linda McCullough, initially is unable to determine the cause of death, but is able to confirm the identity of the remains due to dental records.  There were packets of drugs also found near the body.  Is it possible that the kids she was with at the time killed her and hid the body?

Scheens is well versed with the case because he was a young constable at the time.  He quickly has his team begin to review the old case notes.  The team begins to interview the people who had been with Aurora on the night she disappeared.  Scheens is caught off guard when her sister reminds them that she had mentioned her sister’s English teacher had been past their campsite that same evening.

Which one is lying, or are their stories distorted by time?  One evening Scheens comes across a fire at the home of one of the group.  Is the killer attempting to intimidate the group?  The following morning Hanson informs him that there had been a similar fire there several years earlier.  Coincidence or something else?

How can Scheens’ team solve this long ago crime, when even he has some personal issues to be dealt with?  Author Gytha Lodge teases the reader with a number of suspects and hints at Aurora’s last hours throughout this thriller.  An excellent read and hard to put down.  I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

What Remains of Heaven

Lord Jarvis is with the Prince Regent when news is brought to him that the Bishop of London is dead.  It isn’t long after that that the Archbishop of Canterbury shows up at the home of Viscount Devlin in the company of his aunt.  The Archbishop wants him to investigate the murder of the bishop.

In the ancient crypt where the bishop was murdered there is also a body that had lain there for thirty or forty years with a knife lodged in its back.  Magistrate Sir Henry Lovejoy wonders if there might be a connection between the two killings.

Devlin learns from the bishop’s chaplain that he was an abolitionist, which could have meant that he had enemies.  He wants to look into the bishop’s recent appointments, and is surprised when he finds out that Miss Hero Jarvis has just asked about them, too.

Speaking to Hero, she directs him to a man who she claims threatened the bishop.  He in turn directs Devlin to William Franklin, son of Benjamin Franklin.  Franklin doesn’t dispute that he had had an argument with the bishop, but his argument had momentarily followed another the bishop had had with a local butcher.

Devlin turns to Kat Boleyn to see if she can get information about the possibility that the bishop was being blackmailed.  He also learns from Tom, his tiger that the butcher’s son is home from the war and threatening to kill a certain lord, who was his officer.

Then the priest who discovered the body before the bishop was murdered identifies the body to Devlin.  With this new knowledge, he turns to his aunt for more information on the person who had been dead for so long.

Devlin’s adventures are far from done.  Author C. S. Harris has intrigue and danger ahead for him and his tiger, Tom.  Will he come out of the scrapes whole or will he be a new man?  Harris has provided the reader with another rollicking historical thriller.

Once Upon a Time

An elderly man has fallen down and struck his forehead on something.  Unfortunately, he died in the snow and cold.  Inspector Michael Green has some doubts despite the autopsy showing death from natural causes.  He decides to begin an investigation.

Green’s initial feeling about the family of the deceased is that there is something strange about them.

After the weekend Green takes DS Brian Sullivan with him to Renfrew to check into the deceased’s police record.  They are surprised to find out that the deceased was Polish, not British like his wife.  Going through the deceased’s rural home they find identity papers that appear to be German, Wehrmacht in fact.

As Green’s investigation progresses, he finds that there could be a connection to the Holocaust.  Was the deceased a survivor or was there something else to his story?  Had this become a personal quest of Green’s because he was also Jewish?

Author Barbara Fradkin takes the story of one old man and ties it in with the stories of two other old men and their connected past.  Inspector Green has a lot of travelling to do before he can make the connections. A good, quick read.

Where Serpents Sleep

Hero Jarvis, daughter of Lord Jarvis, was at Magdalene House interviewing a young prostitute when men broke into the house.  She and the young woman escaped, but during the escape the young woman was shot and killed.  Hero has now approached Lord Devlin and asked him to find out who she was.

Devlin turns to his valet, Jules Calhoun, for information about brothels near Portman Square.  Calhoun suggests one in particular and warns Devlin about the owner, stating that people who upset him have a tendency to end up dead.

When Devlin visits the house where the young woman had worked, he seems to have stirred up a hornets’ nest.  He also learns the full name that she went by.  Could the brothel keeper have been the one who killed her?  Further investigation gains the facts that someone had a special interest in her.  More information points to a certain magistrate with the Bow Street Runners who had been rough with her a few times.

Having established the young woman’s true identity, Devlin approaches her father, but the lord asserts that his daughter is in the country, despite Devlin showing him evidence to the contrary.

As Devlin gathers information, he comes across a plot to kill the prime minister.  It would appear that the woman who was killed had heard the men talking of their plans, so they had to take action To eliminate her so that she wouldn’t tell the authorities.  How many more will die before Devlin can stop the killers?

Author C. S. Harris has a daunting task before Devlin can find the killer or killers.  His task isn’t made any easier by Hero Jarvis, yet she does provide some insights and a few witnesses to help Devlin.  Harris has written a very good historical thriller.  A good read.

Why Mermaids Sing

Sir Henry Lovejoy, magistrate for London, has called Viscount Devlin to the scene of a brutally butchered body of a young man.  It is similar to another body found a few months earlier.  Devlin want his friend, Paul Gibson to do the autopsy.

What did the two victims have in common, other than wealth and aristocracy?  Another thing in common was that something had been stuffed in their mouth, but not the same thing.

Devlin is at first reluctant to become involved, but after the victim’s father tells him to keep his nose out, he decides to go ahead and investigate.  What he and Gibson discover reminds them of a captain in the army they had served with in Portugal.  Devlin sends his tiger, Tom, in search of the captain, who now serves as a member of the Horse Guards.

A few days later Lovejoy requests Devlin join him on a trip out of town to investigate a brutal murder that had occurred earlier.  The young victim was the son of a rector and had no connection to the other two victims.  Once again, the victim had had something stuffed into his mouth.

Devlin is reminded of a poem that seems to tie the victims together.  Then another killing happens; it seems to follow in the steps of the previous killings, but not the brutality. 

Author C. S. Harris has written a fast paced thriller, that has Devlin in more trouble than out of it.  How many more deaths will he have on his plate to solve before he can get his hands on the killer?  Can he withstand the shock that the author has in place for him, and be able to carry on?  A thoroughly enjoyable, quick read.

When Gods Die

The Prince Regent has been caught in a compromising situation; he is found in his room with a young woman in his arms.  The thing is, she has a knife protruding from her back.  Lord Jarvis asks Sebastian, Viscount Devlin, to investigate.  He shows Devlin the necklace on the woman’s neck.  Devlin recognises it as the necklace that his mother used to wear.

Devlin asks that his surgeon friend, Paul Gibson be brought to examine the body.  Paul suggests that she had been killed elsewhere and then brought to the room where the prince found her.  He also states that she was dead before the knife was thrust into her back.

The husband of the victim had assumed that she was still in London, not in Brighton, where the murder apparently occurred.  She was pregnant and unable to travel down with him.  He also suggests that his nephew, and heir, wasn’t particularly happy when he married the young woman.  Devlin decides to return to London to check on things there.

One thing that he learns is that on the day she died, the victim was not wearing a necklace.  Could the necklace’s connection to the Stuart dynasty have anything to do with her death?

Author C. S. Harris has Devlin and his tiger, Tom experience a number of rollicking adventures and threats to their lives as they work hard to find out who killed the young woman and why.  A thoroughly enjoyable read.

The House of the Red Slayer

Coroner John Cranston has come to Athelstan’s church to request him to join him at the Tower in London to investigate a murder.  Cranston reveals to Athelstan that the Constable of the Tower has his throat slit during the night.  He had also received a written warning earlier.  There are a number of suspects.

Outside the North Bastion, where the Constable has lodged for his own safety, Athelstan discovers a buckle in the snow.  They now have a solid clue of the assassin. They commence questioning the main guests in the Tower.  The victim’s daughter provides a note, which had been sent to the victim along with a seed cake.  Athelstan knows this is a warning from the famous Assassins beyond the Middle Sea.

Could it be possible that there might be more to die at the hand of the assassin?  The following day one of the friends of the Constable falls from the wall of the tower, and another receives a message similar to the one the Constable had.  Athelstan learns more of the background of the Constable and his friends.  Now he and Cranston have to determine who the killer could be.

Author Paul Doherty has set Athelstan a virtually impossible task, but by using logic, the priest is able to ascertain who the killer is.  Another enjoyable read.

The Alchemist's Daughter

Bianca Goddard is the daughter of an alchemist.  Her mother was very knowledgeable about herbs and cures.  Bianca combines both their knowledge.  Her friend, Jolyn, has come to visit with a complaint about an upset stomach.  Bianca gives her a mint tea, but in a very short time, Jolyn is writhing in discomfort and then is dead.

The coroner and constable will likely want to charge Bianca with the death, since Jolyn was with Bianca at the time of her death.  Bianca is determined to find the true cause of her friend’s death.  An older man by the name of Meddybemps, who sells her salves and balms from his cart is prepared to help her as best he can.

When Bianca is attacked in her own home and left unconscious, she is fortunate that her boyfriend, John showed up soon after, otherwise she could have frozen to death due to an open window and door.  Undeterred, she decides to continue to determine what had caused her friend’s death.

Having determined the cause of her friend’s death, Bianca is sure of who the killer is.  However, when Constable Patch shows up to arrest her, he also informs her that her suspect is dead.  Bianca imprisoned in The Clink.  How will she get out of there and prove her innocence?

Author Mary Lawrence has Bianca escape The Clink in a surprising way.  However, that is not the end of her search for the truth.  Bianca must overcome terror before she is truly free.  Lawrence has written an engaging novel.  An enjoyable read.

What Angels Fear

A young actress has been found brutally murdered in the Lady Chapel of a church.  Alongside the body was found a pistol that is definitely the possession of Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin.  However, Magistrate Sir Henry Lovejoy is not convinced that the evidence is sufficient to warrant a charge.  On the other hand, his boss, Lord Jarvis wants the man arrested.

As they are about to leave his house, one of the constables pulls a knife on Sebastian.  Unfortunately, the other constable accidentally stumbles into the knife.  The first accuses Sebastian of the killing.  There is only one thing left for him to do, and that is run.  Lord Jarvis is not impressed.  On the other hand, it could make controlling Sebastian’s father easier in parliament.

Sebastian felt he had three options, surrender and hope the truth would come out, flee abroad or do his own investigation.  An urchin by the name of Tom offers his services to Sebastian at the inn where he spends the night.  With the police in hot pursuit, they become a team outside the law.

Sebastian also checks in with a former lover, Kay Boleyn.  She was a friend of the dead actress.  She offers to help.  He also goes to Paul Gibson, a former army surgeon who now does autopsies.  Gibson offers to do an autopsy, but it will mean involving a grave robber.

As Sebastian and Tom continue their investigation, Sebastian learns that his nephew was constantly pining after the dead actress.  He also learns that she could have been working as a spy for the French.

Where does the truth lie and who is responsible for the killing?  Author C. S. Harris has a difficult task ahead for Sebastian, his new right hand man, Tom and friend Paul Gibson.  They have plenty of suspects, but no proof.  Harris has written a good thriller full of adventure with a surprising conclusion.  A very good read.

At the Dying of the Year

Richard Nottingham has just returned to work as Constable of Leeds after being stabbed in the stomach half a year ago.  It was a close run thing, but he is glad to be back to work despite the discomfort he still feels.  He is shocked when he goes to deliver his morning report to the new mayor, and discovers that this mayor only meets with people by appointment.

That same morning, Deputy Rob Lister was called to one of the bell pits.  Inside he discovered the bodies of half a dozen children.  Nobody had noticed that they were missing because they were vagabonds.  They had been cruelly used, abused and killed.

They aim to get the killer, but what will the populace of Leeds do?  Nottingham decides to approach those who would know the best; the vagabond children of Leeds.  He has one advantage; at one time he was one of them.

In the mind of Nottingham the reward offered by the merchants of the city will be a hindrance because people will offer ideas about the wrong people, which of course he and his men will have to follow up on.  Before the reward is posted, a servant comes in to speak to Nottingham and suggests that his master could be the killer.  They now need to know more about him.

How can they prove anything against the suspect?  He is a well known merchant, and with money on his side, Nottingham is sure that people will step forward to support him.  However, a witness quickly eliminates that suspect.  That night Lister finds the body of the witness in the river.

Now they have a new suspect.  Once again the mayor warns Nottingham off.  Deputy John Sedgwick is able to gather some evidence, but how can they present it?  What if their original suspect is involved with the second?  Proving it in court against two men of wealth and influence would be difficult.

Author Chris Nickson has Nottingham’s team gather evidence, but they know that despite the pressure they are putting on their suspects isn’t enough.  Then the team has a shock!  How will Nottingham overcome it?  This thriller has a fair bit of tension with an unsurprising conclusion.  A thoroughly enjoyable read.

Big Sky

Jackson Brodie had been walking his ex-girlfriend’s dog on the beach early in the morning when the dog discovered a backpack with a unicorn on it.  What was unusual about that, was that the previous day he and his son had seen a young girl carrying one hop into a car that he was sure didn’t belong to her parents.  He took the backpack to the police.  However, the desk sergeant didn’t seem too interested.

He also has a job; a woman has approached him concerned about being followed.  So, he sets up surveillance on her, and sure enough she is.  Is it another private detective?  He is shocked later when the children of hers were kidnapped right away from her while he was nearby.  They are unable to keep up with the kidnappers!

In the course of his investigation, Brodie runs into a young woman who had saved his life many years before.  She is now a Detective Constable.  DC Reggie Chase will continue to keep secrets with Brodie.

Author Kate Atkinson has spun another tale that seems to start out as nothing, but gathers steam leading to a surprising conclusion.  There are stories within stories in this thriller.  A very interesting read to say the least.

Only the Innocent

DCI Tom Douglas has his first case with the Met; a suspicious death in Knightsbridge.  The dead man is Hugo Fletcher, a well known media personality.  There’s no sign of the cause of death, although he was tied to the bedposts.

Douglas is glad to have Detective Chief Superintendent Jim Sinclair as his boss in this case.  Assisting him is DS Becky Robinson.

The wife of the dead man was on her way home from Italy when the murder occurred.  However, Douglas can’t get over the hatred in her voice when her sister-in-law showed up at her home while they were speaking to her.

The beginning of the investigation is tedious as Douglas and Robinson set out to get to know the victim and his close associates.  Each seems to have a different perspective about the man.  The ex-wife is very upset about the victim’s plans to change his will.  That makes her someone Douglas needs to immediately talk to.  However, he quickly learns that she would be better off if her ex stayed alive.

As the investigation continues, we learn more about the victim.  Author Rachel Abbott’s murder mystery is shocking to the reader as facts are presented.  The conclusion is shocking and the denouement very revealing.  This was a very interesting read and beginning to a series.