'A twisty plot and plenty of red herrings. I was hooked from page one!... 5/5 Stars!' Reader review 5 stars Someone is killing fairy godmothers in Cinderella... Can Miss Clara Vale crack the case before the clock strikes twelve? 1929, December: Snow is falling, and Miss Clara Vale is wrapped up against the cold as she braves the icy streets of Newcastle in her latest investigation. When a young actress from the touring pantomime of Cinderella arrives at her door, Clara isn't sure what to make of her request. Sybil Langford, the legendary fairy godmother in their production, has mysteriously vanished. Could Clara help track her down? But a few days into Clara's search, Sybil's body is pulled from an icy river, and Clara finds herself in the middle of yet another murder mystery. With scheming stepsisters waiting in the wings, handsome princes who aren't all they seem, and clues as elusive as glass slippers, Clara will need every one of her scientific skills to catch the killer... And when Sybil's replacement meets her own tragic end, Clara is in a race against time before the murderer sends a third cast member to their unhappily ever after... The perfect Golden Age mystery to curl up with by the fire. Fans of Agatha Christie, Helena Dixon and Verity Bright will be gripped by this historical crime novel from the very first page. Readers love this festive cosy mystery: 'Delightful 1920s cosy mystery... to put you in the mood for the festive season... Sophisticated style and cosy, comforting feel that I hoped for... felt myself escaping into the story' Reader review 5 stars 'Recommended!... I most appreciate about this series is the accuracy of the 1929 world-building... If you like historical mysteries, give this one a try!' Reader review 5 stars

'You know a book is good when you get up, realize you finished it last night and are really disappointed that you can't read it with your breakfast. This book reminds me of the best golden age of mystery writers, especially Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers... Can't wait for the next one!' Reader review 5 stars Murder is no occupation for a lady... or is it? 1929: Miss Clara Vale is a woman ahead of her time. Rather than attending Oxford to bag an eligible Duke (as her mother, Lady Vale, so desperately hoped), she threw herself into a degree in chemistry, with aspirations to become a scientist in her own right. But the world isn't ready for Clara. Unable to land a job in science because she's a woman, she is stuck behind the desk at a dingy London library. Until her estranged Uncle dies suddenly, leaving her his private detective agency, and laboratory, in his will. Clara couldn't become a detective, could she? The decision is made for her when one of her uncle's old clients comes to her for help with a case surrounding the local picture house and invites Clara to see the latest show, before they discuss the details. But during the film, a fire suddenly engulfs the picture house, with tragic consequences. It seems at first an accident, but Clara soon begins to question if it was in fact a carefully orchestrated murder. She's suddenly in the middle of a deadly mystery and will discover her scientific skills make her a sleuth to be reckoned with... Can she catch the killer before they strike again? The first in a brand-new, glittering Golden Age cozy mystery series. Fans of Verity Bright, Helena Dixon and TE Kinsey will be hooked from the very first page to the final breathtaking finale.

'This time her intrepid heroine is on the trail of a mystery wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a mummy... a beautifully rendered period of Egypt... a ripping adventure in the company of a no nonsense heroine' Vaseem Khan A night at the museum, a dead body and a trail to Cairo. Sounds like a case for Miss Clara Vale! 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. Using her scientific and forensic prowess, Clara, with her trusted assistant Bella in tow, embarks on a trail that will lead from Newcastle to London and along the river Nile to Cairo. But she is not the only person hunting for stolen antiquities and when she uncovers an international smuggling ring with a penchant for murder, it becomes clear that Clara's own life is in danger too. Can Clara catch the smugglers before they get away with another murder among the pyramids? Perfect for fans of Verity Bright, Helena Dixon and TE Kinsey! Readers are LOVING The Pyramid Murders: 'A delightful cozy mystery that will appeal to readers who enjoy smart and sassy protagonists, interesting and not too complicated plots, and a whole lot of FUN! One of the most entertaining cozies I've read in a long time' NetGalley reviewer 'The third in this delightful series. A great cast of characters set in 1930, a cameo from Agatha Christie... what's not to like!' NetGalley reviewer 'Well written and filled with detail... The characters are vivid, and the mystery is very well plotted... there isn't a dull moment' NetGalley reviewer

'Love this book!... an intriguing mystery... you can't put it down. I'm looking forward to read about the next Poppy Denby adventures.' Reader review, 5 stars * Previously published as The Kill Fee * London, 1920. Newly promoted intrepid reporter Poppy Denby is tasked with her first big job for the Daily Globe: covering the royal exhibition at the Crystal Palace alongside dashing Globe photographer Daniel Rokeby. The champagne is flowing, the guests look resplendent in their finery, and the jewel in the imperial crown is a glittering Fabergé egg. But before the party is even in full swing, the lights go out and when they finally come on again, the guests are horrified to discover that the famous egg has disappeared. Miss Denby is determined to be the first reporter to get the scoop and find the culprit. Her investigation will lead her to no other than Princess Selena Romanova Yusopova, a cousin of the murdered Romanov family. Selena is now a leading lady at the Old Vic Theatre but when Poppy knocks on her dressing room ready to get her exclusive, she finds her sprawled across a pink chaise longue, drenched with blood - stabbed through the heart. Who could want the princess dead and is this a murder of passion or is it somehow connected to the great heist of the priceless Fabergé egg? It's up to the ever-brilliant Miss Poppy Denby to find out. Readers love Murder at the Old Vic Theatre! 'Even more intriguing and pacey. I love the characters, especially Rollo, Delilah and Novoski... the story-telling sparkles... Enthralling.' Reader review, 5 stars 'I'd looked forward to this for months and was not disappointed!' Reader review, 5 stars 'Waiting for the next book ? Love the period and adventures.' Reader review, 5 stars 'Fast-paced, great opening, set in London in 1920s and also in Russia from 1917 onwards, during the revolution. It is about the theft of a Faberge egg containing secrets... and then murder!' Reader review, 5 stars 'I was over the moon to see most of the regular cast making a return... an epic and lively mystery set in an era of elegance and intrigue.' Reader review, 5 stars 'Loved this book and am getting ready to purchase the next.' Reader review, 5 stars

After learning of a suspicious attempt to burn down a beloved old pub, The Crooked Horse, amateur detective Libby Sarjeant and her friend Fran reluctantly agree to investigate. But when a local antiques dealer mysteriously disappears after apparently taking out his boat, it appears there are dark and sinister forces at play. Can Libby and Fran uncover a connection between the fire and the missing man? And will unravelling a deadly case put them in terrible danger?

Giles, Professor of Magic and Illusion, is invited to join the cast during their rehearsals at the oldest working theatre in Scotland. ‘The Cinderella Murders’, destined to become a West End hit needs a ‘wow factor’ and Giles is the man to create illusions which will mesmerize and delight audiences. But the rehearsals themselves are dogged by Illusions, misdirections, tricks and random inexplicable happenings. When a member of the group dies suddenly there appear to be no reasons for anyone to suspect foul play. Anyone, other than Giles. But the unsuspected killer has made one fatal mistake. Failure to factor in the presence of Giles with his astute understanding of the human mind and his uncanny powers of deduction which have been used to such effect in solving crimes previously thought to be insoluble. Tragically, there is a heavy price to pay.

Charles Paris has landed a minor role in the Empire Theatre Eastbourne's Christmas production of Cinderella. But rehearsals descend into chaos when a member of the cast is discovered shot dead beneath Eastbourne Pier. Charles must put his renowned sleuthing skills to the test to find out who killed his co-star - and why.

Geoffrey and Caroline Robertson are having a dinner party to celebrate ten successful years of Mighty Midget Vacuum Cleaners, the company he jointly owns with Tim McArthur, and to add spice to the evening they decide to make it a murder mystery dinner. They are joined by a variety of employees and their partners. And Geoffrey has a special surprise - he has invited the well-known crime novelist Agatha Crusty (pronounced Croosty) to join them. She is in the area promoting her latest book and agrees to be guest of honour. But on the evening of the dinner, their remote Victorian house finds itself in the centre of a storm so bad that the river floods and they are cut off. Worse, the power fails and in the darkness one of the guests is murdered. But since everybody else was together when the murder was committed, they are as perplexed as they are worried. And when another murder happens in the same way it is no laughing matter... except this is an Agatha Crusty murder mystery so there are laughs a-plenty. And also a genuine mystery that will keep an audience guessing as well as laughing. Type: comedy Length: full length Cast: 5m 6f

The present volume is a token of gratitude for our colleague, Janina Aniela Ozga, a senior lecturer at the Institute of English Philology of the Jagiellonian University. The book is a collection of papers on a wide spectrum of topics, ranging from Hamlet to Zoolander, which reflect diverse academic interests of the authors: literary theory, linguistics, translation studies, philosophy of language, history and language teaching. The common thread running through all the papers is the desire of the authors - all of them humanists involved in academic pursuits - to place in a theoretical perspective of their discipline and shed new light on an interesting research problem in literature, art, language use or language teaching that they have identified.

On the night of a blizzard in January 1963, an elderly couple who live in a tiny Worcestershire village are summoned to their daughter’s cottage two and a half miles away at Longdon, on urgent but unspecified business. When eventually they reach their daughter’s cottage, exhausted and worried, they find it warm but empty. Unable to face the journey back home that night, they prepare a simple meal for themselves preparatory to retiring to bed in their daughter’s cottage. The following morning, the concerned neighbours find the couple still sitting at table, poisoned by a bottle of contaminated wine. A student is found to have been killed by the same rare poison in his London bed-sit within days of the Longdon murders. Coincidence? Surely not! Inspector Wickfield is appointed to find out. His inquiry is hampered by the repeated appearance of the deceased couple’s son who is a senior officer in the Canadian force. Weaving his way round red herrings and dead ends, Wickfield requires all his ingenuity, prompted by a random crossword clue, to uncover a devious and intricate plot instigated by a determined criminal. Julius Falconer can be relied on to provide stimulating and thought-provoking entertainment for a cosy night by the fire – but sharpen your wits first. Book reviews online: PublishedBestsellers website.