My new historical Dumnonia Mysteries series is set in England in The Dark Ages, so I read various fiction and non-fiction books to get a feel for the era. The Dark Ages covers the time after the departure of the Romans from Britain in the fifth century, lasting for the next five hundred years or … [Read more…]
When I decided to begin writing a new historical mystery series I researched various eras before settling on Dumnonia in the Dark Ages. I didn’t make things easy for myself as this took a lot of research, but it was a tribe and an era that I really fell in love with. Dumnonia was part … [Read more…]
I’m happy to announce that I’m beginning a new historical mystery series this year starting with “Murder on Bealtaine Eve (Dumnonia Mysteries 1)“. It’s set in the 5th century in the south of England in a place that, at the time, was known as Dumnonia. A Celtic tribe lived there for centuries in the Dark … [Read more…]
The e-book of my new historical romance novel, An Impetuous Romance, is now available for pre-order at the special price of 99p/99c before becoming full price on the release date of 22 August. It is also for sale now as a paperback: US Amazon link here, UK link here. Read more with the book description … [Read more…]
I have two new novel releases over the next two months. The Convenient Murder (Campbell & MacPherson 4) is available now at the special pre-order price of 99p/99c, for release on 25 July, and An Impetuous Romance will be released towards the end of August. The Convenient Murder is the fourth book in the popular Campbell … [Read more…]
Death at the Tavern (Higgins & Hawke Mystery 1) by Lee Strauss – Due to be released in January. In Boston in 1931, Dr Haley Higgins is hunting for the person who killed her brother 7 years before. When another murder occurs she and reporter, Samantha Hawke, team up to investigate. The Golden Tresses of … [Read more…]
Find some entertaining reading with this collection of some of the most popular historical mystery novels of 2018. “The Widows of Malabar Hill (Mystery of 1920s India 1)” by Sujata Massey – In the first novel in this new series, Perveen Mistry is one of the first female lawyers in India. Her investigation into a … [Read more…]
2017 has been an excellent year for new historical mysteries and here are some of the most popular, both one-off novels and those that are part of a much-loved series. “The Long Drop” by Denise Mina is part novel and part factual account of the 1958 trial of a serial killer, which won the 2017 … [Read more…]
Following on from my first article, here is the second half of this list of popular historical mysteries that have a winter theme and are perfect fireside-reading this festive season. “Thou Shell of Death” by Nicholas Blake – A former World War One pilot is sent letters threatening his murder on Boxing Day. On the … [Read more…]
If you’re a fan of historical mysteries you will love this list of popular winter-themed historical mystery stories and novels to enjoy reading over the festive season. There are books by best-selling mystery writers from past and present. “Hercule Poirot’s Christmas” (aka “A Holiday for Murder” and “Murder for Christmas”) by Agatha Christie – the … [Read more…]
Samhain, which has now become Halloween, is one of four pagan festivals celebrated over the course of a year, the others being Imbolc, Beltane and Lughnasadh. Its origins go back at least 2,000 years and possibly a lot longer, having been celebrated by the Irish Celts. Traditionally held from the evening of 31 October until … [Read more…]
“The Dead Duke“, the second novel in my Campbell & MacPherson historical mystery series, is now available for pre-order and will be released on 7 November. To celebrate, “Lady Tinbough’s Dilemma“, the first book in the series, will be free to download from Amazon between 3 and 4 November, while the new book’s pre-order price … [Read more…]
Diana Gabaldon’s best-selling “Outlander” novels and the TV series based on them are set in the Highlands of Scotland, beginning in 1743 and major events occur between then and 45 years later to make the country an entirely different place by 1788, when my novels, set in the Scottish Lowlands area of Edinburgh, are based. … [Read more…]
Congratulations to Dayana V. who won my big historical mystery novel giveaway and has 5 great books in the post on their way to her. Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway. I really enjoyed reading all the comments about why you love historical mysteries.
I’m thrilled to announce the release of my new novel, “Campbell & MacPherson 1: Lady Tinbough’s Dilemma” today. It is the first in a series of historical cozy mysteries set in Georgian-era Edinburgh and combines humour, romance and mystery. You can read the first chapter on this website here or download a sample to try … [Read more…]
To celebrate the upcoming release of “Campbell & MacPherson 1: Lady Tinbough’s Dilemma” on 17 March, I have 5 historical mystery paperbacks to be sent to a lucky winner. Rules The Giveaway is hosted by Gleam and is open internationally in anyone over 18. To enter you just have to say why you want to … [Read more…]
Agatha Christie’s novels need no introduction. The only tough choice is which to recommend. Of the Miss Marple stories, “A Murder is Announced” is probably my favourite, beginning with the clever idea of a murder announcement in a newspaper and containing an interesting mix of characters and a plot full of twists and turns. Of … [Read more…]
Here are some wonderful historical detective TV shows based on novels. Adaptations of Agatha Christie’s Novels and Stories “Miss Marple” – The British 1980s series starred Joan Hickson in the title role and effectively mixed the elements of murder and cozy village life. 12 episodes were made over a course of 3 seasons. The programme … [Read more…]
My upcoming novel, “Campbell & MacPherson 1: Lady Tinbough’s Dilemma” is set in eighteenth century Edinburgh. When I began planning it I didn’t actually realise that there wasn’t a police force in the Georgian era and, with Scotland being run differently from England at the time, it was surprisingly difficult to find out who would … [Read more…]
I’m happy to announce that my new historical novel, “Campbell & MacPherson 1: Lady Tinbough’s Dilemma” is now available for pre-order here (Amazon US) and here (Amazon UK). This is the first novel in a light-hearted cozy mystery series set in Georgian-era Edinburgh. Book description: Ishbel Campbell is used to being alone. She attends university … [Read more…]
“A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens – would any list of winter novels be complete without this classic? I re-read this book nearly every year and love it more every time. The characters are so real you feel as if you can touch them and the story of Scrooge’s gradual transformation is masterfully written. “The … [Read more…]
“The Snow Child” by Eowyn Ivey – This haunting book is based on the Russian tale of the snow girl, set on a homestead in Alaska where a woman, unable to have children, creates a daughter from the snow who seems to come alive. “Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles Book 1)” by Marissa Meyer – a … [Read more…]
“If I could work my will,” said Scrooge indignantly, “Every idiot who goes about with ‘Merry Christmas’ on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart” – “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens ‘The flake of snow grew larger and larger; and at last … [Read more…]
“The Woman in Black” by Susan Hill – a chilling ghost story about a lawyer going to a small village where the local people are terrified of a ghostly figure dressed in black. I recommend the most recent film version of this novel, starring Daniel Radcliffe, if you want something scary to watch this Halloween. … [Read more…]
“Brat Farrar” is a book I loved as a teenager so re-reading it is always like a home-coming. The title character is a young man convinced to impersonate Patrick Ashby, the heir to the Latchetts estate, and Brat is increasingly caught up in trying to discover what really happened to Patrick, with deadly consequences. This … [Read more…]
Josephine Tey has written some of my favourite novels, particularly Brat Farrar and Miss Pym Disposes, but I knew nothing of her as a person so I was happy to see that there was going to be a talk about her as part of Nairn’s Book & Arts Festival. The talk was by Jennifer Morag … [Read more…]
‘We catch only glimpses, a burst of movement, a flap of wings, yet it is life itself beating at shadow’s edge. It is the unfolding of potential; all of what we might experience and see and learn awaits us’ – “To the Bright Edge of the World” I loved Eowyn Ivey’s first novel, “The Snow … [Read more…]
My historical romance, “Complications” will be available for free download between Friday (23 September 2016) and Sunday (25 September). Just go to the menu at the top of the page to read a book description and extract from the novel. This is a fun, lighthearted book – it focuses on 3 teenagers in the Georgian … [Read more…]
The Silversmith’s Wife by Sophia Tobin is a mystery novel centering around the murder of a silversmith and showing the various characters who might have killed him. It is written in third person omniscient style, moving in and out of the heads of a lot of different characters, which can initially make it difficult to … [Read more…]
I’m very happy to say that my novel, Complications, is released in Kindle format today at Amazon USA here and at Amazon UK here. There’s also a printed version available which, for American buyers, is currently only available at CreateSpace store here but will filter through to Amazon within the next few days. You can … [Read more…]