Books to Look Forward to from Allison & Busby

January 2017

 Elementary Murder is by A J Wright.  1894, Wigan. Miss Dorothea Gadsworth is interviewed for a teaching vacancy at George Street Elementary, but is ultimately dismissed as a candidate. The following Monday morning, her body is discovered in a locked classroom with a note by her side. DS Michael Brennan is called in to investigate what appears to be a straightforward suicide, but his instincts tell him there is more to this case than meets the eye. With the door locked from the inside, staff members with plenty to hide and a student missing from the school, DS Brennan, aided by the scowling Constable Jaggery, wrestles with one of his most intricate investigations yet.

February 2017

Matt Hunter lost his faith a long time ago. Formerly a minister, now a professor of sociology, he's writing a book that debunks the Christian faith while assisting the police with religiously motivated crimes. On holiday with his family in Oxfordshire, Matt finds himself on edge in a seemingly idyllic village where wooden crosses hang at every turn. The stay becomes more sinister still when a local girl goes missing, followed by further disappearances. Caught up in an investigation that brings memories to the surface that he would prefer stay buried deep, Matt is on the trail of a killer determined to save us all.  Purged is by Peter Laws.

1817. Dawn breaks on a summer's day in Chalk Farm, London, and the scene is set for a duel between a lady's two ardent admirers. Paul Skillen has been teaching Mark Bowerman how to shoot properly, and although he is not sanguine of his chances, stands as his second. Although the duel is broken up, the passions behind the duel seem to spill out into the full light of day when one of the two duellists is found dead, shot between the eyes. Paul and his twin Peter are determined to see justice done and are soon enmeshed in threads of inheritance, treachery and fraud.  Date With the Executioner is by Edward Marston.

March 2017

Britain is at war. Returned from a dangerous mission onto enemy soil and having encountered an old enemy and the Fuhrer himself along the way, Maisie Dobbs is fully aware of the gravity of the current situation and how her world is on the cusp of great change. One of those changes can be seen in the floods of refugees that are arriving in Britain, desperate for sanctuary from the approaching storm of war. When Maisie stumbles on the deaths of refugees who may have been more than ordinary people, she is drawn into an investigation that requires all her insight and strength.  In This Grave Hour is by Jacqueline Winspear.

Falling Creatures is by Katherine Stansfield.  Cornwall, 1844. On a lonely moorland farm not far from Jamaica Inn, farmhand Shilly finds love in the arms of Charlotte Dymond. But Charlotte has many secrets, possessing powers that cause both good and ill. When she's found on the moor with her throat cut, Shilly is determined to find out who is responsible, and so is the stranger calling himself Mr Williams who asks for Shilly's help. Mr Williams has secrets too, and Shilly is thrown into the bewildering new world of modern detection.

 

Usually sharp-witted editor Sam Clair stumbles through her post-launch-party morning with the hangover to end all hangovers. Before the Nurofen has even kicked in, she finds herself entangled in an elaborate saga of missing neighbours, suspected arson and the odd unidentified body. When the grisly news breaks that the fire has claimed a victim, Sam is already in pursuit. Never has comedy been so deadly as Sam faces down a pair from Thugs 'R' Us, aided by nothing more than a CID boyfriend, a stalwart Goth assistant and a seemingly endless supply of purple-sprouting broccoli.  A Cast of Vultures is by Judith Flanders.

April 2017

Out of the blue, private investigator and ex-soldier Lee Arnold receives a visit from an old army mate. Abbas al'Barri worked as a translator with him during the Second Iraq War. Now living in Ilford with his family, Abbas is convinced that he's had a message from his estranged son Fayyaad, who was radicalised and was last thought to be fighting for ISIL in Iraq. Does Fayyaad's message indicate a change of heart? Abbas is desperate for Lee's help in establishing some contact with him, a point with which Lee's Muslim assistant Mumtaz might be able to help. From the bright lights of the Western world, to the murky online recruitment techniques of radical Islamism, Lee and Mumtaz have little to guide them in who to trust as they begin a journey into the belly of the beast.  Bright Shiny Things is by Barbara Nadel.

May 2017

The Bowness Request is by Rebecca Tope.  Winter has arrived in the town of Windermere, and has bought with it the death of Frances Henderson, the best friend of Persimmon 'Simmy' Brown's mother. Having known the Henderson family all of her life, Simmy must cope with the loss of an important figure from her childhood, as well as the confusion at being bequeathed something in Frances's will. When Frances's husband is violently murdered in his home, Simmy must face the fact that the family she was once so close to as a child, holds some dark and sinister secrets. How will Simmy cope with seeing Christopher Henderson, the eldest child of Frances and Kit and her childhood sweetheart, after so long, and are the rumours of Kit's infidelity a clue to who murdered him? Keen to keep out of the investigation, Simmy must not only face these personal dilemmas, but deal with Ben Harkness and Bonnie Lawson's enthusiasm for solving crimes, as well as her father's worsening dementia, and her own mother's grief for her best friend.

Shot in Southwold is by Suzette A Hill.  1960. Lady Fawcett is eager to vet her daughter Amy's current beau, aspiring film director Bartholomew Hackle who is shooting his first major project in Southwold. While Amy is unable to accompany her mother, Rosy Gilchrist is strong-armed into another visit. On the set of The Suffolk Seagull nobody really knows what is going on - least of all Felix Smythe whose bit part is constantly changing thanks to Hackle, much to Felix's chagrin. But the unambiguous death by gunshot of a female cast member brings a drama to proceedings lacking in the film itself, and Lady Fawcett, Rosy, Felix and even Cedric Dillworthy are once again at the centre of a murder mystery in which further victims may face the cut.

June 2017

The Circus Train Conspiracy is by Edward Marston.  Following a string of successful performances along the west coast, the Moscardi Circus is travelling by train to Hexham on the Newcastle to Carlisle Railway for their next show. Yet a collision on the track with a couple of sleepers causes pandemonium: passengers thrown about and animals escaping into the night. When the headless body of a woman is discovered in nearby woodland, Inspector Colbeck is desperate to lend assistance, believing the two incidents to be connected, however a reluctant Superintendent Tallis forbids him from doing so. Torn between his desire to detect and his duty as a father, Colbeck agrees, until contact from an old friend is made and Tallis relents. With the performers pointing fingers at both the competition and each other, the interference of locals concerned about the show's morality, and a planned takeover bid of the NCR, Colbeck has his work cut out trying to untangle the thread of events.

Books to Look Forward to from Allison and Busby

Robin Pagham is dead - drowned in a sailing accident. The reaction of everyone in the village on hearing this tragic news is that Robin must have been drunk. After all, that was what he did best - that and drug dealing and breaking his former girlfriend's nose, with a bit of TV acting on the side. Surprisingly, newspaper reports of the inquest state that no alcohol was found in Robin's blood. It was accidental death, with no clear cause. At the funeral however Robin's latest girlfriend - to whom he has just got engaged - stands up and, lifting back her veil, announces that somebody in the congregation has murdered Robin and that she's going to have their arse. Although estranged, Elsie and Ethelred begin simultaneous investigations into Robin's death - as ever with some comical results.  Cat Among the Herrings is by L C Tyler and is due to be published in February 2016.
 

The year is 1864 and Detective Inspector Faro's idyllic life has been shattered by the escape of convicted murderer John McLaw. With countless dead end sightings of the killer and further criminal activity Faro realises that this case is far more complicated than he had first assumed. When the disappearance of a maid comes to light, Faro begins to think there could be a link between her disappearance and the murder of Annie McLaw. His determination to unearth the truth becomes personal and in a race against time to solve the anonymities of the case, he takes matters into his own hands.  Akin to Murder is by Alanna Knight and is due to be published in January 2016.

The Murder of Mary Russell is by Laurie R King and is due to be published in April 2016.  Mary Russell is well used to dark secrets-her own, and those of her famous partner and husband, Sherlock Holmes. Trust is a thing slowly given, but over the course of a decade together, the two have forged an indissoluble bond. But what of the other person Mary Russell has opened her heart to, that third member of the Holmes household: Mrs Hudson? Russell has come to love-and trust-the long-time housekeeper like the mother she lost so long ago. Mrs Hudson, once the most long-suffering landlady in all of London, followed Holmes into his Sussex retirement back in 1903. Surely she had good reasons for that? Russell has never questioned why... until a man comes to the door one morning, claiming to be Mrs Hudson's son. What Samuel Hudson tells Russell shatters her childish faith. It cannot possibly be true, yet she believes him. She also believes his threats: both the gun in his hand, and the knowledge he holds.In a devastating instant of choice, Russell declares her loyalty and love, and everything changes.Blood on the floor, a token on the mantelpiece, the smell of gunshot in the air: all point directly at Clara Hudson-or rather, at Clarissa, the woman she was before Baker Street. The key to Russell's sacrifice lies in Mrs Hudson's past, and to uncover the crime, a frantic Sherlock Holmes must put aside his anguish and push deep into his housekeeper's secrets, to a time before her disguise was assumed, before her crimes were buried away. There is death here, and murder, and trust betrayed. And nothing will ever be the same.

Striking Murder is by A J Wright and is due to be published in January 2016.  1893. Wigan is in the grip of a devastating national miners' strike and a harsh winter. Arthur Morris, a wealthy colliery owner whose intransigence on miners' pay is the main cause of the strike, is found brutally murdered in Scholes, a rough working-class district where he is universally hated and blamed for the grinding hardship the strike is causing. Detective Sergeant Brennan is tasked with finding the murderer and when a mysterious stranger is found bludgeoned to death, Brennan starts to unravel a twisted thread of interwoven clues that will lead to the murderer.

The skeleton of Edward Stevenson, an established artist, is found with a shotgun and a suicide note in the basement of a family home in Vermont. Stevenson had told his family he had a terminal illness and was going to Nepal to seek an alternative way of life. When it comes to light that Stevenson had no such illness, suspicions turn to the art gallery who represented him. Just days after the discovery of Stevenson's body, Patrick Merriam, the owner, finds Frank Compton, his partner, dead in an apparent suicide. The police are called in and as the investigation develops, it becomes a murder enquiry. Yet again Sam finds her loyalties tested - this time between her university friend, Patrick Merriam, and her current partner who is leading the investigation.  A Cast of Vultures is by Judith Flanders and is due to be published in March 2016.

The Primrose Pursuit is by Suzette Hill and is due to be published in February 2016. Primrose Oughterard, an eccentric artist living in East Sussex, has recently taken custody of her dead brother's cat and dog, Maurice and Bouncer. The brother - the Revd Francis Oughterard - has had the misfortune to murder one of his parishioners, and (aided and abetted by his pets and sister) had devoted much of his time to concealing the crime and escaping the gallows (which he did). Following his heroic death rescuing another parishioner from impalement on a gargoyle, his sister feels duty-bound to take responsibility for the two animals. The arrangement results in a number of questionable entanglements including the usual mishaps of murder, foiled intentions, concealment of evidence - plus a peculiar manoeuvre on the cliff at Beachy Head.

Steps to the Gallows is by Edward Marston and is due to be published in February 2016. A scurrilous newspaper has built up a large following by publishing details of political and sexual scandals. It is remarkably well-informed and has therefore created a whole host of enemies. When the editor is killed and the printing press smashed to bits, the Invisible Detectives are hired by the man who financed the production of the paper. He wants the killer brought to justice and the scandal sheet revived. Peter and Paul Skillen find themselves in great danger as they unearth an enormous amount of scandal and corruption before the villains are brought to book.

Guilt in the Cotswolds is by Rebecca Tope an is due to be published in March 2016.  Thea Osborne's latest house-sitting assignment is a little different to the rest. Along with her spaniel, Hepzie, Thea finds herself in the village of Chedworth. She is tasked with creating an inventory of Rita Wilshire's possessions, requested by her son, Richard Wilshire, after moving her into a care home. All goes to plan, until Thea and her fiance, Drew Slocombe, find Richard dead in a barn.When family members come knocking, Thea and Drew struggle to give them answers. The Wilshire family has its own past and, whilst Thea knows it is not really her business, she cannot help but become involved in the case. Was Richard's death suicide? Or something more sinister? When the clues lead them in circles, Thea's relationship with Drew is put to the test. But there is a crime to solve, and neither of them is willing to give up just yet...

The first in a series of mysteries set in museums in the 1950s, Murder at the Ashmolean features classicist sleuth Robert Spens and his assistant Henrietta Cave. Spens spent much of World War Two undercover in Greece, subsequently finishing his doctorate at Oxford. He is called to his alma mater by Professor Gilbert Lang, his former supervisor, who is trying to decipher Linear B writing on ancient clay tablets he recently obtained. He is worried that someone is following him. Tragedy ensues and Spens must use his university connections, his knowledge of the ancient world and his wartime experience to track down a ruthless killer.  Murder at the Ashmolean is by Max Hunter and is due to be published in March 2016.

The Hundred Years' War is over and newly-knighted Sir John Hawkswood is headed for France to make his fortune as a freebooter. Violence and extortion are rife, and the freebooters will stop at nothing to capture the Papal City of Avignon. This is only the beginning: Italy beckons, and with it, yet more battles against rival mercenaries, powerful cities and the Papal State.  Hawkhood is by Jack Ludlow and is due to be published in April 2016.

Books to look forward to from Allison and Busby

Two young boys stumble on a dead prostitute. She's on Sean Denton's patch. As Doncaster's youngest community support officer, he's already way out of his death, but soon he's uncovering more than he's supposed to know. Meanwhile Karen Friedman, professional mother of two, learns her brother has disappeared. She desperately needs to know he's safe, but once she starts looking, she discovers unexpected things about her own needs and desires. Played out against a gritty landscape on the edge of a Northern town, Karen and Sean risk losing all they hold precious.  To Catch a Rabbit is by Helen Cadbury and is due to be published in January 2015. Read SHOTS' review here.

Death Wears a Mask is by Ashley Weaver and is due to be published in June 2015.  Amory Ames is investigating the disappearance of valuable jewellery snatched at a dinner party and lays a trap to catch the culprit at a lavish masked ball hosted by the notorious Viscount Dunmore. She wasn’t expecting one of the illustrious party guests to wind up dead . . .

Sussex, 1925. Sherlock Holmes and Mary Russell find a beautiful stone belonging to the future emperor of Japan – mysteriously left in their garden. There’s some unfinished business they need to clear up. From the winding lanes of Oxford to the palaces of Japan, the ingenious duo embark on an utterly compelling adventure of politics and espionage.  Dreaming Spies is by Laurie R King and is due to be published in February 2015.

Spring, 1932. Four years after she set sail from England, leaving everything she most loved behind, Maisie Dobbs at last returns, only to find herself in a dangerous place. En route to England a brutal murder in Gibraltar leads Maisie into a web of lies, deceit and peril.  A Dangerous Place is by Jacqueline Winspear and is due to be published in April 2015.

What’s an editor to do with so many demands? Do you deal with the morning’s pile of manuscript submissions first? Or the swine from sales who steals all the chocolate digestives? Or do you concentrate on your ex-lover, whose business partner has just been found dead, slumped over his desk with a gun in his hand? Sam takes on the art world with a handy reserve of satire and irrelevant information culled from books.  Boxing Day. A dead body has been found in the chemistry department of Queen's University in West London. Tom Chambers, the head of department, was known to have a bad heart, and had it not been Christmas, no questions would have been asked. What was a procedural post mortem soon turns into a murder investigation when it becomes evident Chambers had been injected with a dangerous amount of digitalin. A Bed of Scorpions is by Judith Flanders and is due to be published in February 2015.

The Red House is by Emily Winslow and is due to be published in February 2015. Maxwell is living his worst nightmare when he begins to question whether his fiancee Imogen is his own blood sister, separated by adoption. A visit to Imogen's birthplace in Cambridge stirs up deja vu that intensifies his fears.While Detective Chief Inspector Morris Keene languishes at home, struggling with a debilitating injury and post-traumatic stress, his former partner Detective Inspector Chloe Frohmann is following a suicide case in which Morris' daughter Dora is suspected of assisting the death. When buried skeletons are discovered next to an old barn, the suicide is linked back to Imogen's childhood, revealing horrors of the past and new dangers in the present.

Thea Osborne, Cotswold house-sitter with an infamous reputation for getting mixed up in crime, is determined to avoid trouble this time. Her latest commission in the village of Daglingworth seems straightforward, with most of her time spent looking after an old corgi and a hibernating tortoise. Thea is ready for a relaxing if rather boring two weeks, with phone calls to new boyfriend Drew Slocombe the highlight of her days. Until, that is, a dead body is discovered in a nearby quarry... Revenge in the Cotswolds is by Rebecca Tope and is due to be published in March 2015.

The Venetian Venture is by Suzette Hill and is due to be published in January 2015. 1954, Venice. For Rosy Gilchrist the tables may have turned. Her boss at the British Museum, Dr Stanley, has chosen her to travel to Venice, track down a rare edition of Horace's Odes and bring it back for their collection. Rosy jumps at the chance to spend time away from her capricious supervisor and hopefully indulge in a little Venetian culture. Following Dr Stanley's advice, she roams the cobbled streets of Venice in search of the book and crosses paths with old friends Felix Smythe and Cedric Dillworthy. With their help, Rosy thinks she's laid her hands on the treasure but things soon take a drastic downward spiral. A wealthy and eccentric recluse offers a GBP1 million reward for anyone who can find Horace's Odes and pair it with a missing Murano vase. The price on the book's head brings all sorts of murky characters out of the shadows. Soon Rosy finds herself in a race against time as her rivals will go to any lengths to secure the prize ... even murder.

The Third Sin is by Aline Templeton and is due to be published in March 2015. Pleasure is the highest good: the group who called themselves the Cyrenaics practised the principle until the death of one from an overdose and the apparent suicide of another. Sobered, the group went their several ways. One heads to Canada, another disappears and a third is believed to have committed suicide, at least until his body turns up two years later in the wreck of a car swept up on to the Solway mud flats. The murky relationships among the Cyrenaics, revived when they start returning for a party bring more pain and death. DI Marjory Fleming finds this and the murder which follows on her own patch, obstructed by the unpleasant and resentful inspector she has been asked to direct, and DC Hepburn and DS Macdonald, still at loggerheads, don't make it any easier. Fleming's daughter has a new boyfriend and though Cammie at last achieves his Scotland cap, he too is in trouble with the affairs of the heart.

1815. Peter and Paul Skillen, identical twins and fearless thief-catchers, stalk all who dare to

walk in the shadow of the hangman. When they catch a notorious burglar, they claim a handsome reward and infuriate the Bow Street Runners who believe they have a monopoly on policing in the capital.  Home Secretary Viscount Sidmouth faces a crisis. During a massacre of American prisoners-of-war at Dartmoor, two escape and come to London in search of retribution – and if their demands are not met, they’ll kill Sidmouth. The Runners compete fiercely with the twin detectives to bring the villains to justice in a compelling tale of murder, kidnap, revenge and political machination.  Shadow of the Hangman is by Edward Marston and is due to be published in February 2015.  It is the first in the Bow Street Rivals series.

A huge funeral for Windermere's popular resident, Barbara Dodge, is taking place and florist Persimmon 'Simmy' Brown and her new assistant, Bonnie Lawson are busy compiling wreaths in preparation. There's word of a series of sinister dognappings occurring in nearby Troutbeck and whilst taking a walk up Wansfell Pike, Simmy and her father, Russell, stumble on a dog, strangled to death - it's not long before Simmy reluctantly finds herself caught up in a murder investigation. The Troutbeck Testimony is by Rebecca Tope and is due to be published in May 2015.

When Monsieur Pamplemousse is summoned into the head office of Le Guide by the director, Henri Leclercq, he is unaware of the chaos that is about to erupt. Accompanied by his faithful bloodhound, Pommes Frites, Pamplemousse attempts to solve Leclercq's plaintive conundrums - all of which relate back to his mobster uncle-in-law. The crime-solving duo gallivant around Paris and become tangled up in seemingly arbitrary problems; a letter about a juicy steak horrifyingly turned into a brisket; a dead restaurant owner; a giant truffle delivered by post and the imminent arrival of the vivacious Caterina, the mobster's niece. With all these obstacles at hand, Pamplemousse attempts to unravel each dilemma but it quickly proves impossible as they overlap and tangle at every turn. As he battles with this confounding case, it becomes apparent that these events are much more sinister and inextricably linked than first thought ... Monsieur Pamplemousse and the Tangled Web is by Michael Bond and is due to be published in March 2015. 

Sixth century Constantinople. Flavius Belisarius is barely eighteen and is already

commander of the cavalry patrolling the Persian frontier. A brilliant soldier but a poor schemer - Flavius needs to be both in order to survive the febrile politics of the Eastern Roman Empire. When his friend, Petrus Sabbatius uses trickery to elevate himself to the position of co-Emperor, Flavius finds himself embroiled in an explosive venture of machinations and warfare. The brave general must battle against the deadly Sassanids and protect the co-Emperor from his own subjects who are out for blood. As the valiant leader sets out to re-conquer the Western Empire from the hands of the Vandals and Ostrogoths, Flavius is unaware that his wife, joining him on the campaign, is secretly charged to spy on him. Honour is the second instalment in the brutal Roman trilogy. Only the most merciless traitors prevail in a volatile land where one wrong step will cost you your head.  The Last Roman: Honour is by Jack Ludlow and is due to be published in January 2015.

Books to Look Forward to from Allison & Busby

Black Lies, Red Blood is by Kjell Eriksson  and is due to be published in May 2014.  Inspector Ann Lindell hasn’t had much time to enjoy her new relationship with journalist Anders Brant before he disappears without a trace and a homeless man’s body is found with Anders phone number in his pocket.  Lindell must race to find Anders and clear his name as she reaches the highly charged and fraught conclusion.

You know when you have one of those days at the office?  You spill coffee on your keyboard, the finance director goes on an expenses rampage and then, before you know it, your favourite author is murdered.  Don't you just hate when that happens?  Introducing the much-anticipated debut novel by Judith Flanders, acclaimed author of the non-fiction bestsellers A Circle of Sisters and The Victorian House.  Drawing on her past experience as editor at prestigious publishing houses, this pitch-perfect crime caper offers a witty, intelligent and entertaining glimpse into the publishing world.  When Samantha Clair decides to publish journalist Kit Lovell's tell-all book on the death of fashion designer Rodrigo Aleman, she can scarcely imagine the dangers ahead.  Cue a rollercoaster ride into the dark realms of fashion, money laundering and murder, armed with nothing but her e-reader and her trusty stock of sarcasm.  Writers Block is by Judith Flanders and is due to be published in March 2014.

A Ticket to Oblivion is by Edward Marston and is due to be published in April 2014.  Young Imogen Burnhope and her maid Rhoda board a non-stop train to Oxford to visit her Aunt Cassandra, who waits on the platform at Oxford station where the train terminates, to greet them.  Only they never arrive.  The train is searched and the coachman swears he saw them board a first-class carriage, but they seem to have vanished into thin air.  When he learns his daughter is missing, Sir Marcus Burnhope contacts Scotland Yard for help and Inspector Colbeck and Sergeant Leeming are assigned to the case.  Is it a merely a case of a runaway girl?  Or is there a more sinister, larger conspiracy at work?

1666. London is recovering from the Great Plague and mourning it's dead - The city is free at

last, like a great old bear, beaten to its knees, bloody but unbowed.  But the disease slithered out of London to wreak its evil upon other towns and cities.  The worst was over, the Pestilence gone, in search of new feeding grounds, bounteous and plentiful in the villages outside of the London.  Harry Lytle, who works for Lord Arlington's intelligence service, is sent to Essex where the plague is breeding to track down a traitor and bring him back alive.  But things get tricky when Lord Arlington's latest recruit for the mission is a man Lytle left dead.  Having learnt first-hand of Lord Arlington's barbaric cruelty, Lytle knows he can't refuse the job.  Travelling into a disease-ridden village with a murderer seems like a better option.  Hearts of Darkness is by Paul Lawrence and is due to be published in January 2014.

It is 1914 and while battles rage across Europe three empires – the Ottoman, the German and the British – fight for dominance in the Middle East.  Kingdom Lock works for the British Intelligence Service known as the White Tab and has a mission  in Persia.  He must stop a German spy from inciting jihad and rebellion among the population and from seizing control in the precious oilfields.  But to complete his task, the Australian-born Lock has not only to battle resentment and enemies on his own side, but to keep one-step ahead of the war raging around him.  Kingdom Lock is by I D Roberts and is due to be published in May 2014.

Trouble in the  Cotswolds is by Rebecca Tope and is due to be published in March 2014.  Thea Osborne hopes to spend a quiet Christmas housesitting in the picturesque village of Stanton.  Walks in the local countryside with the dogs are all the excitement she wants.  Her arrival at the village coincides with the funeral of Douglas Callender and the murder of his girlfriend the following day.  Thea finds herself thrust into the middle of another Police investigation as she unwraps motives and scandals across the village.  The arrival of Drew Slocombe is the best present Thea could receive.  Amid the bleak winter of Stanton and the murderous scandal, Thea is determined that she will survive the festive season.  Thea s interest is stirred but the onset of flu looks to prevent any sleuthing.  However, when two people show up brutally murdered the following afternoon, even when battling a fever Thea finds herself thrust into the middle of yet another Police investigation.  With the Callendar, family linked to most of the village Stanton is bursting with motives for the murders including jealousy, closures of footpaths and secret animal testing.  Thea turns to local resident Dennis Ireland for safety but Dennis, as with the other villagers, may not be as safe as first appears and Thea wonders who she can trust to help her survive the festive season.

The Venetian Venture is by Suzette Hill and is due to be published in May 2014.  Rosy Gilchrist is sent to Venice to find a rare, signed translation of Horace’s Odes by the late Dr Badger.  Rosy jumps at the change to fit some sightseeing around work, but holiday plans go on hold when she learns that there is a significant bounty prize for anyone who finds this valuable text.  Finding herself in the midst of a cat and mouse chase, Rosy’s rivals will stop at nothing, not even murder to get their hands on the book.

Fifth century of the Byzantium Empire.  Flavius Belisaurius is son of the Governor of Dorostorum City, and his father has two goals: to keep out the barbarians and to expose the deep roots of secular and ecclesiastical corruption.  Seeking to prevent a raid, the Governor enlists the help of the powerful magnate, Gaius Donatus.  Donatus's corruption is widespread but his support is crucial to win the battle.  But Donatus betrays this trust and Belisaurius Jnr witnesses the death of his father and the irretrievable tarnishing of his reputation.  With Belisaurius's life changed for good he swears vengeance on the man that betrayed his father and begins a journey from which there is no virtuous way back.  The Last Roman: Vengeance is by Jack Ludlow and is due to be published in June 2014.