Deryn Lake

Having just finished his apprenticeship, apothecary John Rawlings is celebrating in Vaux Hall Gardens when he trips over the body of a young girl. Hauled before the magistrate as the prime suspect, Rawlings clears his own name and so impresses the magistrate John Fielding that he is asked instead to investigate the crime. From gaming hell to fashion house, Rawlings follows a trail of lust and intrigue which unearths a dangerous past of threatening secrets.

Death in the Dark Walk

When John Rawlings is asked to investigate a secret club and some shady goings-on, he is intrigued. The disreputable Sir Francis Dashwood is believed to be involved, as well as some illustrious members of the British aristocracy. In disguise and accompanied by the ungainly Sam Swann, John befriends Sir Dashwood and gains access to his home and family, including someone from John's past, someone whose exceptional beauty still hypnotizes him. However, evil lurks in hidden corners of Sir Dashwood's opulent home and there seems to be a sinister element behind the infamous Hellfire Club's debaucheries. Is John putting himself and Sam in danger by trying to find out the truth?

Death in Hellfire

1773. Apothecary John Rawlings arrives in Boston, Massachusetts, to pursue a new business venture. He finds the place riven with tension and unrest - and the seething resentment spills into outright rebellion during the notorious Boston Tea Party. But has someone taken advantage of the chaos to commit an act of cold-blooded murder?

Death at the Boston Tea Party

A business opportunity in America leads to a case of cold-blooded murder for Apothecary John Rawlings in this “highly entertaining adventure” (Booklist). America, 1773. Following a long and perilous journey, John Rawlings has arrived in Boston, Massachusetts, to pursue a new business venture. He finds the place riven with tension and unrest. There are many who feel it’s time the colonies sought freedom from British rule, and the seething resentment erupts into outright rebellion during the notorious Boston Tea Party. But has someone taken advantage of the chaos to commit cold-blooded murder? Called in to examine a body fished out of Boston Harbor, Rawlings recognizes one of his fellow travelers from England. If he could unearth the truth about the victim’s past, he would be one step closer to catching the killer. But has Rawlings become a pawn in a bigger, even more sinister game? Death at the Boston Tea Party is the sixteenth book in the John Rawlings Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order. “Features a fast-paced plot, plenty of action, authentic period ambience, historical detail, and intriguing characters.” —Booklist

An 18th century mystery

A new arrival to Lakehurst village can only mean trouble for Reverend Nick Lawrence . . . The residents of the sleepy Sussex village of Lakehurst are abuzz with the news of the arrival of Gerry Harlington, a flamboyant American actor and the new owner of Abbot’s Manor, with his glamorous wife. The local dramatic society recruits him as their director for their new show, but his ideas are met with violent protest from the amateur actors. So when a corpse is discovered after the grand opening night, Reverend Nick Lawrence doesn’t have to look far to find potential suspects . . .

Dead on Cue

John Rawlings, London's effervescent 18th Century apothecary and occasional sleuth, tackles his most intriguing case to date. The scene was an exact replica of the one that had taken place twenty-four hours earlier. John Rawlings stood in the shop at Apothecaries' Hall buying the herb known as true-love. The only difference was that both he and the shop owner were buzzing with intrigue as they discussed the extraordinary outbreak of food poisoning which had stricken the liverymen who attended dinner at the Worshipful Society the previous day. And how Liveryman Alleyn might have died had John not given him the remedy of true-love. Except the following day Liveryman Alleyn does die. Under the brief and guidance of London's famous blind magistrate, John Fielding Rawlings is asked to investigate wether it is a deliberate case of poisoning. But who would want to poison the apothecaries? And were they targeting the Society or specifically the deceased? As John searches for gossip, he discovers that a fellow apothecary visited the dying man's house on the morning of his death, that the Beadle had fallen out with the Master, that a bereaved parent whose son died as a result of misdiagnosis has vowed vengeance on the entire Society.

Death at Apothecaries' Hall

A mismatched marriage ends in tragedy, and a mystery for Apothecary John Rawlings, in this historical set in eighteenth-century England. February, 1768. Apothecary John Rawlings has travelled to Devon to be by the side of his mistress, Marchesa Elizabeth di Lorenzi, who is due to give birth to their child. Leaving his shop—and his new carbonated water business—in good hands, John arrives at Sidmouth House to a surprise. While Elizabeth is recuperating, John learns that Lady Sidmouth’s cousin, Miranda, is to marry the elderly Earl of St. Austell, who is more than fifty years her senior and has a cruel reputation. As the wedding day approaches, John feels increasingly uneasy, and before too long his worst forebodings are realized . . . Death at the Wedding Feast is the fourteenth book in the John Rawlings Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order. “The latest in Lake’s long-running series continues to mix period detail and a sound mystery with a hint of romance.” —Kirkus Reviews

Death at the Wedding Feast

It is the early 18th century, and all is not well behind the gates of the magnificent Tudor mansion, Sutton Place. The house's chatelaine, Elizabeth Weston, is fleeing her home with her strong-willed young daughter Melior Mary in tow, into the arms of celebrated poet Alexander Pope. Her flight causes a scandal in society, and not least with her husband John Weston, the latest in a long line of proud Westons to live at Sutton Place. But is it merely fate which takes a hand in the twists and turns in the lives of the illustrious Weston family - or are there darker forces at work? For legend has it that Sutton Place is gripped by an evil curse from which no Weston can escape. When it comes to the turn of the beautiful, mysteriously youthful Melior Mary to inherit the house, what will fate decide? Destined to have two great loves, will the ravishing Silver Swan ever know true happiness? With its skilful weaving together of the true, great historical characters from the age - poet Alexander Pope, Jacobite spy Captain Charles Wogan, the great 18th century rake Joseph Gage, and Bonnie Prince Charlie himself - the second in Deryn Lake's Sutton Place trilogy is a sweeping, romantic, haunting, historical epic. 'Deliciously spook-ridden' DAILY TELEGRAPH 'Deryn Lake researches her books with care and weaves facts into a story that is satisfyingly romantic and impressively researched' - Publishing News Deryn Lake started to write stories at the age of five then graduated to novels but destroyed all her early work because, she says, it was hopeless. A chance meeting with one of the Getty family took her to Sutton Place and her first serious novel was born. Deryn was married to a journalist and writer, the late L. F. Lampitt, has two grown-up children and lives in Mayfield, Sussex, with two large cats. She is also the author of 'To Sleep No More', 'The King's Women' and 'Pour The Dark Wine'. Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent publisher of digital books.

The Silver Swan

John Grant

Bev Vincent

Lavie Tidhar

Eric Brown

Martin Edwards

Jared Cade

Michael Bracken

L. C. Tyler

O'Neil De Noux

Sandra Murphy

Amy Myers

Rhys Hughes

David Quantick

Jane Finnis

Keith Brooke

Ashley Lister

Paul Charles

Christine Poulson

This anthology draws together some of the best new stories of mystery and murder—compiled by the Anthony Award–winning crime fiction editor. This anthology collects the most original stories of murder by some of mystery fiction's most inventive talents from the United States and United Kingdom. With innovative new takes on locked-room mysteries and impossible crimes, these short stories are full of vexing conundrums and reality-defying puzzles. A murder has been committed—but how could it have happened? Curated by Maxim Jakubowski, one of the crime genre’s most renowned editors, this volume features never-before-seen stories by acclaimed authors—including British Science Fiction Award–winner Eric Brown, Derringer Award–winner O'Neil de Noux, and multiple CWA Dagger Award–winners and nominees.

The Best New Original Stories of the Genre

The Book of Extraordinary Impossible Crimes and Puzzling Deaths

11th in the popular series featuring Apothecary John Rawlings and the 'Blind Beak', Sir John Fielding, with his famous Flying Runners.

Deryn Lake

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