Maureen Jennings

In the cold Toronto winter of 1895, the unclad body of a servant girl is found frozen in a deserted laneway. Detective William Murdoch quickly finds out that more than one person connected with the girl's simple life has something to hide.

Except the Dying

The Reverend Charles Howard once sat in judgment of Toronto's poor and assessed their applications for the workhouse. Now he has been found dead: stabbed, beaten, and robbed of his watch and boots. Is it simply a case of burglary gone wrong, or has one of the unfortunates the reverend turned away taken their revenge on him? Detective Murdoch's investigation takes him deep into the Dickensian world of Toronto's workhouses and the destitute souls who fill them as he sets out to discover who really murdered the reverend.

Vices of My Blood

Set in late 19th-century Toronto, this deft mystery series brings alive an era as it follows the investigations of acting-detective William Murdoch. In "Let Loose the Dogs, " he attempts to clear his father of murder and enters into the lively world of the "ratters"--an illegal gambling ring where bets are placed on which dogs can kill the most rats during a given period.

Let Loose the Dogs

In 1858, a young woman on her honeymoon is abducted and taken across the border from Canada and sold into slavery. Thirty-eight years later, the owner of one of Toronto's livery stables is found dead. Then a second man is murdered, his body strangely tied as if he were a rebellious slave. Detective Murdoch has to find out whether Toronto's small "coloured" community has a vicious killer in its midst - an investigation that puts his own life in danger. With her usual masterful storytelling and sharp dialogue, Jennings shows how a great harm committed in the past can fatally affect the present.

A Journeyman to Grief

Murdoch investigates the death of a midwife/abortionist whose work was always carried out in secret because her clients were aborting babies they did not want or delivering children they could not keep.

Under the Dragon's Tail

A woman's evil stepchildren plot to lock her away in a sanitarium for the insane in order to steal her husband's estate, in an atmospheric mystery set against the backdrop of turn-of-the-century Toronto. By the author of Except the Dying.

Poor Tom is Cold

Detective William Murdoch investigates the disappearance of a thirteen-year-old girl who may have been sexually exploited, as well as trying to find out who is behind a series of poison pen letters containing allegations about a sergeant which may or may not be true.

Night's Child

It's July 1936 and Toronto is under a record-breaking heat wave. Charlotte Frayne is the junior associate in a two-person private investigation firm, owned by T. Gilmore. Two events set the book's plot in motion: an anti-Semitic hate letter is delivered to Gilmore, who up to now has not acknowledged his religion, and Hilliard Taylor, a veteran of the First World War requests the firm's assistance in uncovering what he believes is systematic embezzlement of the Paradise Café, which he owns and operates with three other men, all of whom were prisoners of war. The two events, although seemingly completely unrelated, come together in this wonderful novel that brings to life characters who are as real to the reader as those of the Murdoch series.

Heat Wave

Detective William Murdoch takes on the rigid hierarchy of turn-of-the-century Toronto as he investigates a brutal murder tied to a mysterious birth many years earlier

It's late 1942; the war is still raging and the upcoming Christmas season looks bleak. Detective Inspector Tom Tyler is settling into his placement in Ludlow, Shropshire, a small town jammed with people sent there by the conflict. On the outskirts is an Italian POW camp and many POWs work on local farms where manpower is sorely needed. Fraternizing is forbidden but, as Tyler knows only too well, the human heart has a way of crossing boundaries. Tyler's job is both to keep the peace and to enforce wartime regulations. Magistrate's court is busy. Then a troubled old man goes missing in a winter storm. The next day his body is discovered in a secret hideout supposedly known to very few. It soon becomes clear that a crime has been committed, and there is no shortage of suspects. Tyler senses that the two evacuee children who found the body are not telling the entire truth, but when he goes to question them further, he learns they have taken off from their foster home. It becomes imperative that he find them.

Dead ground in between

Toronto, April 1896. The Owner of one of Toronto’s livery stables has been found dead, horsewhipped and hung from his wrists in his tack room. s Detective William Murdoch tries to piece together the circumstances of the crime, he finds himself drawn into the victim’s history, where he discovers the man’s first wife disappeared on their honeymoon.

Toronto, January 1896. Schoolteacher Amy Slade is concerned when Agnes Fisher, a quiet and withdrawn pupil, faints during her lesson. Although she suspects that Agnes is mistreated at home, Miss Slade is unprepared for what she finds inside the girl's desk: four shocking photographs, one of which depicts the thirteen-year-old in an obscene pose. When Agnes fails to attend school the next day, her distressed teacher takes the images to police. Surely these photographs are not related to the anonymous letters being sent to the station, accusing Sergeant Seymour of wicked and illicit activities? The thought is too disturbing for Detective William Murdoch, who vows to find the missing girl and the photographer responsible for the despicable crime.

"Late summer, 1940: England is at war, still reeling from the disastrous defeat at Dunkirk. Nevertheless, law must prevail and Inspector Tom Tyler of the Shropshire Constabulary is on the hunt for a vicious killer ..."--Cover.

Season of Darkness

Charlotte's boss at T. Gilmore and Associates takes off on a mysterious trip to Europe, leaving Charlotte in charge of the detective agency. Mrs. Jessop hires the newly promoted Private Investigator to inquire into the untimely death of her son, a veteran injured in the Great War. The police ruled it a suicide, but Mrs. Jessop doesn't agree and wants Charlotte to find out what really happened. Then Charlotte is hired to infiltrate a small women's wear manufacturer to uncover communist agitators. When the factory supervisor is murdered on the job just as Charlotte starts to look into it, she gets seconded to the police to help find out what happened. The November clouds darken and Charlotte is left to struggle to solve two mysteries at the same time -- until they intersect. Add an aging grandfather, an absent boyfriend, and a mad scheme to mount a controversial play at the Paradise Café and Charlotte has her hands full.

November Rain

Charlotte’s boss at T. Gilmore and Associates takes off on a mysterious trip to Europe, leaving Charlotte in charge of the detective agency. Mrs. Jessop hires the newly promoted Private Investigator to inquire into the untimely death of her son, a veteran injured in the Great War. The police ruled it a suicide, but Mrs. Jessop doesn’t agree and wants Charlotte to find out what really happened. ​ Then Charlotte is hired to infiltrate a small women’s wear manufacturer to uncover communist agitators. When the factory supervisor is murdered on the job just as Charlotte starts to look into it, she gets seconded to the police to help find out what happened. ​ The November clouds darken and Charlotte is left to struggle to solve two mysteries at the same time — until they intersect. Add an aging grandfather, an absent boyfriend and a mad scheme to mount a controversial play at The Paradise Café and Charlotte has her hands full.

a Murdoch mystery

Night's child

From Canada's premier author of historical mysteries, Maureen Jennings, comes the haunting fourth novel in the DI Tom Tyler series. Set in Britain during the darkest days of World War II, this is a must-read for fans of Foyle's War, Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs series, and wartime dramas. It's late 1942; the war is still raging and the upcoming Christmas season looks bleak. Detective Inspector Tom Tyler is settling into his placement in Ludlow, Shropshire, a small town jammed with people sent there by the conflict. On the outskirts is an Italian PoW camp and many PoWs work on local farms where manpower is sorely needed. Fraternizing is forbidden but, as Tyler knows only too well, the human heart has a way of crossing boundaries. Tyler's job is both to keep the peace and to enforce wartime regulations. Magistrate's court is busy. Then a troubled old man goes missing in a winter storm. The next day his body is discovered in a secret hideout supposedly known to very few. It soon becomes clear that a crime has been committed, and there is no shortage of suspects. Tyler senses that the two evacuee children who found the body are not telling the entire truth, but when he goes to question them further, he learns they have taken off from their foster home. It becomes imperative that he find them. Showcasing her characteristic masterful storytelling and deep empathy for her characters--from the bravest and most blameless to the profoundly troubled--Jennings has created another outstanding novel that is both a page-turning mystery and a rich, satisfying reading experience.

Dead Ground in Between

Christine Morris has been sent to Edinburgh to attend a conference on the latest in police methodology. There she is tracked down by the Northern Constabulary, Stornoway, Outer Hebrides, who inform her that her estranged mother has been involved in a vehicular homicide and has gone missing. Reluctantly, Christine agrees to fly up to Stornoway, where her mother was last seen. Her arrival is followed by the suspicious death of one of the islanders. What unfolds is a deepening involvement in the life of the community, an unexpected reconnection with her mother, and a nefarious plot against one of the young princes, who is planning a visit to the island. Set against the backdrop of a breathtaking landscape and a people who are fiercely proud of their traditional way of life, Does Your Mother Know? races along to a galloping finish in this complex tale of suspense.

A Christine Morris Mystery

Does Your Mother Know?

Michelle Ricci

Mir Bahmanyar

Based on Maureen Jennings' award-winning novels, at the end of the Victorian era, Toronto-based police detective William Murdoch uses radical forensic techniques, including fingerprinting and trace evidence, to solve some of the city’s most gruesome murders. His unconventional approach often elicits skepticism from his colleagues, though he is usually supported by his boss Inspector Brackenreid, young Constable George Crabtree, and doctors/pathologists Emily Grace and Julia Ogden. This companion looks at every aspect of all 8 seasons of the show, from the regular characters and their relationships, to the history of the period, including figures Murdoch encounters, the forensic and scientific advances he utilises, and Murdoch’s most notable cases. The companion also goes behind the scenes on the show to examine every aspect of the production, including sets, costumes, music and writing.

Maureen Jennings

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