Tessa Arlen

Charming and feisty Poppy Redfern stumbles into murder in this exciting new World War II historical mystery series from critically acclaimed author Tessa Arlen. "Absolutely smashing! Readers will fall in love with clever and quirky Poppy Redfern and the colorful villagers of Little Buffenden..."--Anna Lee Huber, bestselling author of the Lady Darby Mysterieseries

Poppy Redfern and the Midnight Murders

When her husband's degenerate nephew is murdered right before her annual summer costume ball and all the clues point to her son as the culprit, Lady Montfort and her housekeeper take matters into their own hands as they search for the missing woman who could clear her son's name.

A Mystery

Death of a Dishonorable Gentleman

Dress of Violet Taffeta

Marion Crawford, governess to Queen Elizabeth II, has always stood by the young royal's side. In May 1945, the Queen falls in love with Prince Phillip - and no one except Marion thinks the match is a good one. Marion feels she can t leave the Queens's side until Elizabeth and Philip have received the King's blessing, much to the disappointment of her finacee George. Now Marion is caught between her loyalty to the Queen and her love for George. And just around the corner is a betrayal that will sever her bond with the royal family forever.

A Novel of the Queen's Governess

In Royal Service to the Queen

Lady Montfort and her pragmatic housekeeper Mrs. Jackson investigate a murder of a WWI officer with amnesia in the 20th-century English countryside. Building on the success of her last three mysteries in the same series, Tessa Arlen returns us to the same universe in Death of an Unsung Hero with more secrets, intrigue, and charming descriptions of the English countryside. In 1916, the world is at war and the energetic Lady Montfort has persuaded her husband to offer the dower house to the War Office as an auxiliary hospital for officers recovering from shell-shock with their redoubtable housekeeper Mrs. Jackson contributing to the war effort as the hospital's quartermaster. Despite the hospital's success, the farming community of Haversham, led by the Monfort's neighbor Sir Winchell Meacham, does not approve of a country-house hospital for men they consider to be cowards. When Sir Evelyn Bray, one of the patients, is found lying face down in the garden with his head bashed in, both Lady Montfort and Mrs. Jackson have every reason to fear that the War Office will close their hospital. Once again the two women unite their diverse talents to discover who wouldhave reason to murder a war hero suffering from amnesia.

A Lady Montfort Mystery

Death of an Unsung Hero

It is the late autumn of 1942. Our indomitable heroine Poppy Redfern is thoroughly immersed in her new job as a scriptwriter. After weeks of typing copy Poppy is thrilled to receive her first solo script project: a ten-minute film about the Attagirls, and Poppy is enthralled to meet these glamorous wartime heroines. But she never expects to see two of the infamous women pilots die in seemingly preventable 'accidents.' Poppy and her handsome American fighter pilot Griff believe foul play may be at work and soon realize a murderer with a desire for revenge is already looking for a new victim.

Poppy Redfern and the Fatal Flyers

A sumptuous novel based on the fascinating true story of Belle Epoque icon Lucy, Lady Duff Gordon, a woman determined to shatter the boundaries of the fashion world and support herself and her young daughter with her magnificent designs. Lucy Duff Gordon knows she is talented. She sees color, light, fabric, and texture in ways few other people do. But is the world ready for her? A world dominated by men who would try to control her and use her art for their own gain? After being deserted by her wealthy husband, Lucy is desperate to survive. She turns to her one true talent to make a living. As a little girl, the dresses she made for her dolls were the envy of her group of playmates. Now, she uses her courageous innovations in Belle Époque fashion to support her own little girl. Lucile knows it is an uphill battle, and a single woman is not supposed to succeed on her own, but she refuses to give up. She will claim her place in the fashion world; failure simply is not an option. Then, on a frigid night in 1912, Lucy’s life changes once more, when she becomes one of 706 people to survive the sinking of the Titanic. She could never have imagined the effects the disaster would have on her career, her marriage to her second husband, and her legacy. But no matter what life throws at her, Lucile will live on as a trailblazing and fearless fashion icon, never letting go of what she worked so hard to earn. This is her story.

A Dress of Violet Taffeta

"Lady Montfort is thrilled to receive an invitation to a dinner party hosted by her close friend Hermione Kingsley, the patroness of England's largest charity. Hermione has pulled together a select gathering to celebrate Winston Churchill's 39th birthday. Some of the oldest families in the country have gathered to toast the dangerously ambitious and utterly charming First Lord of the Admiralty. But when the dinner ends, one of the gentlemen remains seated at the table, head down among the walnut shells littering the cloth and a knife between his ribs"--

Death Sits Down to Dinner

"The world has been at war for three long and desperate years. In the remote English village of Little Buffenden, Poppy Redfern's family house and farmland has been requisitioned by the War Office as a new airfield for the American Air Force. As the village's Air Raid Warden, Poppy spends her nights patrolling the village as she tries to ease her neighbors' fears about the "Friendly Invasion" and what it means to their quiet way of life. When two young, popular women who were dating American servicemen are found strangled, Poppy quickly realizes that her little town has been divided by murder. The mistrust and suspicion of their new American partners in war threatens to tear Little Buffenden apart. Poppy decides to start her own investigation with the help of a charismatic American pilot and she soon unearths some chilling secrets and long-held grudges. Poppy will have no choice but to lay a trap for a killer so perilously close to home, she might very well become the next victim.."--

'Fans of The Crown will enjoy this poignant look behind the royal curtain' GEORGIE BLALOCK A crown princess. Her childhood nanny. A shocking betrayal... Marion Crawford is just twenty-two years old when she becomes governess to the little Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose in 1931. As their beloved 'Crawfie', she is instantly confided in, trusted and immersed in the lives of the royal family. As World War II finally comes to an end, it's clear that Princess Elizabeth has fallen in love. Now heiress presumptive to the British throne, no one believes that Prince Philip of Greece is a suitable husband for the future Queen of England. No one, that is, except for Crawfie. For Crawfie, too, has fallen in love - and has convinced her fiancé George that they must wait for Elizabeth and Philip to receive the King's blessing before she leaves the service of the Crown. Yet soon she finds herself torn between her loyalty to Princess Elizabeth and losing the man she loves. But no one ever anticipated the betrayal that will sever her bond with the royal family forever...

The Queen's Governess

A Death by Any Other Name is a delightful Edwardian mystery set in the English countryside. Building on the success of her last two mysteries in the same series, Tessa Arlen returns us to the same universe full of secrets, intrigue, and, this time, roses. The elegant Lady Montfort and her redoubtable housekeeper Mrs. Jackson's services are called upon after a cook is framed and dismissed for poisoning a guest of the Hyde Rose Society. Promising to help her regain her job and her dignity, the pair trek out to the countryside to investigate a murder of concealed passions and secret desires. There, they are to discover a villain of audacious cunning among a group of mild-mannered, amateur rose-breeders. While they investigate, the rumor mill fills with talk about a conflict over in Prussia where someone quite important was shot. There is talk of war and they must race the clock to solve the mystery as the idyllic English summer days count down to the start of WWI. Brimming with intrigue, Tessa Arlen's latest does not disappoint.

A Death by Any Other Name

“You’ll love this character so much, you’ll want her as your best friend.”—Alyssa Maxwell, author of the Gilded Newport Mysteries and a Lady and Lady’s Maid Mysteries Poppy Redfern is back on the case when two female fighter pilots take a fatal dive in an all-new Woman of World War II Mystery by Tessa Arlen. It is the late autumn of 1942. Our indomitable heroine Poppy Redfern is thoroughly immersed in her new job as a scriptwriter at the London Crown Film Unit, which produces short films featuring British civilians who perform acts of valor and heroism in wartime. After weeks of typing copy and sharpening pencils, Poppy is thrilled to receive her first solo script project: a fifteen-minute film about the Air Transport Auxiliary, known as Attagirls, a group of female civilians who have been trained to pilot planes from factories to military airfields all over Britain. Poppy could not be more excited to spend time with these amazing ladies, but she never expects to see one of the best pilots die in what is being labeled an accident. When another Attagirl meets a similar fate, Poppy and her American fighter-pilot boyfriend, Griff, believe foul play may be at work. They soon realize that a murderer with a desire for revenge is dead set on grounding the Attagirls for good. . . .

Tessa Arlen

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