Edward Marston

For Lord Westfields Men, every high road leads to death.When the deathly horrors of the Black Plague decimate the audiences in Londons theatres, the acclaimed troupe of players called Lord Westfields Men take to the high road to seek out fresh audiences. But wherever they go, they are thwarted by misfortune, and are baffled by mysteries. Their scripts are stolen, their players abducted. A dead man walks, and a beautiful woman hears the voice of God.Only one man is clever enough to match swords with the troupes burgeoning troubles. Upon Nicholas Bracewell, the companys bookholder and mainstay, falls the burden that may cost him his life - as they head for an ancient inn called the Trip to Jerusalem, where the last act of a bloody drama is about to begin.

France 1705. Captain Daniel Rawson is always ready for an adventure, so when Duke of Marlborough proposes a dangerous undercover mission to discover what happened to one of their spies, a Dutch tapestry-maker, Rawson happily accepts. He journeys to France in disguise, and is delighted to find a lovely distraction in the form of the tapestry-makers beautiful daughter. Unaware of her fathers espionage role, Amalia is fearful for his safety and its up to Daniel to find her father and put Amalias mind at rest. Meanwhile, Rawlsons stalwart is Sergeant Welbeck is left in camp with complications of his own. His wide-eyed nephew has joined the army as a drummer boy in pursuit of honour and glory. Welbeck would like nothing more than to ignore this eager young boy, but circumstances are conspiring to make this impossible.

Winter, Witchcraft and Devilish Deceit. Faced with the austerities of a bitterly cold English winter, the theatre is deserted and Westfields Men find themselves out of work. Fortuitously, the company is invited to perform at a country home in Essex; welcome news to the disgruntled players. The company decide its the perfect opportunity to trial their new play, The Witch of Colchester. However, when the groups leading actor begins to fall mysteriously ill, the company fear witchcraft might be involved. Then on the performance night, an audience member inexplicably collapses and dies, paving the way for Nicholas Bracewell to uncover the cause of the strange events taking place in Silvermere.

A laughing hangman turns the stage into the gallows...When Nicholas Bracewell finds himself once again in the parlour of his lost love, Anne Hendrik, he was not expecting her entreaties to embroil him in the murder of a beloved choir master. Between tales of cruelty, forgotten maps of London and a butcher determined to rescue his son, it is yet another mystery for the book keeper to untangle. But will his quest endanger Lord Westfields Men?As their latest play, The Misfortunes of Marriage, threatens to break them apart beneath the playwrights own belligerent ribaldry, the threat of the hangman stalks ever closer. And with every step his laughter rings with the power to turn even the hallowed stage into the gallows.

IT IS 1704 AND EUROPE IS AT WAR Take this sword as you own and wear it with more honour than the man from whom you took it With Lord Churchills words ringing in his ears, the courageous young Captain Daniel Rawson embarks on a dangerous mission to lead his men into battle against the French enemy. He must succeed at all costs- the future of England is at stake. But Rawson is the target of the murderous General Salignac who will stop at nothing to see his adversary dead. As Rawson and his men march across the continent, he must keep one step ahead of Salignacs brigands and live to fight heroically at the Battle of Blenheim. The author of the bestselling Railway detective series triumphs with this stunning first book in the Captain Rawson series.

When Robert Pomeroy, a young undergraduate at Corpus Christi College, finds a letter slipped under his door in the early hours of a rainy day, he flies into a panic. Hastily readying himself and dashing off a few lines for the porter to summon his friend Nicholas Thorpe, he hurries to the railway station. But he doesnt reach his destination alive.Inspector Colbeck and Sergeant Leeming are called upon to investigate this tragedy on the railway. It soon becomes apparent that Cambridges hopes of success in the forthcoming Boat Race rested on Pomeroys shoulders. With academic disputes, romantic interests and a sporting rivalry with Oxford in play, the Railway Detective will have his work cut out to disentangle the threads of Pomeroys life in order to answer the truth of his death.

June, 1917. While German Gotha bombers raid London from above, a mans body is fished from the Thames below. The man had been garrotted and his tongue cut out before he was left to his watery grave, and as the killer has taken care to remove identifying items and even labels, Detective Inspector Marmion and Sergeant Keedy struggle to name the victim before they can begin properly with their investigation.As family and business associates are found, the list of suspects grows ever longer, and as Marmion wrangles with the case, he and his family must also contend with their anxieties for his now-missing son Paul. The interminable presence of war and, closer to home, pitched battles in the East End between rival adolescent gangs, suggest the Home Front is more insecure than ever before. With great care, Marmion must pick his way along a twisting path that will lead him towards the killer.

One play, two murders and a grievous miscarriage of justiceAfter a calamitous performance and the death of one of their own, Lord Westfields Men are more than despondent. So when the mysterious Simon Chaloner follows Nicholas Bracewell home with an offer of a new play, anonymously penned, his offer seems too good to refuse. It is a story of a simple death used to conceal a greater treachery, perhaps even treason.But they could never have known how dangerous one play could be. Or how telling the tale of a murdered mathematician might put them all in jeopardy. It is up to Nick to once more save the acting troupe from disaster, to reveal the traitor that threatens both Queen and country, and to prove who really killed The Roaring Boy.

Edward Marston is a master of his craft.Daily MailDecember 1917. Ada Hobbes arrives on a frosty morning to clean the house owned by Dr Tindall, a surgeon at the Edmonton Military Hospital. She is shocked to find the blood-covered body of her employer sprawled across the floor. He has been hacked to death. Detective Inspector Harvey Marmion and Sergeant Joe Keedy arrive to a horrific scene. Someone enjoyed killing him, without a doubt. Their investigation takes them far out of London and on the trail of a very different Dr Tindall, one who was not the respectable local doctor everyone thought he was. Marmion and Keedy will need to sift through a number of likely suspects to find the killer behind this gruesome murder.

A maritime mystery from Edward Marston, author of the bestselling Railway Detective series.New York, 1908. Private detectives George Dillman and Genevieve Masefield plan to take a break from work upon the Cunard Lines fleet with the offer of employment upon the Minnesota, a freighter and passenger vessel, which is bound for the Far East.Although the pair are investigating the possibility of a smuggling operation on the route, at first all appears to be smooth sailing, but the voyage takes a dire turn when a fiery Catholic missionary is murdered and it proves to be the first in a series of crimes that plague the crossing.Previously published under the name Conrad Allen, the Ocean Liner series sets sail for a new generation of readers.

While thousands of Britons fight in the trenches, a severely depleted police force remains behind to keep the Home Front safe. Detective Inspector Harvey Marmion and Sergeant Joe Keedy are on hand to delve into the complex and sinister cases that arise.A Bespoke Murder: May 1915. In London the sinking of the Lusitania sparks an unprecedented wave of anti-German riots. Among the victims is the tailor Jacob Stein, found dead in his burnt-out shop. But is the murder really the result of wartime hysteria, or perhaps a more premeditated crime?An Instrument of Slaughter: Britain is on the brink of enforcing conscription. A conscientious objector is savagely killed after making a rousing speech at a meeting of the No-Conscription Fellowship, and some people even claim that a conchie deserves to die if he wont fight for King and Country. Marmion and Keedy will have to work fast to find the killer before more deaths occur...Five Dead Canaries: As the fighting on the Front Line continues, a new breed of women emerges to hold the Home Front together. The fiery-spirited munitionettes, or canaries, are easily recognisable with their chemically-stained yellow faces. One such raucous group gathers to celebrate a birthday, but the festivities are cut short when all but one are killed in a brutal explosion. The dark days of the war have left everyone on edge, suspicion is rife and there are no shortage of apparent motives for murder...A master storyteller. Edward Marston has tapped into a rich vein of inspiration. His Home Front Detective series promises a long run.Daily Mail

Ralph Delchard, a soldier who fought at the Battle of Hastings, and Gervase Bret, a talented lawyer, have been commissioned by William the Conqueror to look into irregularities brought to light during the compilation of the Domesday Book, the great survey of England. Their investigations take them throughout the kingdom, but the pair often find themselves embroiled in more sinister mysteries in the towns they visit. The Kings work is a dangerous business.A mans body is found mutilated in Savernake Forest and the residents of Bedwyn sleep uneasy at night, fearing a monster stalking the town. When Ralph Delchard and Gervase Bret arrive, they soon discover that the locals are harbouring dark secrets and that the real killer may be a little closer to home.

London, 1817. An impatient crowd is gathered outside the stage door of the Covent Garden Theatre, desperate for a glimpse of actress Hannah Granville after her latest performance as Lady Macbeth, amongst them the Prince Regent himself. But before she can appear a gunshot sounds, and a man lies dead on the ground amidst the ensuing chaos.Sir Roger Mellanby MP had been a spearhead for social reform, although his political leanings had made him many enemies within the Westminster elite and even in his own family. But was he really the intended target of the shooting? After a curt dismissal from the Bow Street Runners, Mellanbys friend Seth Hooper engages the services of twin detectives Paul and Peter Skillen to investigate the killing.Elsewhere, the assassins own problems are just beginning.

A maritime mystery from Edward Marston, author of the bestselling Railway Detective series.November 1907. George Dillman and Genevieve Masefield sail from Liverpool on the maiden voyage of the Mauretania. While posing as a passenger George is in fact an undercover detective hired by the Cunard Line. Dillman and Genevieve endure a nightmare voyage during which severe weather batters the vessel relentlessly and keeps the passengers away from the decks. Dillman is instrumental in rescuing a crew member from being washed overboard but he is too late to save one of the First Class passengers from the same fate. At first, it looks like a case of death by misadventure. But Dillman and Genevieve come to realise that it was an act of calculated murder, connected with the presence on board of a record shipment of gold bullion - twelve tons in all - sent from the Bank of England.At the time of her launch, the Mauretania was the largest moving structure ever built. She would later serve as a WWI hospital and troop ship. After returning to civilian service, Mauretania was retired and scrapped in the mid-1930s.Previously published under the name Conrad Allen, the Ocean Liner series is relaunched for a new generation of readers.

A maritime mystery from Edward Marston, author of the bestselling Railway Detective series.Egypt, 1908. George Dillman and Genevieve Masefield, used to the grand opulence of the Cunard cruise line, are at first disappointed with the Marmora, a small, unimpressive ship owned by the P&O shipping line. Employed by P&O to be the ships detectives, Dillman and Masefield expect to encounter the usual assortment of petty thieves and confidence tricksters.But this cruise is certain to be unique as the Duke and Duchess of Fife and their children are aboard and the detectives will provide security for the royals. And when a dead body turns up, the voyage proves to be one to remember. Keeping the demise of the poor victim a secret on such a small ship is tough enough but suspects abound, meaning Dillman and Masefield have their work cut out for them.Previously published under the name Conrad Allen, the Ocean Liner series casts off for a new generation of readers.

Ralph Delchard, a former soldier in the infamous Battle of Hastings, and Gervase Bret, a gifted lawyer, continue to investigate discrepancies raised during the gathering of information for the Domesday Book, the great survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror. Travelling the length of the country the pair often find that where property is disputed, passions erupt, often with violent consequences.Delchard and Bret arrive in Archenfield for what should be a straightforward assignment. But they are shocked to discover that a principal witness has been murdered, burned alive in his own home. With an enigmatic symbol the only clue to the killers identity, the pair must use all their wits to expose the person responsible.

One island of wealth and luxury remains in the war-torn lands of Yorkshire, the castle of merchant Aubrey Maminot which holds two great terrors: the rogue Olaf Evil Child, a hero of the poor and conquered Saxon people, and the ravenous lions Maminot keeps as pets. The lions make a feast of an anonymous young man who tries to sneak into the castle. Why would someone commit such an act of suicide?

1917. The Lotus Hotel offers sanctuary for its exclusively female clientele, attracting the cream of Londons society. But a dead body found in one of its rooms is hardly good for business, and when it is discovered that the woman was neither a guest nor a member of staff, the Lotuss reputation as a safe haven is cast in doubt. Inspector Marmion and Sergeant Keedy are dispatched to look into the events at the hotel and soon suspect foul play. Tangling with a forgetful widower, a wily competitor and the haughty hotel owner, the pair will have to delve into the past to solve this crime in the present.

1916. As thousands of Brits are fighting on the Front Line, a new breed of women emerges to hold the Home Front together. Fiercely independent and fiery-spirited, the munitionettes, or canaries, are easily recognisable with their chemically-stained yellow faces. Among the raucous group of women is Florrie Duncan, who plans to celebrate her birthday in style at the Golden Goose pub. But the celebrations are cut short when all but one are killed in a brutal explosion.

A maritime mystery from Edward Marston, author of the bestselling Railway Detective series.Bombay, 1909. Genevieve Masefield and George Dillman make a living as detectives aboard the early twentieth centurys most extravagant ocean liners. From the members of first class in all their finery, to the card cheats and pickpockets plying their trade, theyve experienced more than their share of humanity.For their latest voyage, the Salsette boasts a pair of travellers who feign ignorance of each other but there is clearly no love lost between them. Then theres an elderly man whose powers of deduction may be based on more earthly techniques than the mystical energy he claims to possess. And theres a young woman and her mother who find their way into the middle of every bit of trouble aboard. The lives of this group of travellers are set to intersect in ways none of them could have foreseen on dry land - including in a murder.Previously published under the name Conrad Allen, the Ocean Liner series casts off for a new generation of readers.