Books
"There's something in those woods that shouldn't be there..."
Enjoying a weekend in the country with his cousin Isabelle, Jack Haldean is intrigued to learn that the neighbouring estate of Birchen Bower has been bought by wealthy Canadian businessman Tom Jago. Determined to restore the place to its former glory, Jago has invited the local villagers to a fete to celebrate the grand re-opening of the 17th century family chapel.
But the afternoon's entertainment is cut short by the discovery of a body, mauled to death as if by a wild animal. Previously owned by the eccentric Cayden family, Birchen Bower has a long and colourful history, and is rumoured to be haunted. Is there any truth to the ancient family legend of the Jaguar Princess . . . and could she have claimed another victim? And what's happened to Jago's employee, Derek Martin and his wife, who have disappeared without trace . . . along with Mrs Jago's diamonds?
Refusing to believe the wild tales of man-eating beasts prowling the grounds, Jack sets out to uncover the truth. But then a second badly-ravaged body is discovered . . . Could the rumours be true after all?
The newly-married Jack and Betty Haldeans' wedded bliss is disturbed when an old friend of Betty's sees a horrifying vision in a peaceful Surry garden.
What did Jenny Langton see that frightened her so much she fainted on the spot?
Jack's faced with investigating a crime that happened twenty years ago, with no tangible clues, no reliable witnesses - and someone who is determined to stop him discovering the truth.
If you've ever wanted to write a classic or cozy murder mystery, this is the book for you.
Drawing on her own experience and that of such giants as Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers, Dolores take us through the whole process, from getting the initial idea to final submission, with submission advice from a top London agent.
Entertaining and easy to follow, How To Write A Classic Murder Mystery will encourage you not only to start but finish your own classic mystery.
Farholt; the celebrated country house. The scene of intrigue, robbery and murder ...
Sandy felt the dying man's hand move in hers as his eyes fluttered open. "Farholt," he said in a whisper. "Farholt." Sandy felt his hand tighten.
"Go on," she encouraged. "I'm from Farholt." When Sandy Herriad goes to the aid of a dying man, she is plunged into a search for the lost emerald, the Serpent's Eye.
Philip Brown is young, handsome and dangerously attractive. But is he all he seems? In her search for the missing emerald, Sandy must uncover the truth about Philip, the truth about the theft and the truth about murder. The truth is often deadly ...
Working for the British Government as a secret agent, Anthony Brooke wants to expose the people responsible for blackmailing innocent people and gruesome murders. But when the gang plots a kidnap, Anthony finds himself in the race to reach the little girl before they do. However, Milly will not be easy to retrieve, for she is in a Belgian convent, in German-occupied territory.
To rescue her, Anthony must go behind enemy lines, crawl under the wire, face ruthless German guards and break into a convent.
But, even if he can save her, what possible use could an orphan girl be to a violent gang? Anthony must find out soon, as countless more lives than just the little girl's are in danger...
The message consisted of one neatly type-written line. "I am killing you slowly. You are going to die. The Chessman."
Isabelle Stanton and Sue Castradon always arranged the flowers in the village church on Fridays. Sue Castradon was glad to escape to the church that morning. Her husband, Ned, bitterly resented her association - however fleeting - with the handsome Simon Vardon. Ned had fought, had sulked and now they'd had a row over breakfast. Sue didn't think things could get worse - until she opened the cupboard.
When a mutilated corpse is discovered in the sleepy village of Croxton Ferriers, Jack Haldean finds an odd clue at the scene of the crime. It's a black marble chess knight with crystal eyes. Is murder just a game? It could be - to a killer who calls himself the Chessman.
THE CHESSMEN
is to be published by Severn House (www.severnhouse.com)
Jack Haldean expected Lythewell and Askerns exhibition of church art in Lyon House, London, to be a sedate affair.
After all, Lythewell and Askern, Church Artists, were a respectable, old-fashioned firm, the last people to be associated with mystery, violence and sudden death.
Or so it seemed - until after the exhibition.
AFTER THE EXHIBITION
is to be published by Severn House (www.severnhouse.com)
The small and inquisitive village of Topfordham is agog when the elderly Mrs Paxton goes to Paris with her artist nephew, Terence Napier. When, on her return home, she is poisoned and Napier disappears, it seems obvious that Napier murdered her in a bid to steal her sapphires.
Frank Leigh, Napier's cousin, is convinced he's innocent and asks Jack Haldean to help. Oddly enough, Jack Is already interested in the sapphires; they've turned up on the floor of a hird class railway compartment, scattered at a dead man's feet. So who's the dead man? And is the bluff, genial Frank Leigh quite as blameless as he appears?
One thing is certain; someone thinks the precious stones are more valuable than human blood - and they're prepared to kill
BLOOD FROM A STONE
is to be published by Severn House (www.severnhouse.com) on 1st July 2013.
"There's a spy in England. Frankie's letter. Read Frankie's letter..."
Those are the last words said by a dying man to Anthony Brooke in Kiel, the heart of Imperial Germany, in the height of World War One. Anthony, English secret agent, has to escape from Kiel and get the secret of Frankie's letter back to England. But who is Frankie?
Inside an innocent-seeming English country house, Anthony discovers a web of spies, treachery and terrorism. For Anthony the war is about to become very close, very personal and, as he falls hopelessly in love, very, very dangerous...
FRANKIES LETTER
was published by Severn House (www.severnhouse.com) on 26th April 2012.
Mark Helston, rising star of Hunt Coffee Limited, was successful, popular and had everything to live for.
Yet at half past seven on the ninth of January 1925, he walked out of his Albemarle Street flat and disappeared.
Desperate to find him, Mark's uncle, old Mr Hunt, appeals to Jack Haldean. It's hopeless, say Scotland Yard. Maybe, says Jack.
And then he finds a body...
TROUBLE BREWING
was published by Severn House (www.severnhouse.com) on 26th April 2012.
Charles Otterbourne's New Century company should have been the perfect partner for Professor Alan Carrington's radical new gramophone. After all, Charles Otterbourne was not only a leading manufacturer but a public figure, noted for his good works and philanthropy. Too good, perhaps, to be true?
Did Alan Carrington discover Charles Otterbourne's secret or was there another explanation for what happened at that meeting? And how did it lead to murder in a London hotel?
In a desperate bid to save a man from the gallows, Jack Haldean takes up the case. But has he saved the wrong man? The answer is Off The Record.
Click here to read the first chapter of Off The Record
Click here to read reviews of Off The Record.
A hundred thousand dragons lie, underneath an Arabian sky.
Adler Madison wrote those words and left them in a book in the Savoy. Poetry? Perhaps, but what are the dragons? And who was Adler Madison?
The answer threatens to tear Jack Haldean apart. How does a chance encounter in a London hotel, a death in Sussex, and few lines of poetry lead to a lost city of Arabia, to the tombs of the Whispering Dead?
Jack has evaded the truth for years but now, enmeshed in the web of murder, theft and deception, he must find the answer and face up to the truth - a truth as deadly as any dragon.
Click here to read the an extract from A Hundred Thousand Dragons.
Click here to read reviews of A Hundred Thousand Dragons.
A HUNDRED THOUSAND DRAGONS
is published by Severn House (www.severnhouse.com) on 27th May 2010.
George Lassiter is destitute, ill and desperate. Desperate enough to break into the kitchen of a stranger's house seeking shelter. And there, on that bitterly cold night, he witnesses what seems to be the murder of a beautiful girl. But when the police search the house, the body's disappeared - as if by magic.
It has to be nothing but a nightmare, thinks George and so does his friend and rescuer, Jack Haldean. However, the consequences of the nightmare will plunge George into a a tangle of theft, lies and obsession... and will set Jack off on the hunt for a ruthless killer.
Click here to read the an extract from As If By Magic.
Click here to read reviews of As If By Magic.
AS IF BY MAGIC
Published June 2009 by Constable and Robinson (UK) (www.constablerobinson.com) and Soho (USA).
It's the height of summer 1923. Sir Philip and Lady Rivers are celebrating their Silver Wedding with a ball at their country house, Hesperus, in Sussex.
It should have been one of the best nights of the year - until one of the guests commits suicide.
Or did he? Jack's sure it's murder. So who's the murderer?
The danger is only beginning…
Click here to read the an extract from Mad About The Boy?.
Click here to read reviews of Mad About The Boy?
MAD ABOUT THE BOY
is published by Constable and Robinson (www.constablerobinson.com) on 29th May 2008.
Jeremy Boscombe was the last person Jack Haldean either expected or wanted to see at the Red Cross fete in the summer of 1922.
Boscombe was cynical, worldly and a complete pain in the neck.
Before the afternoon was over it was clear that somebody else had disliked meeting Boscombe.
Disliked him enough to kill him.
Click here to read the an extract from A Fete Worse Than Death.
Click here to read reviews of A Fete Worse Than Death
A FETE WORSE THAN DEATH
is published by Constable and Robinson (www.constablerobinson.com) on 28th June 2007.
Please note that A Fete Worse Than Death is now available both as a large print and an Audio book from Isis.
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Copyright © Dolores Gordon-Smith 2007
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