William Shakespeare is trying to establish himself in the theatrical world and stumbles across an astonishing story. 40 years earlier a woman was burned to death following a trial for the murder of her husband. It sparks his creative energy and he sets to work on his first ever play…
Arden is an historical depiction of a new theory about a Tudor play and the legal case that inspired it.
Will is in trouble in his local area and feels unfulfilled helping in the family glove-making business. He joins a band of actors and finds a talent for amending plays, inspiring him to write his own. The story of Alice Arden captivates his interest. She shares the same surname as his mother and he is fascinated to unpick the truth behind the crime.
The book is written in two timelines to show Will’s experience in the 1580s and Alice’s life in the 1540s as she faces life’s struggles which unltimately lead to a murder and her own execution. Both characters are trying to negotiate their way through a dangerous world. Alice has the extra difficulty of being a woman, constrained by the gender conventions of the era. Politics and class affect both their lives too.
I felt that both timelines were equally well developed and I was immersed in the Tudor world. It is wonderful to get an insight into the potential truth of the mystery years of Shakespeare before he became famous. The new research that the the author has undertaken was extensive in my opinion and I thought that the fictional write up was very effective. I enjoyed the exploration of the murder and motves with the personal dimension of Alice’s story from the primary sources.
Arden is an engaging and enjoyable historical novel.
Arden
Alice Arden, idealistic and wealthy beauty, burnt at the stake for killing her husband, the former mayor of Faversham in Kent. But was she really the one responsible for the most scandalous murder of the sixteenth century?
William Shakespeare, England’s greatest playwright, born thirteen years after Alice’s execution. Why does his first-ever play, written about this murder, not bear his name?
This is a story of two people – one reviled, one revered – whose fates become linked in a tale of corruption, collusion and conspiracy. Based on historical documents and recently published academic research, Arden unveils shocking new evidence about the murder of Thomas Arden and reveals, for the first time, a remarkable new theory about Shakespeare’s early years.
I have written four novels in the last eight years under the penname GD Harper.
My last novel, The Maids of Biddenden, the imagined biography of real-life conjoined twins born in 12th-century Kent, was featured on BBC TV News and was the winner of the Next Generation Indie Book Awards in the historical fiction category, shortlisted for the 2022 Selfie Award at the London Book Fair, and shortlisted or longlisted for five other awards.
It has over a thousand ratings on Amazon UK and Goodreads, with an average score of 4.3. Across the major Amazon markets, it reached number sixteen in overall paid-for e-book sales, number two in historical fiction and number one in medieval historical fiction.
An abandoned pub is set alight and a man is reported missing. The man’s wife asks Libby to investigate and she finds his murdered body in a barn. Is there a connection to the arson at the pub?
Murder at the Crooked Horse is the 26th book in the Libby Sarjeant series. There are references to past cases and events, and I believe that the characters and relationships have developed over the series of books.
The Crooked Horse pub has been closed and is waiting for redevelopment. Locals are shocked to hear that someone has attempted to burn it down. Luckily no one was injured but someone is missing and Libby is asked to investigate. She finds his body in his own barn but she has suspicions that the murder could be related to the pub, smuggling, an ancient treasure trove, or possibly all three!
There is plenty of mystery for Libby to uncover and I liked the respectful and reciprocal friendship she has with the police characaters. She has to find links between several plot strands but I felt that some of the revelations and clues were convoluted, based on assumptions not evidence. For this reason, I didn’t find the conclusion particularly satisfying.
The writing style is quite dialogue led. The use of dialect and language brings the spoken parts to life. There is very little description and almost nothing about the forensics of the case. There are a lot of peripheral characters and I found it difficult to keep track of everyone and their relationships. I think I would benefit from reading this series from the start.
Murder at the Crooked Horse has plenty of mystery and the characters are brought to life through a dialogue driven narrative style.
Murder at The Crooked Horse
After learning of a suspicious attempt to burn down a beloved old pub, The Crooked Horse, Libby Sarjeant and her friend Fran reluctantly agree to investigate.
But when a local antiques dealer mysteriously disappears after apparently taking out his boat, it appears there are dark and sinister forces at play.
Can Libby and Fran uncover a connection between the fire and the missing man? And will unravelling a deadly case put them in terrible danger?
Author Bio – Lesley Cookman writes the Libby Sarjeant Murder Mysteries and the The Alexandrians, an Edwardian Mystery Series. She lives on the south east coast of England, and is a former model, actor, and journalist. Her four adult children are all musicians and writers.
A week I’d like to forget. Last week was so full of happiness that this week has been extra awful in comparison.
The kids weren’t happy on Monday morning as school started back up. Then we heard the sad news that my great uncle Roy had passed away on Tuesday. My Mum and Dad’s 17 year old cat Tanzi was put to sleep on Wednesday. There have been so many tears and I’ve had a bad headache from all the crying. Zach has caught a cold and missed the remembrance parade.
Here’s Shelly who has been a spark of happiness this week as we adjust to having a tortoise in the family.
Crime writer Phoebe finds herself the target of a poison pen letter. First she receives a invitation to her own funeral and then she is sent a parcel containing poisoned pen nibs. Luckily she is uninjured but the postman is killed whie trying to deliver the package…
The Poison Pen Letters is the second Village Detectives murder mystery book set in the fictional village of Inkbury.
Juno is mulling over her love life when her friend and fellow Village Detective is targeted by a someone with murder in mind. Phoebe kept quiet about the sinister funeral invite but the fatal injury to the postman reveals the full extent of the danger she is facing. Juno and Phoebe need to explore personal and professional motivations to reveal the truth. They are assisted by Juno’s love interest (the pub landlord, Mil) and Phoebe’s husband Felix.
There is a great deal of gentle humour in this book, much of it at Juno’s expense or due to her former career as a stand up comic. This balanced well against the murderous plot facing the amateur sleuths. I thought that the manner of murder was completely unique! The interactions between characters felt natural and made the characters come to life as I was reading.
The Poison Pen Letters is an enjoyable cosy murder mystery.
The Poison Pen Letters
We regret to announce the tragic death of Phoebe Fredericks…
When crime novelist Phoebe opens the post and receives an invitation to her own funeral, she’s horrified. Not least because the date of her death is marked as tomorrow.
Deciding it’s nothing more than a prank from an enemy from her past, she determines to put it to the back of her mind.
But the next morning, when her completely infuriating postman (who likes to think himself her no.1 literary critic) rings her doorbell, a parcel of poisoned pen-nibs explodes in his face. Forced to confront the fact her correspondence is more RIP than RSVP, Phoeve realises someone must want her dead.
Together with the newly-formed Village Detectives – Juno, Mil and Felix – Phoebe resolves to find out who is behind the poison pen letters before they strike again and her fate is signed, sealed and delivered!
An totally hilarious, modern cozy crime mystery, from million-copy bestselling author Fiona Walker, perfect for fans of Richard Osman, Janet Evanovich and Janice Hallett.
Fiona Walker is the million copy bestselling author of joyously funny romantic comedies. Most recently published by Head of Zeus, she will be turning to cozy crime for Boldwood. The first in her new Village Detectives series, The Art of Murder, will be published in May 2024.
Mila and her agency are employed to look into a bequest which the deceased has stipulated must only be handed to the beneficiary or buried with them if they have died. The only clue to get Mila started is a photo and she immediately begins to investigate…
The Sea House is the third book in this mystery series set in Brittany, France. There are no spoilers about earlier cases but the personal plotline does continue.
The book begins with a woman desperately trying to keep her daughter safe. It then moves ahead to the present day and Mila being given the mission to unite the bequest with its beneficiary. Mila visits the home of the deceased looking for clues and is struck by the security measures. Elisabeth lived and died in fear and is now keeping her secrets beyond the grave.
On the personal side, Mila is waiting for test results on a body found in the search for her missing brother in law. For her niece’s sake she wants answers quickly, but when the results do arrive they are not what anyone expected. This leads to a lot of emotional turmoil which adds extra depth to the plot.
The atmosphere of suspense and tension is maintained well. Mila’s professional and personal elements provide balance to the plot and there were plenty of revelations in both parts. The style of writing is easy to read and I felt that the place descriptions brought France to life.
The Sea House has an intriguing and emotional mystery at its heart as well as the personal subplot.
The Sea House
A mysterious bequest and the legacy of a tragic love – only one person can unravel the hidden secrets of the past before it’s too late…
When Elisabeth Quemener dies she leaves a small parcel with the instructions that it must only be opened by Astrid Oake. The trouble is, no one knows who Astrid Oake is…
Elisabeth’s family turn to Touissants detective agency for help but, when Mila Shepherd and Carter Jackson try to track Astrid down, their frustration soon mounts. Their only clue is a photo of two young women holding the hands of a tiny child. The women are smiling but Mila is haunted by the sadness in their eyes. Is this Astrid and Elisabeth and if so, who is the child? And why are there signs everywhere in Elisabeth’s home that the old woman was frightened despite her living a quiet life with no known enemies?
As Elisabeth and Astrid’s story slowly unfolds, Mila feels the walls of her home The Sea House closing in. And as the secrets finally begin to reveal themselves, she is ever more determined to carry out Elisabeth’s final wishes. Because what is inside that unprepossessing parcel might just save a life…
Louise Douglas is back in the Brittany seaside town of Morranez with a heart-stopping, heart-breaking, brilliantly written and utterly compelling mystery. Perfect for fans of Kate Morton, Eve Chase and Lucinda Riley.
Hello! I’m Louise, author of 12 novels mostly set in the Somerset countryside close to where I live and Sicily. I’m thrilled to have won the RNA Jackie Collins Romantic Thriller award 2021 for The House by the Sea which has sold more than a quarter of a million copies.
