In suburban Croydon over a period of ten months during 1928-9, three members of the same family died suddenly. A complex police investigation followed, but no charges were ever brought and the mystery remains officially unsolved. In the eighty years which followed, the finger of suspicion has been pointed at one member of the family after another: now, using the original police files and other contemporary documents, Diane Janes meticulously reconstructs these astonishing events and offers a new solution to an old murder mystery.

On 22 June 1931, Lieutenant Hugh Chevis and Frances, his bride of six months, sat down to dinner as usual at their bungalow at Deepcut Barracks. Within an hour, Chevis was showing signs of strychnine poisoning and by the next morning he was dead. Thus began one of the most intriguing unsolved murder enquiries of the twentieth century — soon to become known as ‘The Case of the Poisoned Partridge’. When a mysterious telegram arrived from Dublin on the day of Hugh’s funeral, containing the words ‘HOORAY HOORAY HOORAY’, the Surrey Police found themselves at the centre of an international investigation, considering clues from Eire, India and the Far East. Suspicion also fell on those closer to home. Was it possible to break the alibi provided by Major Jackson, Frances Chevis’s former husband? And what of the enigmatic Frances herself? Featuring previously unpublished material, this book provides the definitive account of the Poisoned Partridge Case.

Amateur sleuths Frances Black and Tom Dod return to investigate a trio of deaths in a sleepy English village in the second of an intriguing new historical mystery series. Tom Dod’s Aunt Hetty is worried – three sudden deaths have occurred in the sleepy village of Durley Dean. They might seem like tragic accidents, but Aunt Hetty isn’t so sure. After all, all three took a stand against Reverend Pinder, the new vicar of St Agnes Church, whose controversial changes have divided the congregation. But is there really a killer among the parishioners? And while Fran leaps at the chance to spend a weekend at Aunt Hetty’s sleuthing with Tom, could the trip prove to be a poisoned chalice in more ways than one?

1930. Frances Black is worried – divorce proceedings are under way and her solicitor has learnt of a spiteful letter sent to the court claiming that there is more to her friendship with her sleuthing partner, Tom Dod, than meets the eye. Fran takes Tom’s advice to get away, travelling down to Devon to help the Edgertons with their family mystery. After meeting the charismatic Eddie Edgerton and arriving at their residence, Sunnyside House, Fran soon learns that Eddie’s grandfather, Frederick Edgerton, died in mysterious circumstances when his wheelchair went off a cliff. Was it really an accident? And what happened to Frederick’s precious diamond which went missing at the time of his death? As Fran investigates, she uncovers family scandal, skulduggery and revenge, but can she solve the mystery of the missing diamond?

Is Wendy's dream house about to turn into her worst nightmare? From the moment Wendy Thornton first laid eyes on number 37, The Ashes, she knew she had to have it. It may seem neglected on the outside, but Wendy is convinced it's her perfect family home. It just needs to be loved. It needs her. When Wendy receives an unexpected sum of money from her aunt's will, her dream of buying The Ashes becomes a reality. But as Wendy moves in with her young family and starts uncovering its past, she soon learns that The Ashes is hiding a number of dark secrets. Is Wendy's dream house about to become her worst nightmare? As she is drawn further into The Ashes' dark history, Wendy's own life starts to unravel in the most spectacular and devastating way . . .

On a bitter day in January 1934 a young woman pays an unexpected visit to the occupant of the condemned cell in Armley Jail in Leeds. The man is Ernest Brown, who stands convicted of the murder of his employer, Frederick Morton, and is soon to be hanged. The woman is Florence Morton, the victim’s sister. Florence knows that Ernest is a bad lot. He deserted from the army, acquired a criminal record for theft and drunken driving, and has admitted to having had an affair with the victim’s wife. But did he kill her brother, Freddy Morton? Based on a true story, the mystery surrounding Freddy Morton’s death unfolds page by page, drawing the reader into a fascinating web of conflicting statements, competing loyalties, and a seemingly impossible murder scenario. As the clock ticks and the day of Ernest’s execution approaches, will Florence manage to discover the truth about the brutal murder of her brother?

Introducing amateur sleuths Frances Black and Tom Dod in the first of an intriguing new historical mystery series set in the north of England. 1929. The night before she’s due to make a speech to the Robert Barnaby Society on the subject of the famous writer’s ‘magic chair’, committee member Linda Dexter disappears. When her body is discovered two days later, fellow members Frances Black and Tom Dod determine to find out the truth about her death. Could Linda have discovered something about Robert Barnaby that got her killed? Or does the answer lie in the dead woman’s past? As they pursue their investigations, Fran and Tom find the Barnaby Society to be a hotbed of clashing egos, seething resentments and ill-advised love affairs – but does a killer lurk among them?