Clara Benson

Hogmanay, das schottische Silvesterfest, steht bevor, und Angela Marchmont ist auf Fives Castle zu Gast, dem Landsitz des Earl of Strathmerrick. Als sie erf hrt, dass der Au enminister, der amerikanische Botschafter und der Leiter des britischen Geheimdienstes ebenfalls dort sein werden, um in das Jahr 1928 hineinzufeiern, keimt in Angela der Verdacht, dass etwas Bedeutsames im Gange ist. Dass die Gesellschaft schon bald auf Fives Castle eingeschneit ist, ist im Winter in diesem Teil Schottlands nichts Ungew hnliches - der Fund einer Leiche allerdings schon. Ehe sie sichs versieht, landet Angela auf der Liste der Verd chtigen ...

Maria Lucas is quite resigned to never marrying, but when a new family comes to live at Netherfield Park, she suddenly finds herself with not one suitor, but two. As a friend schemes against her and misunderstandings abound, can Maria avoid the unwelcome advances of the man all Meryton expects her to marry, and win the heart of the man she truly loves?NB: If you're looking for an Elizabeth and Darcy fix, keep looking, because you won't find it here There are no Bennets in this book.

When Douglas Westray, the son of an eminent aircraft manufacturer, is found shot dead in a locked room at a society ball, it seems obvious that it's suicide-after all, he had two failed engagements behind him, and had lost the family firm a prestigious prize through his own neglect. But not everybody is convinced-including Freddy Pilkington-Soames, who soon discovers that there are still questions to be answered. Why was Douglas wearing the wrong shoes when he was found? What is the connection with a near-disaster at an air show? And was Freddy's narrow escape from death under the wheels of a car an accident or something more sinister? Assisted by his old friend, the wayward and irrepressible Lady Gertie McAloon, and pestered at every turn by rival reporter Corky Beckwith, Freddy finds himself drawn into a world of sabotage, blackmail and shady deals which threaten to scupper the success of a new fighter plane before it even gets off the ground. But there's more at stake than just money, and now it's up to Freddy to untangle the clues and unravel the dark secret of a murderer who has already killed at least once and will think nothing of killing again.

When the Duke of Purbeck throws a house party to celebrate his daughter's twenty-first birthday and present her with a family heirloom, nobody expects that the weekend will end in murder. The fabled Belsingham pearls have a history steeped in blood and slaughter dating back more than a century-and now it seems they've claimed another life, when the interfering and opinionated Professor Coddington is found dead in the library with the pearls clutched in his hand. It looks like a robbery gone wrong, but then why didn't the thief take the necklace? And how did he escape unnoticed, given that half the guests were wandering around the house at the time of the murder?House guest Freddy Pilkington-Soames has enough on his plate already, with a lecherous nuisance of a grandfather to keep an eye on, a girlfriend his mother disapproves of, and an ex-girlfriend who's engaged to another man but shows signs of changing her mind. But with a killer on the loose in the house, it's time to forget his own troubles and rise to the occasion-or risk a scandal that could destroy the reputation of his whole family.

West End theatre impresario Septimus Gooch is a man with many enemies, but when he's found dead in his leading lady's dressing-room the police put it down to an accident.The cast of Septimus's latest musical production at the Jollity Theatre are having none of it, however-this is the second mysterious death in two months, and they're convinced Septimus died after being frightened out of his wits by the ghost that's haunted the theatre ever since it burned to the ground many years ago. A malevolent spirit is on the loose, striking them down one by one. Which of them will be next?Press-man Freddy Pilkington-Soames was backstage at the Jollity on the night Septimus died. He doesn't believe in ghosts, but he knows a suspicious death when he sees one-and when a third person dies there's no doubt this time that a human hand was behind it.Freddy's fending off the attentions of several chorus-girls at once, so has his own distractions to contend with. But murder's no joke, and he'll do anything he can to catch the killer before the whole production falls apart.After all, the show must go on.

It's fair to say that Freddy Pilkington-Soames is not having a good day. His grandmother is threatening to marry a lounge lizard, his old friend has lost her lover, a racehorse has been kidnapped, a priceless diamond has gone missing, and everybody seems to think he should sort it all out.(Oh, and there's a dead body on the terrace.)Now Freddy's on the sunny French Riviera, caught in the crossfire of a feud between an audacious thief he's locked horns with before and a murderous gang who will stop at nothing to get what they want. He'd keep his head down if he could, but there are questions that need answering. Who took the diamond? Who is double-crossing whom? And is his grandmother's intended quite all he seems?(And where did that dead body go?)A political scandal at the highest level is looming and the future of an international conference hangs in the balance, and once again it's up to Freddy to save the day-in more ways than one.

The ladies of Clerkenwell Central Hall are none too pleased at having their Temperance meetings disrupted by the rowdy Communists next door, but for Miss Olive Stapleton in particular, the uneasy coexistence proves fatal when she is found stabbed through the heart with a paper-knife. Enter Freddy Pilkington-Soames, who's been recruited by British Intelligence to investigate a suspected Communist plot to stir up a general strike. Freddy thinks there's more to Miss Stapleton's death than meets the eye, but as he delves more deeply into the mystery it only becomes more puzzling. What is the connection between the murder and the coded newspaper advertisements? Is a Welsh firebrand politician really as harmless as he seems? And what does the beautiful wife of an Austrian revolutionary philosopher want from him? It all points to one thing: danger ahead. But time is running out, and Freddy must act fast to stop the conspirators, or risk becoming the unwitting pawn in a deadly game that threatens to bring the country to its knees.

When Hollywood star Dorothy Dacres plummets six floors from her hotel terrace on the night of her greatest triumph, it initially looks like a tragic accident. But her death is so very convenient to her many enemies that press-man Freddy Pilkington-Soames, who was there on the night she died, begins to suspect foul play. And when cocaine is found in her room, it only complicates matters further. Soon Freddy is chasing across London on the trail of drug dealers, in reluctant company with his deadly rival Corky Beckwith, the most unscrupulous reporter in Fleet Street, who will do anything for a story. With the future of a film studio at stake, can Freddy find the culprit-and get one up on Corky-before he becomes the killer's next victim?

It's 1929, and Ticky Maltravers is the toast of London high society, adored by everyone-or so it seems, until somebody poisons him over dinner. Now it turns out that numerous people with secrets to hide had every reason to wish him dead. But which of them murdered him? For Freddy Pilkington-Soames, newspaper reporter and man-about-town, the question hits a little too close to home, thanks to an unfortunate drunken encounter with Ticky's corpse which he'd much rather the police didn't find out about-and thanks also to his exasperating mother Cynthia's seeming determination to get herself arrested by tampering with the evidence. But a pretty girl with big blue eyes is demanding his help in solving the mystery, so what can he do but agree? Now all he has to do is hide the wrong clues, find the right ones, and unmask the murderer before the police discover what's really been going on. That ought to be easy enough. If only people didn't keep getting killed...

Im Nebel ber der Romney Marsh st t Angela Marchmont auf die Leiche einer Frau, deren Gesicht entstellt wurde - vermutlich, um die Identifizierung zu erschweren. Wer ist sie, und was hatte sie da drau en in der einsamen Marschlandschaft gemacht? Die Suche nach einer Antwort f hrt Angela von einem pr chtigen Herrenhaus in Kent nach London in einen der mond nsten - und verrufensten - Nachtclubs und in eine d stere Welt mit verbotenem Alkohol, Jazzmusik und verlorenen Seelen.

Als Angela Marchmont auf Empfehlung ihres Arztes nach Cornwall f hrt, freut sie sich auf eine geruhsame Zeit, in der nichts Aufregenderes passiert, als dass sie im Meer badet. Ihre Hoffnungen auf einen friedlichen Sommerurlaub zerschlagen sich jedoch, als sie in die Jagd nach einem Diamantencollier verwickelt wird, das der Legende nach seit ber einem Jahrhundert in Poldarrow Point, einem ehemaligen Schmugglerhaus, versteckt ist.Mithilfe der alten Besitzerin des Hauses, einer tatkr ftigen Zw lfj hrigen und eines gutaussehenden Detectives von Scotland Yard macht sich Angela daran, das R tsel zu entwirren. Wer ist der Verfasser der anonymen Briefe? Warum bricht jemand im Dunkel der Nacht in das alte Haus ein? Und stimmt es, dass ein ber hmt-ber chtigter Juwelendieb ebenfalls hinter dem Schatz her ist? Angela muss all ihre detektivischen F higkeiten aufbieten, um den Fall zu l sen und das Collier zu finden - bevor ihr jemand zuvorkommt.

Der alte Philip Haynes hatte immer schon seinen Spa daran, wenn sich die Mitglieder seiner Familie gegenseitig an die Gurgel gingen. Selbst nach seinem Tod sorgt sein Testament daf r, dass die Streitereien weitergehen. Doch nun sind drei Menschen tot und Misstrauen und kaum verhohlene Anschuldigungen sind an der Tagesordnung. Ist eines der Familienmitglieder tats chlich ein M rder? Angela Marchmont ist hin- und hergerissen zwischen Freundschaft und Pflichtgef hl - und sie muss herausfinden, was wirklich passiert ist, bevor ein weiterer Mord geschieht.Das Geheimnis von Underwood House ist der neueste spannende Krimi aus den 1920er-Jahren mit der Amateurdetektivin wider Willen Angela Marchmont.

Nach seiner R ckkehr aus S dafrika wird Charles Knox f r ein Wochenende auf den Landsitz von Sir Neville Strickland eingeladen, dessen sch ne Frau Rosamund einst Charles' Verlobte war. Eines Nachts wird Sir Neville ermordet - doch wer ist der T ter? Der Verdacht f llt nach und nach auf jeden der Hausg ste und Knox sieht sich einem t ckischen Geflecht aus Intrigen und Verrat gegen ber. Nur die geheimnisvolle Angela Marchmont scheint des R tsels L sung zu kennen.Der Krimi spielt in den 1920er Jahren und ist genau das Richtige f r alle Fans klassischer Landhauskrimis.

After her bruising encounter with the law, Angela Marchmont has vowed to give up detecting, and is doing her best to forget the events of last winter and the terrible lie she told to save herself. So when a letter arrives from beyond the grave requesting her help and reminding her of the past, she is anything but pleased. Drawn reluctantly into one final case and spurred on by her guilty conscience, Angela soon discovers a viper's nest of family betrayals and hidden enmities which have lain undisturbed for years, and which may have led to the deaths of more than one person. Despite her unwillingness to reopen old wounds, Angela knows she must put aside her own feelings and solve the mystery if she is ever to find peace. Can she get to the heart of the matter, right the wrong she has done and be happy at last? Each of the Angela Marchmont books contains a standalone mystery which is resolved at the end. However, if you are new to the series, please note that Book 10, The Shadow at Greystone Chase, contains spoilers from Book 9, The Scandal at 23 Mount Street and is to some extent a sequel, and we therefore advise reading the two in order.

On a reluctant visit to her painfully respectable brother and his wife, Angela Marchmont finds herself once again caught up in murder when a local farmer is shot dead, apparently at the hands of his sworn enemy. But the case is not as simple as it seems, for other motives and suspects soon come to light. With reporters hot on the scent and her friend Inspector Jameson battling a conflict of interest, Angela must use all her ingenuity to unravel the case and bring the murderer to justice--or more than one person will suffer the consequences.

Lost in the mists of the Romney Marsh, Angela Marchmont stumbles upon the body of a woman whose face has been disfigured--presumably to prevent recognition. Who is she, and what was she doing out there in the middle of nowhere? The search for answers will take Angela from a grand stately home to London's most fashionable--and disreputable--nightclub, and into a murky world of illegal drinking, jazz music and lost souls.

On his return from South Africa, Charles Knox is invited to spend the weekend at the country home of Sir Neville Strickland, whose beautiful wife Rosamund was once Knox's fianc e. But in the dead of night Sir Neville is murdered. Who did it? As suspicion falls on each of the house guests in turn, Knox finds himself faced with deception and betrayal on all sides, and only the enigmatic Angela Marchmont seems to offer a solution to the mystery. This 1920s whodunit will delight all fans of traditional country house murder stories.

When an unwelcome figure from her past turns up unexpectedly, Angela Marchmont has no idea that she is about to become the most notorious woman in Britain. Forced to reveal secrets she has kept to herself for many years and which she had thought were safely buried, Angela faces a fight for her very life which she looks almost certain to lose without the help of the man she loves. But what hope does she have when the one man who can save her is the one man who has every reason to abandon her to her fate?

When the Grand Duke of Morania learns of a plot to assassinate him, he sends his daughter Princess Irina to school in England, out of harm's way. British Intelligence scent trouble and ask Angela Marchmont to investigate. But dark forces are at work, and when the Princess disappears in mysterious circumstances Angela must race against time to find her, before the throne falls and Morania is plunged into revolution--or war.