allison amp busby (85 results)

Hardcover. Condition: Good. 1. 1787 - A man hastily puts the finishing touches to his beloved jug as police descend upon him. Arrest him and hang him. Almost two centuries later, the same jug reappears, but where has it dwelt since the fatal day of its creator? And what is the meaning behind the grotesque pictures that adorn it?Now 1967 and antiques dealer Susanna Paris notices the jug at auction and immediately desires it. Faced with stiff competition, she prevails and wins the work of art. But an altercation with a charming older man, Richard Oliver, who also wants the piece, marks the beginning of a whirlwind romance, where she discovers the jug portrays pictures of his ancestral home; Hall o th Wood. She can hardly believe her luck, that is, until the jug gets stolen, only whom by?Susanna cannot help but wonder over the piece of pottery and is further intrigued as sinister revelations about the inhabitants of Hall o th Woods history emerge. What happened two hundred years ago to cause such unrest centuries later? And why is Richard acting so strangely? Susanna vows to discover what deep, dark secret the Oliver family has been keeping before its too late.

Softcover. Condition: Good. Reprint. 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.

Softcover. Condition: Good. UK ed. In 1942 Paris, gifted architect Lucien Bernard accepts a commission that will bring him a great deal of money - and maybe get him killed. But if he's clever enough, he'll avoid any trouble. All he has to do is design a secret hiding place for a wealthy Jewish man, a space so invisible that even the most determined German officer won't find it. He sorely needs the money, and outwitting the Nazis who have occupied his beloved city is a challenge he can't resist. But when one of his hiding spaces fails horribly, and the problem of where to hide a Jew becomes terribly personal, Lucien can no longer ignore what's at stake. The Paris Architect asks us to consider what we owe each other, and just how far we'll go to make things right. Written by an architect whose knowledge imbues every page, this story becomes more gripping with every soul hidden and every life saved.

Softcover. Condition: Good. Reprint. May 1915. As zeppelin bombs fall on London and with the sinking of the Lusitania, anti-German hysteria reaches fever pitch and attacks on German immigrants surge. Not even the West End of London is immune. Jacob Stein's bespoke tailoring business comes under brutal attack, leaving his safe ransacked, his daughter, Ruth, raped and Jacob dead.Inspector Harvey Marmion is detailed to the case and faces an uphill struggle to track down the perpetrators, even up to the chaos of the Front Line. But was the murder as opportunistic as it first appears, or did someone with a deadly grudge plan the attack?.

Softcover. Condition: Good. Tragedy strikes close to the Detective Department when an old friend of Superintendent Tallis walks to meet a speeding train head on.The suicide, prompted by the disappearance of the mans wife, has shocked the local community and leaves plenty for Inspector Robert Colbeck, the Railway Detective, to uncover. Whispers and rumours abound but did the dead man, Captain Randall, really take his own life in repentance for some harm he did his wife?.

Softcover. Condition: Good. Reprint. December 1860. Headed for the morning shift at the Swindon Locomotive works is an army of men pouring out of terraced houses built by the GWR, a miniature town and planned community that aims to provide for its employees from cradle to grave. Unfortunately, boiler smith Frank Rodman is headed for the grave sooner than he'd expected, or he will be once his missing head is found.Colbeck, the Railway Detective, finds his investigation into Rodman's murder mired in contradictions. Was the victim a short-tempered brawler, or a committed Christian and chorister who aimed to better himself? On the trail of Rodman's enemy as the season starts to bite, Colbeck finds little festive cheer in the twists and turns of this peculiar case.

Softcover. Condition: Good. Reprint. SOLDIER OF FORTUNE CAPTAIN DANIEL RAWSON FACES HIS TOUGHEST BATTLE YETDespite winning a resounding victory at the battle of Oudenarde, the Duke of Marlborough finds his position as captain-general threatened by political enemies back in England, and his campaign to strike deeper into French Flanders is stalled at the siege of Lille, the pearl of fortresses. To help facilitate the new Allied strategy, Captain Daniel Rawson is given the treacherous task of entering Lille undercover to steal vital plans. Meanwhile, in England, Daniels beloved Amalia is herself under siege - a dangerous admirer is determined to have her, even if he has to have Daniel murdered first.As the weather worsens and Lilles famed defences appear to be holding, Daniel has to fight against one of his own allies, dwindling supplies, weakening morale, French patrols and a hired assassin. He must battle bravely on or risk losing everything . . .

Softcover. Condition: Good. Later. 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.

Softcover. Condition: Good. Of the two pupil barristers at the prestigious chambers of 5 Caper Court, only one can win the coveted role of junior tenant. Penniless Anthony Cross is brilliant, hard-working, and longs to gain a foothold on this legal ladder to success. But his rival, Edward Choke - wealthy, good-natured, and not very bright - is also the head of chambers' nephew.In his quest for admission to the elite world of Londons Commercial Bar, Anthony discovers that behind the elegant doors of chambers lie hard choices, deceitful politics, and dangerous corruption. And he must also cope with complications that threaten to ruin his career before it has even begun - his ageing hippy father, a fickle girlfriend, and above all a confusing relationship with charismatic barrister Leo Davies. . .

Softcover. Condition: Good. Liverpool 1926. Patsy Doyle is settling into her role as a live-in maid in the Tanner household, but her new job is not going as smoothly as she expected. Since Mr Tanner returned from the Great War, the Tanners relationship has become increasingly strained. Mrs Tanners frivolous spending habits and nights out often leave her solicitor husband brooding at home, with only Patsy for company. Caught between the warring spouses, Patsy becomes an unwilling confidante and a keeper of more secrets than shed care to acknowledge.Joy Kirk is busy planning her wedding. When her first love was killed in the war, she vowed shed never fall in love again. Now a little older and wiser, Joy realises that there could be some benefits to being a wife and, having spent many years working as Robbie Bennetts cook and housekeeper, she finally accepts his proposal of marriage. But is she letting herself in for more than she bargained for?As Patsy struggles to cope with the challenges her employers throw at her and Joy plans for her special day, they each learn that true happiness comes from those around you and the unconditional love and support of their families.

Softcover. Condition: Good. UK ed. In a strange room in Morocco, Mary Russell is trying to solve a pressing mystery: Who am I? She has awakened with shadows in her mind, blood on her hands, and soldiers pounding at the door. She is clothed like a man, and armed only with her wits and a scrap of paper showing a mysterious symbol. Overhead, warplanes pass ominously north. Meanwhile, Holmes is pulled into the growing war between France, Spain, and the Rif Revolt. He badly wants the wisdom and courage of his wife, whom he discovers, to his horror, has gone missing. As Holmes searches for her, and Russell searches for herself, each tries to crack deadly parallel puzzles before it's too late for them, for Africa, and for the peace of Europe.

Softcover. Condition: Good. UK ed. 2012, trade paperback edition, Allison & Busby, London, UK. 415 pages. A new-on-the-scene historical mystery series. Your character is Maisie Dobbs, and here she is in the summer of 1932, accepting an undercover spy assignment. She winds up on the campus of a college in Cambridge, seeking any activities, "not in the interests of the Crown." A death occurs and the game is afoot. "A terrific mystery."

Softcover. Condition: Good. UK ed. In the eerie wasteland of Dartmoor, Sherlock Holmes summons his devoted wife and partner, Mary Russell, from her studies at Oxford to aid the investigation of a death and some disturbing phenomena of a decidedly supernatural origin. Through the mists of the moor there have been sightings of a spectral coach made of bones carrying a woman long-ago accused of murdering her husband--and of a hound with a single glowing eye. Returning to the scene of one of his most celebrated cases, <i>The Hound of the Baskervilles,</i> Holmes and Russell investigate a mystery darker and more unforgiving than the moors themselves.

Softcover. Condition: Good. UK ed. Working with the British Secret Service on an undercover mission, Maisie Dobbs is sent to Hitlers Germany in this thrilling tale of danger and intrigue-the twelfth novel in Jacqueline Winspears <em>New York Times</em> bestselling series that seems to get better with each entry (<em>Wall Street Journal</em>).<br /><br />Its early 1938, and Maisie Dobbs is back in England. On a fine yet chilly morning, as she walks towards Fitzroy Square-a place of many memories-she is intercepted by Brian Huntley and Robert MacFarlane of the Secret Service. The German government has agreed to release a British subject from prison, but only if he is handed over to a family member. Because the mans wife is bedridden and his daughter has been killed in an accident, the Secret Service wants Maisie-who bears a striking resemblance to the daughter-to retrieve the man from Dachau, on the outskirts of Munich.<br /><br />The British government is not alone in its interest in Maisies travel plans. Her nemesis-the man she holds responsible for her husbands death-has learned of her journey, and is also desperate for her help.<br /><br />Traveling into the heart of Nazi Germany, Maisie encounters unexpected dangers-and finds herself questioning whether its time to return to the work she loved. But the Secret Service may have other ideas. . . .

Softcover. Condition: Good. Reprint. Nestled in the fertile hills of the Cotswolds, the village of Duntisbourne Abbots is a well-kept secret: beautiful, timeless and quintessentially English. When recently widowed Thea Osborne arrives to house-sit for a local couple, her only fear is that three weeks there might prove a little dull. Her first night's sleep at Brook View is broken by a piercing scream outside but she decides such things don't require investigation in a sleepy place like this. At least not until a body turns up. In calling on her neighbors to get some answers, Thea uncovers more tragedy and intrigue than she thought possible behind the peaceful Gloucestershire village. The first in a series of thrillers set in the Cotswold area, A Cotswold Killing takes the reader on a tense journey along winding roads and muddy paths towards a dramatic and unexpected denouement.

Softcover. Condition: Good. New. In the wake of a series of unfortunate experiences in the Cotswolds, Thea Osborne, accompanied by her spaniel Hepzibah, is perhaps over-optimistic about the English summertime and the possibilities of her latest house-sitting assignment in the secluded village of Cranham.Despite the ease with which Theas new job begins, looking after Harriet Youngs reptiles, she soon finds a dark side to the characters she encounters. From the elderly Donny Davis to the enigmatic figure of Edwina, it soon becomes clear Harriets beloved geckoes are not the only cold-blooded creatures at large in Cranham.

Softcover. Condition: Good. Reprint. 16th century Italy, deep in the Tuscan countryside a long-held feud between two aristocratic families ends in tragedy leaving only one young girl alive. Having barely escaped with her life, she vows to survive at all costs Years later, amidst the winding streets and majestic facades of Florence, two murders are not all they seem. As Onorio Celavini, commander of the Medici police force, investigates he is horrified to find a personal connection to the crimes, and a conspiracy lurking beyond. The secrets of his past threaten to spill out and Celavini is forced to revisit the traumatic memories hidden deep within him to lay the ghosts of history to rest.Poignant, brutal and compelling The Phoenix of Florence is a richly told and cleverly crafted tale of a struggle for identity and a battle for justice in an Italy besieged by war.

Softcover. Condition: Good. Britain is at war. Returned from a dangerous mission onto enemy soil and having encountered an old enemy and the Fuhrer himself along the way, Maisie Dobbs is fully aware of the gravity of the current situation and how her world is on the cusp of great change. One of those changes can be seen in the floods of refugees that are arriving in Britain, desperate for sanctuary from the approaching storm of war. When Maisie stumbles on the deaths of refugees who may have been more than ordinary people, she is drawn into an investigation that requires all her insight and strength.

Softcover. Condition: Good. Kate Murray is deeply troubled. In front of her lies a dead man, a stranger who only minutes before had spoken to her - about a mystery, a long-forgotten murder and, most worryingly, her grandmother. His story was old, he had told her, but still deserving of justice.Soon Kate is caught up in a dangerous whirlwind of events that takes her back into her grandmothers mysterious war-time past and across the Atlantic as she tries to retrace the dead mans footsteps. Finding out the truth is not so simple, however, as only a few people are still alive who know the storyand Kate soon realises that her questions are putting their lives in danger. Stalked by an unknown and sinister enemy, she must use her tough journalistic instinct to find the answers from the past in order to have a future.

Softcover. Condition: Good. London 1851. With the opening of the Great Exhibition at hand, interest is mounting in the engineering triumphs of the railways, but not everyone feels like celebratingIn an audacious attack, the London to Birmingham mail train is robbed and derailed, causing many casualties. Planned with military precision, this crime proves a challenge to Detective Inspector Robert Colbeck who fights to untangle a web of murder, blackmail and destruction.As Colbeck closes in on the criminal masterminds, events take an unexpected turn when the beautiful Madeleine, daughter of the injured train driver, becomes a pawn in the criminals game. With time running out, good and evil, new and old, battle against each other. But will the long arm of the law have speed on its side?The Railway Detective is an action-packed dip into murky 1850s London. Full of historical detail, unexpected twists and memorable characters, this is a mystery that will surprise you at every turn.

Softcover. Condition: Good. Reprint. Despite the catastrophic outcomes of her previous house-sitting commissions, Thea Osborne, accompanied by her trusty spaniel, Hepzie, is truly convinced nothing can go wrong on her next assignment in the charming village of Blockley.The Montgomerys have asked her to look after their house while they take a much needed holiday. But trouble seems to follow Thea and when a body is discovered in the house next door, she finds herself in the midst of village secrets.From mystical local legends to celebrity sightings, the erstwhile quiet area turns out to be a place of mysterious contradictions - with very sinister undertones.

Softcover. Condition: Good. 1986, The Panama Hotel The old Seattle landmark has been boarded up for decades, but now the new owner has made a startling discovery in the personal belongings stored away by Japanese families sent to interment camps during the Second World War. Among the fascinated crowd gathering outside the hotel, stands Henry Lee, and, as the owner unfurls a distinctive parasol, he is flooded by memories of his childhood. He wonders if by some miracle, in amongst the boxes of dusty treasures, lies a link to the Okabe family, and the girl he lost his young heart to, so many years ago. WITH OVER A MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE, THIS CAPTIVATING DEBUT IS A STORY OF THE SACRIFICES ONE BOY MAKES FOR LOVE AND FOR HIS COUNTRY.

Softcover. Condition: Good. New edition. Why does a young woman lure teenagers into her car then participate in their horrific rape and torture? What makes a nurse lethally inject the healthy babies in her care? Women, statistically, aren`t a violent breed . but the female of the species can be just as deadly as the male.From the mass poisoner to the sexual sadist, from profit killings to crimes committed just for twisted thrills, Carol Anne Davis sets out to explore the dark and disturbing world of the female serial killer. In depth analysis of individual cases, including new information from the minister who heard Myra Hindley`s confession, provides an invaluable insight into the psychology behind these atrocities.

Softcover. Condition: Good. Reprint. 1859. St Mary's Church, Spondon. A little girl playing hide-and-seek jumps into a freshly-dug grave to find a dead man already occupying it. It is the body of Cedric Norton, a senior director of the Midland Railway. Inspector Colbeck and Sergeant Leeming travel to Derbyshire to investigate.

Softcover. Condition: Good. UK ed. London, 1933. Some two months after an Indian woman, Usha Pramal, is found murdered in a South London canal, her brother turns to Maisie Dobbs to find the truth about her death. Not only has Scotland Yard made no arrests, but evidence indicates they failed to conduct a full and thorough investigation. Before her death, Usha was staying at an ayah's hostel, a refuge for Indian women whose British employers had turned them out. As Maisie learns, Usha was different from the hostel's other lodgers. But with this discovery comes new danger - soon another Indian woman who was close to Usha is found murdered before she can speak out. As Maisie is pulled deeper into an unfamiliar yet alluring subculture, her investigation becomes clouded by the unfinished business of a previous case. And at the same time her lover, James Compton, gives her an ultimatum she cannot ignore .

Hardcover. Condition: Good. February, 1918. In the small hours of a cold morning, a burglary in Limehouse has escalated into a sinister siege between a band of thieves and the authorities, and a police constable lies dead. Detective Inspector Harvey Marmion and Detective Sergeant Joe Keedy hasten to the scene where attempts at talking the men into surrendering have been met with stony silence. When the door is eventually battered down, Keedy bravely leads the way in. Then a gunshot is heard: Keedy has been hit.While his partner is rushed to hospital, Marmion is on the trail of the burglars, following leads as to their previous targets and overall goals. As defenceless Keedy remains in the sights of the murderous thieves, Marmion delves into the secrets that lie behind this fatal incident .

Softcover. Condition: Good. UK ed. Four years after she set sail from England, leaving everything she most loved behind, Maisie Dobbs at last returns, only to find herself in a dangerous place.In Jacqueline Winspear's powerful story of political intrigue and personal tragedy, a brutal murder in the British garrison town of Gilbraltar leads Maisie into a web of lies, deceit, and peril.

Softcover. Condition: Good. Reprint. Young Imogen Burnhope and her maid Rhoda board a non-stop train to Oxford to visit her Aunt Cassandra, who waits on the platform at Oxford station where the train terminates, to greet them. Only they never arrive. All the passengers alight but the two women are nowhere to be seen. The train is searched and the coachman swears he saw them board onto first class, but they seem to have vanished into thin air. The Railway Detective must unravel the mystifying web of their disappearance before Imogen and Rhoda vanish into oblivion for good.

Softcover. Condition: Good. During the months following Britains declaration of war on Germany, Maisie Dobbs investigates the disappearance of a young apprentice working on a hush-hush government contract. As news of the plight of thousands of soldiers stranded on the beaches of France is gradually revealed to the general public, and the threat of invasion rises, another young man beloved by Maisie makes a terrible decision that will change his life forever.<br /><br />Maisies investigation leads her from the countryside of rural Hampshire to the web of wartime opportunism exploited by one of the London underworlds most powerful men, in a case that serves as a reminder of the inextricable link between money and war. Yet when a final confrontation approaches, she must acknowledge the potential cost to her future-and the risk of destroying a dream she wants very much to become reality.

Softcover. Condition: Good. Reprint. Rose Trevelyan had only met Gabrielle Milton once, but felt they might become good friends. She was delighted, therefore, to receive an invitation to the Milton's party where the wine flowed freely and a good time was being had by all- that is, until Gabrielle's crumpled, lifeless body was found underneath a balcony.