"During a disturbance at an agricultural show in London, a young man of foreign appearance is stabbed, his killer melting away into the crowd. First on the scene is reporter Freddy Pilkington-Soames, who's covering the show for his newspaper and is just in time to hear the victim's last words, warning of danger to a person by the name of Longstaff and begging Freddy to help.
Following a second suspicious death, and with only the young man's message and a crumpled newspaper clipping to guide him, Freddy finds himself embroiled in a mystery that becomes increasingly puzzling the more he looks into it. Who was the foreigner, and who wanted him dead? How did he know Longstaff was in danger? And what is the significance of the word 'Rosa', which was on his lips as he died?
Having exasperated his editor one too many times, Freddy's hanging onto his job by the skin of his teeth, but this is a mystery he can't let go. With ruthless and dangerous criminals on his trail who have no hesitation in using violence to achieve their ends, Freddy is in a race against time to prevent a crime that could have a devastating impact and cause misery for thousands of people. But how can he succeed when he doesn't even know what that crime is?"
"Not-quite-newlywed Angela Marchmont is having a belated honeymoon on the idyllic Greek island of Rhodes, but has barely even unpacked her bathing-suit before an unwelcome encounter with the dead body of a young archaeologist draws her into a tangled web of murder and blackmail.
Everyone thinks Roy Cavell drowned accidentally, but after receiving a cryptic note under her door Angela isn’t so sure. Cavell had fallen in love with his employer’s beautiful wife Sophia Delisi, leaving a heartbroken fiancée behind him and creating tensions up at the local archaeological dig. Mrs. Delisi is thought to bring bad luck: superstition has it that any man who gets close to her dies. Was Cavell the latest victim of the curse? But then why has someone been searching his luggage? Who is signalling from up at the acropolis? And why is somebody trying to put Angela out of the way?
When a second body turns up Angela becomes even more determined to find out the truth—despite the additional complications of a rival detective she can’t shake off, a would-be blackmailer who knows the secrets of her past life, and a husband she’d trust more if only he didn’t keep disappearing in the middle of the night.
Investigating a murder wasn’t in Angela's plans, but if she wants to survive her honeymoon she has no choice."
"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."
"‘Oh, something is bound to go wrong, but one might as well start out from a position of optimism, don’t you think?’ said Angela.
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."
"'It's absolutely delightful, and I would recommend it to anyone who's a fan of Sarah Caudwell, or Agatha Christie, or anyone who loves really clever British murder mysteries set in the '20s.' - Gillian Flynn, author of Gone Girl.
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 fiancée. 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?"
"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."
"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."
"This omnibus edition contains the first three books in the Freddy Pilkington-Soames Adventure series
Join chaotic 1920s reporter and accidental sleuth Freddy Pilkington-Soames on his adventures in this series of light-hearted mysteries!
A CASE OF BLACKMAIL IN BELGRAVIA (Book 1)
Ticky Maltravers is the toast of London high society, adored by everyone—or so it seems, until somebody poisons him over dinner. But who murdered him? It's up to Freddy to find out!
A CASE OF MURDER IN MAYFAIR (Book 2)
Can Freddy unmask the murderer of a Hollywood star before he becomes the killer's next victim?
A CASE OF CONSPIRACY IN CLERKENWELL (Book 3)
There's a plot afoot to destabilize the government, and Freddy must stop the conspirators, or risk becoming the unwitting pawn in a deadly game that threatens to bring the country to its knees!"
"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."
"While holidaying in Italy, Angela Marchmont is persuaded to postpone her trip to Venice and go to Stresa instead, to investigate a pair of spiritualists who are suspected of defrauding some of the town’s English residents out of their money. But what starts out as a minor matter swiftly becomes more serious when one of the residents in question is found dead in the beautiful gardens of his home, having apparently committed suicide.
Seduced by the heady sights and scents of the Italian Lakes, and distracted by an unexpected encounter with an old adversary who seems bent on provoking her, Angela sets out to find out the truth of the affair and resume her journey to Venice before she forgets herself and loses her head—and her heart."
"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."
