In this gripping forensic mystery set in Stuart England, Gabriel Taverner uncovers a series of shocking secrets when he's summoned by his former naval captain to investigate strange goings-on aboard his ship. October, 1604. Former ship's surgeon turned country physician Gabriel Taverner is surprised to receive an urgent summons from his old naval captain. Now docked in Plymouth harbour, having recently returned from the Caribbean, Captain Colt believes his ship is haunted by an evil spirit, and has asked Gabriel to investigate. Dismissive of the crew's wild talk of mysterious blue-skinned ghosts, Gabriel is convinced there must be a rational explanation behind the mass hallucinations. But matters take a disturbing turn when he and the captain discover a body hidden behind one of the bulkheads. Calling on the help of his old friend, Coroner Theophilus Davey, piece by piece Gabriel uncovers a terrifying tale of treachery, dark magic, unimaginable cruelty...

London, 1880. "I'm dreadfully afraid someone is threatening to kill my wife ..." When accounts clerk Ernest Stibbins approaches the World's End investigation bureau with wild claims that his wife Albertina has been warned by her spirit guides that someone is out to harm her, the bureau's owner Lily Raynor and her new employee Felix Wilbraham are initially sceptical. How are the two private enquiry agents supposed to investigate threats from beyond the grave? But after she attends a séance at the Stibbins family home, Lily comes to realize that Albertina is in terrible danger. And very soon so too is Lily herself ...

Private investigators Lily Raynor and Felix Wilbraham get more than they bargain for when they take on a case in a girls' boarding school, in the latest World's End Bureau Victorian mystery. London, 1881. Lily Raynor, owner of the World's End Investigation Bureau, is growing increasingly worried. Work is drying up, finances are tight and she cannot find enough for her sole employee, Felix Wilbraham, to do. So when schoolteacher Georgiana Long arrives, with a worrying tale of runaway pupils, it seems like the answer to her prayers. The case is an interesting one, and what could be less perilous than a trip to a girls' boarding school, out in the Fens? Disguised as the new Assistant Matron, Lily joins the Shardlowes School staff, while Felix - suppressing his worries about his cool, calm employer - remains behind. But there are undercurrents at Shardlowes, and the shadowy, powerful men who fund the school's less fortunate pupils loom larger as Felix's...

What do a desperate woman with a secret, a dead man in a drainage ditch and a dark figure in the night have in common? Physician-sleuth Dr Gabriel Taverner has to connect the dots before time runs out in this thrilling historical mystery.February, 1605. A series of killings shake the quiet life of Devon's Tavy valley. Country doctor Gabriel Taverner, summoned by the coroner to examine the bodies, believes that the murders are somehow connected to a mysterious woman recently discovered in shocking circumstances.Gabriel is determined to solve the mystery, and soon uncovers clues that link his unexpected patient to the brutal killings. Prominent among them is the strange and recurring theme of nutmegs. A precious spice from far-flung islands in a distant sea and already in demand, its high cost is increasing daily since the rumour has spread that it is a cure for the plague . . .Gabriel finds himself caught in a deadly rivalry involving a greater...

A theatre company bring secrets, magic and murder along with them on their 'Plague Tour', in this bewitching historical mystery starring physician-sleuth Dr Gabriel Taverner. "Plausible period detail and characters who feel real bolster the involving plot, and the prose and pacing are both top-notch. The prolific Clare shows no sign of running out of steam" - Publishers Weekly Starred ReviewOctober, 1604. Plague has hit London, and the theatres are closed. But the capital's loss is Plymouth's gain, when a London theatre troupe, the Company, arrive on their 'Plague Tour'. Country physician Gabriel Taverner is both bewitched and unnerved by the Company's sexually charged staging of Othello. The play thrums with magic and witchcraft - perilous subjects, with the King's deadly spies lurking around every corner. When Gabriel's good friend, Coroner Theophilus Davey, tells him of a...

Apprentice healer Lassair uncovers the secrets of the mysterious City of Pearl in the compelling new Aelf Fen medieval mystery. October, 1093. At her mentor's urgent request, Lassair is accompanying Gurdyman across the sea to Spain. But why is he so insistent on embarking on this difficult and dangerous journey just as winter approaches? And why does he seem so afraid? Could there be any connection to the vagrant found lying dead outside his home, a single pearl clutched in his outstretched hand? As the pair reach the remote mountainous regions of northern Spain, Lassair will be tested as never before. Hot on her trail is Jack Chevestrier, the young lawman who loves her. But who is it who's trying to kill him ... and why?

All Saint?s Eve, 1211. An overweight but wealthy nobleman, desperate for an heir, dies at the celebration feast he?s thrown in his own hall. A natural death . . . or at the hands of his reluctant new wife?Sabin de Gifford, an apothecary and healer of note, is called to examine the body, and concludes that he died of a spasm to the heart. But she is troubled, all the same, and beset by suspicions. Did the man really die of a heart attack? Or was something more sinister to blame?There is only one person Sabin can turn to for help: fellow healer Meggie, daughter of Sir Josse d?Acquin. But what she requires of her is dangerous indeed . . .

February, 1212.Sir Josse d'Acquin and Helewise are summoned to Southfire Hall, where Josse's elderly uncle, Hugh, lies dying, surrounded by his children. But the pair soon discovers that Hugh's ill health is not the only cause of distress in the house: for Hugh's son and heir, Herbert, has taken an unpleasant new wife, the widowed Lady Cyrille.Josse and Helewise are distracted by the discovery of an injured young man on the road outside on the evening of their arrival, but the longer they remain in the house, the more they feel that something is very wrong. What happened to Josse's cousin Aeleis, who no one speaks of? Where is Lady Cyrille's small son? And why do they both feel as if the house itself is alive – and threatened by approaching evil?

A Hawkenlye medieval mystery - Autumn 1196. A secretive stranger arrives at New Winnowlands, and Sir Josse d'Acquin guesses that he is a returning Crusader. Josse seeks the assistance of Abbess Helewise of Hawkenlye to have the man's injuries treated in the infirmary. But then the various demons who are on the man's trail begin to turn up, and Josse realizes that his mysterious guest has brought with him a terrible secret . . .

Apprentice healer Lassair heads on a perilous journey north in the absorbing new Aelf Fen medieval mystery.October, 1093. Two young men have been brutally beaten to death; a third viciously attacked. All three men are of similar appearance. But could there be another connection?Lassair meanwhile has agreed to accompany her former lover Rollo on a perilous journey north in search of King William. On their trail is a skilled, relentless and ruthless assassin. Who is he ? and why has he targeted Rollo? If they are to survive, the hunted must become the hunters: Rollo and Lassair must lure their pursuer to the treacherous fenland terrain Lassair knows so well and turn the tables on their would-be killer.