L. C. Tyler – författare

"How can you lose money growing a crop everyone wants with labour that costs next to nothing?" In 1671 there are fortunes to be made in Barbados, owning slaves and planting sugar cane. But drought, floods, locusts and his own incompetence have brought Hubert Umfraville down and caused him to flee the island in the most humiliating fashion. Now back in England, he hopes to restore his fortunes through extortion. In Barbados he has discovered a secret that people here may pay him to keep quiet about.When his body is found in the orchard of the house he has just rented in Essex, there is no shortage of suspects. Has his intended blackmail victim preempted him? Or has one or other of his old crimes caught up with the failed plantation owner?John Grey, Essex magistrate and husband of a famous London playwright, finds himself investigating what seems to be the well-merited death of a former slave owner. But as the list of suspects grows, and even encompasses a member of his own family, Grey is forced to question the nature of justice and what any of us is entitled to do to gain our freedom.

''The combination of some of the darker themes from history together with one of the most entertaining narrators in crime fiction makes this an excellent read'' Classic Mystery Blog

October 1678. Sir Edmund Berry Godfrey, respected London wood monger and Court Justice, sets out from his house, early one foggy morning, in his second-best coat. Then he vanishes. Six days later, his body is discovered in a ditch near Primrose Hill. He has been severely beaten, strangled and stabbed through the chest - killed three times, in fact. There''s no doubt somebody wanted him dead. The cash in his pockets however is still there. And, in spite of the wet weather and muddy roads, his clothes are dry and his shoes are spotlessly clean.People are quick to connect his killing with the role Godfrey has played in exposing a Catholic plot to kill the King. His name is, after all, an anagram of ''dy''d by Rome''s reveng''d fury''. Parliament, whipped into a frenzy by the conspirator Titus Oates, demands a suitable perpetrator is found. But it soon becomes clear that Godfrey had not merely offended the Catholics. And he had, some weeks before, predicted his own death with uncanny accuracy.Magistrate John Grey is summoned from his Essex village to investigate an increasingly inexplicable crime and to prevent some innocent men from being hanged as a regrettable political necessity.

Praise for L.C. Tyler

''Len Tyler writes with great charm and wit . . . made me laugh out loud'' Susanna Gregory

''I was seduced from John Grey''s first scene'' Ann Cleeves

''Tyler juggles his characters, story, wit and clever one liners with perfect balance'' The Times

''A dizzying whirl of plot and counterplot'' Guardian

''Unusually accomplished'' Helen Dunmore

''A cracking pace, lively dialogue, wickedly witty one-liners salted with sophistication . . . Why would we not want more of John Grey?'' The Bookbag

The second John Grey historical mysteryIt is December 1657. John Grey, at his cramped desk in Lincoln''s Inn, is attempting to resume his legal career. A mysterious message from a ''Mr SK'' tempts him out into the snowy streets of London and to what he believes will be a harmless diversion from his studies. But Mr SK''s letter proves to have been intended for somebody else entirely and Grey unwittingly finds himself in the middle of a plot to assassinate the Lord Protector - a plot about which he now knows more than it is safe to know. Can he both prevent the murder and (of greater immediate relevance) save his own skin? Both the Sealed Knot and Cromwell''s Secretary of State, John Thurloe believe he is on their side, but he is unsure that either is on his. As somebody is kind enough to point out to him: ''You are a brave man, Grey. The life of a double agent can be exciting but very short.'' Grey just has to hope that prediction is wrong.Praise for L.C. Tyler''Tyler juggles his characters, story wit and clever one liners with perfect balance'' - The Times''A cracking pace, lively dialogue, wickedly witty one-liners salted with sophistication . . . Why would we not want more of John Grey?'' - The Bookbag

The first John Grey historical mystery

The theatres are padlocked. Christmas has been cancelled. It is 1657 and the unloved English Republic is eight years old. Though Cromwell''s joyless grip on power appears immovable, many still look to Charles Stuart''s dissolute and threadbare court-in-exile, and some are prepared to risk their lives plotting a restoration.

For the officers of the Republic, constant vigilance is needed. So, when the bloody corpse of a Royalist spy is discovered on the dung heap of a small Essex village, why is the local magistrate so reluctant to investigate? John Grey, a young lawyer with no clients, finds himself alone in believing that the murdered man deserves justice. Grey is drawn into a vortex of plot and counter-plot and into the all-encompassing web of intrigue spun by Cromwell''s own spy-master, John Thurloe.

So when nothing is what is seems, can Grey trust anyone?

''Tyler juggles his characters, story wit and clever one liners with perfect balance'' - The Times

''A cracking pace, lively dialogue, wickedly witty one-liners salted with sophistication . . . Why would we not want more of John Grey?'' - The Bookbag

''Witty and amazing, L. C. Tyler has a wicked sense of humour'' M. C. Beaton1665, and the Great Plague has London in its grip. Where better, then, to hide a murdered man than among the corpses on their way to the Plague pit?When a supposed Plague victim is found with a knife in his back, John Grey, now a successful lawyer, is called in to investigate. The dead man was known to be carrying a compromising letter from the Duke of York to the French ambassador. Now the letter has vanished and Secretary of State Lord Arlington wants it. But Arlington is not the only one trying to recover the letter. Somebody has killed once trying to obtain it - and is prepared to kill again. Grey must set off on a journey through Plague-ravaged England to fulfil his commission and keep himself safe from his enemies - if the Plague doesn''t get him first...

Praise for L.C. Tyler

''Tyler juggles his characters, story wit and clever one liners with perfect balance'' The Times''A historical thriller, but one written with tongue firmly in cheek . . . Tyler is a witty writer, and this third outing for Grey is great fun'' - Sunday Times

''An exciting, well-plotted and brilliantly witty historical mystery'' For Winter Nights

The fourth John Grey historical mystery

1666. London has been destroyed by fire and its citizens are looking for somebody, preferable foreign, to blame. Only the royal Court, with its strong Catholic sympathies, is trying to dampen down the post-conflaguration hysteria. Then, inconveniently, a Frenchman admits to having started it together with an accomplice, whom he says he has subsequently killed.John Grey is tasked by Secretary of State, Lord Arlington, with proving conclusively that the self-confessed fire-raiser is lying. Though Grey agrees with Arlington that the Frenchman must be mad, he is increasingly perplexed at how much he knows. And a body has been discovered that appears in every way to match the description of the dead accomplice.Grey''s investigations take him and his companion, Lady Pole, into the dangerous and still smoking ruins of the old City. And somebody out there - somebody at the very centre of power in England - would prefer it if they didn''t live long enough to conclude their work...

Praise for L.C. Tyler

''Tyler juggles his characters, story wit and clever one liners with perfect balance'' The Times

''A cracking pace, lively dialogue, wickedly witty one-liners salted with sophistication . . . Why would we not want more of John Grey?'' The Bookbag

''A dizzying whirl of plot and counterplot'' Guardian

''I was seduced from John Grey''s first scene'' Ann Cleeves

''Unusually accomplished'' Helen Dunmore

''Literate, witty, and huge fun'' Irish Independent

''I was seduced from John Grey''s first scene'' Ann CleevesJohn Grey is visited at his London office by Thomas Cade, a shipbuilder, who tells Grey he has evidence that Samuel Pepys is taking substantial bribes in his position at the Naval Office. Grey sends him on his way, telling him he has little chance against such a powerful man as Pepys - and then the following morning Cade''s stabbed body is found in the grounds of Lincoln''s InnLater that day Grey meets up with his benefactor Lord Arlington who tells him the king himself wants Grey to investigate corruption in the Naval Office - and it occurs to Grey that by dismissing Cade to his death, he has now lost his best witness and informant. He begins his investigation by questioning the dead man''s wife - who it transpires was having an affair with Pepys... as were a great many other ladies. And as the investigation becomes increasingly hampered while the Court closes ranks and threats made against his life, Grey begins to suspect that Arlington''s agenda is less to do with reform of the navy and more to do with gaining an advantage over his rivals at Court ...Praise for L.C. Tyler''Len Tyler writes with great charm and wit . . . made me laugh out loud'' Susanna Gregory''I was seduced from John Grey''s first scene'' Ann Cleeves''Tyler juggles his characters, story, wit and clever one liners with perfect balance'' The Times''A dizzying whirl of plot and counterplot'' Guardian''Unusually accomplished'' Helen Dunmore''A cracking pace, lively dialogue, wickedly witty one-liners salted with sophistication . . . Why would we not want more of John Grey?'' The Bookbag

The fifth John Grey historical mystery

1668.

John Grey is now a Justice of the Peace and lives in the manor house he has inherited on his mother''s death with his new wife, Aminta.

As the village is cut off from the rest of the world by a heavy snowfall, George Barwell is discovered dead in the woods. Grey is called to examine the horribly disfigured body amidst the rumours that the attack has been the work of the Devil as the victim had been cursed by reputed witch Alice Mardike just days before his violent death.

As Barwell''s father-in-law leads the villagers into kidnapping Alice and throwing her into the millpond to see if she floats as a witch or drowns as an innocent woman, Grey agrees to investigate the murder: his main suspect is the very man leading the witch hunt.

But if Grey can''t solve the mystery of George Barwell''s death within a week, Mardike will be tried for witchcraft - and the sentence has already been decided . . .

Praise for L.C. Tyler

''Tyler juggles his characters, story wit and clever one liners with perfect balance'' The Times

''A cracking pace, lively dialogue, wickedly witty one-liners salted with sophistication . . . Why would we not want more of John Grey?'' The Bookbag

''A dizzying whirl of plot and counterplot'' Guardian

''I was seduced from John Grey''s first scene'' Ann Cleeves

''Unusually accomplished'' Helen Dunmore

''I was seduced from John Grey''s first scene'' Ann Cleeves

1670. Eastwold, once one of the greatest ports in England, has been fighting a losing battle with the sea ever since it was granted its charter by King John. Bit by bit the waves have eaten the soft cliffs on which it stands, until only a handful of houses remain. But still it sends two MPs to Parliament and rich men from London are prepared to pay well for the votes of the dozen or so remaining burgesses of the town.

The voters are looking forward to a profitable bye-election, only for the Admiralty''s candidate, the unpopular Admiral Digges, to end up in a fishing net, every bit as drowned as his prospective constituency. Is it an accident, as the coroner has ruled, or has Digges been murdered, as the Admiralty fears? John Grey, Justice of the Peace and former spy, receives a request from the authorities to uncover the truth. With spring edging cautiously towards the windswept east coast, Grey starts to question the remaining residents and other well-paid officials of the non-existent town. He is met with suspicion and polite obstruction from the voters - and then another suspicious death occurs. Will Grey uncover the murderer before the last of the town vanishes beneath the waves?

Praise for L.C. Tyler

''Len Tyler writes with great charm and wit . . . made me laugh out loud'' Susanna Gregory

''I was seduced from John Grey''s first scene'' Ann Cleeves

''Tyler juggles his characters, story, wit and clever one liners with perfect balance'' The Times

''A dizzying whirl of plot and counterplot'' Guardian

''Unusually accomplished'' Helen Dunmore

''A cracking pace, lively dialogue, wickedly witty one-liners salted with sophistication . . . Why would we not want more of John Grey?'' The Bookbag

'I was seduced from John Grey's first scene' Ann CleevesDuke's Company actress Kitty Burgess has a stunning future before her - until she vanishes after the opening performance of Aminta Grey's new play, The Summer Birdcage. One of her fellow actors swears he saw her being bundled into a black coach driven by six black horses outside the theatre. Then no more is heard of her - until the body of a young woman is found dead beside the road in Hertfordshire. It appears to be Kitty, so Aminta and her husband Sir John Grey, travel to Bishop's Stortford to identify her. The girl has been so badly beaten it is impossible to tell who she is, but there are three clues - the dress she is wearing, a ring and a copy of the script of Aminta's play, left (perhaps a little too conveniently) in the victim's hands.Back in London Aminta catches sight of a young woman who looks exactly like Kitty but before she can do anything, the woman runs off and is lost in the crowd. Meanwhile, rumours abound at court that Kitty was about to become the king's new mistress and all fingers are being pointed at Lady Castlemaine for having arranged for her rival to be spirited away and killed. And now John Grey finds that is no longer just his wife who is determined to prove Kitty Burgess is alive. It would seem her disappearance - and possible reappearance - is part of some much wider conspiracy, and that Kitty may be about to play the most dangerous, and possibly deadly, role of her life. A role from which there may be no escape ...Praise for L.C. Tyler'Len Tyler writes with great charm and wit . . . made me laugh out loud' Susanna Gregory'Tyler juggles his characters, story, wit and clever one liners with perfect balance' The Times'A dizzying whirl of plot and counterplot' Guardian'Unusually accomplished' Helen Dunmore'A cracking pace, lively dialogue, wickedly witty one-liners salted with sophistication . . . Why would we not want more of John Grey?' The Bookbag

Duke''s Company actress Kitty Burgess has a stunning future before her - until she vanishes after the opening performance of Aminta Grey''s new play, The Summer Birdcage. One of her fellow actors swears he saw her being bundled into a black coach driven by six black horses outside the theatre. Then no more is heard of her - until the body of a young woman is found dead beside the road in Hertfordshire. It appears to be Kitty, so Aminta and her husband Sir John Grey, travel to Bishop''s Stortford to identify her. The girl has been so badly beaten it is impossible to tell who she is, but there are three clues - the dress she is wearing, a ring and a copy of the script of Aminta''s play, left (perhaps a little too conveniently) in the victim''s hands.Back in London Aminta catches sight of a young woman who looks exactly like Kitty but before she can do anything, the woman runs off and is lost in the crowd. Meanwhile, rumours abound at court that Kitty was about to become the king''s new mistress and all fingers are being pointed at Lady Castlemaine for having arranged for her rival to be spirited away and killed. And now John Grey finds that is no longer just his wife who is determined to prove Kitty Burgess is alive. It would seem her disappearance - and possible reappearance - is part of some much wider conspiracy, and that Kitty may be about to play the most dangerous, and possibly deadly, role of her life. A role from which there may be no escape ...

Praise for L.C. Tyler

''Len Tyler writes with great charm and wit . . . made me laugh out loud'' Susanna Gregory

''I was seduced from John Grey''s first scene'' Ann Cleeves

''Tyler juggles his characters, story, wit and clever one liners with perfect balance'' The Times

''A dizzying whirl of plot and counterplot'' Guardian

''Unusually accomplished'' Helen Dunmore

''A cracking pace, lively dialogue, wickedly witty one-liners salted with sophistication . . . Why would we not want more of John Grey?'' The Bookbag