Stockingham & Pike Detective Series – serie

Downton Abbey meets Knives Out in the gripping new crime series from the bestselling author where an unlikely sleuthing duo - an under-butler and a foul-mouthed octogerian - hunt a killer in a manor sealed against the end of the world.‘A tantalising whodunnit with some of the funniest dialogue I’ve read in a while’ JENNIE GODFREY‘Ingeniously plotted and highly addictive. Fans of P G Wodehouse will enjoy this!’ ALEXANDER ARMSTRONG‘A joy from start to finish. This is crime writing at its best’ JANICE HALLETTCornwall, 1910. On a remote tidal island, the Viscount of Tithe Hall is absorbed in feverish preparations for the apocalypse that he believes will accompany the passing of Halley's Comet. The Hall must be sealed from top to bottom - every window, chimney and keyhole closed off before night falls. But what the pompous, dishonest Viscount has failed to take into account is the danger that lies within... By morning, he will be dead in his sealed study, murdered by his own ancestral crossbow.All eyes turn to Stephen Pike, Tithe Hall's newest under-butler. Fresh out of Borstal for a crime he didn't commit, he is the wrong man in the wrong place at the wrong time. His unlikely ally? Miss Decima Stockingham, the foul-mouthed, sharp as a tack, 80-year-old family matriarch. Fearless and unconventional, she relishes chaos and puzzles alike, and a murder is just the thrill she's been waiting for.Together, this mismatched duo must navigate secret passages, buried grudges and rising terror to unmask the killer before it's too late...

***A BBC RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB PICK ***Get ready to meet your favourite new detective duo... Downton Abbey meets Knives Out in this witty and gripping historical cosy crime series.‘A tantalising whodunnit with some of the funniest dialogue I’ve read in a while’ Jennie Godfrey, bestselling author of The List of Suspicious Things‘A joy from start to finish. This is crime writing at its best’ Janice Hallett, bestselling author of The AppealCornwall, 1910. On a remote tidal island, the Viscount of Tithe Hall is absorbed in feverish preparations for what he believes will be the apocalypse.The Hall must be sealed from top to bottom, but what the foolish Viscount has failed to take into account is the danger that lies within... By morning, he will be dead in his sealed study, murdered by his own ancestral crossbow.All eyes turn to Stephen Pike, the newest member of staff. Fresh out of Borstal for a crime he didn't commit, he is the wrong man in the wrong place at the wrong time. His unlikely ally? Miss Decima Stockingham, the fearless, foul-mouthed, eighty-year-old matriarch who relishes chaos and puzzles alike. A murder is just the thrill she's been waiting for.Together, this mismatched duo must navigate secret passages, buried grudges and rising terror to unmask the killer before it's too late...Praise for The Murder at World's End:‘Fans of P G Wodehouse will enjoy this!’ Alexander Armstrong'Devilishly plotted and beautifully executed, this is an utter joy from start to finish' Abir Mukherjee, bestselling author of Hunted'Riotous and deeply enjoyable' Telegraph'A witty, fleet-footed historical mystery . . . a slice of undiluted joy' Alex Hay, bestselling author of The Housekeepers'An absolute cracker!' The Sun'Hugely enjoyable' Andrew Hunter-Murray, author of A Beginner's Guide to Breaking and Entering

Knives Out meets Sherlock in the must-read new historical murder mystery from the Times bestselling author of The Murder at World's End, for fans of Anthony Horowitz, Tom Hindle and Janice Hallett.London, 1911. Coronation fever. Suffragette unrest. A city crackling with tension.When a policeman is found brutally murdered on the streets of Kensington, blame falls on the three women seen fleeing the scene.Their sole witness? Stephen Pike: ex-borstal boy, under-butler extraordinaire and assistant to the most unconventional detective in London, Miss Decima Stockingham. Sharp-tongued, fearless and bored of behaving herself, she’s the only one able to see that this case is not what it seems.Aided by an invisible network of maids – their eyes and ears in every house in London – this unlikely duo must catch the killer before time runs out. But in a city dazzled by ceremony and divided by change, you never know what might be lurking in the shadows…READERS CANNOT WAIT FOR THE SHADOWS OF KENSINGTON GORE'I can't wait for the next book in this stunning new series' Janice Hallett, bestselling author of The Appeal 'This is going to be a great series. Do yourself a favour - get in on the ground floor' Abir Mukherjee, bestselling author of the Wyndham & Banerjee series'A slice of undiluted joy. I'm agog for book 2!' Alex Hay, author of The Housekeepers'This series promises to be a lot of fun' Guardian