London, 1922. Draper’s daughter and former grammar school scholarship girl Marjorie Swallow has emerged from the First World War determined to live life to the full. A secretarial position with the enigmatic American lady detective, Mrs Iris Jameson, looks just the ticket.
Apprentice sleuth Marjorie is soon in the thick of it, from death over afternoon tea at The Ritz Hotel to peril in the illegal late-night clubs of Soho. She may be quick-witted, but her naïvety can lead her into danger – unless she learns fast. Fortunately Mrs Jameson is at hand to impart her hard-won life lessons. There’s one thing Mrs Jameson isn’t telling her, though, and that’s what happened in Rome…
This new series, inspired by classic murder mysteries from the Golden Age of British crime writing, is sure to delight fans of Agatha Christie and Dorothy L Sayers.
Book 1: BLACKMAIL IN BLOOMSBURY. Everyone at the party had a secret. Someone killed to keep theirs.
When a bohemian party ends in murder, there’s no shortage of suspects. Half of Bloomsbury wanted Mrs Norris dead – but who wielded the knife? Was it the handsome but troubled artist? The vivacious young actress? Or the brilliant historian who hosted the gathering?
When the police arrest the wrong man, apprentice sleuth Marjorie vows to find the true killer. From the garden squares of Bloomsbury to the seedy backstreets of Soho, she navigates the glamour and peril of Jazz Age London in a thrilling story of secrets and lies. Blackmail In Bloomsbury will keep you guessing to the very last page.
Published October 2023. Order Blackmail In Bloomsbury now!
Book 2: THE SOHO JAZZ MURDERS. Flappers meet gangsters in the hottest jazz club in Soho.
When Marjorie goes dancing with the flapper niece of the American ambassador to London, she thinks that The Charleston may be her biggest challenge. But when the night ends in tragedy, she goes undercover as a dance hostess at the notorious Harlequin Club, plunging into a shady world of cocaine deals and opium dens.
Who is dealing cocaine to the club’s patrons? What is the role of the terrifying Armstrong Brothers? And does the answer lie closer to home than Marjorie and Mrs Jameson suspect?
Published January 2024. Order The Soho Jazz Murders now!
Book 3: DEATH AT CHELSEA. Even the prettiest flowers can be poisonous.
Detective duo Mrs Jameson and Marjorie Swallow are called to investigate when a renowned garden designer suspects that someone is sabotaging her priceless Himalayan Sapphire Lilies, ahead of the 1923 Chelsea Flower Show. But soon it’s not just the flowers that are dying. Rival gardeners, intrepid plant hunters and even King George V himself are caught up in a poisonous bouquet with its roots deep in the mountains of Tibet.
The third in the Marjorie Swallow 1920s murder mystery series requires all her wit, charm and pluck to solve.
Published May 2024. Order Death At Chelsea today!
Book 4: THE RIVIERA MYSTERY. Who do you trust in a “sunny place for shady people”?
A trip to the French Riviera sounds like just the ticket for Marjorie and Mrs Jameson. But from the moment they step aboard the famous Blue Train to the Mediterranean coast, it becomes clear that this won’t be an ordinary vacation.
They’ve been invited to stay at the palatial Villa Beau Rivage for a month in the sun, after a dismal summer in London. Surrounded by diamond merchants, film stars, artists and art dealers, Marjorie is swept off her feet by her first experience of the beauty and colour of the Côte d’Azur.
She faces a dilemma when one particular artist sets her heart racing – but soon they are both caught up in the aftermath of a tragic death at a glamorous party. Luckily Mrs Jameson is there to keep her mind on the case, as they investigate just how far some people will go for money.
The Riviera Mystery is the fourth in the 1920s Murder Mystery series.
Published September 2024. Order The Riviera Mystery today!
Book 5: DEATH ON FLEET STREET. A death is announced… one week from today
When the Daily Post, the top-selling newspaper of 1924, receives a notice announcing the death of Lord Ravensbourne, something is clearly up. Not only is his lordship the owner of the Post, but he’s still very much alive.
Marjorie and Mrs Jameson must find out who sent the death notice, before the threat becomes reality. But Marjorie quickly discovers that Lord Ravensbourne, a belligerent bully, collects enemies like other men collect stamps. Everyone seems to have good reason to wish him dead.
Marjorie dives into the murky world of 1920s Fleet Street, the home of British newspapers, where back-stabbing journalists will do anything for a scoop, inky-fingered printers strike at the drop of a trilby hat, and the presses rumble deafeningly in the basement. Can she protect Lord Ravensbourne, find out who sent the death notice – and decide what to do about the jazz-playing pianist, Freddie?
Published March 2025. Order Death On Fleet Street today!
Book 6: MURDER ON THE WHITE CLIFFS. Mysteries from Mrs Jameson’s past come back to haunt her on a seaside holiday.
Marjorie and Mrs Jameson enjoy a trip to a glamorous clifftop hotel for a very English seaside holiday… until a mysterious Italian woman in white appears, anxious to speak to Mrs Jameson.
Whoever she is, Mrs Jameson definitely doesn’t want to talk to her. And when a corpse is discovered on the beach, Marjorie is unsure who to trust. What exactly is Mrs Jameson hiding, and why doesn’t she want to investigate?
As Marjorie is drawn deeper into the mystery, she realises how much she still has to learn about her employer… Will she finally learn what happened to Mrs Jameson’s husband in Rome?
Murder On The White Cliffs will be published in July.
Prequel novella: MURDER AT THE RITZ. Tea, cake and a spoonful of cyanide…
When Marjorie is summoned to an interview over afternoon tea in the Palm Court, she’s expecting to be grilled about her secretarial skills. But her would-be employer, the mysterious Mrs Jameson, is a private investigator – which comes in handy when one of the guests keels over among the cucumber sandwiches.
Marjorie’s job interview turns into an impromptu test of her detective abilities. Will she get the job? Will they solve the murder? And will Marjorie ever get to try the chocolate fondant cake?
This classic murder mystery evokes the Golden Age of crime, and introduces the Marjorie Swallow series. Murder At The Ritz is available as an e-book and audiobook and is exclusive to members of my Readers Club. Sign up below.
Do you prefer audiobooks? You can listen to Murder At The Ritz too!