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.
Prequel novella: MURDER AT THE RITZ. Tea, cake and a spoonful of cyanide…
Marjorie Swallow was enjoying her first visit to the Ritz Hotel – until it was interrupted by murder.
When Marjorie is summoned to an interview over afternoon tea in the Palm Lounge, 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.
Plenty of people had reason to want the colonel dead, but who was the poisoner? 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. Perfect for readers who love Agatha Christie, TE Kinsey and Magda Alexander. Murder At The Ritz is available exclusively to members of my readers club. Sign up below.
Book 1: BLACKMAIL IN BLOOMSBURY. Half of Bloomsbury wanted her dead – but who wielded the knife?
When Marjorie Swallow attends a bohemian party with her new employer Mrs Jameson, she enjoys dancing, witty conversation, and the attentions of a handsome artist. But for one guest, the night ends in murder. The victim is quickly unmasked as a blackmailer – but which of her targets wanted her dead badly enough to cut her throat?
The detective duo go on an increasingly perilous hunt for the killer from the garden squares of Bloomsbury to the smart nightclubs of Piccadilly and the seedy backstreets of Soho.
Can they save an innocent man from the gallows? Is it ever a good idea to blackmail a murderer? And are Marjorie’s new satin shoes ruined forever?
Blackmail in Bloomsbury will be published in October 2023. Pre-order now Blackmail In Bloomsbury now!