An unnamed menace, an ancient document… five families torn apart. An unputdownable and bestselling historical mysteryJohn Mellamphy's life is under threat. In the remote countryside, his mother, Mary, has been burgled in mysterious circumstances. Then her protector, Mr Fortisquince, is suddenly murdered in London.Mysterious forces are at work looking for an old document, the key to an enormous fortune. Already having experi...

A classic Victorian mystery full of intrigue, deadly plots and devastating twists and turnsFalsely imprisoned in an asylum, John escapes from their clutches with the help of the kindly Digweed family. Starting a new life in hiding with them may feel safer, but they survive by scavenging the sewers of London.Summoning his strength, and on discovering the existence of a second will that could be his salvation, John must go undercover in the guise of a serva...

From the author of the international bestseller The Quincunx.Set in Eastern Europe during the Second World War. When his nation is invaded and occupied by a brutal enemy, a well-intentioned man persuades his wife that they should give temporary shelter to a young girl who is at school with their daughter. He has no idea that the girl belongs to a community against whom the invader intends to commit genocide. Days stretch into weeks and then months while th...

One of Publishers Weekly's Best Books of the Year. "A literary Dr. Frankenstein, [Palliser] has stitched together parts of Jane Austen and Edgar Allan Poe. The result is deliciously wicked." —Ron Charles, Washington PostCharles Palliser's work has been hailed as "so compulsively absorbing that reality disappears" ( New York Times). Since his extraordinary debut, The Quincunx, his works have sold over one million copies worldwide....

As a teenager ‘Tich’ Palliser became ‘hooked on this flying game’ and aspired to take to the skies. The Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve provided the opportunity and a few months before the Second World War broke out the Yorkshire-born novice was called-up to learn and develop his skills as a combat fighter pilot. In August 1940 the young sergeant aviator, at the controls of a Hawker Hurricane, entered the ferocious aerial melees of the Battle of Britain, fighting for his life, and his co...

The final gripping part of this classic historical mysteryWith the will finally in his grasp, John may be able to prove his inheritance, and put an end to the deadly plots and endless machinations that have plagued his life. But betrayal hides around every corner. Will justice narrowly fall through his fingers one last time?Upon uncovering a dastardly plot to trick Henrietta into a marriage that would steal the fortune, John must do every...

Desperate times and darker mysteries abound in this extraordinary historical thrillerWith their savings rapidly running out, and the world turning against them, John and his mother are pursued by bailiffs and forced to move. Taking refuge with the Isbister family, they flee upon discovering a shocking dark side to their hosts.But then their luck seems to change when they discover the hospitable Miss Quilliam. And a way out of debt and disas...

An extraordinary modern novel in the Victorian tradition, Charles Palliser has created something extraordinary—a plot within a plot within a plot of family secrets, mysterious clues, low-born birth, high-reaching immorality, and, always, always the fog-enshrouded, enigmatic character of 19th century—London itself.“So compulsively absorbing that reality disappears . . . One is swept along by those enduring emotions that defy modern art and a random universe: hunger ...

Thieves, mansions and murders… no one can be trusted in this classic historical mysteryThe tangled threads of family conspiracy and dark intentions will not let John Mellamphy rest. Seeking help from Henry Bellringer, a relation of a school friend, he instead finds himself in a nest of thieves.Reading his mother's journal, with tantalising details of his parentage, his grandfather's murder and his deadly legacy, John finally discovers a ter...

A classic Victorian mystery full of intrigue, deadly plots and devastating twists and turnsFalsely imprisoned in an asylum, John escapes from their clutches with the help of the kindly Digweed family. Starting a new life in hiding with them may feel safer, but they survive by scavenging the sewers of London.Summoning his strength, and on discovering the existence of a second will that could be his salvation, John must go undercover in the guise of a servant...

The final gripping part of this classic historical mysteryWith the will finally in his grasp, John may be able to prove his inheritance, and put an end to the deadly plots and endless machinations that have plagued his life. But betrayal hides around every corner. Will justice narrowly fall through his fingers one last time?Upon uncovering a dastardly plot to trick Henrietta into a marriage that would steal the fortune, John must do everyth...

An unnamed menace, an ancient document five families torn apart. An unputdownable and bestselling historical mysteryJohn Mellamphy's life is under threat. In the remote countryside, his mother, Mary, has been burgled in mysterious circumstances. Then her protector, Mr Fortisquince, is suddenly murdered in London.Mysterious forces are at work looking for an old document, the key to an enormous fortune. Alrea...