Samuel Pepys Mysteries

"A brilliant series debut" - More Mystery PleaseCan Samuel Pepys save his sister from the hangman's noose?September 1666. As the Great Fire devours London, fear grips the quiet village of Brampton, where Paulina Pepys, the diarist's sister, stands accused of witchcraft.In desperation, Pepys dispatches his sharp-witted housemaid and earnest but awkward protégé – Abigail Harcourt and Jacob Standish – to act as his personal inquisitors.But are they up to the task?Brampton is steeped in superstition, and villagers are dying – each marked by a straw poppet left on the doorstep.As Abigail and Jacob struggle, Simon Hopkins – son of the infamous Witchfinder General – rides in, burning with zeal and eager to condemn.Can Pepys's fledgling inquisitors clear Paulina's name before Hopkins forces her confession?The Brampton Witch Murders launches the Samuel Pepys Mysteries, a historical mystery series steeped in period detail and brimming with fiendish whodunits. Step into Pepys's London – once you do, you won't want to leave.

"I loved this even more than the first one" – Bookworm Stephanie The plague may have passed, but death wears a new, grim guise.Deptford Docks, 1666. While London smoulders after the Great Fire, a black-cloaked figure, masked as a plague doctor, prowls the wharves by night.Death follows - heralded by a black cross and the chilling words: Lord have mercy upon him.When a naval colleague of Samuel Pepys finds the mark daubed on his own door, the diarist summons his inquisitors, Abigail Harcourt and Jacob Standish, to unmask the killer.But Deptford is a place of hard men and old grudges, and the truth sinks fast in a barrel of rum.As the madman in the beaked mask closes in, Abby and Jacob's second case becomes a race against time. The Plague Doctor Murders continues the Samuel Pepys Mysteries: historical mysteries steeped in period colour and brimming with fiendish whodunits. Step back into Pepys's London - once you do, you won't want to leave.

"A brilliant mix of history and fiction – I loved every minute" – What You Tolkien AboutWho would kill for a bowl of coffee in Pepys's London?September 1666. Samuel Pepys's prized pocket watch is stolen in Rose's Coffee House on The Strand. Hours later, Eustace Blount – notorious wit and agitator – is found dead there.Amid the haze of tobacco smoke and the aroma of the roasted bean, Pepys's inquisitors, Abigail Harcourt and Jacob Standish, are pitched between Royalist MPs and republican firebrands. And with the King's favour at stake, words soon prove deadlier than daggers.As factions jostle and plots ferment, the hunt for a killer carries Abby and Jacob far beyond the chatter of the coffee houses...Into Westminster's guarded halls, where discovery means certain death.The Coffee House Murders continues the Samuel Pepys Mysteries, a historical mystery series steeped in period detail and brimming with fiendish whodunits. Step into Pepys's London – once you do, you won't want to leave.

Who dares spill blood inside Whitehall Palace?October 1666. Samuel Pepys and his inquisitors, Abigail Harcourt and Jacob Standish, are summoned to Whitehall expecting revels and splendour. Instead, they find death.One of Charles II's mistresses lies beneath a fallen chandelier, its rope crudely sabotaged.As Abby and Jacob pursue the trail, they are pulled into Whitehall's dark heart. Ministers jostle for power, mistresses guard their influence, and rivalry is silenced with murder.Then loyalty divides the inquisitors themselves, the investigation falters – and the killer strikes again.Dare they fail the King himself, who holds power over life and death?The King's Court Murders is the fourth of the Samuel Pepys Mysteries, a historical mystery series steeped in period detail and brimming with fiendish whodunits. Step into Pepys's London – once you do, you won't want to leave.

When the Thames freezes over, Death shall stalk the ice.St Stephen's Day, 1666. Londoners, still scarred by fire, flock to the Frost Fair – a carnival on ice with puppet shows and skating, taverns and gambling booths. But beneath the revels, something darker lurks.A body is found, frozen into the river. Samuel Pepys sends his inquisitors, Abigail Harcourt and Jacob Standish, to investigate. Their suspects are many: grizzled watermen, a fiery Italian puppeteer, the dead-eyed owner of the Lottery Booth.As Abby faces a ghost from her past and Jacob realises the killer's game is more twisted than he feared, the ice itself begins to crack. The clock is ticking, a storm is coming. And before the thaw, Death shall claim another prize.The Frost Fair Murders continues the Samuel Pepys Mysteries, historical mysteries steeped in period colour and brimming with fiendish whodunits. Step into Pepys's London – once you do, you won't want to leave.

Be very careful how you tread the boards… London's snow has melted since the glorious Thames Frost Fair, yet the chill remains – now haunting the dusky passageways of the Theatre Royal. Rumours of financial ruin and rebellion draw Samuel Pepys's inquisitors, Abby Harcourt and Jacob Standish, into the riotous, raucous realm of Restoration theatre. What they uncover is no mere scandal – it's murder.Driven from the playhouse, Jacob can only watch as Abby takes the stage herself, thrust into the spotlight as the King's Company's new principal actress. Can she sift truth from trickery in a world built on illusion, where lies trip from tongues like coins from a split purse?When an old adversary resurfaces, Abby must race to save not only the theatre's reputation but her own life. If she fails, the final curtain will fall on them all.The Drury Lane Murders continues the Samuel Pepys Mysteries, historical mysteries steeped in period colour and brimming with fiendish whodunits. Step into Pepys's London – once you do, you won't want to leave.

They dug for Pepys's gold – and unearthed the dead.January 1667. Two thousand pounds in gold coins, buried in Samuel Pepys's father's garden, have vanished. Pepys dispatches his inquisitors, Abigail Harcourt and Jacob Standish, to Brampton to recover the hoard.The village is paralysed by fear. The Wychwood Drummer – ghost of a man hanged for theft – beats his lonely tattoo through the trees at night, and villagers swear he guards the stolen gold. When bodies begin appearing, the locals see God's vengeance. Abby sees a thief covering their tracks.Stranded in a derelict cottage deep in Wychwood, with the drumbeat echoing through the forest, Abby and Jacob must solve their deadliest case. But Brampton hasn't forgotten.Last time, they saved Pepys's sister from the gallows. Paulina was no witch – but are they? That's what the villagers believe.And now the noose swings for them.The Brampton Ghost Murders continues the Samuel Pepys Mysteries, historical mysteries steeped in period colour and brimming with fiendish whodunits. Step back into Pepys's London – once you do, you won't want to leave.

Only a madman – and Colonel Blood – would dream of stealing England's Crown Jewels.The crown, orb and sceptre are not merely priceless treasures, but symbolic of the monarch's omnipotence. Lose them, and the kingdom may follow.Commissioned to foil Blood's audacious plot by Charles II himself, Abigail Harcourt and Jacob Standish are no longer merely Samuel Pepys's inquisitors – they are the King's inquisitors.And the burden weighs heavy.Aided by the brash and dashing Edward Burke – His Majesty's personal spymaster – Abby and Jacob must trawl the maze of secrets within London's indomitable Tower, seeking Blood and his accomplice.But who could that be, when all are suspects, with politics, power and unimaginable wealth the motive? Make no mistake…There will be Blood.The Crown Jewels Murders continues the Samuel Pepys Mysteries, historical mysteries steeped in period colour and brimming with fiendish whodunits. Step back into Pepys's London – once you do, you won't want to leave.