A scorching summer. A melancholic merchant. A mysterious murder.
The date is 1208.

Sir Aumary Belvoir, Lord of Durley and a king’s constable and the warden of Savernake Forest, receives the strangest request. The self-important and vituperative vintner, Aldous of Pitchcott, needs protection, claiming he is about to be murdered.

Aumary is sceptical but moves Pitchcott to Marlborough Castle, where he is locked in a room in the castle wall. No one can possibly reach him, but within the day, Aldous Pitchcott is dead.
Aumary discovers that many in the town wished Pitchcott harm, but how did the killer reach him? Aumary and his friends are baffled! Can Aumary reveal the guilty party before the murderer strikes again?

Worldes Blis, a strange thirteenth-century song, provides the backdrop to the fourteenth novel in Susanna M. Newstead’s Savernake Medieval Murder Mystery Novel series.

Author Interview

1) How difficult is it to research settings for a Medieval Murder Mystery?

I’ve been doing it so long, I don’t really know. When I first started there was no web. Much of the history was a bit of a mystery even to experts. The manuscripts one might have needed were difficult to access but with the help of many people and institutions like libraries, I managed the investigation I needed. I’m still researching – it never ends. One has to play detective oneself never mind write about secrets and intrigue.

2) This is the fourteenth novel in your series. How do you keep the stories so fresh and exciting?

Ah, this is just practice I think. Clues have to be eked out and red herrings buried deep in the mystery. Pacing is very important and the investigation has to go on at the right speed, with little moments of humour to lift the intrigue.

3) Did you discover anything fascinating when researching this book?

Yes. All about Medieval scaffolding! Who knew exactly how the builders put together a castle? And the fact that some of that Medieval work is sometimes still there! I’ve seen it with my own eyes.

SAVERNAKE FOREST BOOK ORDER

1. Belvoir’s Promise
2. She Moved Through the Fair
3. Down By the Salley Gardens
4. I Will Give My Love an Apple
5. Black is the Colour of My True Love’s Hair
6. Long Lankyn
7. One Misty Moisty Morning
8. The Unquiet Grave
9. The Lark in the Morning
10. A Parcel of Rogues
11. Bushes & Briars
12. Though I Live Not Where I Love
13. Wynter Wakeneth
14. Worldes Blis
15. Alysoun

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From Chef’s Whites to Campervan Nights. Max’s Vanlife Adventure Careens into a Shocking Murder Mystery!

Burned-out chef, and a bit of a hippy at heart if he’s honest, Max Effort, has had enough. He’s packed in his job at a swanky Michelin 3-star restaurant, grown his hair, berated his parents yet again for giving him such a “go get ’em” name, accepted he’s never going to get his ex-wife back, and he’s hitting the road.

The house is sold, a VW Campervan bought, and Anxious his trusty Jack Russell Terrier has already picked his spot (the bed, duh!).

Max has a plan, and he thinks it’s a cunning one. Sick of the sight of joux, defiant in the face of deconstructed trifle, green at the sight of truffles, and despairing of anything served on a slate rather than a plate, he’s about to embark on a tour of the backroads of Britain. He’ll weave his way around the country to visit the sights, go to a few festivals, catch up with friends, and just chill out.

And every single night without fail, he’s going to make his main meal in his cast-iron pot. It’s one-pot cooking or bust for Max, and he cannot wait.

Freedom at last. The open road with his best friend for company. No hot, sweaty kitchens, shouting chefs, uppity waiters, or demanding customers. Just countryside, campsites, back-to-basics cooking, and the stars at night.

Then there was a murder…

Contains a stunning one-pot recipe at the end. Perfect for those on the road, or anyone who wants a great meal without all the washing up!

A journey of freedom, friendship, and murder mystery on the open road.

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Things get worse when Valentine is accused of murder. Was she targeted as a ploy? Did one of the celebrity stylists have it in for her?

Valentine has her work cut out for her, proving her innocence, handling her obnoxious employees, spying on Jock, dealing with Detective Romero’s surprise guest, and finding a killer…all promising a perilous campout!

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Quick Note: The characters in this book are comics. Comics swear. But they have good hearts. (Mostly.)

When up-and-coming comic, Kasey McCormick, attends a highly anticipated “business of comedy” seminar in Southern California, she expects to learn, network, and showcase her comedic talents. However, her excitement quickly turns to rueful disappointment when she discovers that a private audition session, limited to only ten handpicked performers, has excluded her.

Jealousy and resentment sweep through the ranks of the excluded comics, and the event’s organizer, Juliet Hartwell, does her best to quell the discontent. But Juliet has bigger problems: Kasey soon discovers that Juliet is harboring a dark secret—she’s being blackmailed and the blackmailer has just begun to stir up trouble.

Kasey’s growing reputation for solving crimes puts her at the center of the investigation. With the help of Luke Hallidade and some new comedy pals, Kasey reluctantly embarks on an increasingly dangerous journey to expose the blackmailer and release Juliet from her guilt-ridden past.

Top Hats and Treachery takes you inside the world of comedy, where everyone has at least one secret, very few people are as they seem, and the stakes take a deadly turn. Join Kasey McCormick in this fun and funny mystery as she combines her comedic talents with her investigative skills, proving that laughter and deduction can be a winning combination.

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Kyiv, 1919. The Soviets control the city, but White armies menace them from the West. No man trusts his neighbour and any spark of resistance may ignite into open rebellion.

When Samson Kolechko’s father is murdered, his last act is to save his son from a falling Cossack sabre. Deprived of his right ear instead of his head, Samson is left an orphan, with only his father’s collection of abacuses for company.

Until, that is, his flat is requisitioned by two Red Army soldiers, whose secret plans Samson is somehow able to overhear with uncanny clarity. Eager to thwart them, he stumbles into a world of murder and intrigue that will either be the making of him – or finish what the Cossack started.

Inflected with Kurkov’s signature humour and magical realism, The Silver Bone takes inspiration from the real life archives of crime enforcement agencies in Kyiv, crafting a propulsive narrative that bursts to life with rich historical detail.

Translated from the Russian by Boris Dralyuk

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