Denton

An American author in Victorian London investigates the rumored reemergence of Jack the Ripper in this historical mystery series debut. London, 1900. In the dying days of the old queen's reign, the city is filled with imperial ambition, scientific revolution, and the shrill blast of factory whistles. For an American named Denton, it's the perfect place to disappear. A former frontier sheriff turned novelist, all he wants is to escape his own memories. But now he must face another dark specter from the past. Jack the Ripper hasn't been heard of for more than fifteen years. But at least one ferrety little fellow claims to have seen him at his grisly work. And when a prostitute turns up dead, Denton can't shake the notion that the frightened man may have something to be frightened about. Nor can he shake his old instinct to see justice done.

A puzzling note from a troubled woman draws an American expat author into the lawless precincts of Victorian London in this historical mystery. London, 1901. Denton, the notorious American writer, has returned to his adoptive home after several months in one of the less-delightful corners of the Continent. He's greeted by the usual letters from fans craving more tales of adventure-and one peculiar note: "I believe that someone threatens to harm me, and I do not know quite what to do." Though it is signed "Mary Thomason," it was sent by someone else. And it is more than two months old. Much as he'd like to deny it, Denton is a Victorian gentlemen to the marrow. And he cannot deny a damsel in distress. His search for the mysterious Miss Thomason will take him deep into London's "bohemian" quarters-as well as the darker corners of his own soul.

An American sleuth in Victorian London investigates the murder of a young Jewish woman in this "complex and gripping period whodunit" (Publishers Weekly). London, 1901. With the Boer War raging, England's air is crackling with political intrigue. The rumors are so thick that the newly formed British Secret Service can barely keep a lid on. But it's not South Africa that is on everyone's lips. Rather, it's The Jewish Question: The armies of Antisemitism are on the march, even as the call to Zionism echoes through London's East End. Denton, the famous American expat author, prefers to keep the conflict at arm's length-until his neighbor's murder brings it home. He could stay out of it. He should stay out of it. But ... but he rather liked the woman. And the police are clueless. So Denton yet again sticks his pointy American nose into England's business. And he keeps it there, even as the price for asking questions gets perilously high.

England in the chilly winter of 1902 is captive to a new craze: Mediums and psychics are springing up like toadstools after a rainstorm, and the public is rushing to consult them, thirsty for intimations of the Great Beyond. It's no surprise that a man like Denton has his doubts: An American Yankee in King Edward's city, he is a walking representative of the "Show Me" state. Nevertheless, Denton agreed to write a book about ghosts and hauntings, and has taken himself to Italy to do it. Napoli may be bella, but it offers Denton only boredom and frustration, until a dead body shows up to make life interesting. As he tries to divine the killer's identity, the cold hard clues give him a new angle on his new spiritualist friends.

An American expat gets tangled in the case of an accused killer in this historical mystery set in Edwardian London. Denton, the American Civil War veteran turned expat author, knows better than to go around doing people favors. But love will make chumps of us all, and for love of Janet Striker, Denton is making inquiries on behalf of the extremely tedious Mrs Snokes. Her husband, she declares, is innocent of the hideous charges made against him. The newspapers, however, think differently; They have dubbed him the "Barnsbury Butcher." Then, for the love of an old friend, Denton has taken on a chore for the man's brattish son, entangled in a shameful liaison with a woman of beauty, spirit, and the ability to wreck his tidy little upper-class future. As Denton juggles these two increasingly precarious cases, he'll hardly have time to write that new novella-though not for want of material.

Bohemian artist Talia Bonilla discovers a body while picking tomatoes for salsa. Ex fiancée Luis Arroyo, Denton County's D.A., is up to his eyebrows in missing debutantes. Wanting to win back his heart, Talia decides to secretly solve this case. To do it right, she enlists the help of the one woman neighborhood watch, June Clover, and best friend Yulan Yu, who works as a lab tech. But when Luis releases the number one suspect from jail, the once peaceful town becomes enraged. Matters crumble even further when Luis resigns his position and disappears. Talia becomes more determined than ever to find the women and clear Luis's name, but then the unthinkable happens.

After twenty-five years in the industry, Alice's business is finally scraping by in the black. Her difficult grown daughter is engaged to a mediocre chef. And Alice's faux online dating profile is on the verge of being exposed, threatening to damage her reputation. To make matters worse, her ex-college boyfriend is writing a tell-all book about her failed relationships and husbands. What else could go wrong? Plenty.

When Denton hears there's a fellow missing from Oxford, it takes him a while to grasp that "fellow," in this instance, means some sort of academic character, and not, you know, a fellow. A bloke. Never mind: He's happy to set off for Oxford and poke around. He imagines a holiday, a peaceful sojourn among the hushed libraries and the famous dreaming spires. It will be so different from frantic, filthy London, muscling its way into the 20th century... Turns out, those dreaming spires hide nightmares as wicked as anything in the city's back alleys. He stumbles in particular into the web of vicious rivalries otherwise known as the School of Archeology, with hatreds rooted in the famous discovery of the ancient city of Troy. Grisly suicides, terrifying curses, threats of eye-popping violence-it's the stuff of penny dreadfuls. No wonder the fellow has disappeared; Denton wouldn't mind following his lead and hopping a train back to London.