Freddy Pilkington-Soames Adventure

It is 1929, and Ticky Maltravers is the toast of London high society, adored by everyone-or so it seems, until somebody poisons him over dinner. Now it turns out that numerous people with secrets to hide had every reason to wish him dead. However, which of them murdered him? For Freddy Pilkington-Soames, newspaper reporter and man-about-town, the question hits a little too close to home, thanks to an unfortunate drunken encounter with Ticky's corpse which he'd much rather the police didn't find out about-and thanks also to his exasperating mother Cynthia's seeming determination to get herself arrested by tampering with the evidence. But a pretty girl with big blue eyes is demanding his help in solving the mystery, so what can he do but agree? Now all he has to do is hide the wrong clues, find the right ones, and unmask the murderer before the police discover what's really been going on. That ought to be easy enough. If only people did not keep getting killed...

When Hollywood star Dorothy Dacres plummets six floors from her hotel terrace on the night of her greatest triumph, it initially looks like a tragic accident. But her death is so very convenient to her many enemies that press-man Freddy Pilkington-Soames, who was there on the night she died, begins to suspect foul play. In addition, when cocaine is found in her room, it only complicates matters further. Soon, Freddy is chasing across London on the trail of drug dealers, in reluctant company with his deadly rival, Corky Beckwith, the most unscrupulous reporter in Fleet Street, who will do anything for a story. With the future of a film studio at stake, can Freddy find the culprit-and get one up on Corky-before he becomes the killer's next victim?

The ladies of Clerkenwell Central Hall are none too pleased at having their Temperance meetings disrupted by the rowdy Communists next door, but for Miss Olive Stapleton in particular, the uneasy coexistence proves fatal when she is found stabbed through the heart with a paper-knife. Enter Freddy Pilkington-Soames, who's been recruited by British Intelligence to investigate a suspected Communist plot to stir up a general strike. Freddy thinks there's more to Miss Stapleton's death than meets the eye, but as he delves more deeply into the mystery it only becomes more puzzling. What is the connection between the murder and the coded newspaper advertisements? Is a Welsh firebrand politician really as harmless as he seems? And what does the beautiful wife of an Austrian revolutionary philosopher want from him? It all points to one thing: danger ahead. But time is running out, and Freddy must act fast to stop the conspirators or risk becoming the unwitting pawn in a deadly game that threatens to bring the country to its knees.

When the Duke of Purbeck throws a house party to celebrate his daughter's 21st birthday and present her with a family heirloom, nobody expects that the weekend will end in murder. The fabled Belsingham pearls have a history steeped in blood and slaughter dating back more than a century - and now it seems they've claimed another life, when the interfering and opinionated Professor Coddington is found dead in the library with the pearls clutched in his hand. It looks like a robbery gone wrong, but then why didn't the thief take the necklace? And how did he escape unnoticed, given that half the guests were seemingly wandering around the house at the time of the murder? House guest Freddy Pilkington-Soames has enough on his plate already, with a lecherous nuisance of a grandfather to keep an eye on, a girlfriend his mother disapproves of, and an ex-girlfriend who's engaged to another man but shows signs of changing her mind. But with a killer on the loose in the house, it's time to forget his own troubles and rise to the occasion - or risk a scandal that could destroy the reputation of his whole family.

When Douglas Westray, the son of an eminent aircraft manufacturer, is found shot dead in a locked room at a society ball, it seems obvious that it's suicide-after all, he had two failed engagements behind him, and had lost the family firm a prestigious prize through his own neglect. But not everybody is convinced-including Freddy Pilkington-Soames, who soon discovers that there are still questions to be answered. Why was Douglas wearing the wrong shoes when he was found? What is the connection with a near-disaster at an air show? And was Freddy's narrow escape from death under the wheels of a car an accident or something more sinister? Assisted by his old friend, the wayward and irrepressible Lady Gertie McAloon, and pestered at every turn by rival reporter Corky Beckwith, Freddy finds himself drawn into a world of sabotage, blackmail and shady deals which threaten to scupper the success of a new fighter plane before it even gets off the ground. But there's more at stake than just money, and now it's up to Freddy to untangle the clues and unravel the dark secret of a murderer who has already killed at least once and will think nothing of killing again.

"Oh, something is bound to go wrong, but one might as well start out from a position of optimism, don't you think?" said Angela. It's fair to say that Freddy Pilkington-Soames is not having a good day. His grandmother is threatening to marry a lounge lizard, his old friend has lost her lover, a racehorse has been kidnapped, a priceless diamond has gone missing, and everybody seems to think he should sort it all out. (Oh, and there's a dead body on the terrace.) Now Freddy's on the sunny French Riviera, caught in the crossfire of a feud between an audacious thief he's locked horns with before and a murderous gang, who will stop at nothing to get what they want. He'd keep his head down if he could, but there are questions that need answering. Who took the diamond? Who is double-crossing whom? And is his grandmother's intended quite all he seems? (And where did that dead body go?) A political scandal at the highest level is looming and the future of an international conference hangs in the balance, and once again it's up to Freddy to save the day - in more ways than one.

West End theatre impresario Septimus Gooch is a man with many enemies, but when he's found dead in his leading lady's dressing-room the police put it down to an accident. The cast of Septimus's latest musical production at the Jollity Theatre are having none of it, however-this is the second mysterious death in two months, and they're convinced Septimus died after being frightened out of his wits by the ghost that's haunted the theatre ever since it burned to the ground many years ago. A malevolent spirit is on the loose, striking them down one by one. Which of them will be next? Press-man Freddy Pilkington-Soames was backstage at the Jollity on the night Septimus died. He doesn't believe in ghosts, but he knows a suspicious death when he sees one-and when a third person dies there's no doubt this time that a human hand was behind it. Freddy's fending off the attentions of several chorus-girls at once, so has his own distractions to contend with. But murder's no joke, and he'll do anything he can to catch the killer before the whole production falls apart. After all, the show must go on.

During a disturbance at an agricultural show in London, a young man of foreign appearance is stabbed, his killer melting away into the crowd. First on the scene is reporter Freddy Pilkington-Soames, who's covering the show for his newspaper and is just in time to hear the victim's last words, warning of danger to a person by the name of Longstaff and begging Freddy to help. Following a second suspicious death, and with only the young man's message and a crumpled newspaper clipping to guide him, Freddy finds himself embroiled in a mystery that becomes increasingly puzzling the more he looks into it. Who was the foreigner, and who wanted him dead? How did he know Longstaff was in danger? And what is the significance of the word "Rosa", which was on his lips as he died? Having exasperated his editor one too many times, Freddy's hanging onto his job by the skin of his teeth, but this is a mystery he can't let go. With ruthless and dangerous criminals on his trail who have no hesitation in using violence to achieve their ends, Freddy is in a race against time to prevent a crime that could have a devastating impact and cause misery for thousands of people. But how can he succeed when he doesn't even know what that crime is?

This omnibus edition contains the first three books in the Freddy Pilkington-Soames Adventure series Join chaotic 1920s reporter and accidental sleuth Freddy Pilkington-Soames on his adventures in this series of light-hearted mysteries! A CASE OF BLACKMAIL IN BELGRAVIA (Book 1) Ticky Maltravers is the toast of London high society, adored by everyone-or so it seems, until somebody poisons him over dinner. But who murdered him? It's up to Freddy to find out! A CASE OF MURDER IN MAYFAIR (Book 2) Can Freddy unmask the murderer of a Hollywood star before he becomes the killer's next victim? A CASE OF CONSPIRACY IN CLERKENWELL (Book 3) There's a plot afoot to destabilize the government, and Freddy must stop the conspirators, or risk becoming the unwitting pawn in a deadly game that threatens to bring the country to its knees!