Reverend Paltoquet Mystery

Sometimes we're not alone.... What is the dreadful secret hiding behind the front door of an insignificant South London terraced house? Following a triple killing in 1896, a series of murders occur sporadically in the same house, culminating in the murder of the new occupant's girlfriend over a century later. But is there a connection or are they simply coincidences? Reverend Bernard Paltoquet, the vicar of the local parish, is determined to find out. He gradually discovers what links the murders and, with the help of his friends Dr MacTavish and medium Dorothy Plunkett, finally unlocks the mystery that has kept 57 Bockhampton Road in the grip of an unidentifiable evil influence for so many years.

The year is 1948. Reverend Bernard Paltoquet and his friend Dr Robbie MacTavish go on a tour of Europe and encounter a mystery in a Bergen forest. Why are the ghosts of two children haunting a fir tree? The following Christmas, that very tree turns up in the church hall and the ghosts of the children with it.It seems they cannot rest until their murderer has been brought to justice and only the psychic, Robbie, can help, even though he doesn't speak a word of Norwegian! It seems an impossible task, but Robbie is determined to help them, despite all the obstacles in his way.

The year is 1948. Reverend Bernard Paltoquet and his friend Dr Robbie MacTavish go on a tour of Europe and encounter a mystery in a Bergen forest. Why are the ghosts of two children haunting a fir tree? The following Christmas, that very tree turns up in the church hall and the ghosts of the children with it. It seems they cannot rest until their murderer has been brought to justice and only the psychic Robbie can help, even though he doesn't speak a word of Norwegian! It seems an impossible task, but Robbie is determined to help them, despite all the obstacles in his way.

Twins sometimes run in families; in the Fentimans' case, they positively stampede. In 1937, Robert Fentiman is hanged for the murder of a barmaid. Twenty years later his ghost claims his innocence, and Rev Bernard Paltoquet is called on to help clear his name by the dead man's son, Carl. As Bernard and his pal Robbie begin their investigations, by a cruel twist of fate, another barmaid is murdered, who turns out to be the daughter of the first barmaid. And, by another twist of fate, Carl Fentiman is the main suspect. A professional medium, with an unconventional use for a crystal ball, is called in to help solve both crimes, but she is as baffled as Bernard and Robbie. Meanwhile Bernard's housekeeper, Mrs Aitch, has deserted the vicarage for a mysterious suitor….

This is another slice of murder, mystery and psychic phenomena in the Reverend Paltoquet series. Just what happened to two young women who disappeared from the Sunnyside Guest House in Blackpool just after the First World War? Their fate has remained a mystery for many years, despite attempts by the husband of the first woman and the prospective husband of the second to find out. In 1957, Reverend Bernard Paltoquet and his good friend Dr Robbie MacTavish turn up at the very same Blackpool guest house for a fortnight's rest and recuperation. Their summer break, however, proves very far from restful or recuperative. Robbie is visited in the night by a ghostly bed companion, and another guest, young curate Oliver Johnson, sees a ghost bleed to death in front of his eyes. The scarred landlady of Sunnyside has a secret or two of her own, as well. Professional medium, Anna Judge, who we first met in the previous novel in the series, THE DARK SIDE OF THE MIRROR, arrives to try and contact the ghosts. However, her powers are waning and it is only the Reverend Nigel Soames who can help. Soames is a colleague of Bernard's and is staying at the Imperial Hotel in Blackpool at the same time as Bernard and Robbie are staying at the much less expensive Sunnyside. He is an obese and pompous man (described by Anna Judge irreverently as the 'fat vicar') who turns out to be the unlikely and very reluctant conduit for the restless spirits that haunt the Blackpool guest house. Bernard and Robbie, meanwhile, try to enjoy their holiday, but Robbie is spooked by ghosts and Bernard is unsettled by the attentions of another guest at the Sunnyside, the charming and beautiful Celia Pargeter.

A ghost with a secret to tell … but who will hear her? Rev Bernard Paltoquet becomes involved in another psychic mystery when a young woman, Alice Troy, is murdered and Howard Drake, one of Bernard's parishioners, is convicted of the crime and sentenced to hang. However, thanks to a mongrel dog, Bernard and his psychic doctor friend, Robbie MacTavish, are alerted to Alice's unquiet spirit at her graveside. But time is running out for Drake, and it is only Robbie who can help him. However, he is convinced the verdict is safe….