Bøger af Cynthia Harrod-Eagles

Commuting, house-hunting, in-law trouble: it is the ordinary things that occupy most of us, most of the time. But in these wry, unsettling and unexpected tales, real life is not always what it seems. A commuter dies of rage during rush-hour, and finds that's not the end of the story. A meek middle-aged woman exacts an appalling revenge during afternoon tea. Fairies at the bottom of the garden reveal themselves to be far from enchanting. Two old ladies carry on a bitter vendetta that started in the Blitz and lasts beyond the grave. And the Tree of Knowledge self-seeds in a suburban garden, with devastating consequences. From the prizewinning author of more than 80 historical, romance and detective novels, this unique collection of 14 short stories turns the ordinary into the extraordinary... and back again. "Master story-teller" Daily Telegraph "Assured and elegant" The Times "The master of her craft" Toronto Star

Melanie Hunter had a fine career as a palaeontologist. She was polite, friendly and well liked. So when she goes missing, it is completely out of character. The men in her life come under suspicion: her boyfriend, her step-father, her neighbour with the shady past. And there is plenty to suspect: lies, half-truths, deceptions ... It seems that when you pull one thread, the whole fabric of family life can come apart. Melanie had tried to be good, to make something of herself, and had succeeded pretty much. But something was wrong somewhere. Melanie had a secret, a pain she tried to hide from the world. Was it the secret that killed her? She was ever the sympathetic listener - but who was listening to her? As Bill Slider is drawn into her shadowy world, he must find the answer to two questions: who loved Melanie? And who loved her too much? "If you are unlucky enough to be murdered, pray that DI Slider is handed your case." Kirkus Reviews "Readers will find themselves gripped from first page to last." Booklist "Only a die-hard misanthrope would disdain a chance to spend time with Slider." Kirkus Reviews

Bill Slider and his team face a mystery, when an unidentifiable man appears to have committed suicide but all signs point to murder A boiling-hot August day, and a handsome young man is found dead in his bath, exsanguinated. Suicide is not, strictly speaking, a detective inspector's business, but Bill Slider's colleague takes one look at the body and calls in his boss. 'It don't look right to me, guv, ' is Detective Sergeant Hollis's opinion. 'But I can't quite put my finger on it.' As Bill Slider investigates, he reluctantly has to agree: the man's poky flat is too tidy, for one thing, and smelling of fresh emulsion rather than, say, feet. That's not to mention the method of death: a single slash to the left jugular, when evidence soon proves him to be left-handed. But as Slider and his team try to identify the man - whose personal papers are missing, along with his wallet and keys - it seems that the more they find out about him, the less they really know . .

The world of professional show-jumping is glamorous, intense and gruelling - and not without danger. But now someone is trying to make it more dangerous still. Polly Morgan and Dan Roberts are at the heart of a group of horsemasters, who all have their own personal problems to solve. Polly is hesitating over a proposal, unsure whether marriage will jeopardise her career. Howard Meak's marriage is on the rocks due to his long-standing love for Chris Campbell. And Tom Emmerson's desperate financial straits are driving him to drink. But now they find themselves under attack by an unknown practical joker, whose tricks are growing increasingly nasty. Can Polly and Dan discover who the prankster is before someone gets seriously hurt? What is the secret past of the big chestnut horse? And what has the mysterious newcomer, Anne Neville, to do with it all? With the biggest tournament of the year, in the United States, coming up, there's no time to lose...

A poignant and emotional love story set in the 1950s and 1960s In the summer of 1954, young George West, qualified as an architect but completing his National Service, meets 17-year-old Josella Grace, daughter of a retired colonel. He falls passionately in love with this reserved but beautiful girl - a love that seems destined never to be fulfilled. Their story, and its dark secrets, alternates between George's tale of first love in 1954 and Josella's bitter-sweet perspective a decade later in 1964. Their unique voices chart the anguish, tragedy and despair, as their lives are led apart... "Vivid characters, an enthralling plot, and realistic ambience...dramatic, taut and gripping." Emily Melton, Booklist

One lousy Monday, Jenna loses her gorgeous job, her even more gorgeous boyfriend, and her home. In an attempt to put aside her personal woes, Jenna goes to catalogue books for an elderly cousin, Kitty Everest, at her country mansion. Horrified to discover that Kitty may be forced to sell Holtby House, Jenna throws herself into a scheme to save it. But when an attempt is made on her life, Jenna finds herself in a race to save Holtby, Kitty - and herself.

Who would kill a charming antiques expert Rowland Egerton, the darling of daytime TV? Bill Slider and his team are on the case . . . 'It's quiet out there, ' says DS Atherton, at Bill Slider's office window. 'Too quiet.' Right on cue, the phone rings. 'Now look what you've done, ' says Slider. It's a homicide. The post-Christmas lull is officially over. The deceased is antiques expert Rowland Egerton, the darling of daytime TV, stabbed to death in his luxurious West London home. The press are going to be all over this one like a nasty rash: the pressure's on Slider for a result, and soon. Egerton's partner, the bulky, granite-faced John Lavender, found the body; did he also do the deed? Or was it a burglary gone wrong? A missing Fabergé box and Impressionist painting point that way. But as Slider and his team investigate, none of the facts seem to fit. And it soon becomes clear that the much-loved, charming Mr Egerton wasn't as universally loved, or perhaps as charming, as Slider was first led to believe . . .

Why was a local philanthropist murdered? The late Mr Lionel Bygood, well-known locally for giving help and advice, has been bashed in the head with a bronze statue. With all signs pointing to the victim knowing his killer, Bill Slider and his team find themselves embroiled in an investigation that provides scant evidence, but all too many suspects.

England, 1903. Giles, the Earl of Stainton, has fled from his stifling duties to resume his research in Egypt, leaving behind his wife Kitty, and his infant son. Kitty, still reeling from Giles' sudden departure, struggles to keep spirits high in the castle and establish herself as the true mistress of the house, an impossible task given how many secrets the inhabitants are hiding from her... The Earl's younger sisters, Rachel and Alice, are both pursuing forbidden romances, and his brother Richard begins a new business venture, spurred on by his clandestine lover. And below stairs, a shocking crime sends distrust rippling through the staff, more so when one of their own is accused. Kitty must draw on her strength to keep the castle from crumbling around her, but with her marriage to Giles left uncertain, and a surprise of her own to conceal, can she ever take her rightful place as true head of her household?

Seeking power and prestige, grim, ambitious Yorkshireman Edward Morland arranges a marriage between his meek son Robert and spirited Eleanor, young ward of the influential Beaufort family.

Ein neuer kniffliger Fall für Detective Inspector Bill Slider: Ein Toter wird – offensichtlich inszeniert – auf einer Schaukel auf einem Spielplatz in einem Londoner Park, der sich zwischen der Sozialwohnungssiedlung Woodlands und dem Stadtteil Shepherd’s Bush befindet, gefunden. Der Mord gibt Rätsel auf, um wen es sich handelt und wie die Leiche dorthin kam. Der Inspector muss sich beeilen, den Fall aufzuklären. Seine Ermittlungen führen ihn durch die halbseidene Welt der trostlosen Pubs und Bordelle Londons bis hin zu einem Tattoostudio in Hong Kong...Cynthia Harrod-Eagles , geboren 1948 in London, ist eine britische Schriftstellerin, die für ihre Kriminalromane und historischen Romane bekannt ist und die auch unter den Künstlernamen Elizabeth Bennett und Emma Woodhouse publiziert. Sie studierte Englische Literatur, Geschichte und Philosophie in Edinburgh und London. Bevor sie ab 1979 hauptberuflich mit dem Schreiben begann, arbeitete sie für Coca Cola und die BBC. Ihre historischen Romane umfassen die gesamte englische Neuzeit und ihre Krimis um Detective Inspector Bill Slider ist äußerst populär.

Erik Lingoss is found dead in his west London flat. His heartlessly dumped girlfriend, blood on her clothes and hands, is the prime suspect - she had means, opportunity, and motive. But is the case as clear-cut as it seems? The deeper Slider and his team dig, the clearer it becomes there's far more to this case than meets the eye.

The marriage of Eleanor Courteney and Robert Morland heralded the founding of the great Morland dynasty. Now Paul, their great grandson is caught up in the conflict of kings and sees, while his niece Nanette, as maid-in-waiting to Anne Boleyn, becomes caught up in intrigue at court.

The murder of any journalist is bound to whip the news media into a frenzy. So when ex-BBC correspondent Ed Stonax id found dead, the last thing Bill Slider needs to complicate his life is the reappearance of an old enemy issuing death threats. Slider has to stay alive long enough to solve the murder and marry Joanna before their baby is born.

The sixth and final book in the War at Home series by the author of The Morland Dynasty novels. Set against the evocative backdrop of World War I, this is an epic family drama featuring the Hunters and their servants

'An outstanding series' NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEWA Bill Slider Mystery It looks as though Inspector Bill Slider has a serial killer on his hands: 'the Park Killer', as the media so innovatively label him, attacks his victims in London's public parks, and when Chattie Cornfield is murdered while out jogging, the pattern fits.But as Slider and Atherton investigate, it is Chattie's life rather than the killer's that poses questions. There's a startling anomaly between her ritzy lifestyle and her modest income. There are friends who loved her, a sister who hated her, men who thought they knew her, and a mysterious package that poses more questions than it answers.Who was the real Chattie? Where was she on the last day of her life? And was it love, hate or avarice that drove the hooded figure to kill her?Praise for the Bill Slider series:'Slider and his creator are real discoveries' Daily Mail'Sharp, witty and well-plotted' Times'Harrod-Eagles and her detective hero form a class act. The style is fast, funny and furious - the plotting crisply devious'Irish Times

The ninth volume in the increasingly popular detective series set in London's Shepherd's Bush.

'An outstanding series' NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEWA Bill Slider Mystery Award-winning ex-Guardian hack Phoebe Agnew has a reputation for attacking the police in print. So when her strangled body is found in her chaotic flat, Detective Inspector Bill Slider must abide by the impartiality of the law and find her killer.On the day of her death the seemingly undomesticated Agnew cooked an elaborate meal for someone. It may have been her old friend and reputed lover, the government advisor Josh Prentiss, but his powerful Home Office friends are pressuring Slider to look elsewhere. Unidentified fingerprints, missing items, alibis offered when not required - Slider is under pressure to untangle this web of lies and hidden relationships. For Phoebe Agnew was concealing a secret, which someone ass willing to kill - and kill again - to protect ... Praise for the Bill Slider series:'Slider and his creator are real discoveries' Daily Mail'Sharp, witty and well-plotted' Times'Harrod-Eagles and her detective hero form a class act. The style is fast, funny and furious - the plotting crisply devious'Irish Times

* The seventh in the highly acclaimed mystery series featuring Inspector Bill Slider of the Metropolitan Police.