London 1890

There’s a new detective duo in Victorian London…

When Katherine Demeray opens an unsigned letter addressed to her missing father, she is drawn into a quest to find the terrified letter-writer and learn the secret of the black tulips. 

Struggling to support herself after her father’s disappearance, Katherine has neither time nor money to solve the mystery alone. She has no choice but to seek help from a woman she has only just met; awkward socialite Connie Swift.

As the letters become increasingly frantic, this unlikely team of amateur detectives must learn to work together, while struggling to navigate the rigid rules of Victorian propriety, their families’ expectations, and the complicating interference of men.

Confronting danger as they venture into new and frightening territory, Katherine and Connie risk arrest, exposure, and even their reputations to solve the Case of the Black Tulips. Can they solve the mystery before someone gets killed….or they kill each other?

London 1891

Will Miss Caster and Miss Fleet see their names in lights?

When Katherine and Connie take on a case at a music hall, they enter a new, exciting, and frightening world.

The duo are hired to calm the nerves of Ellen Howe, top of the bill at the Merrymakers Music Hall. She keeps freezing on stage, though she insists that nothing is wrong. It seems like an easy case – until Ellen disappears, leaving only a note behind her. And the rest of the cast are giving nothing away.

Katherine and Connie have to win the trust of Ellen’s fellow-performers to have a chance of finding her. But the deeper they plunge into the world of the music hall, the more secrets they must hide from their families and loved ones – and the more danger they find themselves in, as the threats against them turn from words to actions…

Can they see through the glamour of the stage to find out what really happened to the missing star?

London 1892

When Katherine and Connie take on office jobs, it is far from the normal nine-to-five…

The Department recruit the duo to investigate London’s mediums and mesmerists, several of whom are suspected of fraud. Katherine and Connie must pose as clients to discover what goes on behind closed doors. 

The deeper they delve, the more unsettling the duo’s findings become. Disturbing revelations shake their confidence in themselves and their mission. They are followed, and spied on. And when Miss Robson joins the team, she raises a ghost whom she had hoped was laid to rest for ever…

Both women face challenges in their personal lives, too. Connie has to balance her new career and her married life, while Katherine makes an enemy who threatens her chance of happiness and the success of their investigation.

Can Katherine and Connie see past the smoke and mirrors to uncover the truth?

London 1893

Who is behind the mask?

Life has settled down for Connie and Katherine. Connie is enjoying life as a new mother, while Katherine is working solo for the Department. When they accept invitations to a charity masked ball, they anticipate nothing but a fun evening out.

The event changes everything, as Katherine is abruptly dismissed for attending and Connie is asked to investigate the sudden death of a friend who was involved in organising it. Caster and Fleet are back on the case.

However, things do not go smoothly. Another unexpected death occurs, and when the duo probe further they risk putting both themselves and their families in peril, as the case moves uncomfortably close to home…

How far must Katherine and Connie go to solve the case and clear their names?

London 1894

Not every gift is a blessing… 

When Miss Quinton, the Kings’ elderly neighbour at Hazelgrove, dies, no-one is surprised. Katherine and Connie are too busy trying to find a client’s missing family, not to mention having difficulties with their own. 

But when the doctor orders a post-mortem, and Miss Quinton’s will delivers several surprises, the duo have no choice but to get involved. It becomes even more urgent when Evangeline King, the chief beneficiary of Miss Quinton’s will, receives a poison-pen letter. And then there is a death even closer to home… 

Their personal lives make work harder than ever. While Connie investigates in London her family’s demands increase, and the fuss over Katherine’s first pregnancy creates unexpected obstacles. 

Can Katherine and Connie uncover the secrets behind the will and discover what really happened? 

London 1895

Who would miss a Crystal Kiss? 

When Katherine and Connie receive a note from Mr Maynard at the Department, his request seems easy. After all, how hard can it be to investigate confectionery? But Crystal Kisses are everywhere, and frighteningly addictive. 

How have the sweets become so popular? And why are so many being given away? Connie and Katherine travel across London, where they see the power of the sweets for themselves, and before too long find themselves back in the music hall, where they make some disturbing connections… 

The duo’s investigations indicate everything is above board — almost too reputable — and all their enquiries result in dead ends. But someone knows they’re on the case, and will stop at nothing to make them abandon it. An easy case becomes a nightmare of disapproval, stress, and shame — yet the duo feel they must fight on. 

Will Katherine and Connie dare to risk their reputations, and even their happiness, to find out what lies behind the Crystal Kisses? 

1890s London

Now you see it, now you don’t!

When Katherine and Connie, proprietors of the Caster & Fleet Detective Agency, hear from an old music-hall acquaintance just before Christmas, they expect nothing more than a good night out. However, the eerie noises and mysterious figures at the Merrymakers Music Hall are causing consternation among audience and actors alike. 

Meanwhile, Katherine and Connie have their own domestic mysteries to solve. Why is Katherine’s father leaving his belongings all over London? And why has Connie’s daughter gone silent? Add the difficulties of present-buying, and the detective duo are distinctly ruffled. 

Can Katherine and Connie solve the mystery and calm all the restless spirits – including their own – before the curtain falls and Christmas is ruined?