1. The Gentleman Detective
Franklin Ward has endured years of ridicule and bullying, usually retreating rather than answering it. After a final confrontation, a man is found beaten to death and witnesses are ready to believe Franklin responsible. The difficulty is that Franklin himself cannot remember enough of the night…
2. The Unholy Preacher
Colonel Julius Bainbridge is trying to hide from the heat of summer when a case of a missing boy drags him into a new adventure. Assisted by his niece Victoria, who is determined to follow in his footsteps as a private detective, he begins to investigate…
3. The Unwelcome Guests
A sudden spate of well-organised burglaries has Colonel Bainbridge and his niece Victoria scratching their heads. The burglaries bear the hallmarks of a man who is safely locked up in prison and claims no knowledge of them. There seems at first no way to determine who…
4. The Last Word in Pickles
Peter Muckleburgh, great grandson of the recently deceased Ivan Muckleburgh - Founder of Muckleburgh Pickles, has been found dead, apparently having shot himself. The family have a reputation for suicides. Ivan Muckleburgh also shot himself, though the news has been kept from the papers. At first…
5. The Mayfair Mystery
An arsonist is at work in Norwich. What began as a nuisance has become deadly serious when a man's body is found in one of the buildings that burned down. The body is impossible to identify and the police are stumped. Colonel Bainbridge is in the…
6. Murder on Ice
Norwich 1898Colonel Bainbridge is feeling depressed as the Christmas season fast approaches. In an effort to cheer him up, his niece, Victoria, arranges a trip to London and tickets to a figure skating competition. What begins as a novelty, soon becomes serious when rumours of cheating…
7. The Man of Friars’ Wood
When Stephen Mundy collapses mysteriously in the local woods, it at first seems to be a tragic case of a young person suffering a heart attack. However, not everyone believes that to be true, particularly his grieving father. With the police inspector's hands tied, he asks…
8. The Cherry Tree Murder
No one expects to die at a flower show1899Colonel Bainbridge and his niece Victoria are having a day off at a local garden show when a terrible accident occurs. What looks at first to be an unfortunate mishap soon has Bainbridge wondering if foul play is…
9. The Mystery of Cromwell’s Skull
This dream house has a nightmare lurking in the attic. Lancelot Dunbar has inherited the house of his dreams and is looking forward to building a future for himself and his family, until he learns of the skull in the attic. A dead man’s head is…
10. The Return of Turpin
A missing child, a dangerous criminal, a race against time to save an innocent life. Humphry Strange always had a fear of travelling at night. Only the news that his mother was dying could persuade him to ignore his anxiety. Now his worst nightmares have come…
11. The Fatal Gathering
This is a New Year’s Eve no one will ever forget. Sven Magnusson has made many mistakes in his life, but marrying his new wife is not one of them. At last he has found that elusive thing – true love. Yet, something strange is going…
12. The Mystery of the Cursed Castle
Would you commit murder for a secret? Lord Brooksby inherited his title in the bitter wake of his father’s untimely death. The late Lord Brooksby was crushed while walking alone in the ruins of Bungay Castle. What at first glance appeared to be a tragic accident,…
13. The Mystery of the Brewer’s Suicide
Despair drove him to die. Mr Ford has had a bad week, culminating in the discovery of a dead man’s hanging corpse. Things just seem to be going from bad to worse. The job he loved is gone. The friendship he valued is lost. He almost…
14. The Curse of the Norwich Mermaid
Colonel Julius Bainbridge and his niece Victoria are drawn into another Norwich investigation when a case acquires an apparently supernatural explanation connected with the city’s ‘mermaid’. Bainbridge is sceptical of curses and wonders instead who benefits when frightened witnesses begin treating legend as fact. Their enquiries…
15. The Mystery of the Misplaced Teaspoon
Colonel Julius Bainbridge and his niece Victoria are drawn into a Victorian mystery in which an apparently trivial household detail—a teaspoon that is not where it should be—refuses to fit the obvious explanation of events. Bainbridge’s suspicion grows as small inconsistencies begin to suggest that someone…
16. Bad Luck Comes in Threes
Norwich, 1900. An exploding postbox first appears to be an isolated act of vandalism, but further attacks make it clear that someone is deliberately terrorising the city. Colonel Julius Bainbridge and Victoria Bovington are drawn into a hunt for a bomber whose targets and motives remain…
17. Who Killed Houston Fairchild?
Colonel Julius Bainbridge and Victoria are drawn into an investigation surrounding the death of Houston Fairchild. The first explanation appears convincing enough to close the matter quickly, but inconsistencies in the evidence suggest that someone has constructed a more convenient version of events. Their enquiries move…