1. Murder Most Unladylike
In October 1934, Hazel Wong discovers the body of Deepdean School’s science mistress in the gym, only for it to vanish before she can bring Daisy Wells to the scene. The two pupils have already founded a secret detective society, but their first serious case begins…
2. Arsenic for Tea
During the Easter holiday of 1935, Hazel joins Daisy’s family at Fallingford for Daisy’s birthday. The house is crowded with relatives, servants and guests whose polished manners conceal arguments about money, marriage and loyalty. When an unpopular visitor becomes violently ill after tea and the evidence…
3. First Class Murder
In the summer of 1935, Daisy and Hazel travel across Europe on the Orient Express with Hazel’s father. Their fellow first-class passengers include aristocrats, entertainers, businessmen and several people presenting themselves as detectives, while rumours suggest that an international spy is also aboard. A scream during…
4. Jolly Foul Play
Daisy and Hazel return to Deepdean in the autumn of 1935 to find a new Head Girl and a prefect body governing through intimidation. After the Bonfire Night fireworks, Elizabeth Hurst is found murdered, and the school’s carefully maintained order begins to fracture. Anonymous notes reveal…
5. Mistletoe and Murder
At Christmas 1935, Daisy and Hazel visit Cambridge, where ancient colleges, snowy courts and family gatherings promise a holiday far removed from Deepdean. A student’s fatal fall at the fictional Maudlin College is dismissed as an accident, but the position of the body and the behaviour…
5.5. Cream Buns and Crime
Cream Buns and Crime is the first companion collection to the Wells and Wong novels. Daisy and Hazel explain the organisation of the Detective Society, introduce friends and rivals, recommend detective reading and offer practical guidance on observation, codes and case management. The volume also gathers…
6. A Spoonful of Murder
In February 1936, Hazel returns to Hong Kong after the death of her grandfather, accompanied by Daisy. At the Wong family home, grief is complicated by the discovery that Hazel has a baby half-brother and by relatives who expect her to resume a dutiful place within…
7. Death in the Spotlight
After returning from Hong Kong in 1936, Daisy and Hazel stay with Uncle Felix in London and are sent to the Rue Theatre, where they join a production of Romeo and Juliet. Rehearsals are disturbed by threats, sabotage and rivalries among actors whose public roles conceal…
8. Top Marks for Murder
Daisy and Hazel return to Deepdean for the school’s fiftieth-anniversary celebrations and discover that their long absence has altered its social order. New loyalties have formed, old allies are hostile and Daisy is no longer automatically the most influential girl in the room. When the detectives…
9. Death Sets Sail
Daisy and Hazel travel through Egypt on the SS Hatshepsut, expecting temples, mummies and a holiday on the Nile. Their fellow passengers include the Breath of Life, a society of wealthy British travellers who believe they are reincarnations of ancient rulers. When its commanding leader is…
10. Once Upon a Crime
Once Upon a Crime is the second companion collection to the Murder Most Unladylike novels, bringing together six shorter cases narrated by different members of the detectives’ wider circle. The stories include a mystery aboard the ship carrying Daisy and Hazel home from Hong Kong, a…