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Eric Brown

Who is killing the crime writers of London? Find out in this “consistently entertaining … crime debut from sci-fi veteran Brown” (Kirkus Reviews).

London, 1955. When crime writer Donald Langham’s literary agent asks for his help in sorting out “a delicate matter, ” little does Langham realize what he’s getting himself into. For a nasty case of blackmail leads inexorably to murder as London’s literary establishment is rocked by a series of increasingly bizarre deaths. With three members of the London Crime Writers’ Association coming to sudden and violent ends, what at first appeared to be a series of suicides looks suspiciously like murder—and there seems to be something horribly familiar about the various methods of dispatch.

With the help of his literary agent’s assistant, the delectable Maria Dupré, Langham finds himself drawing on the skills of his fictional detective hero as he hunts a ruthless and fiendishly clever killer—a killer with old scores to settle.

“A well-paced first mystery… . Readers will hope a sequel is in the works. ” —Publishers Weekly

Severn House

The Langham & Dupré Mysteries

Murder by the Book

Crime writer sleuth Donald Langham is faced with the classic locked-room conundrum in this “ripping good” historical mystery (Booklist).

July, 1955. Donald Langham has interrupted his romantic break in rural Suffolk with the delectable Maria Dupré to assist a fellow writer. Alasdair Endicott has requested Langham’s help in discovering what’s happened to his father, Edward, who seems to have disappeared without trace from inside his locked study.

Before he vanished, the elder Endicott had been researching a book on the notorious Satanist Vivian Stafford. Could the proposed biography have something to do with his disappearance? Does local resident Stafford really possess supernatural powers, as some believe?

As Langham and Dupré question those around them, it becomes clear that there have been strange goings-on in the sleepy village of Humble Barton. But is the village really haunted—or does someone merely want it to look that way? With a further shocking discovery, the case takes a disturbing new twist.

“For readers who enjoy classic Golden Age mysteries, ” Eric Brown’s “charming English locked-room mystery features a well-crafted and exciting plot and two attractive protagonists” (Library Journal).

“Reads like a country-house whodunit from the golden age, packed with fascinating characters, each boasting a motive for murder. ” —Kirkus Reviews

“Plenty of unexpected twists. Agatha Christie fans will find a lot to like. ” —Publishers Weekly

Murder at the Chase

In this third “suspenseful outing” from Eric Brown, crime writer sleuth Donald Langham is invited to a remote Scottish castle to solve an intriguing mystery (Publishers Weekly).

It’s the bitterly cold December of 1955, and Donald Langham has been asked by his friend, private detective Ralph Ryland, to assist him on a case. Ryland has been contacted by their old commanding officer, Major Gordon, who has reasons to believe that his life is under threat at his remote castle in the Scottish Highlands.

On arriving at the castle, Langham and Ryland learn that Major Gordon is attempting to raise the wreck of a German fighter plane which crashed into the loch in 1945. But it’s not only the bad weather that has put a halt to the progress of the salvage. Soon after Langham’s arrival, one of Gordon’s guests is brutally murdered—and the hunt is on to stop a ruthless killer before he—or she—strikes again.

“This promises to be a fine series, if future installments are as good as the first three have been. ” —Booklist

“This charming book brings to the page well-defined characters and a classic locked-room structure. Recommend for anyone who loves English country house murders. ” —Library Journal