Cirrus@Austlit

'The next instalment in the riveting HARRIET GORDON MYSTERIES.

'The chance to pursue a new opportunity takes Harriet and her brother Julian, to Kuala Lumpur, but death is waiting...

'Singapore 1910: Harriet Gordon has been dismissed from the job she loved and finds herself cast adrift. When her brother receives an invitation to visit a prestigious school in Kuala Lumpur, she and Julian decide to leave Singapore behind for a few days, but their pleasant visit takes a dark turn when a visitor to the school is shot dead on the front steps of the headmaster's bungalow.

'After being suspended from the Straits Settlements Police, Inspector Robert Curran has disappeared on a personal quest to find a missing girl, but his suspension is not all it appears and he receives secretive orders to investigate the mysterious Topaz Club, which seems to be at the center of high-level corruption within the colonial government of Malaya.

'The uninvestigated death of a woman with links to the Topaz Club brings Harriet and Curran together in a determination to shut down the notorious establishment for good.

'But a devious criminal stands in the way and it is going to take Harriet and Curran all their resources to bring justice for the victims of the Topaz Club and in doing so, find what it is they have been looking for in each other.' (Publication summary)

'They might be able to solve a crime - but can they build a life together? A compelling historical romance with a murder mystery at its core, for readers of Darry Fraser and Tea Cooper.

'1892. It has been almost 20 years since Charlie O'Reilly left Maiden's Creek, the town where she once knew only injustice and fear. Now she returns as acting matron of the local hospital, determined to prove her worth - and to escape the attentions of a man she would rather forget.

'Despite his wealth and busy practice as a criminal lawyer, Danny Hunt has never found contentment. He is still haunted by memories of his childhood in Maiden's Creek and the strange and desperate man who was his father.

'When a court case goes wrong and Danny's life is threatened, he seizes the opportunity to visit Maiden's Creek with his friend Robert, whose sister, a nurse at the hospital, is the only woman Danny has ever proposed to.

'But danger follows Danny and Charlie and when a nurse is violently murdered, they are thrown together in a desperate bid to prove the innocence of a friend. When a devastating storm hits, threatening the hospital, old hurts and secrets come to the surface.

'Both can see that they make the perfect team, but Charlie is committed to her work and has one secret she plans never to reveal ...

''Betrayal, secrets and dastardly deeds abound in this page-turning story of ambition, revenge, and love. Another thrilling book from Alison Stuart' - Mary-Lou Stephens, author of The Last of the Apple Blossom' (Publication summary)

'Once, on Christmas Day, she sacrificed her heart to save his life. Now, after nine years, will a single glance spark the fire of redemption?

'February 1816

'Fabien, Comte de Mont Clair, once a highly decorated officer of the exiled Napoleon, cuts a dashing swathe through a London society ball, his eyes only for the glittering ladies of the ton. His heart jolts at the sight of a woman sitting in a shadowed corner. Not just any woman, but one he would have once given the world for.

'For Hannah, Lady Maxwell, catering to the spoiled darlings of the ton as a humble chaperone is nothing compared to the pain she suffered at the hands of her late husband. Alone and impoverished, she is a person of no consequence but once, a long time ago, she sacrificed her world for the dashing Comte de Mont Clair. Now all she can do is hope that he may glance her way ...' (Publication summary)

'1910 Singapore. Harriet Gordon has found fulfillment at last. Her young ward, Will, has settled into his new home with Harriet and her brother, Julian. And Harriet’s employment as a typist at the Straits Settlements Police Force has given her an intriguing way to occupy her time and some much-needed financial independence. But when her friend and employer, Inspector Robert Curran, is called to the scene of a brutal murder and Harriet is asked to comfort the victim’s family, her newfound sense of contentment is abruptly shattered.

'Sylvie Nolan, the new and much-younger wife of Lieutenant Colonel John Nolan, has been bludgeoned to death in her bedroom. The tightly knit military community in Singapore quickly tries to close ranks to hinder Curran’s investigation. Harriet has ties to the Nolan family and realizes that her friendship with the colonel’s sister might prove useful to Curran’s efforts to find the culprit. But to get close enough to the family’s secrets, Harriet must once again face her painful past and Curran is forced to dredge up some long-buried secrets of his own.

'And when more shocking deaths occur that all seem linked to Sylvie’s murder, Harriet and Curran realize that they too are in the sights of a callous killer...'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Gold is a fever. Will it lead her to love ... or death? A suspenseful romance set on the turbulent goldfields of 1870s Australia, for readers of The Postmistress and The Woman in the Green Dress.

''There are people in this town with the gleam of gold in their eyes and cold steel in their hearts.'

'1873. Eliza Penrose arrives in the gold mining town of Maiden's Creek in search of her brother, planning to make a new life for herself. Instead she finds a tragic mystery - and hints of betrayals by those closest to her.

'Mining engineer Alec McLeod left Scotland to escape the memory of his dead wife and child. Despite the best efforts of the eligible ladies of Maiden's Creek, Alec is determined never to give his heart again.

'As lies and deceit threaten Eliza's life, Alec steps in - although he has problems of his own, as he risks his livelihood and those he holds dear to oppose the dangerous work practices at the Maiden's Creek Mine.

'When disaster draws the pieces of the puzzle together, Eliza and Alec must save each other - but is it too late?' (Publication summary)

'To forge a new life she must first deal with her past...

'1871. Adelaide Greaves and her young son have found sanctuary in the Australian town of Maiden's Creek, where she works as a postmistress. The rough Victorian goldmining settlement is a hard place for a woman - especially as the other women in town don't know what to make of her - but through force of will and sheer necessity, Adelaide carves out a role.

'But her past is coming to find her, and the embittered and scarred Confederate soldier Caleb Hunt, in town in search of gold and not without a dark past of his own, might be the only one who can help. Can Adelaide trust him? Can she trust anyone?

'When death and danger threaten - some from her past, some borne of the Australian bush - she must swallow her pride and turn to Caleb to join her in the fight, a fight she is determined to win...'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'From award-winning author Alison Stuart comes a stirring historical trilogy about soldiers, spies, and the strong women that love them.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'England, 1659: Following the death of Cromwell, a new king is poised to ascend the throne of England. One by one, those once loyal to the crown begin to return ...

'Imprisoned, exiled and tortured, fugitive Daniel Lovell returns to England, determined to kill the man who murdered his father. But his plans for revenge must wait, as the King has one last mission for him.

'Agnes Fletcher's lover is dead, and when his two orphaned children are torn from her care by their scheming guardian, she finds herself alone and devastated by the loss. Unwilling to give up, Agnes desperately seeks anyone willing to accompany her on a perilous journey to save the children and return them to her care. She didn't plan on meeting the infamous Daniel Lovell. She didn't plan on falling in love.

'Thrown together with separate quests – and competing obligations – Daniel and Agnes make their way from London to the English countryside, danger at every turn. When they are finally given the opportunity to seize everything they ever hoped for, will they find the peace they crave, or will their fledgling love be a final casualty of war?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'A family ripped apart in a country divided by war . . .

'England 1642: Hardened mercenary, Adam Coulter returns to England sickened by violence, seeking only peace, but he finds England on the brink of civil war. He has seen first-hand what that will mean for every man, woman and child and wants no part of it.

'King or Parliament? Neutrality is not an option and Adam can only be true to his conscience, not the dictates of his family.

'Having escaped a loveless marriage, Perdita Gray has found much needed sanctuary and the love of a good man, but her fragile world begins to crumble as Adam Coulter bursts into her life. This stranger brings not only the reality of war to her doorstep but reignites an old family feud, threatening everything and everyone she holds dear.

'As the war and family tensions collide around them, Adam and Perdita are torn between old loyalties and a growing attraction that must be resisted.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Before Lord Somerton, he was just plain Captain Sebastian Alder, a penniless career officer in Wellington’s army.

'As Napoleon makes his last great bid for power, he will meet an Iron Duke and an indomitable force of English and allied troops in the fields just south of a little village called Waterloo.

'The events of June 18, 1815 will change the tide of world events and Sebastian Alder’s life forever...'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Can the love of an honourable man save her from the memory of a desolate marriage?

'From the battlefield of Waterloo to the drawing rooms of Brantstone Hall, Sebastian Alder’s elevation from penniless army captain to Viscount Somerton is the stuff of dreams. But the cold reality of an inherited estate in wretched condition, and the suspicious circumstances surrounding his cousin’s death, provide Sebastian with no time for dreams — only a mystery to solve and a murderer to bring to justice.

'Isabel, widow of the late Lord Somerton, is desperate to bury the memory of her unhappy marriage by founding the charity school she has always dreamed of. Except, her dreams are soon shattered from beyond the grave when she is not only left penniless, but once more bound to the whims of a Somerton.

'But this Somerton is unlike any man she has met. Can the love of an honourable man heal her broken heart or will suspicion tear them apart?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Tower of Tales is a collection of short stories by award winning writer Alison Stuart. This eclectic mix of stories cover the travails of an expat life in Singapore and contemporary and historical romantic stories.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'The first time they met, she tried to kill him. . .

'Deliverance Felton has been left to defend her home, Kinton Lacy Castle in a time of civil war. She can shoot and wield a sword as well as any man and anything she needs to know about siege warfare she has learned from a book. . .but no book can prepare her for what is to come.

'Everything Captain Luke Collyer knows about siege warfare - and women - he has learned from experience. When he is sent by Sir John Felton to defend Kinton Lacy Castle against the Royalists, he will be up against a formidable force. He had not reckoned on that force being Sir John's daughter, Deliverance. Deliverance will not give up her command lightly and Luke will have to face a challenge to his authority as fierce as the cavalier foe outside the walls. As betrayal surfaces, they must learn to trust each other and uncover the traitor within the castle walls before it is too late for the castle. . . or their hearts.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'In the shadow of the Great War, grieving widow, Helen Morrow and her husband’s cousin, the wounded and reclusive Paul are haunted not only by the horrors of the trenches but ghosts from another time and another conflict.

'As the desperate voice of the young woman reaches out to them from the pages of a coded diary, Paul and Helen are bound together in their search for answers, not only to the old mystery but also the circumstances surrounding the death of Helen’s husband at Passchandaele in 1917.

'As the two stories become entwined, Paul and Helen will not find peace until the mysteries are solved.'

'When Nathaniel Preston stumbles into Dr Jessica Shepherd’s garden, she is reluctant to believe he has crossed more than three hundred years to seek her help. He must help her understand why he has travelled from the midst of civil war to the quiet English countryside of the twentieth century.

'But is falling in love with him destined to end in heartbreak? Jessica knows he must return to his own time and face certain death in battle.

'Why has Nathaniel been sent to find Jessica? Can their love survive a bloody battle…and overcome time?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Kit Lovell is one of the King’s men, a disillusioned Royalist who passes his time between cheating at cards, living off his wealthy and attractive mistress and by plotting the death of Oliver Cromwell. Fleeing a sadistic and ambitious suitor, Thamsine Granville is alone, penniless and friendless in London. She has her own reasons for wanting Cromwell dead and when she hurls a piece of brick at his coach, she finds herself unexpectedly in the arms of Kit Lovell. Far from the world weary, benevolent rescuer that he seems, Kit plunges Thamsine into his world of espionage and betrayal. The world Kit has carefully built up begins to unravel as the plotting takes a serious turn and his own life is now on the line. Nor had he planned on falling in love with Thamsine Granville and when Thamsine falls into the hands of her vicious suitor, Ambrose Morton, Kit is torn by his loyalty to his master and his love for Thamsine. In rescuing Thamsine, Kit makes one last gamble and loses. The price he has to pay is the hangman’s rope…'

Source: Publisher's blurb.