The Malice BoxWhen Robert Reckliss is sent what seems to be a copper puzzle box, he has no idea his life is about to undergo violent transformation. That night, an acquaintance kills himself in curious circumstances; the following day, an old friend reveals the existence of an arcane weapon that could wipe the western world from the face of the planet. And the responsibility for hunting down this weapon, this Malice Box, lies with Robert. The weapon is primed to

For lovers of Alexander McCall Smith

Freya and Shona are identical twins

Along with the floating grog shops and brothels come the 'war tourists' - aristocratic gentlemen of leisure travelling in their luxurious yachts to see the war first-hand

Heddy Partridge was never my friend because I was pretty

This fast-moving thriller

From the "bloody" fascinating story behind Oliver Cromwell's demise and the subsequent treatment of his corpse and whether the arrow William II caught in the chest was an accident or murder

The body was still there

And the discovery of two charred bodies in the burnt-out building transforms an arson attack into a murder case

Albert is called to help with 'failing machinery' and is seen by Otto calming a purple dragon in the back room

The book is presented in an elegant leather clamshell case

Every day the same question

Some of the characters in these stories complain of this medicine: but there is a far worse corrective others maintain