Devon, April 1759: Newlyweds John Rawlings and Emilia are spending their honeymoon touring the mysterious county of Devon. Arriving in Sidmouth, they watch a schooner being towed into harbor and immediately deduce that all is not well on board. The gruesome discovery of the body of a young girl, ...
DEATH AT BEGGAR’S OPERA (Trad. Mystery/Historical-John Rawlings-England-Georgian) – VGLake, Deryn (aka Dinah Lampitt) – 2nd in seriesHodder & Stoughton, 1995, UK Hardcover – ISBN: 0340649844First Sentence: It begin an inclement day, plagued by needle-sharp rain and whipping winds, John Rawlings...
First Sentence: Like many seasons that are destined to be severe, the winter of 1764 started moderately enough with mild evenings, crisp leaf falls, and a lot of fine clear sunshine in the daytime.Apothecary John Rawlings is father to a very intelligent daughter, Rose, married to Emilia and expe...
Set in 1761 at the scene of the investiture of John Fielding, a blind but famous magistrate, this novel begins with the death of a nobleman in St James's Palace. Apothecary John Rawlings is intrigued and begins to see the case as a possible murder.
First Sentence: ‘It is not,’ said John Rawlings, raising his quizzing glass to his eye to inspect the plant lying on the counter before him, ‘the finest chamomile leaf I have ever seen.’Apothecary John Rawlings buying herbs as a dinner of the Worshipful Society has ended. He comes across Liveryma...
First Sentence: What a morning it had been.Apothecary John Rawlings is surprised when a man, Aidan Fenchurch, runs into his shop asking to be hidden from his former mistress. Once the very unpleasant woman is gone, Fenchurch is pleased to hear John also assists Sir John Fielding, magistrate of Bo...
DEATH OF A CORNISH FIDDLER (Historical-England-1700s) – G+Lake, Deryn – 11th in seriesAllison & Busby, 2006- HardcoverApothecary John Rawlings, his young daughter Rose and his lady friend Elizabeth de Lorenzi have traveled to Helstone to witness the Furry Dance which dates back to Pagen times. Th...
DEATH IN THE DARK WALK (Mystery-John Rawlings-England-Georgian) – VGLake, Deryn – 1st in seriesHodder & Stoughton, 1994, UK Hardcover – ISBN: 0450607011First Sentence: It being such a delicate night, all stars and moon and silk soft breeze, John Rawlings, well satisfied with the day’s events and ...
On the eve of his wedding, the body of Sir William Hartfield is pulled out of the Thames by The Devil's Tavern, the local haunt of sailors. Rawlings is sent to investigate the family and soon discovers that each member not only stands to gain by Sir William's death but had a good motive for murder.
After the discovery of a body in a popular swimming bath, the Peerless Pool, 18th-century apothecary John Rawlings and magistrate Blind Beak find themselves mixed up in another adventure. Who is the mysterious Hannah and could her murder be connected to the disappearance of two children, long ago?
When John Rawlings is asked to investigate a secret club and some shady goings-on, he is intrigued. The disreputable Sir Francis Dashwood is believed to be involved, as well as some illustrious members of the British aristocracy.
John Rawlings finds a mysterious scarecrow on Romney Marsh, which he discovers is a skeleton. When he finds out that the "scarecrow" was a French spymaster, come to England to awaken two sleeping spies, he must work out who, out of a motley bunch of characters, these two spies are.
But the problem was how to get there. Sir Gabriel had gone riding forth in the carriage and there seemed nothing for it but to tackle the steps. John had been informed that they started behind the Colonnade and, strolling round there, he suddenly came to a complete halt as his eye took in the ter...
He had bought an attractive bunch of flowers and had also carefully selected a bottle of wine, and armed with these was making his way to Oakbridge and his dinner date with Jonquil Charmwood. He had to confess it, he found the young woman extremely attractive in an offhand sort of way. She had al...
Irish Tom eventually turned up at half past, swearing like an old sailor, saying that one of the horses had cast a shoe and that he had had to take him round to the farrier. The Apothecary, still recovering from his riotous journey to London and the rather odd day that followed, said nothing but ...
The Internet had yielded up a mass of material on the former Rose Indigo, with even an entry in Wikipedia. He read: ‘Roseanna Jane Austin (Rose Indigo) was born August 15, 1937, at Chelmsford, Essex, first daughter of Michael Austin, architect, and his wife Francesca. On the outbreak of war her f...
He recalled the scrubland where long ago on his honeymoon he had seen a headless coachman driving a coach full of phantoms. This had later turned out to be a sinister deception but it had shaken him and frightened Emilia at the time. And because of those memories he was glad to leave that particu...