First in a brand-new Victorian mystery series featuring steward Matthew Rowsley and housekeeper Mrs Faulkner as an engaging detective duo. Newly appointed as land agent to the youthful Lord Croft, Matthew Rowsley finds plenty to keep him busy as he attends to his lordship's neglected country estate. But he's distracted from his tasks by the disappearance of a young housemaid. Has Maggie really eloped with a young man, as her mother attests - or is the truth rather more sinister? What's been going on behind the scenes at the grand country estate . and where has his lordship disappeared to? Teaming up with housekeeper Mrs Faulkner to get to the bottom of the matter, Matthew uncovers a number of disturbing secrets, scandals and simmering tensions within the household. Something rotten is going on at Thorncroft - and it's up to Matthew and Mrs Faulkner to unearth the truth.

When the family butler is brutally attacked, land agent Matthew Rowsley and his wife Harriet determine to find the culprit in this gripping Victorian mystery. With his lordship's mental health failing, management of his grand country estate has been assigned to a group of trustees, including land agent Matthew Rowsley and his capable wife Harriet. But the smooth running of Thorncroft House is disrupted by a series of unforeseen events. Building work on the estate workers' new cottages is halted by the discovery of Roman remains. Shortly afterwards, the family butler is brutally assaulted and left for dead. A random attack - or was he deliberately targeted? Matters take an even more disturbing turn when Lord Croft's long-lost cousin and heir, Julius Trescothick, arrives from Australia, ready to claim his inheritance. But is he who he claims to be . and what are his true intentions? If they are to preserve Thorncroft House and a way of life that has continued for centuries, Matthew and Harriet must uncover the truth behind Trescothick's identity and solve a series of interlocking mysteries.

Stranded at a house party - when a murderer strikes! May 1861, Victorian England. When Matthew and Harriet Rowsley are invited to a house party at Clunston Park by Matthew's cousin, Colonel Barrington Rowsley and his wife Lady Hortensia, Harriet is nervous - surely the aristocratic guests will snub her? After all, they are but mere servants in their eyes! Her fears are realised on their first evening when the only person who deigns to speak to her is the spiteful Grafin Weiser and confirmed when she commits a major faux-pas at the cricket match the following day. But there's no escape! The cricket match is abandoned due to a storm, and flooding leaves the house guests stranded. Things worsen when Grafin Weiser is found murdered and the finger is quickly pointed at Clara, an eleven-year-old maid as the culprit. Convinced that she cannot be guilty, Harriet and Matthew agree to investigate. The aristocratic facade begins to crumble under their scrutiny, and they start to unlock the secrets of Clunston Park. Why does the Colonel allow his bullying friend Major Jameson so much leeway? Is there more to the befuddled Lord Pidgeon than meets the eye? Harriet and Matthew must uncover the truth, before they find themselves in deadly danger.

While hosting a group of academics at Thorncroft House, Harriet and Matthew Rowsley find themselves confronted with bigger - and bloodier! - issues than unruly guests . . . The fifth instalment of the Harriet and Matthew Rowsley Victorian mystery series sets in England during the great Victorian era. June 1861, Victorian England. A house full of academics should imply calm and quiet, but much to housekeeper Harriet Rowsley's dismay some of the guests seem to have problems with the estate's unconventional practices and aren't afraid of voicing their concerns. Having Harriet and her husband and interim estate manager Matthew as the hosts of Thorncroft House, while his lordship is ill and the trustees are seeking for his heir, is obviously not to everyone's taste! But Harriet won't let their patronising opinions get in the way of running the household as it was entrusted to her. She and her husband seem to have things under control until a series of unusual accidents occur around them. To make matters worse and more pressing, one of these accidents proves fatal . . . With a house now full of suspects, Harriet and Matthew have to find out who is causing chaos and why. While everyone is focused on drawing out the culprit and searching for a motive, Harriet has her own theory as to why these incidents happen and decides to follow her hunch - after all, every aspect should be considered, just in case! For fans of Downton Abbey who love a thrilling murder mystery twist and authentic depictions of the Victorian period. This is a compelling upstairs-downstairs mystery featuring a husband and wife detective duo.

The future of Thorncroft House and its occupants is in the balance while a mysterious murder brings up a past best forgotten! An authentic Victorian murder mystery depicting upstairs-downstairs life in nineteenth century England. October 1861, England. Harriet and Matthew Rowsley, the housekeeper and estate manager of Thorncroft House in Shropshire, have to cut short their successful trip to Oxford when they receive a a decapitated and mutilated body has been found on the estate. While trying to help the strangely slow police investigation, the couple face an unsettling threat to their after years of searching, a legitimate heir of Thorncroft estate has been found! They find themselves hosting an American gentleman whose charm doesn't quite conceal his alarming plans for the future of the estate and all its inhabitants. Falsely imprisoned and forced to be silent about the identity of the murdered man, Harriet not only has to confront her past but also share a secret of her own that could change her and her loved ones' lives forever . . . Ideal for fans of other married sleuths, like Anne Perry's Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series. Think Downton Abbey with a compelling murder mystery twist. This is the final instalment in the Harriet and Matthew Rowsley series and "a treat for historical mystery fans" (Booklist).