Bookish

It's Jack's first day as Book's assistant. But excavation of a nearby bomb site means the business of bookselling takes an instant back seat, because the site is full of skeletons. And when local chemist Harkup is found poisoned in his shop, Jack realizes that his new employer has an unexpected sideline: solving murders.

The investigation into Harkup's death continues and Book discovers something surprising about the bomb site skeletons. With multiple suspects in the frame, a missing jade figurine and an unexpected beneficiary in Harkup's will, Book will need all his ingenuity to solve the case. The Law must take its course. But over whom does the shadow of the gallows lie?

The nation's favorite screen couple, Sandra Dare and Stewart Howard, descend on Archangel Lane to film their latest picture. But is all as rosy as it seems? A journalist hovers around in search of juicy gossip. Then, an extra drops dead after eating poisoned chocolates destined for one of the cast. Who was the intended victim? And will the killer strike again?

On the film set, poisoned chocolates have given way to broken necks. Book finds himself in a race against time to uncover the truth before anyone else is left on the cutting room floor--permanently. But might the written word hold the key to the murderer's identity? Meanwhile, Jack gets an unexpected answer when he confronts Trottie and Book about their past.

The Walsingham Hotel has seen it all and come through the war battered but unbowed. But can the grand old place cope with murder? When Captain Victor Orr is felled by a poisoned cocktail in the hotel bar, there is no end of potential suspects--including Trottie! But was Captain Orr the intended victim? The two exiled Princesses of Scutari--living in constant fear of assassination--think not.

A gunshot, an unexpected bottle of champagne and an unfortunate misunderstanding lead to chambermaid Eadie enjoying the hospitality of the Royal House of Scutari. Meanwhile, Book discovers something curious in Captain Victor Orr's little black book and the source of the Princesses' threatening letters becomes clear. Secrets from the past will be revealed--and not just about the case at hand.