Holy Murder: The Cathedral Mysteries
(2020)(A book in the Tom Ansell series)
An omnibus of novels by Philip Gooden
'Gooden may be the best history-mystery writer going.' Booklist
The Salisbury Manuscript
1873.
A treasure-hunter is stabbed to death while searching a burial chamber on the outskirts of the city of Salisbury.
At the same time Tom Ansell arrives from London to receive a manuscript from one of the cathedral canons. Tom is an ambitious lawyer, and about to marry Helen Scott - a budding novelist.
Felix Slater, a respectable churchman and amateur archaeologist, wants the scandalous manuscript of his late father's memoirs locked away until after his own death.
But Slater’s death comes much sooner than expected, and Tom falls under suspicion for his murder. The compromising manuscript has disappeared.
To exonerate himself, Tom, accompanied by Helen, must unmask an ingenious, elusive killer, one who will threaten their own lives. The pursuit takes them from the cells of the city gaol to the heights of the cathedral spire and out among the ancient earthworks of Salisbury Plain.
The Durham Deception
London 1874.
Newlyweds Tom and Helen Ansell attend a London seance at which Ernest Smight, a fraudulent medium, is unmasked. It’s good preparation for a visit to the city of Durham, where Helen is tasked with rescuing her aunt Julia from the clutches of a much more dangerous psychic, Eustace Flask.
Meanwhile Tom, a lawyer, is despatched to learn the facts about the Lucknow Dagger, an ill-omened trophy in the possession of Major Sebastian Mormont, a military man turned magician who is staging shows in the cathedral city.
The realms of stage magic and spiritualism overlap when Flask is stabbed to death with the Dagger and Helen is accused of the crime. But which of Flask’s many enemies is the real murderer? And who is systematically eliminating the witnesses to the earlier unmasking of medium Ernest Smight?
In their quest for the truth, Tom and Helen put themselves in danger. Before the end, Helen will come face to face with a ruthless and ingenious killer.
The Ely Testament
Cambridge & Ely 1875.
When Mr Lye, an elderly partner at Tom Ansell’s law firm, dies at his desk, Tom is dispatched to Ely to search for Mr Lye’s missing will at Phoenix House near Ely, the home of his brother, Ernest.
At the same time, Tom’s wife Helen has been commissioned by New Moon magazine to write a piece on a town with ‘inner beauty’ – and what better place than the cathedral city of Ely?
But shortly after Tom and Helen arrive at Phoenix House, their host is arrested for murder – and the couple find themselves at the centre of an ever-deepening mystery.
What is the reason behind the sudden reappearance of Mrs Lye’s long-long cousin, the enigmatic Charles Tomlinson? What has it to do with a long-buried student scandal and with a murder that took place at Phoenix House during the English Civil War two hundred years before? And how does Cyrus Chase, the inventor of device to prevent premature burial, fit into the story?
Philip Gooden is a historical novelist and contributor to various short story anthologies. He is the author of the Geoffrey Chaucer Mysteries.
Praise for Philip Gooden:
'Full of the sights and sounds of fourteenth-century England--and pleasingly free of tedious exposition and clumps of research--this lively novel is a fine example of how to get it right in a historical mystery. Chaucer himself is a well-realized and charming protagonist, and the series seems to be settling in for a long run.' Booklist
'An absorbing mix of history, suspense and romance, this tale brings one of Britain's most renowned literary figures to credible life.' Publishers Weekly
Genre: Historical Mystery
The Salisbury Manuscript
1873.
A treasure-hunter is stabbed to death while searching a burial chamber on the outskirts of the city of Salisbury.
At the same time Tom Ansell arrives from London to receive a manuscript from one of the cathedral canons. Tom is an ambitious lawyer, and about to marry Helen Scott - a budding novelist.
Felix Slater, a respectable churchman and amateur archaeologist, wants the scandalous manuscript of his late father's memoirs locked away until after his own death.
But Slater’s death comes much sooner than expected, and Tom falls under suspicion for his murder. The compromising manuscript has disappeared.
To exonerate himself, Tom, accompanied by Helen, must unmask an ingenious, elusive killer, one who will threaten their own lives. The pursuit takes them from the cells of the city gaol to the heights of the cathedral spire and out among the ancient earthworks of Salisbury Plain.
The Durham Deception
London 1874.
Newlyweds Tom and Helen Ansell attend a London seance at which Ernest Smight, a fraudulent medium, is unmasked. It’s good preparation for a visit to the city of Durham, where Helen is tasked with rescuing her aunt Julia from the clutches of a much more dangerous psychic, Eustace Flask.
Meanwhile Tom, a lawyer, is despatched to learn the facts about the Lucknow Dagger, an ill-omened trophy in the possession of Major Sebastian Mormont, a military man turned magician who is staging shows in the cathedral city.
The realms of stage magic and spiritualism overlap when Flask is stabbed to death with the Dagger and Helen is accused of the crime. But which of Flask’s many enemies is the real murderer? And who is systematically eliminating the witnesses to the earlier unmasking of medium Ernest Smight?
In their quest for the truth, Tom and Helen put themselves in danger. Before the end, Helen will come face to face with a ruthless and ingenious killer.
The Ely Testament
Cambridge & Ely 1875.
When Mr Lye, an elderly partner at Tom Ansell’s law firm, dies at his desk, Tom is dispatched to Ely to search for Mr Lye’s missing will at Phoenix House near Ely, the home of his brother, Ernest.
At the same time, Tom’s wife Helen has been commissioned by New Moon magazine to write a piece on a town with ‘inner beauty’ – and what better place than the cathedral city of Ely?
But shortly after Tom and Helen arrive at Phoenix House, their host is arrested for murder – and the couple find themselves at the centre of an ever-deepening mystery.
What is the reason behind the sudden reappearance of Mrs Lye’s long-long cousin, the enigmatic Charles Tomlinson? What has it to do with a long-buried student scandal and with a murder that took place at Phoenix House during the English Civil War two hundred years before? And how does Cyrus Chase, the inventor of device to prevent premature burial, fit into the story?
Philip Gooden is a historical novelist and contributor to various short story anthologies. He is the author of the Geoffrey Chaucer Mysteries.
Praise for Philip Gooden:
'Full of the sights and sounds of fourteenth-century England--and pleasingly free of tedious exposition and clumps of research--this lively novel is a fine example of how to get it right in a historical mystery. Chaucer himself is a well-realized and charming protagonist, and the series seems to be settling in for a long run.' Booklist
'An absorbing mix of history, suspense and romance, this tale brings one of Britain's most renowned literary figures to credible life.' Publishers Weekly
Genre: Historical Mystery
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