Eleven authors. Eleven stories. One festive collection!

Perfect for fans of crime fiction, short stories, thrillers — and Christmas!

Deck the halls with tales of murder!

To get you in the mood for Christmas, Sapere Books has brought eleven of their authors together in this thrilling, festive short story anthology.

From dead bodies in Victorian...

Can daring Virginia keep her true identity hidden?

Regency England

When her father dies suddenly, young debutante Virginia Spicer is left only with his gambling debts. Despite her desperation, she is unwilling to rely on the charity of her only remaining relative — her hostile aunt.

Leaving behind her life as the Belle of Bath, Virginia...

The past is catching up with Julia McAllister…

1895, England

Julia McAllister may have a murderous past but she is determined it won’t interfere with her future. Julia is a photographer. Yes, it may have been of the peeping-tom striptease variety. But she dreams of capturing vast African plains and wild American vistas.

For now, though, she...

A depraved killer is leaving a trail of bloody clues.

Can the police solve them before it’s too late?

Barnwell, Yorkshire, 2008

Detective Sergeant Hunter Kerr is called to the scene of a brutal murder. A fourteen-year-old girl has been viciously slaughtered.

But the killer has left behind a clue. Strange marks are gouged into the corpse and a...

How do you keep hope alive when your worst nightmare becomes reality?

Eleven-year-old Danny Stone is brutally snatched from the street on his way home from school. He finds himself imprisoned in a semi-derelict building, alone, cold and terrified of what might happen to him.

Danny’s parents, Martha and Richard, are thrust into an unimaginable...

Can a seasoned army colonel become a gallant lord?

1804, England

After unexpectedly inheriting an earldom, Colonel Niall Lowrie must manage his neglected estates while learning gentlemanly conduct.

However, he is soon longing for the freedom and adventure of his old army life. Niall’s boredom subsides when he meets the witty and intriguing...

When his friend is accused of murder, scholar Justin Rutherford vows to solve the deadly puzzle…

London, 1816

At a fashionable London ball, the unpopular but entertaining Society gossip Marmaduke Yarnton is found dead in the cloakroom — strangled with his own cravat. Having argued with him shortly before, Lord Velmond finds himself the prime...

Family secrets are exposed in this thrilling romantic adventure…

1819, Yorkshire

Laura Pennington is the only daughter of self-made man, Obadiah Pennington. Obadiah is proud of his newfound wealth and is keen to see his daughter secured in marriage to an eligible suitor. 

He has his sights set on local mill owner, Daniel Tranton.

Wilful and...

Civil blood makes civil hands unclean…

England, March 1939

Murmurs of war are rippling through Europe, and violence against Jewish people is on the rise. Inspector James Given, himself Jewish by birth, but not in practice, is busy trying to stop attacks on Jewish businesses in Coventry.

But then a murder case lands in his lap. A young...

Sometimes strangers with little in common can forge a friendship as deep as their difference…

London and Dorset, 1989

Judy Priestman is a hardworking single mother who lives for her political causes and the comradery of her fellow anti-apartheid picketers.

Harriet Marshall is a lonely countryside homemaker trapped in a failing marriage, who seeks...

A sordid secret lies at the heart of political London…

London, 1964

Charles Holborne has cemented his reputation as a respected murder trial lawyer, who is near unbeatable in the courtroom.

Having overcome the traumas of his past, he seems to be settled in his career and his relationship with his partner, Sally.

But Charles is his own worst...

Why are dead bodies appearing when no one has been reported missing…?

When mutilated female corpses are discovered in shallow woodland graves it becomes apparent that a serial killer is at large.

With no one reported missing, no apparent motive and no obvious suspect the investigation proves to be far from straightforward.

As suspicion falls upon...

Can anyone charm the Raven sisters?

Regency London

Having inherited a fortune from her grandfather, the beautiful Elizabeth Raven is one of the most sought-after debutantes in London.

Likewise, Carina Raven — her impulsive younger sister — soon wins many admirers with her charm and spirit.

However, the Raven sisters are proving difficult to...

The time has come to defeat the deadly Nazi regime from within…

Berlin, 1944

Kurt von Lister has served with the German army since the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939. But the Nazi regime has never sat easily with him.

After being wounded on the Eastern Front, Lister is transferred to a staff appointment in Berlin. He is removed...

What do you do when the unthinkable happens?

8 August, 2000

A carefree birthday party goes horribly wrong. The children scatter to play hide and seek.

But one little girl never returns.

Three-year-old Grace has vanished without a trace.

Fourteen years later

With the case long-since gone cold, Grace’s family have done their best to...

Can a spirited governess find happiness with an enigmatic viscount?

Regency London

Having spent a childhood summer with Viscount Giles Weston, Angelica Wayne has never forgotten his kindness. But when he employs her as his daughter’s governess, she finds him cold and formidable.

A widower, Giles is engaged to the beautiful but indifferent...

Nothing is ever as straightforward as it seems…

London, 1964

Life for Charles Holborne seems to be settling down. He has a steady girlfriend, is in demand at the courts, and is back in contact with his estranged family.

Unfortunately, though, he’s got on the wrong side of two of the most dangerous men in London: Ronnie and Reggie Kray.

A...

War is on the horizon…

Warwickshire, England, 1938

While Hitler and Chamberlain are preparing to sign the Munich agreement, the murderer of a Jewish shopkeeper is being hanged in Birmingham.

After witnessing the execution, Inspector James Given, who brought the killer to justice, is surprised to find he has been taken off the investigation to...

Men rise and fall from power in Henry VIII’s treacherous court...

Tudor England Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, Lord Chancellor of England and Archbishop of York owes his favoured status to the most volatile monarch that the nation has ever known.

In an age when a man can be a royal favourite one day, and consigned to an unspeakable death the next...

Will Marianne ever be able to confess the secrets of her heart…?

1803, England

Marianne Timperley has been in love with Justin Crail for as long as she can remember.

But he is heir to an earldom, and she had been taken in charitably by his family at Purford Park – with no dowry and no title. Justin promised his late father he would wed...