Oxford Mysteries Series

If you’re not with them you’re against them.

Oxford, 1883. Young men are being found bound, gagged and hooded at the gates of their colleges in the small hours.

Basil Rice, Jesus College fellow, is asked by the senior proctor to investigate. But matters of sexual purity are dangerous, as it lays Basil open to unwelcome scrutiny of his own private life.

Meanwhile, the University Vice Chancellor’s Court has wrongly imprisoned a young shopgirl from the town, and she seeks the services of young academic and budding journalist, Non Vaughan, to clear her name.

The uncovering by Basil of a secret society, The Venatores, and the murder of a student, cause Non and Basil to join forces. But is justice possible in a world so unjust and dangerous?

A scintillating historical mystery from the author of CWA Historical Dagger shortlisted A Bitter Remedy.

Praise for the Oxford Mysteries series’An excellent historical mystery dripping with atmosphere that exposes the chauvinism, misogyny and bigotry of late Victorian England’ The Times

‘Real figures from history rub shoulders with those invented by Hawkins and her inventiveness is prodigal’ Financial Times

‘Fearlessly tackles taboo attitudes of the era, taking aim at misogyny, homophobia, and sexual politics. An excellent addition to the historical mystery canon. Marvellous!’ Vaseem Khan

‘Brilliantly researched, rich in atmosphere and with two likeable and intriguing protagonists at the centre’ Philip Gwynne Jones

Why should the devil have all the best tunes?

‘Themes of inequality, forbidden love and personal responsibility weave through a fast-paced narrative in which the location plays a key part. Nation Cymru

The Salvation Army has come prancing and singing from the slums of London to the poorest quarters of Oxford, but along with its red hot gospel preaching and music hall songs it brings a prohibition message which sparks immediate opposition and violence.

An Army soldier an ex-drunk is brutally killed and a note suggests that the Salvation Army’s shadowy enemy, the Skeleton Army, is responsible.

With the police unwilling to come between the two forces, Non Vaughan, aspiring journalist and great hope of the Oxford women’s college movement, and Basil Rice, Jesus College fellow and union-sanctioned guardian of the dead man’s family, are compelled to investigate.

But as the threats from both sides escalate, resulting in a second death, Non and Basil realise that they must stop the fighting before it results in an outright war. For with the University’s annual commemoration week fast approaching, the entire city could be engulfed in fire and blood

An utterly compelling historical mystery, and a fascinating portrait of Victorian Oxford, perfect for fans of Andrew Taylor, C. J. Sansom and Antonia Hodgson.

Amongst the scholars, secrets and soporifics of Victorian Oxford, the truth can be a bitter pill to swallow

Jesus College, Oxford, 1881. An undergraduate is found dead at his lodgings and the medical examination reveals some shocking findings. When the young man’s guardian blames the college for his death and threatens a scandal, Basil Rice, a Jesus College fellow with a secret to hide, is forced to act and finds himself drawn into Sidney Parker’s sad life.

The mystery soon attracts the attention of Rhiannon ‘Non’ Vaughan, a young Welsh polymath and one of the young women newly admitted to university lectures. But when neither the college principal nor the powerful ladies behind Oxford’s new female halls will allow her to become involved, Non’s fierce intelligence and determination to prove herself drive her on.

Both misfits at the university, Non and Basil form an unlikely partnership, and it soon falls to them to investigate the mysterious circumstances of Parker’s death. But between corporate malfeasance and snake-oil salesmen, they soon find the dreaming spires of Oxford are not quite what they seem

An intriguing first installment of The Oxford Mysteries series by master crime writer, Alis Hawkins. Perfect for fans of Laura Shepherd-Robinson, S.G. MacLean and Kaite Welsh.

Praise for A Bitter Remedy ‘An excellent historical mystery dripping with atmosphere that exposes the chauvinism, misogyny and bigotry of late Victorian England’ The Times

‘Her inventiveness is prodigal’ Financial Times

‘Fearlessly tackles taboo attitudes of the era, taking aim at misogyny, homophobia, and sexual politics. An excellent addition to the historical mystery canon. Marvellous!’ Vaseem Khan, author of Midnight at Malabar House

‘A Bitter Remedy is a perfect tonic for our times.’ S. G. MacLean author of The Seeker

‘Absolutely brilliant! Thoughtful, complex and engrossing’ Chris Lloyd, author of The Unwanted Dead

‘A superb atmospheric mystery to the last page’ Rachel Lynch, author of Dark Game

‘I can’t wait for Non and Basil’s next case!’ Katherine Stansfield author of Falling Creatures