Detective Charles Maddox Series

The horrors linger beyond the castle walls

When Detective Charles Maddox is requested to look into the mysterious Baron Von Reisenberg, he welcomes the chance to trade London streets for a castle in the Viennese countryside.

Though the Baron is the subject of macabre legends, Maddox doesn’t care for supernatural beliefs. That is, until the foreboding shadows of the castle haunt him with nightmares and he is plagued by a series of disturbing incidents

Back home, London is on the verge of widespread panic. Greeted with a string of grisly murders committed by a killer branded the Vampire, Maddox believes he knows who is behind the attacks. In a battle against time, Maddox must finally end the Vampire’s terrorbefore more blood is spilled.

In a darkly twisted tale based on Bram Stoker’s legendary Dracula comes a murder mystery set in the heart of Victorian London.

Not all monsters remain fictional

Percy Shelley’s legendary poetry lives on long after his death in 1850s England. But when his son and famed widow, Mary, are approached by a stranger offering to sell rare papers allegedly by Percy, Charles Maddox is called to look at the suspicious texts.

But the case is not as simple as it appears, with Mary’s bitter stepsister, Claire Clairmont, also on the scene. As the investigation grows more disturbing, shocking evidence of foul play is discovered, leaving Maddox hunting for an even darker truth

Taking inspiration from Mary Shelley’s classic Frankenstein, Lynn Shepherd turns a literary legend into an otherworldly tale.

Previously called A Treacherous Likeness.

‘A grisly period detective story.’ The Times

London, 1850: The Dickensian streets grow darker by the day.

Private investigator Charles Maddox is surprised when he is approached by Edward Tulkinghorn for help. The feared and shadowy attorney offers Charles a handsome price he can’t refuse to do some sleuthing for a client. Charles learns that Sir Julius Cremorne has been receiving threatening letters, and now Tulkinghorn wants him to find and stop whoever is responsible.

But what starts as a simple, open-and-shut case swiftly escalates into something bigger and much darker. As he cascades toward a collision with powerful forces, Charles will need all the assistance he can get

The Man in Black takes a classic Charles Dickens novel and plummets readers into a newly reimagined and mysterious world. Fans of The Confessions of Frannie Langton and Stacey Halls will love this.

Previously published as The Solitary House.

Readers are loving The Man in Black:

‘An intelligent and gripping post-modern crime novel. Beautifully written and cleverly plotted.’ Lancashire Post

‘You’ll be guaranteed to enjoy.’ Guardian

‘This is a wonderful mystery… It has a dark Victorian tone, and is a gripping story. If you like literary historical mysteries, this is for you.’ Reader Review

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