The Ollenu and Ashby Investigations Series

A gripping Georgian-era historical murder mystery following Black barrister’s clerk, Isaiah Ollenu, in a just-post-emancipation Britain

A highwayman hunts unchecked on Bristol’s misty downs…

Bristol, 1773. A string of highway robberies on the Clifton Downs above Bristol has gone unchecked for months. There is no sign of the highwayman being caught, and with insurance claims for stolen valuables piling up at Ashby’s door, he decides to take matters into his own hands.

So, when there is a report one morning of a fresh attack the night before, he rushes to investigate, calling upon his accomplice, Isaiah Ollenu.

The victim of the robbery is unknown, but shots were heard in the area and a woman was found unconscious, though apparently otherwise unharmed, at the scene. She was taken to a nearby church rectory to recover but, before Ollenu and Ashby can question her, she dies.

All that was found with her was a blue dress, a pair of shoes, and a pocketful of coins.

Will this be enough to track down the elusive highwayman? Or is there more going on in the shadows of Bristol’s alleyways than meets the eye?

A fascinating insight into the repressed lives of women in 18th century Bristol, and the counter-culture that sprung up in violent opposition to the staid norms society demanded.

Inspired by the true story of Jamaica’s first serial killer

Inspired by the true story of Jamaica’s first serial killer.

Jamaica, 1772. Caribbean jewel, or a killer’s playground?

On the island of Jamaica, people have started disappearing without trace. Have they run away, trying to start new lives in the British colony under assumed names, or is something darker afoot?

Some of the missing had taken out large life insurance policies before leaving England, and so word of the vanishings reaches Bristol when relatives try to collect their payouts.

With suspicion of a grand fraud in the air, ambitious Black barrister’s clerk Isaiah Ollenu is thrown together with pious insurance agent Ruben Ashby and ordered to the Caribbean to investigate.

But, confronted by prejudice, untoward characters and vengeful spirits, the task may cost this unlikely duo more than either man is willing to pay

A searing snapshot of the British Empire at the threshold of emancipation, and a chilling historical adventure perfect for fans of Laura Shepherd-Robinson and Femi Kayode.

Praise for The Case of the Mad Doctor

‘A terrific adventure with a rich historical heart’ A. J. West, author of The Betrayal of Thomas True