T.A. Willberg

"What a delight... I found myself so drawn into this world of peculiar crimes that finishing the last page left me disoriented, requiring an extra beat to flash forward and rejoin the current century." – Sarah Weinman, New York Times Book Review The envelope was tied with three delicate silk “One of the new recruits is not to be trusted…” It’s 1959 and a new killer haunts the streets of London, having baffled Scotland Yard. The newspapers call him The Florist because of the rose he brands on his victims. The police have turned yet again to the Inquirers at Miss Brickett’s for assistance, and second-year Marion Lane is assigned the case. But she’s already dealing with a mystery of her own, having received an unsigned letter warning her that one of the three new recruits should not be trusted. She dismisses the letter at first, focusing on The Florist case, but her informer seems to be one step ahead, predicting what will happen before it does. But when a fellow second-year Inquirer is murdered, Marion takes matters into her own hands and must come face-to-face with her informer—who predicted the murder—to find out everything they know. Until then, no one at Miss Brickett’s is safe and everyone is a suspect. With brilliant twists and endless suspense, all set within the dazzling walls and hidden passageways of Miss Brickett’s, Marion Lane and the Deadly Rose is a deliciously fun new historical mystery you won’t be able to put down.

"Every page is a delight — this is what would happen if a trainee James Bond was asked to solve an Agatha Christie mystery, and it's brilliant." — Stuart Turton, bestselling author of The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder plunges readers into the heart of London, to the secret tunnels that exist far beneath the city streets. There, a mysterious group of detectives recruited for Miss Brickett’s Investigations & Inquiries use their cunning and gadgets to solve crimes that have stumped Scotland Yard. Late one night in April 1958, a filing assistant for Miss Brickett’s receives a letter warning her that a heinous act is about to occur. She goes to investigate, but at the stroke of midnight, she is murdered by a killer she can’t see—her death the only sign she wasn’t alone. Marion Lane, a first-year Inquirer-in-training, finds herself being drawn ever deeper into the investigation. When hercolleague is framed for the crime, she must sort through the hidden alliances at Miss Brickett’s and secrets dating back to WWII to uncover the real killer. Brimming with imagination and suspense, Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder is a fresh take on the Agatha Christie–style locked-room mystery with an exciting new heroine detective at the helm.

The letter was short. A name, a time, a place. Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder plunges readers into the heart of London, to the secret tunnels that exist far beneath the city streets. There, a mysterious group of detectives recruited for Miss Brickett’s Investigations & Inquiries use their cunning and gadgets to solve crimes that have stumped Scotland Yard. Late one night in April 1958, a filing assistant for Miss Brickett’s named Michelle White receives a letter warning her that a heinous act is about to occur. She goes to investigate but finds the room empty. At the stroke of midnight, she is murdered by a killer she can’t see—her death the only sign she wasn’t alone. It becomes chillingly clear that the person responsible must also work for Miss Brickett’s, making everyone a suspect. Almost unwillingly, Marion Lane, a first-year Inquirer-in-training, finds herself being drawn ever deeper into the investigation. When her friend and mentor is framed for the crime, to clear his name she must sort through the hidden alliances at Miss Brickett’s and secrets dating back to WWII. Masterful, clever and deliciously suspenseful, Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder is a fresh take on the Agatha Christie—style locked-room mystery with an exciting new heroine detective at the helm.

The raven had struck. And thing was, she knew exactly who was next…London, 1960. Marion Lane, a twenty-five-year-old apprentice detective at the elusive Miss Brickett’s Investigations & Inquiries, is busier than ever and determined to prove herself worthy of an official Inquirer badge. But when her dear friend and fellow detective Bill’s new girlfriend, Darcy, is targeted by a dangerous gang leader and seeks out the Inquirers’ help, Marion cannot help but get involved. Just when Marion thinks she has the situation under control, Darcy disappears without a trace and the agency receives a package containing a dead raven, tangled in bloodied yellow twine, leaving everyone stumped. Everyone, that is, except for Marion. Because she’s seen this package before—on her mother’s doorstep, a month before her death.  With unforeseen twists peppered throughout, Marion Lane and the Raven's Revenge follows Marion’s most personal case to date, as she seeks to uncover not only who is behind these ominous packages, but how they are related to her mother’s mysterious death and secretive past.