H L Marsay

This summer, as the city of York swelters in a heatwave, it appears revenge is still a dish best served cold Chief Inspector Shadows relaxing afternoon watching a game of cricket is interrupted when a body is discovered in the scorers hut. The victim is a retired clerk, who lived a quiet life...

Ancient history or a motive for murder? Chief Inspector Shadow is investigating an act of vandalism in the ruins of St Mary’s Abbey and several random break-ins around York when he’s called out to a moorland village. A wealthy but eccentric businessman, obsessed with Saxon history, has been...

Inspired by the remarkable life of Dorothy Peto, the Metropolitan Police’s first female superintendent. Has the Ripper returned to the Royal Parks? It’s 1918 and the prospect of peace in Europe is tantalizingly close. However, for Dorothy and the detectives she works with, there is no time...

This winter, the York pantomime opens as a farce but closes as a murder scene… Chief Inspector John Shadow returns from a rare holiday to Italy but before he can unpack, he’s investigating the theft of an antique sabre. Everyone involved assumes it’s a prank, however later that evening, a...

Inspired by the remarkable life of Dorothy Peto, the Metropolitan Police’s first female superintendent. Even in war, your enemies can linger too close to home … While war and revolution continue to ravage Europe, Dorothy Peto embraces her new role at Scotland Yard as she and several...

Inspired by the remarkable life of Dorothy Peto, the Metropolitan Police’s first female superintendent. During war, death isn’t only found on the battlefield… It’s 1915 and war continues to rage across Europe, but at home in England, the members of the Women Police Volunteers are more...

Inspired by the remarkable life of Dorothy Peto, the Metropolitan Police’s first female superintendent. In 1914, the idea of a female police officer is dismissed as absurd, but to a small group of determined women, not impossible. With men departing to fight for king and country, women have...

Even the season of goodwill can’t stop a murder... Detective Chief Inspector John Shadow is reluctantly attending York Minster’s Advent Ceremony when the new Dean is taken ill after drinking wine. Was her allergic reaction a simple case of human error or could she have been poisoned? Shadow...

If the past comes knocking, will you dare to answer? When Detective Chief Inspector John Shadow is called to Kirkdale Castle to investigate the death of a handsome racehorse trainer during a shooting party, he’s immersed in painful childhood memories. His father had been shot in the line of...

There’s no such thing as a coincidence in York.... As Valentine's Day and Chinese New Year approach, the ancient city of York is busier than ever, and so is Detective Chief Inspector John Shadow. First, he has the theft of valuable Roman artifacts from a museum. Then, a Chinese tourist is...

Sometimes the past comes back to haunt you.... This Halloween, the notorious rivalry between York's iconic ghost walk tour guides spirals out of control when the body of one guide dressed as the infamous highwayman Dick Turpin is found hanging from a tree. A few days later, his partner, who...

Old sins cast long shadows.... When the bodies of a young, homeless girl and a girl who disappeared 30 years ago are found on the same day, residents in the historic city of York are aghast. It seems unlikely the two cases are related, and yet some of the same players knew both victims. As...

The shadows of the past are never far away... Detective Chief Inspector John Shadow is doing his best to ignore the madness of York's annual Viking Festival when duty calls. The body of a wealthy businessman, who was playing the role of the Viking king, is found slain by his own ancient sword...