Published Bestsellers

A dirty bomb explodes amidst an anti-war protest in North London. Severe injuries, caused by toxic fumes from a uranic compound used in the bomb; put Britain's security services on high alert. Tara Drake is an attractive highly trained agent. She is promoted into a special unit of MI5's anti-terrorist branch. When suspicion falls on an extremist group called The Amama, Drake is assigned the job of helping her colleagues track down the mastermind behind the attack. Over 200 miles away in Cumbria, DI Dave Perry finally escapes his lethargy when a call takes him to a grisly crime scene in Glenmar Forest. The bizarre, brutal murder of a nuclear plant worker has no obvious motive. The only clue - writing on the soles of the victim's feet - steers Perry's investigation in two directions. Criticised by his superior, Perry follows his intuition in a desperate search for answers. As more tragic events unfold, Perry is forced into a confrontation against a formidable foe an

Another classic British detective fiction by Julius Falconer Fancy a twenty-first-century murder linked to an eighteenth-century parish register? - with a stroll through the byways of ancient Middle Eastern languages, a piece of eighteenth-century silver, a spot of genealogy and trips to France, Italy and Austria thrown in? Then this is the book for you! The discovery of the body of a petty criminal one winter’s night in 2011, in a quiet Yorkshire hamlet, sets in train a series of events which stretches Inspector Walter Moat’s capabilities to the utmost. His wily opponent, as he eventually discovers, is an elusive master-criminal called Lomax, who weaves a devious and ruthless path to achieve his goals. Moat and his sergeant find themselves attempting to nail a crook intent on thwarting the resolve of a friendless waif… Find out more “A triumph of literary wit” …publishedbestsellers.com

The Wichenford Court Murder A sophisticated and stylish fictional detective page-turner guaranteed to entertain and stimulate jaded brain-cells, with a deftly crafted plot that will keep you guessing till the end. Looking for sophisticated and stylish entertainment to stimulate jaded brain-cells? LOOK NO FURTHER! Falconer has shown yet again that he can produce a top-rate whodunnit in the finest British traditions: urbane, cultured and witty.  A suicide before the First World War, a university career cut short by drink and debt, a missed business opportunity, family antagonisms, a threat to jobs on the estate, all give the inspector and his sergeant food for thought – not to mention a headache – until the inspector rumbles the one tiny mistake that leads to the unmasking of the killer. A triumph of literary sophistication! Find out more… The Wichenford Court Murder Compelling detective thriller loaded with twists and turns… publishedbestsellers.com

 Putting pen to paper!  “Unlike other writers including Agatha Christie, I allow the reader the same information as the detective so those reading are given the chance to solve the crime themselves,” he said. He explained that in many of his novels, even he isn’t sure who carried out the crime until more than half way through the story. FIND OUT WHERE IT ALL STARTED... Find out more:  Spring Leaf Books   |  Pneuma Springs Publishing About the Author Julius Falconer completed six enjoyable years of university studies abroad (particularly slow, our Julius) before working as a translator back in the UK. Thinking that he could earn more as a teacher, to fund his lavish life-style, he took a PGCE at Leeds University and duly turned to teaching. He slaved away at the chalk-face for twenty-six long years in both Cornwall and Scotland before retiring to grow cabbages in Yorkshire, where he still lives. His wife of thirty-three years unfortunately died suddenly in 2000.

Genre:  Fiction: Crime Detective Mystery The Percival diamond disappears when twins, William and Elsie Percival, are children. Not too long afterwards, their parents die. They  unearth a trunk in the attic; the contents: the secret to the Percival diamond, and set out to find out what happened to it. Mary, their cousin, whom the siblings have not seen in many years, may be able to unlock the mystery and so a house party is organised in her honour. The party guests that arrive at Oakmere Hall are a mixed bunch. Death also pays a visit, bringing Inspector Thomas and his bumbling sidekick Constable Turner up to the estate to try to unravel the enigma. …Find out more… visit book page Reviews "A jewel of a novel, shimmering with intrigue and suspense." …publishedbestsellers.com "I couldn’t put it down, and I didn't guess the murderer either!" …Francis Gershwin, Office Manager. "Compelling mixture of chills … with threads of humour running

A Review by Neal James Replete with characters common to a host of murder mysteries, the novel presents the reader with a series of unmitigated cads, outrageous bullies, cowering wallflowers and the odd faceless servant to confuse the issue. In a plot which moves around with, at times, bewildering speed, the reader is left wondering which way to turn as the story moves down a series of blind alleys in the search for a killer and his or her motive. Inspector Thomas, much in the image of Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot, sifts expertly through a catalogue of evidence, hampered by the involvement of his son, but comes to the final conclusion with the boy’s help. Salema Nazzal writes in a style easy to read, and wastes not a single word in drawing you in to her story. The settings and descriptive text are perfect for this style of crime novel, and in a surprise ending left me wondering what it was that I had missed. A highly recommended read. Book Trailer Read book excerp

I enjoyed this book. It kept your interest and was a quick read. The rich owner of the estate ,Watler Sinnet ,where the Folly under the lake was built was a despicable person who treated everyone badly especially his wife Blanche, son Harry and daughter Rose. He threatened to disinherit his son because he wouldn't join him in his business. But the on didn't like his fathers business ethics so refused to join him. Walter had 3 lakes built on his estate with the Folly built under the lake. He invited a bunch of people to spend time at his estate to showoff the Folly. Well Walter ends up being murdered and the cast of characters spending the week there are all suspects in the murder as all of them have plenty of reason to want to see him dead. The Police Inspector interviews all the guests several times and its difficult coming to a conclusion as all seem to be guilty but in the end the crime is solved and the murderer was one of the guests. Well written "wh

Read book excerpt (preview) Download Book Flyer Ebook   |  Kobo  |  Google Play  |  Apple iBook  |  Nook  |  Amazon Kindle UK  |   Amazon Kindle US The Author Having always had a love for English, Salema qualified to teach it as a foreign language and then went abroad to work in Lebanon. She taught adults at a language centre and eventually ended up helping at a school on the site of an orphanage where she met her husband. She wrote about the plight of the orphans and the article was published in the centre-spread of a Christian newspaper.    Salema has been obsessed with whodunits since she was a teenager and was challenged to write her own by her sister Jess. Not knowing where to start she took herself off to college to do a crime writing course with published crime authors Lesley Thomson and Elly Griffiths and hasn’t looked back since. She currently lives in West Sussex where she takes care of her husband, two children and two cats (not necess

I loved this book! Think Agatha Christie meets Sherlock Holmes and you're got it. Loved the Olde English charm from the setting of the book to the characters. The author grabs you from the first page. The author takes you to a country home in Surrey, where Witton Park is located. It is a elegant home owned by Walter Sinnet, a not so nice man who has made his fortune by conning everyone around him. He has built this estate to be extremely lavish with man made lakes and an underwater folly smoking room. The Sinnet's are having a party with some interesting guests, one of which will be his demise. Everyone is a suspect when Walter is found floating above his own folly dead. Who would want him dead? The better question should be who wouldn't want him dead. All the guests have a reason to want him dead, even his wife. Yikes! In comes Inspector Marcus Thomas and the bumbling Constable Turner. They are there to try and figure out what is going on at the estate. Inspector Thom

The Folly Under the Lake By Salema Nazzal Multi-millionaire, oil speculator Walter Sinnet  is crooked and ruthless. He has swindled the investors in his company to fund his extravagant building projects. Walter has a vast lake and subterranean folly built on his property at Witton Park, where he lives with his wife Blanche and two adult children Harry and Rose. The folly is impressive, people can walk through a passage that goes under the lake and enter the folly to sit and watch the fish swim by. Wishing to show off, Walter welcomes a house party to Witton Park but an angry storm lashes down on the village and traps everyone inside the estate. A guest’s jewellery goes missing and a dead body is found floating in the lake. Inspector Marcus Thomas and his young son, along with bumbling sidekick Constable Turner, arrive at Witton Park to solve the mystery. The vital clues are there for them to detect - if they are up to it! Enjoy the many detours and red herrings,  but keep

Fancy a bit of political theory mixed up with your murder? a group of Danish students with daring plans for a new world order? a scam involving some missing music scores? wolf-ravens in Scandinavian folklore? Then this is the book for you! The wife of a London modernist composer, unhappy in her marriage, seeks fresh interests at Copenhagen University, she gets involved in a student movement and meets a brutal death. The investigation uncovers some dubious characters and a confusing web of possibilities, but DI Wickfield is equal to the challenge – just! … The Author - Member of an ancient but completely undistinguished York family, by chance born and brought up in the Midlands, Julius Falconer studied abroad before working as a translator back in the UK. Thinking that he could earn more as a teacher, to fund his extravagant life-style, he took a PGCE at Leeds University and duly turned to teaching. He slaved away at the chalk-face for twenty-six stirring years in both Cornwall and

If you think that religion, sex, the aristocracy and mystery might make a good crime novel, TRY THIS ONE! A police investigation into the violent death of a part-time cathedral verger stalls for lack of incriminating evidence. However, three people have a close interest in clearing the matter up where the police have failed: the dead man’s sister, anxious to see justice done, and two of the police suspects, both released without charge but keen to clear their names... Author Julius Falconer says  “Whodunnits these days come in enough different forms to suit every reader’s taste: enormous variety has been introduced since the ‘golden age’ of British crime-writing of the 1920s and 1930s. There has arguably, however, been a tendency to ‘tell a good story’ at the expense of the wider richness of the genre. So with Falconer the reader gets added value – resonances in all sorts of areas of human experience, including philosophy, music, mathematical codes, politics, poetry, travel, reli

Full Marks   ...someone in high places has a score to settle By  Neal James ‘Full Marks’ tracks the fortunes of one of the Metropolitan Police’s finest officers as he tries to clear his name. A raft of accusations, laid before the IPPC, threatens to undermine his career. Powerful forces, ranged on either side of the investigation, are set to determine the course of DCI Dennis Marks’ professional and personal life. A month was all the DCI had to prove his innocence of a range of charges dating back to his days as a detective sergeant. A career spent putting away the dregs of London’s criminal world was hanging in the balance… Author Neal James began writing in 2007 when a series of short stories found favour on a number of international writing sites. Since then, he has released three novels and an anthology of short stories. ‘Full Marks’, his fifth book in as many years, is a crime novel and a product of a vivid imagination set against a backdrop of exposés dating back to

"Imagine, for a moment, Thomas Hardy writing crime, and you have a close approximation to Julius Falconer’s descriptive talents in ‘The Waif’. Ally that to a style reminiscent of Edgar Wallace in ‘The Four Just Men’, and you have all of the necessary ingredients for a fascinating detective story. Now throw in, for good measure, ‘Bradshaw’s Guide’, and you are off on a journey filled with wonderful scenery as we traverse Europe in search of a miscreant so cunning, that DI Moat seems foiled at each and every turn. ‘The Waif’ sets Moat and his assistant, DS Stockwell, a seemingly unsolvable mystery going back three centuries, and culminating in what appears, on the face of it, to be a simple case of murder. Falconer’s depth of knowledge of the environs, not just of Yorkshire, but also of several European locales, reveals a commitment to a level of research essential for a good detective thriller. Moat’s almost ‘Poirot’ characterization, and his invitations to ‘you dear reader’

Here is another gripping page-turner from a master storyteller. The chapters simply roll by, as you follow ace sleuth, Detective Inspector Wickfield and Sergeant Hewitt, through a myriad of possible theories about a fatality: each one having to be diligently considered, before filing, and moving on to the next. The story breaks with the sudden death of the Bishop of Worcester in 1966. His body being found in his official castle study, with the doors and windows locked from the inside. It could have been a perfectly straightforward accident and to another, less efficient and inexperienced officer, it might have been, but Wickfield is immediately suspicious; something doesn’t smell right. Looking around the room he sees things that others might have missed, and like a dog with a bone he gnaws and nags away at the problem, leaving no stone unturned until he’s interviewed everyone with the slightest connection to the high churchman. In a few short days following the death, and toge

Having now had the pleasure of reading several of the ‘Wickfield’ chronicles, I find the stories just keep getting better and better. What I want to know is, how does the author do it? The writing makes for effortless reading and seems to cover all aspects of human nature. In The Bones of Murder , the police have to delve quite deeply into the seamier side of life, in order to get at the truth of family conflicts, disappearances and possibly murders, which happened decades ago. The bodies of three people; are dug up by the Hothersall’s: new house owners, as they prepare for renovating projects, and the skeletal remains, show distinct signs of murder. This is clearly one for Worcestershire C.I.D’s, finest: Detective Inspector Wickfield and his trusty assistant, Sergeant Spooner. Apart from the fact that this is a baffling cold case, presenting many difficulties, not least that the murderer may be long dead, the reader is let in on a personal conflict, between Inspector Wickfiel

Here is another baffling and highly enjoyable, Inspector Wickfield case. The Worcestershire C.I.D detective again has Sergeant Spooner’s able assistance. However he needs nothing short of a crystal ball to get to the bottom of this strange affair. Fortunately, when he’s tested his brain to its utmost, and run himself ragged into the bargain, with very few positive results, Wickfield is not too proud to talk things over with Beth, his inspirational and long-suffering spouse. He calls her his muse. She is one step removed from the investigation and thus able to zone in on a piece of information he may have treated too lightly or simply overlooked. The story revolves around the apparent suicide of a male teacher in a private girls’ school. It seems the coroner’s verdict of suicide would put an end to speculation. But question marks arise when a local man comes forward with new information to cast disturbing light on the death. Nothing is quite as it seems and involves the detecti

Scenic Worcestershire appears to have more than its fair share of evildoers and wicked murderers! In this gripping and extremely baffling case for Police Inspector Stan Wickfield, the author pits him against a highly cunning adversary. We have stepped back in time to early 1968, to the sudden, violent death of Fr Wilfred, parish priest of The Sacred Heart Catholic Church. It occurs, just as the church itself is undergoing a disquieting period of change. A lot of preconceived religious practice is being challenged by a wave of new thinking and the detective uncovers several suspects in his quest for the truth of this sudden death: was it murder or suicide? With Sergeant Spooner assisting him, Stan Wickfield (considered to be the best brains on the force) methodically works his way through the lives and possible motives of each of the suspects: often taking two steps backwards for every step gained and thus giving the reader a glimpse of the workings of the Catholic Church and th

An Anthology of Christmas Murders - Terror, Tinsel and Turkey Editor Jeremy Moiser Murder comes in all shapes and sizes. It also comes at inconvenient times. Christmas, for example. Season of goodwill, peace to all men (and women too, of course), homely jollity round the turkey and mince-pies. A time of family reunion and celebration, of good cheer, recollection and renewal. And of unexpected death. Lock the doors. Draw the curtains. Settle down in your armchair and enjoy ten stories by masters of the genre. Georgian England. 1960s and 1980s England. Twenty-first-century Africa, Canada, the USA. Murder by meat-hook, piano-wire, scarf, knife, hammer, golf-club, bullet, syringe …  And naturally all the classic motives: blackmail, revenge, disappointment, greed, anger, a perverted sense of duty ... Murders committed on impulse and murders carefully planned. A catalogue of weakness, hatred and villainy. It’s all here, at your elbow. And there’s more! Humour, intrig

This seemingly unfathomable case tests Worcestershire’s finest: Detective Inspector Stan Wickfield, and his appointed assistant: Sergeant Hewitt, to the limit. Author Julius Falconer takes a back seat and graciously allows the inspector, freedom to tell the story in his own inimitable fashion, (a bit like Conan Doyle letting Sherlock Holmes off the leash.) I must confess, I do enjoy the policeman’s own, man of the people style. With Wickfield, what you see is what you get. He is a no-nonsense, detective who knows how to call a spade a spade. However, I think Julius ought to be aware; there are occasional hints for the reader, that Wickfield could have his own literary aspirations.  In The Longdon Murders, an old couple are found dead in their daughter’s, Worcestershire-village cottage, both slumped over a table and poisoned by a contaminated bottle of wine. Their daughter is nowhere to be seen. Then shortly after, a young man’s body is discovered in a London bed-sit. He’s been