A John Rawlings Mystery
8 primary works • 15 total works
Book 1
Having just finished his indentures, Rawlings is celebrating at Vaux Hall Pleasure Gardens when he trips over the body of a young girl. Summoned to the magistrate's office as prime suspect, Rawlings not only clears his own name but impresses Fielding so much with his powers of recollection that he is asked to investigate the crime. From gaming hell to fashionable house, Rawlings follows a trail of lustful liaisons and illicit intrigue which prove beyond a shadow of doubt that the girl has quite a past . a past filled with threatening secrets.
Book 2
John Rawlings, the apothecary with a talent for detective work, and John Fielding, the phenomenal blind magistrate whose Runners formed London's early police force, make a welcome return in this evocative Georgian mystery. John Rawlings is among the beau monde enjoying a performance of 'The Beggar's Opera' in Drury Lane when the leading actor - the notorious philanderer Jasper Harcross - dramatically falls to his death on stage. As Rawlings and the Blind Beak hunt for vital clues, they discover a hotbed of rivalry both on and off the stage which produces numerous suspects and questions. As the search takes on a new intensity, John Rawlings soon finds himself on an intriguing trail of obsession that leads to the dark heart of a cold-blooded murder.
Book 3
Book 4
Book 5
John Rawlings, the brilliant young 18th Century apothecary, and London's famous magistrate, the Blind Beak, look set for their most intriguing and perilous adventure yet. After the discovery of a body in the popular swimming baths, the Peerless Pool, they find themselves mixed up in more than just a spot of fishing. Who is the mysterious Hannah and could her murder possibly be connected to the disappearance of two children, long ago London's most colourful apothecary finds himself in more danger than ever before as he struggles to discover whose evil hand lies behind the trail of death and despair.
Book 6
When Liveryman Alleyn dies after an extraordinary outbreak of food poisoning at the Worshipful Society dinner, London's famous blind magistrate, John Fielding, calls in John Rawlings to investigate whether it is a case of deliberate poisoning.
Book 15
Apothecary John Rawlings is intrigued when a letter arrives asking him to investigate an impostor claiming to be the long-lost step-son of a wealthy Bristol merchant in possession of his dead wife's diamond inheritance. John Rawlings' father, Sir Gabriel Kent joins him on the trip to take the healing waters at Hotwell where they socialize with the creme of Bristol society. But Rawlings is compelled to try and solve the mystery and so he must trawl through the underbelly of eighteenth-century society to unearth the sordid secrets at the heart of the investigation.
Book 17
A new business opportunity in America leads to a case of cold-blooded murder for Apothecary John Rawlings
1773. Following a long and perilous journey, John Rawlings has arrived in Boston, Massachusetts, to pursue a new business venture. He finds the place riven with tension and unrest. There are many who feel it's time the colonies sought freedom from British rule, and the seething resentment erupts into outright rebellion during the notorious Boston Tea Party. But has someone taken advantage of the chaos to commit cold-blooded murder?
Called in to examine a body fished out of Boston Harbour, Rawlings recognizes one of his fellow travellers from England. If he could unearth the truth about the victim's past and the reason why they'd come to Boston, he would be one step closer to catching the killer. But has Rawlings become a pawn in an altogether bigger game?
1773. Following a long and perilous journey, John Rawlings has arrived in Boston, Massachusetts, to pursue a new business venture. He finds the place riven with tension and unrest. There are many who feel it's time the colonies sought freedom from British rule, and the seething resentment erupts into outright rebellion during the notorious Boston Tea Party. But has someone taken advantage of the chaos to commit cold-blooded murder?
Called in to examine a body fished out of Boston Harbour, Rawlings recognizes one of his fellow travellers from England. If he could unearth the truth about the victim's past and the reason why they'd come to Boston, he would be one step closer to catching the killer. But has Rawlings become a pawn in an altogether bigger game?
When John Rawlings is asked to investigate a secret club and some shady goings-on, he is intrigued. The disreputable Sir Francis Dashwood is believed to be involved, as well as some illustrious members of the British aristocracy. In disguise and accompanied by the ungainly Sam Swann, John befriends Sir Dashwood and gains access to his home and family, including someone from John's past, someone whose exceptional beauty still hypnotises him. However, evil lurks in hidden corners of Sir Dashwood's opulent home and there seems to be a sinister element behind the infamous Hellfire Club's debaucheries. Is John putting himself and Sam in danger by trying to find out the truth?
The spring of 1765 brings a welcome sense of recovery to the recently widowed Apothecary John Rawlings, but his tentative peace of mind does not last for long: a young child disappears in strange circumstances at the Hellstone Floral Dance and a seemingly omnipresent blind musician is never far away. Whilst this mysterious figure intrigues Rawlings, the case of the missing child alarms him: he feels he must do all in his powers to attempt to rescue the young life. Packed full of colorful historical detail, Death and the Cornish Fiddler is the eleventh book in the highly acclaimed John Rawlings series . . . a new masterpiece from the queen of Georgian fiction.
Preparing to become a father for the very first time, Apothecary John Rawlings leaves the heavily pregnant Emilia occupied with maternal matters and turns his attention to his business, rather neglected of late. Working in the shop one early afternoon, John is taken aback when a middle-aged stranger rushes in through the door looking panic-stricken. The man is not seeking a cure for a terrible ailment, however, but a place to hide. John agrees and a moment or two later a formidable woman comes to the counter enquiring if the Apothecary has seen anyone answering the description of the stranger he has in his back room. Honouring his promise to the man, John sends her on her way and, intrigued, goes to question the fellow. It transpires that the man's name is Aidan Fenchurch and his pursuer Mrs. Ariadne Bussell, a former lover who is reluctant to give up the chase. So reluctant, in fact, that she has been shadowing him for years. Feeling sympathy for Aidan, John agrees to do him a good turn but is shocked when a few days later the man is dead, ostensibly the result of a street robbery. Suspicious, Sir John Fielding sends the Flying Runners to arrest Mrs Bussell.
However, the lady is taken ill in the coach and before she can be thoroughly questioned she dies. The Apothecary recognises the signs of fatal poisoning. Soon there are more victims, some poisoned and some killed by less subtle methods. John Rawlings embarks on a journey that leads him to the Surrey countryside in search of answers to be greeted by some familiar faces...
However, the lady is taken ill in the coach and before she can be thoroughly questioned she dies. The Apothecary recognises the signs of fatal poisoning. Soon there are more victims, some poisoned and some killed by less subtle methods. John Rawlings embarks on a journey that leads him to the Surrey countryside in search of answers to be greeted by some familiar faces...
Death at St James's Palace is the eighth novel the highly acclaimed Georgian mystery series featuring sleuthing apothecary, John Rawlings. In 1761, famous magistrate John Fielding is to be honoured with a knighthood. Founder of the Runners, London's metropolitan police force, John Fielding is one of several important members of the community who gather at St James's Palace for the investiture. As the invited audience eagerly crane for a first glimpse of the new queen, a terrible accident occurs when one of the crowd tumbles down the great staircase to his death. But not one person saw him begin to fall; even those standing closest to him had their eyes fixed on the royal entrance. Only one person witnessed anything untoward - John Fielding, a blindman. A whispered sentence, an exhalation of breath - these are the only clues available to suggest the fall was no accident. Apothecary John Rawlings, accompanying his friend Fielding to the ceremony, sets out to investigate and is soon drawn into a very intriguing mystery, in which suspicious characters abound.
Devon, April 1759...Newlyweds John Rawlings and Emilia are spending their honeymoon touring the mysterious county of Devon. The gruesome discovery of a young girl's body, badly beaten and bruised and draped over the figurehead of a schooner draws the Apothecary into the investigation. He recognises the dead girl as Juliana van Guylder, and when her brother, Richard, goes missing too John realises that, honeymoon or no, he is deeply involved in something rather sinister. Soon the Flying Runners are on the scene, but although they know the identity of the dead girl, they are still no further towards finding her killer. And where does the violent gang that has been terrorising Exeter, the mysterious Society of Angels, fit in to all this? John Rawlings is determined to solve this case...even if it means putting himself in danger. Death in the West Wind is the seventh novel in Deryn Lake's highly acclaimed Georgian mystery series featuring sleuthing apothecary, John Rawlings.
Based on the real-life historical apothecary who invented carbonated water in England, other characters also featured include John Fielding, the Blind Beak of London who founded the Runners (later to become the Bow Street Runners) and his assistant, Joe Jago.
Based on the real-life historical apothecary who invented carbonated water in England, other characters also featured include John Fielding, the Blind Beak of London who founded the Runners (later to become the Bow Street Runners) and his assistant, Joe Jago.
Apothecary John Rawlings and his wife, Emilia, are delighted and honoured to be invited to a Christmas Mask gathering to be held in the grounds of Gunnersbury House, hosted by Princess Amelia, a close relation of King George II. Excited by the sense of occasion, and by her first large formal gathering since the birth of their infant daughter, Emilia spends a long time choosing and refining her costume for the ball. Once at Gunnersbury House, the event is everything the Apothecary and his wife could have wished for and John Rawlings considers Emilia the belle of the ball in her fetching red cloak to keep out the December chill. After talking to friends he catches sight of her heading outside, and follows to spend some time walking with her through the magnificent grounds. Tragically, when he finds Emilia she is bleeding to death after being stabbed through the heart. Stricken with grief, John Rawlings is numb. But when his former friends, the Blind Beak and Joe Jago, enforcers in law, are ordered to arrest him as the prime suspect, the Apothecary flees to Devon to seek help from an old ally. Discovering the identity of his wife's murderer is crucial, not just to see Justice served, but to save his own neck from the gallows...