Home Front Detective
2 primary works • 12 total works
Book 4
In June 1916, a young woman named Charlotte Reid is found murdered in a cinema. Harvery Marmion and Joe Keedy are assigned the task of finding the killer who so elusively fled in the dark. Before long, two more victims, of striking similarity but differing backgrounds, are found dead around the city. Meanwhile, miles from home, Marmion's son Paul prepares for life on the front line as he marches towards the Battle of the Somme.
Book 5
London, Autumn 1916. When he slips out of a house in the early hours of the morning, Simon Wilder is too preoccupied to realise that he is being stalked. As he walks along the street, lights begin to dim as a warning that there's another Zeppelin attack. Guns begin to pound away as British aeroplanes attack the Zeppelin. Suddenly, it bursts into flame and lights up the whole sky. The crowds cheer as the great fireball drops slowly down and crashes in a field but the one person unable to watch is Simon Wilder. While he is staring up at the sky, he is stabbed to death and left in an alleyway. It will prove to be a very puzzling case for Inspector Marmion and Sergeant Keedy...
1916. As thousands of Brits are fighting on the Front Line, a new breed of women emerges to hold the Home Front together. Fiercely independent and fiery-spirited, the munitionettes, or 'canaries', are easily recognisable with their chemically-stained yellow faces. Among the raucous group of women is Florrie Duncan, who plans to celebrate her birthday in style at the Golden Goose pub. But the celebrations are cut short when all but one are killed in a brutal explosion. Scotland Yard suggests it's the work of a German spy but Detective Inspector Harvey Marnion and Sergeant Joe Keedy remain unconvinced, believing something more complex and sinister to be at work. With five times the victims there are five times the motives for murder. As the pair begins to piece together the lives of the women, they unearth a tension simmering between many of the locals and the canaries. The dark days of the war has left everyone on edge and suspicion is rife. From marital dysfunction to a failed bomb plot, it seems everyone in the small town of Hayes has a motive, so Marmion and Keedy must work fast to uncover the murderer. Before more canaries are turned to dust.
January 1916. Britain is on the brink of enforcing conscription. Eligible young men who have not yet signed up to fight are despised as 'conchies' and 'shirkers', subjected to hatred and verbal abuse. Cyril Ablatt, leader of Shoreditch's group of conscientious objectors, makes a rousing speech at a meeting of the No-Conscription Fellowship, refusing to be 'an instrument of slaughter in a khaki uniform'. When Cyril is brutally bludgeoned to death, Scotland Yard detectives Inspector Marmion and Sergeant Keedy are assigned to the case. As the pair build up a portrait of Cyril, they unearth an intriguing private life behind the man's saintly facade. It soon becomes clear there are plenty of suspicious characters with motives for the killing. Meanwhile, public sympathy is lukewarm. Some people even claim that a conchie deserves to die if he won't fight for King and Country. And in the wake of the murder, three close friends of Ablatt fear that they may also be under threat. Marmion and Keedy will have to work fast to find the killer before any more deaths occur ...
May, 1915. While thousands of Britons fight in the tranches, a severely depleted police force remains behind to keep the home front safe. In London, the sinking of the Lusitania sparks an unprecedented wave of anti-German riots and arson attacks across the city. Among the victims is the immigrant tailor Jacob Stein, found dead in his burnt-out shop.
Detective Inspector Harvey Marmion and Sergeant Joe Keedy must take on this case of cover-ups and contradictions and track down Jacob's killer - a hunt which carries them from the crime-ridden streets of wartime London to the chaos of the front line. But is the murder simply the result of a tragic excess of wartime hysteria, or perhaps a more premeditated crime?
Detective Inspector Harvey Marmion and Sergeant Joe Keedy must take on this case of cover-ups and contradictions and track down Jacob's killer - a hunt which carries them from the crime-ridden streets of wartime London to the chaos of the front line. But is the murder simply the result of a tragic excess of wartime hysteria, or perhaps a more premeditated crime?
Pentonville Prison. Wally Hubbard is serving a long sentence for arson. But after befriending and tricking one of the officers, Hubbard makes an audacious escape. Inspector Marmion, the detective who arrested Hubbard, is warned to watch his back, but it seems that Hubbard has another target in his murderous sights.
However, the investigation is mired in confusion, the identities of killer and victim become increasingly ambiguous. An inmate at an internment camp who might be a spy sending intelligence to the Germans complicates matters further, and the multiplying manhunts, as well as Marmion's concern for his injured and withdrawn son Paul, leave the detective desperate and perhaps with too many threads to untangle.
However, the investigation is mired in confusion, the identities of killer and victim become increasingly ambiguous. An inmate at an internment camp who might be a spy sending intelligence to the Germans complicates matters further, and the multiplying manhunts, as well as Marmion's concern for his injured and withdrawn son Paul, leave the detective desperate and perhaps with too many threads to untangle.
June, 1917. While another daylight air raid batters London, the body of respected businessman Gilbert Donohoe is fished from the Thames. Inspector Marmion struggles with the murder case alongside his anxieties for his now-missing son, Paul, but the pressure increases when the Metropolitan Police are the target of a series of vicious press attacks. As Marmion is pilloried in the press, he uncovers a seedy path through London which will lead him towards the killer.
1917. The Lotus Hotel offers sanctuary for its exclusively female clientele, attracting the cream of London's society. But a dead body found in one of its rooms is hardly good for business, and when it is discovered that the woman was neither a guest nor a member of staff, the Lotus's reputation as a safe haven is cast in doubt.
Inspector Marmion and Sergeant Keedy are dispatched to look into the events at the hotel and soon suspect foul play. Tangling with a forgetful widower, a wily competitor and the haughty hotel owner, the pair will have to delve into the past to solve this crime in the present.
Inspector Marmion and Sergeant Keedy are dispatched to look into the events at the hotel and soon suspect foul play. Tangling with a forgetful widower, a wily competitor and the haughty hotel owner, the pair will have to delve into the past to solve this crime in the present.
While thousands of Britons fight in the trenches, a severely depleted police force remains behind to keep the Home Front safe. Detective Inspector Harvey Marmion and Sergeant Joe Keedy are on hand to delve into the complex and sinister cases that arise.
A Bespoke Murder: May 1915. In London the sinking of the Lusitania sparks an unprecedented wave of anti-German riots. Among the victims is the tailor Jacob Stein, found dead in his burnt-out shop. But is the murder really the result of wartime hysteria, or perhaps a more premeditated crime?
An Instrument of Slaughter: Britain is on the brink of enforcing conscription. A conscientious objector is savagely killed after making a rousing speech at a meeting of the No-Conscription Fellowship, and some people even claim that a conchie deserves to die if he won't fight for King and Country. Marmion and Keedy will have to work fast to find the killer before more deaths occur...
Five Dead Canaries: As the fighting on the Front Line continues, a new breed of women emerges to hold the Home Front together. The fiery-spirited munitionettes, or 'canaries', are easily recognisable with their chemically-stained yellow faces. One such raucous group gathers to celebrate a birthday, but the festivities are cut short when all but one are killed in a brutal explosion. The dark days of the war have left everyone on edge, suspicion is rife and there are no shortage of apparent motives for murder...
'A master storyteller. Edward Marston has tapped into a rich vein of inspiration. His Home Front Detective series promises a long run.' Daily Mail
A Bespoke Murder: May 1915. In London the sinking of the Lusitania sparks an unprecedented wave of anti-German riots. Among the victims is the tailor Jacob Stein, found dead in his burnt-out shop. But is the murder really the result of wartime hysteria, or perhaps a more premeditated crime?
An Instrument of Slaughter: Britain is on the brink of enforcing conscription. A conscientious objector is savagely killed after making a rousing speech at a meeting of the No-Conscription Fellowship, and some people even claim that a conchie deserves to die if he won't fight for King and Country. Marmion and Keedy will have to work fast to find the killer before more deaths occur...
Five Dead Canaries: As the fighting on the Front Line continues, a new breed of women emerges to hold the Home Front together. The fiery-spirited munitionettes, or 'canaries', are easily recognisable with their chemically-stained yellow faces. One such raucous group gathers to celebrate a birthday, but the festivities are cut short when all but one are killed in a brutal explosion. The dark days of the war have left everyone on edge, suspicion is rife and there are no shortage of apparent motives for murder...
'A master storyteller. Edward Marston has tapped into a rich vein of inspiration. His Home Front Detective series promises a long run.' Daily Mail
December 1917. Ada Hobbes arrives on a frosty morning to clean the house owned by Dr Tindall, a surgeon at the Edmonton Military Hospital. She is shocked to find the blood-covered body of her employer sprawled across the floor. He has been hacked to death.
Detective Inspector Harvey Marmion and Sergeant Joe Keedy arrive to a horrific scene. Someone enjoyed killing him, without a doubt. Their investigation takes them far out of London and on the trail of a very different Dr Tindall, one who was not the respectable local doctor everyone thought he was. Marmion and Keedy will need to sift through a number of likely suspects to find the killer behind this gruesome murder.
Detective Inspector Harvey Marmion and Sergeant Joe Keedy arrive to a horrific scene. Someone enjoyed killing him, without a doubt. Their investigation takes them far out of London and on the trail of a very different Dr Tindall, one who was not the respectable local doctor everyone thought he was. Marmion and Keedy will need to sift through a number of likely suspects to find the killer behind this gruesome murder.
February, 1918. In the small hours of a cold morning, a burglary in Limehouse has escalated into a sinister siege between a band of thieves and the authorities, and a police constable lies dead. Detective Inspector Harvey Marmion and Detective Sergeant Joe Keedy hasten to the scene where attempts at talking the men into surrendering have been met with stony silence. When the door is eventually battered down, Keedy bravely leads the way in. Then a gunshot is heard: Keedy has been hit.
While his partner is rushed to hospital, Marmion is on the trail of the burglars, following leads as to their previous targets and overall goals. As defenceless Keedy remains in the sights of the murderous thieves, Marmion delves into the secrets that lie behind this fatal incident ...
While his partner is rushed to hospital, Marmion is on the trail of the burglars, following leads as to their previous targets and overall goals. As defenceless Keedy remains in the sights of the murderous thieves, Marmion delves into the secrets that lie behind this fatal incident ...
London, March 1918. British newspapers carry the dire news that the German Spring Offensive has begun, with thousands of British lives lost. Against this sombre backdrop, further mayhem strikes in the capital when a fire provides the diversion needed for an audacious bank robbery which leaves a police officer dead in its wake.
For Detective Inspector Harvey Marmion, the investigation has a personal connection. However, the task of bringing the culprits to justice will be an uphill battle without Detective Sergeant Keedy, who is anxious to be released from hospital, at his side. And nothing in this case is quite what it seems .
For Detective Inspector Harvey Marmion, the investigation has a personal connection. However, the task of bringing the culprits to justice will be an uphill battle without Detective Sergeant Keedy, who is anxious to be released from hospital, at his side. And nothing in this case is quite what it seems .