Ignotus Book UK: Fiction series and titles
The Temple House Archive series – Melusine Draco
The Temple House was founded in 1586 in England during the reign of Elizabeth I as an off-shoot of Sir Francis Walsingham’s recently created intelligence service, inaugurated to investigate the growing popularity of esoteric learning that was occupying the interests of the Elizabethan intelligentsia. For this he recruited the descendants of the Knights Templar who had remained in England following the destruction of their Order. Drawing on a veritable mine of esoteric knowledge and experience of international intrigue, the Temple House was established to combat ‘evil forces’ of a human or supernatural agency, and those who would use occult power for destructive purposes. The current members of the Temple House, or ‘the Nine’ as they are called in memory of the nine founder members of the original Knights Templar, are all specialists and magical practitioners in the diverse fields of occultism and its relevant histories.
For more details see www.facebook.com/TempleHouseArchive
Reviews:
“A brilliant read. Love the writing. A real chiller-thriller. The author has all the skills needed to write a cracking good novel. She also has a vast occult knowledge that really shows and writes on the subject with ease. As usual with Melusine there is a subtle humorous element running through that works really well. Best of all there is a volume two underway. I think this would make a great TV series.” Maria Moloney, Axis Mundi Books
“A cracking read. An excellent story, the characters are three dimensional, the dialogue reads naturally and the pacing is fine. There is tension and plenty of conflict as well as some nice touches of humour. There is also a sense of truth that only someone who is familiar with the occult can provide in this genre.” Krystina Kellingley, Cosmic Egg Books
“A brilliant read and a walk into the world of the occult that is both fascinating and thrilling. Loved the historical undertones and the work of the ‘Nine’. Kept me gripped throughout. Can't wait for number two!” Sarah-Beth Watkins : Bookworms
House of Strange Gods
When journalist Michael Gilmour discovered a small filler in a tabloid newspaper about the ‘witch busters’ of Temple House, he believed they were the right people to help him discover the reason behind his father’s disappearance back in the 1970s following an investigation into the desecration of a rural church. What he discovered was even stranger than anything he could ever have imagined in his wildest flights of imagination, which almost results in his own death in an act of premature burial from which he is rescued in the nick of time.
ISBN: 9781785106392 : Paperback : Pages 296 : €8.95
Also available in Kindle e-books.
Published: 26 February 2016
Order direct from: https://www.feedaread.com/books/House-of-Strange-Gods-9781785106392.aspx
Realm of Shadow
Led by charismatic Professors Aliona de Foresta and Robert Sands, the members of the Temple House embark on another series of paranormal investigations sparked off when a reality television presenter defiles the burial site of a Viking warrior – with deadly results.
ISBN: 9781786103628 : Paperback : Pages 282 : €8.95
Also available in Kindle e-books
Published: 26 May 2016
Order direct from https://www.feedaread.com/books/REALM-OF-SHADOW-9781786103628.aspx
Hour Betwixt Dog & Wolf
The ‘Hour Betwixt Dog and Wolf’ is taken from a French saying L’heure entre chien et loup and refers to the moments after sunset when the sky darkens and vision becomes unclear, making it difficult to distinguish between dogs and wolves, friends and foe, good from evil. When confronted by what appears to be creatures from the ancient race of dog-headed men, the Cynocephali, the Temple House embarks on one of its strangest cases to date.
ISBN: 9781786979063 : Paperback : Pages 256 : €8.95
Also available in Kindle e-books
Published: 27 July 2017
Order direct from https://www.feedaread.com/books/Hour-Betwixt-Dog-Wolf-9781786979063.aspx
The Thirteenth Sign
“Theatre des Vampires without the cast,” said Jack glumly, referring to the fictitious location in the Boulevard du Temple of Vampire Chronicles fame. “Where's the spine-tingling depravity of our home from home?” he added, raising his voice theatrically trying to instil a sense of horror into the proceedings.
“For the benefit of the uninitiated” said Chrissie, “the Boulevard du Temple, as its name suggests, refers to the nearby Knights Templar’s stronghold where they established their Paris priory. After a time, it was nicknamed the ‘Boulevard du Crime’ after the crime melodramas that were so popular in its many theatres ...” she added sarcastically.
“So, where’s the violence, the murder and the suicide that’s dogged the family down through the ages. I want bodies hurtling from the roof ... insanity ...” Jack disclaimed dramatically like some old Shakespearean ham.
ISBN: 9781788766395 : Paperback : Pages 252 : €8.95
Also available in Kindle e-books
Published: 7 December 2018
Order direct from https://www.feedaread.com/books/The-Thirteenth-Sign-9781788766395.aspx
PACT!
The Vampyre’s Tale series – Suzanne Ruthven
This personification of Lord Ruthven first made his appearance in a factional approach to the fictional undead in Charnel House Blues: The Vampyre’s Tale, a cynical view of the vampire in literature and film from a revenant’s viewpoint. Lord Ruthven was, of course, the creation of John Polidori but it was Byron’s Fragment – his contribution to the ghost story competition at the Villa Diodati - that really brought him to life in the character of the evil genius, Augustus Darvell. For the purpose of this narrative, the author has chosen a more contemporary sounding Greek given-name of Alastor – the Wanderer. But let us allow our anti-hero to tell his own story …
“I have not always been an English lord but I have always been noble, and possess an illustrious pedigree that reaches back into the ancient world. During that time I’ve lost count of the number of men and women I’ve killed in order to drink their blood but if you were to ask me if I felt any pity or remorse for my victims, my answer would have to be: None. I am a predator who needs fresh blood to survive and a creature of nightmare, but I am not a monster. But I get ahead of myself. It is easy to tell a story from start to finish but I find that histories enriched with the piquancy of hindsight - the wisdom that comes after an event - can be much more interesting when it is evident that the story-teller had indeed lived to tell the tale …”
For more information go to: https://www.facebook.com/VampyresTale/
Spartan Dog
Not only does his story reflect the trials and tribulations of the Old World, he also finds himself embroiled in a contemporary intrigue that runs parallel with his narrative and which threatens to expose him to the unknown dangers of the 21st century. Nevertheless, he has a powerful guardian in the beautiful, but long-dead Egyptian sorceress Amenirdis whose influence reaches out from beyond the grave to protect him. The Wanderer takes Alastor on a new phase of his long and varied existence …
ISBN: 9781786978424 : Paperback : Pages 202 : :€7.95
Published: 8 June 2017
Also available in Kindle e-book format
Order direct from https://www.feedaread.com/books/Spartan-Dog-9781786978424.aspx
The Wanderer
Alastor Darvell is not an ordinary vampire. He learned his survival skills at the Krypteia, the equivalent of the Spartan ‘special forces’ and his powerful esoteric knowledge has been bequeathed from a long line of ancient Egyptian magicians – which tend to make him pretty well invincible. Forced against his will to become a vrykolakas – or ‘avenger of the blood’ – Alastor embarks on an endless voyage of discovery, persecution, boredom and loneliness as he searches the world for others of his kind – hoping to find the secret of his release from the cycle of everlasting life …
ISBN: 9781788763813 : Paperback : Pages: 216 : €7.95
Published: 8 June 2018
Also available in Kindle e-book format
Order direct from https://www.feedaread.com/books/The-Wanderer-9781788763813.aspx
Danse Macabre
It’s a sorry fact, but vampires aren’t what they used to be. I should know because I’m the last remaining member of my species from the ancient world; although if I’m brutally honest, this longevity is as much the product of becoming the alter idem of that club-footed Casanova, George Gordon, the sixth Lord Byron than any fortitude on my part. In truth, my roots are hinted at in that half-forgotten 'Fragment' that was Byron’s contribution to the Villa Diodati ghost story competition – for His Lordship was familiar with the decomposing vampire legends of the Eastern Mediterranean, even if John Polidori was not! But I get ahead of myself … [Charnel House Blues]
ISBN: 9781839452284 : Paperback : Pages 236 : €8.95
Published: 26 February 2020
Order direct from https://www.feedaread.com/books/DANSE-MACABRE-9781839452284.aspx
In preparation:
Mememto Mori
La Belle Epoch
The Hugo Braithwaite Mysteries – Suzanne Ruthven
‘As one reviewer said: ‘The antiques trade hasn’t been this much fun since Lovejoy left.’
The Hugo Braithwaite Mysteries by Suzanne Ruthven, are set in the shadowy world of antiques and fine art, where villains rub shoulders with millionaires in grand country houses and seedy back streets. Hugo Braithwaite is an antique dealer and acknowledged authority on British watercolours, a talent which often throws him into the limelight of popular television to help sate the public’s thirst for discovering valuable family heirlooms and treasures in the attic. On the down side, it is also a murky realm of fakes, forgeries, felony ... and the occasional murder.
For more information go to https://www.facebook.com/BraithwaiteMysteryRuthven/?ref=bookmarks
Devil’s Door
The first book in the series, Devil’s Door, concerns the theft of a secret hoard of church silver and the brutal murder of the local vicar. As a result, and through no fault of his own, Hugo becomes embroiled in a sinister web of intrigue involving the wife of a former international art thief who, for no apparent reason, wishes to destroy his reputation. The somnolent market town of Lower Cholmeley is about to become a hot-bed of stolen antiques, valuable paintings and Underworld villainy that is a long way from the genteel antiques television programmes in which Hugo Braithwaite often takes part. Using his brother’s newly authenticated Stubbs as bait, he manages to thwart the thieves and emerge with his reputation intact.
ISBN: 9781786971005 : Paperback : Pages:212 : €7.95
Published: 22 June 2016
Order direct from https://www.feedaread.com/books/The-Devils-Door-9781786971005.aspx
Also available in Kindle e-book format,
Sea-Wife’s Walk
It all started with a picture Hugo has bought in American plus a seventy-year old triple murder; and he quickly discovers that some families will go to any lengths to protect their reputation. But the past has a way of catching up with the present and he soon finds himself embroiled in another mystery that is as dangerous as it is fascinating. The saga continues with ex-art thief, Freddie Fitzroy and DI John Moore running circles around one another – with Hugo and his team firmly in the middle.
ISBN: 9781786977731 : Paperback : Pages 216 : €7.95
Published: 19 April 2017
Order direct from https://www.feedaread.com/books/SEA-WIFES-WALK-9781786977731.aspx
Also available in Kindle e-book format.
Runners & Riders
When Hugo Braithwaite attends a prestigious sale of horseracing memorabilia to oversee the sale of a painting belonging to former art-thief, Freddie Fitzroy, he bumps into an old school friend whom he hasn’t seen since they were boys. But again the past has a way of catching up with the present and he is quickly plunged into an ageless family feud and racing scandal that is as dangerous as it is intriguing. With a few on-going romances and the offer of a high-profile television series, Team-HB find themselves in the spot-light once again.
ISBN: 9781788761048 : Paperback : Pages 202 : €7.95
Published: 9 November 2017
Order direct from https://www.feedaread.com/books/Runners-Riders-A-Hugo-Braithwaite-Mystery-Book-3-9781788761048.aspx
Also available in Kindle e-book format
Rosewood Madonna
Happenstance wasn’t a word that crept into Hugo Braithwaite’s vocabulary. He tended to find that things happened in patterns and spirals and when his young assistant, Carly Jones, discovered a valuable wood carving at a local car-boot sale it was only natural that there was going to be some sinister follow-on. “Bloody hell!” came the response from Sean, the new addition to the team. “And I thought the antiques business was all refined folk selling Georgian silver and Chinese ginger jars. Now I find it’s constant murder, art fraud, money laundering, violent assault, stolen church silver … is there anything else you’re not telling me?”
ISBN: 9781788767545 : Paperback : Pages 192 : €7.95
Published: 7 March 2019
Order direct from https://www.feedaread.com/books/ROSEWOOD-MADONNA-9781788767545.aspx
Also available in Kindle e-book format
Screenplay (novel) Suzanne Ruthven
Death … thought Hugo Braithwaite reflectively … all items in the antiques and fine art world have entered the trade via death. It doesn’t matter whether it’s the contents of a humble cottage, a grand house sale, the dispersal of a collector’s jealously hoarded treasures, or - as in this case – the personal effects of a family member or famous personality. Naomi Jessop was still a handsome woman in her late seventies who had been Margaret Gilbert’s ‘companion, dresser and general factotem’, as she described herself when she’d walked into Hugo Braithwaite: Fine Art Gallery the week before. She needed his help, it transpired, to dispose of the late star’s possessions and had been recommended by Adele Simmonds, Hugo’s own octogenarian chum, who vouched for him as a gentleman and the soul of discretion when dealing with private affairs … but as always, there was an element of darkness surrounding the late Margaret Gilbert affair, which began to manifest in an underlying current of violence and skullduggery once the discovery of her indiscreet autobiography threatened to ruffle more than a few feathers of the living.
The Hugo Braithwaite Mysteries are set in the shadowy world of antiques and fine art, where villains rub shoulders with millionaires in grand country houses and seedy back streets. Hugo Braithwaite is an antiques dealer and acknowledged authority of British watercolours, a talent which often throws him into the limelight of popular television to help sate the public thirst for discovering valuable family heirlooms and treasures in the attic. On the down side, it is also a murky realm of fakes, forgeries, felony … and the occasional murder.
ISBN 978 1 83945 580 3 : Paperback : Pages 195 : £7.95
Order direct from
Also available in Kindle e-book format
A Tale For All Seasons …
The Wild Horseman (novel) Suzanne Ruthven (Summer)
On the eve of the German occupation of France, crippled ex-jockey Richard Todhunter finds himself in the unenviable position of having to get himself, s sixteen-year old stable girl, an aging dog and two valuable racehorses back to England. Everywhere they turn there are strange undercurrents lurking below the surface, as the rural landscape becomes a vast hunting field - with them as the quarry, trying to outrun an alien, more brutal kind of Wild Hunt. The Wild Horseman offers the reader an opportunity to experience the thrill of a ride that will last a life-time ... and longer.
"If you loved Warhorse' you’ll adore The Wild Horseman." Heather Read
ISBN: 9781786977878 : Paperback : Pages: 228 : €7.95
Published: 17 May 2017
Order direct from https://www.feedaread.com/books/The-Wild-Horseman.aspx
Also available in Kindle e-book format.
The Waterboatman (Autumn) Suzanne Ruthven
Bran Mannion is the mysterious water-boatman of the canals and waterways whose appearances are as inexplicable as his understanding of human nature. The Pedlar travels the waterways, resulting in unexpected action for those he encounters along the way. He’s a man with a knack for turning up mysteriously just when something is about to happen and saying just the right thing; or asking the right question that will inspire, or solve a mystery. It is frequently hinted that Bran Mannion may be not quite human but his sudden appearances and disappearances, his exquisite timing, and the frequent impression that he knows more than he’s letting on, manages to suggest something less than worldly. And yet no one really remembers him when he leaves...
"Love the canal/water boatman theme. I've been on the Dublin canals and it was fantastic even though getting some locks open was a nightmare! Love that you’ve also included canal art and history. It's a fascinating story!" Sarah Beth Watkins, author and historian.
ISBN: 978 1 80302 130 0 : Paperback : Pages 187 : £7.95
Order direst from
Also avaialb le in Kindle e-book format.
In preparation
The Iceman (Winter)
The Woodsman (Spring)
Whittlewood (novel) – Suzanne Ruthven
A modern Gothic horror story of ancient and modern magical morality and witchcraft ... In the old Whittlewood forest a murder awakens an ancient power - and the penalty is death. The author spent her childhood in Whittlewood Forest, a former medieval hunting forest in Northamptonshire. There are tracts of ancient woodland within the forest, and old ditch boundaries can be found at the edges of several of the individual woods. The area has been the subject of extensive academic historical research … and it has always retained its element of mystery.
Reviews:
“Whittlewood deserves to be widely read by those who want a book full of atmosphere and an underlying sense of powerful other-worldly forces at work. The setting is vivid and the characters and their motives well drawn. Would make an excellent film/TV drama, and I look forward to reading more fiction by Ms Ruthven.” Sally Spedding, author of Cold Remains, Wringland and Cloven.
5-star rating from Amazon: “This book is a real page-turner. I started reading it and had to finish it in one sitting; I just could not put it down. Whittlewood is a tale of murder and magical mystery, with some romance and a few touches of history, all of which combine to entice the reader to keep reading and reading - ever hungry for more ... Suzanne Ruthven has woven a story of magic, mystery and reality into a marvellous book. I hope she continues to write such engrossing tales. What's more her descriptive style is such that I could smell the incense and greenery in the Church; I was transported. This is one of the most original fictional works I have read in recent years.”
ISBN: 9781786976888 : Paperback : Pages 248 : €7.95
Published: 1 March 2017
Order direct from https://www.feedaread.com/books/Whittlewood-9781786976888.aspx
Also available in Kindle e-book format
The Temple House Archive series – Melusine Draco
The Temple House was founded in 1586 in England during the reign of Elizabeth I as an off-shoot of Sir Francis Walsingham’s recently created intelligence service, inaugurated to investigate the growing popularity of esoteric learning that was occupying the interests of the Elizabethan intelligentsia. For this he recruited the descendants of the Knights Templar who had remained in England following the destruction of their Order. Drawing on a veritable mine of esoteric knowledge and experience of international intrigue, the Temple House was established to combat ‘evil forces’ of a human or supernatural agency, and those who would use occult power for destructive purposes. The current members of the Temple House, or ‘the Nine’ as they are called in memory of the nine founder members of the original Knights Templar, are all specialists and magical practitioners in the diverse fields of occultism and its relevant histories.
For more details see www.facebook.com/TempleHouseArchive
Reviews:
“A brilliant read. Love the writing. A real chiller-thriller. The author has all the skills needed to write a cracking good novel. She also has a vast occult knowledge that really shows and writes on the subject with ease. As usual with Melusine there is a subtle humorous element running through that works really well. Best of all there is a volume two underway. I think this would make a great TV series.” Maria Moloney, Axis Mundi Books
“A cracking read. An excellent story, the characters are three dimensional, the dialogue reads naturally and the pacing is fine. There is tension and plenty of conflict as well as some nice touches of humour. There is also a sense of truth that only someone who is familiar with the occult can provide in this genre.” Krystina Kellingley, Cosmic Egg Books
“A brilliant read and a walk into the world of the occult that is both fascinating and thrilling. Loved the historical undertones and the work of the ‘Nine’. Kept me gripped throughout. Can't wait for number two!” Sarah-Beth Watkins : Bookworms
House of Strange Gods
When journalist Michael Gilmour discovered a small filler in a tabloid newspaper about the ‘witch busters’ of Temple House, he believed they were the right people to help him discover the reason behind his father’s disappearance back in the 1970s following an investigation into the desecration of a rural church. What he discovered was even stranger than anything he could ever have imagined in his wildest flights of imagination, which almost results in his own death in an act of premature burial from which he is rescued in the nick of time.
ISBN: 9781785106392 : Paperback : Pages 296 : €8.95
Also available in Kindle e-books.
Published: 26 February 2016
Order direct from: https://www.feedaread.com/books/House-of-Strange-Gods-9781785106392.aspx
Realm of Shadow
Led by charismatic Professors Aliona de Foresta and Robert Sands, the members of the Temple House embark on another series of paranormal investigations sparked off when a reality television presenter defiles the burial site of a Viking warrior – with deadly results.
ISBN: 9781786103628 : Paperback : Pages 282 : €8.95
Also available in Kindle e-books
Published: 26 May 2016
Order direct from https://www.feedaread.com/books/REALM-OF-SHADOW-9781786103628.aspx
Hour Betwixt Dog & Wolf
The ‘Hour Betwixt Dog and Wolf’ is taken from a French saying L’heure entre chien et loup and refers to the moments after sunset when the sky darkens and vision becomes unclear, making it difficult to distinguish between dogs and wolves, friends and foe, good from evil. When confronted by what appears to be creatures from the ancient race of dog-headed men, the Cynocephali, the Temple House embarks on one of its strangest cases to date.
ISBN: 9781786979063 : Paperback : Pages 256 : €8.95
Also available in Kindle e-books
Published: 27 July 2017
Order direct from https://www.feedaread.com/books/Hour-Betwixt-Dog-Wolf-9781786979063.aspx
The Thirteenth Sign
“Theatre des Vampires without the cast,” said Jack glumly, referring to the fictitious location in the Boulevard du Temple of Vampire Chronicles fame. “Where's the spine-tingling depravity of our home from home?” he added, raising his voice theatrically trying to instil a sense of horror into the proceedings.
“For the benefit of the uninitiated” said Chrissie, “the Boulevard du Temple, as its name suggests, refers to the nearby Knights Templar’s stronghold where they established their Paris priory. After a time, it was nicknamed the ‘Boulevard du Crime’ after the crime melodramas that were so popular in its many theatres ...” she added sarcastically.
“So, where’s the violence, the murder and the suicide that’s dogged the family down through the ages. I want bodies hurtling from the roof ... insanity ...” Jack disclaimed dramatically like some old Shakespearean ham.
ISBN: 9781788766395 : Paperback : Pages 252 : €8.95
Also available in Kindle e-books
Published: 7 December 2018
Order direct from https://www.feedaread.com/books/The-Thirteenth-Sign-9781788766395.aspx
PACT!
The Vampyre’s Tale series – Suzanne Ruthven
This personification of Lord Ruthven first made his appearance in a factional approach to the fictional undead in Charnel House Blues: The Vampyre’s Tale, a cynical view of the vampire in literature and film from a revenant’s viewpoint. Lord Ruthven was, of course, the creation of John Polidori but it was Byron’s Fragment – his contribution to the ghost story competition at the Villa Diodati - that really brought him to life in the character of the evil genius, Augustus Darvell. For the purpose of this narrative, the author has chosen a more contemporary sounding Greek given-name of Alastor – the Wanderer. But let us allow our anti-hero to tell his own story …
“I have not always been an English lord but I have always been noble, and possess an illustrious pedigree that reaches back into the ancient world. During that time I’ve lost count of the number of men and women I’ve killed in order to drink their blood but if you were to ask me if I felt any pity or remorse for my victims, my answer would have to be: None. I am a predator who needs fresh blood to survive and a creature of nightmare, but I am not a monster. But I get ahead of myself. It is easy to tell a story from start to finish but I find that histories enriched with the piquancy of hindsight - the wisdom that comes after an event - can be much more interesting when it is evident that the story-teller had indeed lived to tell the tale …”
For more information go to: https://www.facebook.com/VampyresTale/
Spartan Dog
Not only does his story reflect the trials and tribulations of the Old World, he also finds himself embroiled in a contemporary intrigue that runs parallel with his narrative and which threatens to expose him to the unknown dangers of the 21st century. Nevertheless, he has a powerful guardian in the beautiful, but long-dead Egyptian sorceress Amenirdis whose influence reaches out from beyond the grave to protect him. The Wanderer takes Alastor on a new phase of his long and varied existence …
ISBN: 9781786978424 : Paperback : Pages 202 : :€7.95
Published: 8 June 2017
Also available in Kindle e-book format
Order direct from https://www.feedaread.com/books/Spartan-Dog-9781786978424.aspx
The Wanderer
Alastor Darvell is not an ordinary vampire. He learned his survival skills at the Krypteia, the equivalent of the Spartan ‘special forces’ and his powerful esoteric knowledge has been bequeathed from a long line of ancient Egyptian magicians – which tend to make him pretty well invincible. Forced against his will to become a vrykolakas – or ‘avenger of the blood’ – Alastor embarks on an endless voyage of discovery, persecution, boredom and loneliness as he searches the world for others of his kind – hoping to find the secret of his release from the cycle of everlasting life …
ISBN: 9781788763813 : Paperback : Pages: 216 : €7.95
Published: 8 June 2018
Also available in Kindle e-book format
Order direct from https://www.feedaread.com/books/The-Wanderer-9781788763813.aspx
Danse Macabre
It’s a sorry fact, but vampires aren’t what they used to be. I should know because I’m the last remaining member of my species from the ancient world; although if I’m brutally honest, this longevity is as much the product of becoming the alter idem of that club-footed Casanova, George Gordon, the sixth Lord Byron than any fortitude on my part. In truth, my roots are hinted at in that half-forgotten 'Fragment' that was Byron’s contribution to the Villa Diodati ghost story competition – for His Lordship was familiar with the decomposing vampire legends of the Eastern Mediterranean, even if John Polidori was not! But I get ahead of myself … [Charnel House Blues]
ISBN: 9781839452284 : Paperback : Pages 236 : €8.95
Published: 26 February 2020
Order direct from https://www.feedaread.com/books/DANSE-MACABRE-9781839452284.aspx
In preparation:
Mememto Mori
La Belle Epoch
The Hugo Braithwaite Mysteries – Suzanne Ruthven
‘As one reviewer said: ‘The antiques trade hasn’t been this much fun since Lovejoy left.’
The Hugo Braithwaite Mysteries by Suzanne Ruthven, are set in the shadowy world of antiques and fine art, where villains rub shoulders with millionaires in grand country houses and seedy back streets. Hugo Braithwaite is an antique dealer and acknowledged authority on British watercolours, a talent which often throws him into the limelight of popular television to help sate the public’s thirst for discovering valuable family heirlooms and treasures in the attic. On the down side, it is also a murky realm of fakes, forgeries, felony ... and the occasional murder.
For more information go to https://www.facebook.com/BraithwaiteMysteryRuthven/?ref=bookmarks
Devil’s Door
The first book in the series, Devil’s Door, concerns the theft of a secret hoard of church silver and the brutal murder of the local vicar. As a result, and through no fault of his own, Hugo becomes embroiled in a sinister web of intrigue involving the wife of a former international art thief who, for no apparent reason, wishes to destroy his reputation. The somnolent market town of Lower Cholmeley is about to become a hot-bed of stolen antiques, valuable paintings and Underworld villainy that is a long way from the genteel antiques television programmes in which Hugo Braithwaite often takes part. Using his brother’s newly authenticated Stubbs as bait, he manages to thwart the thieves and emerge with his reputation intact.
ISBN: 9781786971005 : Paperback : Pages:212 : €7.95
Published: 22 June 2016
Order direct from https://www.feedaread.com/books/The-Devils-Door-9781786971005.aspx
Also available in Kindle e-book format,
Sea-Wife’s Walk
It all started with a picture Hugo has bought in American plus a seventy-year old triple murder; and he quickly discovers that some families will go to any lengths to protect their reputation. But the past has a way of catching up with the present and he soon finds himself embroiled in another mystery that is as dangerous as it is fascinating. The saga continues with ex-art thief, Freddie Fitzroy and DI John Moore running circles around one another – with Hugo and his team firmly in the middle.
ISBN: 9781786977731 : Paperback : Pages 216 : €7.95
Published: 19 April 2017
Order direct from https://www.feedaread.com/books/SEA-WIFES-WALK-9781786977731.aspx
Also available in Kindle e-book format.
Runners & Riders
When Hugo Braithwaite attends a prestigious sale of horseracing memorabilia to oversee the sale of a painting belonging to former art-thief, Freddie Fitzroy, he bumps into an old school friend whom he hasn’t seen since they were boys. But again the past has a way of catching up with the present and he is quickly plunged into an ageless family feud and racing scandal that is as dangerous as it is intriguing. With a few on-going romances and the offer of a high-profile television series, Team-HB find themselves in the spot-light once again.
ISBN: 9781788761048 : Paperback : Pages 202 : €7.95
Published: 9 November 2017
Order direct from https://www.feedaread.com/books/Runners-Riders-A-Hugo-Braithwaite-Mystery-Book-3-9781788761048.aspx
Also available in Kindle e-book format
Rosewood Madonna
Happenstance wasn’t a word that crept into Hugo Braithwaite’s vocabulary. He tended to find that things happened in patterns and spirals and when his young assistant, Carly Jones, discovered a valuable wood carving at a local car-boot sale it was only natural that there was going to be some sinister follow-on. “Bloody hell!” came the response from Sean, the new addition to the team. “And I thought the antiques business was all refined folk selling Georgian silver and Chinese ginger jars. Now I find it’s constant murder, art fraud, money laundering, violent assault, stolen church silver … is there anything else you’re not telling me?”
ISBN: 9781788767545 : Paperback : Pages 192 : €7.95
Published: 7 March 2019
Order direct from https://www.feedaread.com/books/ROSEWOOD-MADONNA-9781788767545.aspx
Also available in Kindle e-book format
Screenplay (novel) Suzanne Ruthven
Death … thought Hugo Braithwaite reflectively … all items in the antiques and fine art world have entered the trade via death. It doesn’t matter whether it’s the contents of a humble cottage, a grand house sale, the dispersal of a collector’s jealously hoarded treasures, or - as in this case – the personal effects of a family member or famous personality. Naomi Jessop was still a handsome woman in her late seventies who had been Margaret Gilbert’s ‘companion, dresser and general factotem’, as she described herself when she’d walked into Hugo Braithwaite: Fine Art Gallery the week before. She needed his help, it transpired, to dispose of the late star’s possessions and had been recommended by Adele Simmonds, Hugo’s own octogenarian chum, who vouched for him as a gentleman and the soul of discretion when dealing with private affairs … but as always, there was an element of darkness surrounding the late Margaret Gilbert affair, which began to manifest in an underlying current of violence and skullduggery once the discovery of her indiscreet autobiography threatened to ruffle more than a few feathers of the living.
The Hugo Braithwaite Mysteries are set in the shadowy world of antiques and fine art, where villains rub shoulders with millionaires in grand country houses and seedy back streets. Hugo Braithwaite is an antiques dealer and acknowledged authority of British watercolours, a talent which often throws him into the limelight of popular television to help sate the public thirst for discovering valuable family heirlooms and treasures in the attic. On the down side, it is also a murky realm of fakes, forgeries, felony … and the occasional murder.
ISBN 978 1 83945 580 3 : Paperback : Pages 195 : £7.95
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A Tale For All Seasons …
The Wild Horseman (novel) Suzanne Ruthven (Summer)
On the eve of the German occupation of France, crippled ex-jockey Richard Todhunter finds himself in the unenviable position of having to get himself, s sixteen-year old stable girl, an aging dog and two valuable racehorses back to England. Everywhere they turn there are strange undercurrents lurking below the surface, as the rural landscape becomes a vast hunting field - with them as the quarry, trying to outrun an alien, more brutal kind of Wild Hunt. The Wild Horseman offers the reader an opportunity to experience the thrill of a ride that will last a life-time ... and longer.
"If you loved Warhorse' you’ll adore The Wild Horseman." Heather Read
ISBN: 9781786977878 : Paperback : Pages: 228 : €7.95
Published: 17 May 2017
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The Waterboatman (Autumn) Suzanne Ruthven
Bran Mannion is the mysterious water-boatman of the canals and waterways whose appearances are as inexplicable as his understanding of human nature. The Pedlar travels the waterways, resulting in unexpected action for those he encounters along the way. He’s a man with a knack for turning up mysteriously just when something is about to happen and saying just the right thing; or asking the right question that will inspire, or solve a mystery. It is frequently hinted that Bran Mannion may be not quite human but his sudden appearances and disappearances, his exquisite timing, and the frequent impression that he knows more than he’s letting on, manages to suggest something less than worldly. And yet no one really remembers him when he leaves...
"Love the canal/water boatman theme. I've been on the Dublin canals and it was fantastic even though getting some locks open was a nightmare! Love that you’ve also included canal art and history. It's a fascinating story!" Sarah Beth Watkins, author and historian.
ISBN: 978 1 80302 130 0 : Paperback : Pages 187 : £7.95
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In preparation
The Iceman (Winter)
The Woodsman (Spring)
Whittlewood (novel) – Suzanne Ruthven
A modern Gothic horror story of ancient and modern magical morality and witchcraft ... In the old Whittlewood forest a murder awakens an ancient power - and the penalty is death. The author spent her childhood in Whittlewood Forest, a former medieval hunting forest in Northamptonshire. There are tracts of ancient woodland within the forest, and old ditch boundaries can be found at the edges of several of the individual woods. The area has been the subject of extensive academic historical research … and it has always retained its element of mystery.
Reviews:
“Whittlewood deserves to be widely read by those who want a book full of atmosphere and an underlying sense of powerful other-worldly forces at work. The setting is vivid and the characters and their motives well drawn. Would make an excellent film/TV drama, and I look forward to reading more fiction by Ms Ruthven.” Sally Spedding, author of Cold Remains, Wringland and Cloven.
5-star rating from Amazon: “This book is a real page-turner. I started reading it and had to finish it in one sitting; I just could not put it down. Whittlewood is a tale of murder and magical mystery, with some romance and a few touches of history, all of which combine to entice the reader to keep reading and reading - ever hungry for more ... Suzanne Ruthven has woven a story of magic, mystery and reality into a marvellous book. I hope she continues to write such engrossing tales. What's more her descriptive style is such that I could smell the incense and greenery in the Church; I was transported. This is one of the most original fictional works I have read in recent years.”
ISBN: 9781786976888 : Paperback : Pages 248 : €7.95
Published: 1 March 2017
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