Blunt Instrument

"Miss Heyer's characters and dialogue are an abiding delight to me... I have seldom met people to whom I have taken so violent a fancy from the word 'Go'."
-Dorothy L. Sayers

Slumped on a seat under an oak tree is old Sampson Warrenby, with a bullet through his head.

Everybody in the village is ready to tell Chief Inspector Hemingway who did it. Could the murderer have been the dead man's niece? Or perhaps it was the other town solicitor? The couple at the farm had a guilty secret-what was it? And why is it someone else actually wants to be the prime suspect?

Add to this the fact that Warrenby was blackmailing someone, and Hemingway has his work cut out for him.

"Georgette Heyer is second to none in her ability to make detective stories entertaining."
-Sunday Times

Georgette Heyer wrote over fifty books, including Regency romances, mysteries, and historical fiction. Her barrister husband, Ronald Rougier, provided many of the plots for her detective novels, which are classic English country house mysteries reminiscent of Agatha Christie. Heyer was legendary for her research, historical accuracy, inventive plots, and sparkling characterization.

Inspector Hemingway has his work cut out for him when a seemingly civilized game of Duplicate Bridge leads to a double murder. The crimes seem identical, but were they carried out by the same hand? Things become even more complicated when the fiancée of the inspector's young friend Timothy Kane becomes Hemingway's prime suspect. Kane is determined to prove the lady's innocence-but when he begins digging into her past, he finds it's more than a little bit shady...

Praise for Georgette Heyer:

"Ranks alongside such incomparable whodunit authors as Christie, Marsh, Tey, and Allingham." -San Francisco Chronicle

"The wittiest of detective story writers." -Daily Mail

"Pungent dialogue and A1 characterization." -Time magazine

"Ms. Heyer is one of the most entertaining writers I have ever read." -Reading Extravaganza

"Miss Heyer has the delightful talent of blending humor with mystery." -Boston Evening Transcript

'Tis the season-to be dead...

A holiday party takes on a sinister aspect when the colorful assortment of guests discovers there is a killer in their midst. The owner of the substantial estate, that old Scrooge Nathaniel Herriard, is found stabbed in the back. While the delicate matter of inheritance could be the key to this crime, the real conundrum is how any of the suspects could have entered a locked room to commit the foul deed.

For Inspector Hemingway of Scotland Yard, the investigation is complicated by the fact that every guest is hiding something-throwing all of their testimony into question and casting suspicion far and wide. The clever and daring crime will mystify readers, yet the answer is in plain sight all along...

Praise for Georgette Heyer:

"Miss Heyer's characters and dialogue are an abiding delight to me...I have seldom met people to whom I have taken so violent a fancy from the word 'Go'." - Dorothy L. Sayers

"A writer of great wit and style." - Daily Telegraph

"Ms. Heyer is one of the most entertaining writers I have ever ready." - Reading Extravaganza

"Miss Heyer has the delightful talent of blending humor with mystery." - Boston Evening Transcript

Georgette Heyer wrote over fifty books, including Regency Romances, mysteries, and historical fiction. Her barrister husband Ronald Rougier, provided many of the plots for her detective novels, which are classic English country house mysteries reminiscent of Agatha Christie. Heyer was legendary for her research, historical accuracy, inventive plots, and sparkling characterizations.

A houseful of people he loathes is not Sir Arthur's worst problem…

It should have been a lovely English country-house weekend. But the unfortunate guest-list is enough to exasperate a saint, and the host, Sir Arthur Billington-Smith, is an abusive wretch hated by everyone from his disinherited son to his wife's stoic would-be lover. When Sir Arthur is found stabbed to death, no one is particularly grieved-and no one has an alibi. The unhappy guests fi nd themselves under the scrutiny of Scotland Yard's cool-headed Inspector Harding, who has solved tough cases before-but this time, the talented young inspector discovers much more than he's bargained for.

PRAISE FOR GEORGETTE HEYER:

"Miss Heyer has the delightful talent of blending humor with mystery."
Boston Evening Transcript

"Heyer is an author to read-this means you!"
New York Herald Tribune

"Miss Heyer's characters and dialogue are an abiding delight to me... I have seldom met people to whom I have taken so violent a fancy from the word 'Go.'"
Dorothy L. Sayers

"Miss Heyer's characters act and speak with an ease and conviction that is as refreshing as it is rare in the ordinary mystery novel."
-Times Literary Supplement

"The characters are...among the most complex and believable characters she has created."
-Boston Evening Transcript

A family tyrant whose murder has shocking and far-reaching consequences...

Hated for his cruel and vicious nature, yet ruling his family with an iron hand from his sickbed, tyrannical patriarch Adam Penhallow is found murdered the day before his birthday. His entire family had assembled for his birthday celebration, and every one of them had the ways and means to commit the crime. As accusation and suspicion turn in one direction, then another, the claws and backstabbing come out, and no one is exempt from the coming implosion.

What readers are saying:

"The psychology of the suspects was fascinating."

"An impressive piece of writing, darker than Heyer's other mysteries."

Georgette Heyer wrote over fifty books, including Regency romances, mysteries, and historical fiction. Her barrister husband, Ronald Rougier, provided many of the plots for her detective novels, which are classic English country house mysteries reminiscent of Agatha Christie. Heyer was legendary for her research, historical accuracy, inventive plots, and sparkling characterization.

The superlatively analytical Inspector Hemingway is confronted by a murder that seems impossible-no one was near the murder weapon at the time the shot was fired. Everyone on the scene seems to have a motive, not to mention the wherewithal to commit murder, and alibis that simply don't hold up. The inspector is sorely tried by a wide variety of suspects, including the neglected widow, the neighbor who's in love with her, her resentful daughter, and a patently phony Russian prince preying on the widow's emotional vulnerability and social aspirations. And then there's the blackmail plot that may-or may not-be at the heart of the case…

PRAISE FOR GEORGETTE HEYER:

"Our Georgette Heyer display of the Sourcebooks reprints has been a huge success, not only to those early fans like myself, but to many new readers who appreciate her style and wit."
Nancy Olson, Quail Ridge Books, Raleigh, NC

"Reading Georgette Heyer is the next best thing to reading Jane Austen."
Publishers Weekly

"Wonderful characters, elegant, witty writing, perfect period detail, and rapturously romantic. Georgette Heyer achieves what the rest of us only aspire to."
Katie Fforde

Experience Georgette Heyer's sparkling dialogue in one of her most popular mysteries.

It's no ordinary morning at the Poplars - the master is found dead in his bed and it turns out that his high blood pressure was not the cause of death. Heyer uses her attention to detail and brilliant characterizations to concoct a baffling crime for which every single member of the quarrelsome family has a motive, and none, of course, has an alibi. Heyer's sparkling dialogue is a master class in British wit, sarcasm and the intricacies of life above and below stairs.

Meet the Matthews - before the next one dies...
It's no ordinary morning at the Poplars - the master is found dead in his bed, and it seems his high blood pressure was not the cause. When an autopsy reveals a sinister poison, it's up to the quietly resourceful Inspector Hannasyde to catch the murderer in time to spare the next victim. But every single member of the quarrelsome Matthews family has a motive and none, of course, has an alibi.

PRAISE FOR BEHOLD, HERE'S POISON:

"Miss Heyer's characters and dialogue are an abiding delight to me... I have seldom met people to whom I have taken so violent a fancy from the word 'Go.'" —Dorothy L. Sayers

"The wittiest of detective writers." —Daily Mail

"The ingredients are so well and carefully mixed, the writing is so bright, and the solution so unexpected that the book achieves success and remains one no reader can fail to enjoy."—Manchester Guardian

"A marvelous melange of malice, murder, mystery, and mirth. Priceless!" —Saturday Review

One heir after another turns up dead…

Silas Kane's sixtieth birthday party is marred by argument and dissension amongst his family, and then the next morning, Kane is found dead. The coroner's verdict of death by misadventure would seem to confirm that Silas accidentally lost his way in the fog. But then his heir is shot, and threats are made against the next in line to inherit his fortune. The redoubtable Superintendent Hannasyde is called in to investigate. All clues point to an apparently innocuous eighty-year-old woman, but as the Inspector delves further into the case, he discovers that nothing is quite as it seems…

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PRAISE FOR THEY FOUND HIM DEAD:

"Ranks alongside such incomparable whodunit authors as Christie, Marsh, Tey, and Allingham."
San Francisco Chronicle

"The author introduces us to enough lively and interesting people to make the book attractive even without its ingenious detective plot."
The Times Literary Supplement

"Miss Heyer's characters and dialogue are an abiding delight to me… I have seldom met people to whom I have taken so violent a fancy from the word 'Go'."
Dorothy L. Sayers

***
More Praise for Miss Heyer:

"Our Georgette Heyer display of the Sourcebooks reprints has been a huge success, not only to those early fans like myself, but to many new readers who appreciate her style and wit."
Nancy Olson, Quail Ridge Books, Raleigh, NC

"Reading Georgette Heyer is the next best thing to reading Jane Austen."
Publishers Weekly

"Wonderful characters, elegant, witty writing, perfect period detail, and rapturously romantic. Georgette Heyer achieves what the rest of us only aspire to."
Katie Fforde

"Fascinating reading...authentic atmosphere in a delightful Enlgish tale"
-Chicago Sunday Tribune

Less than a hero's welcome...

Returning to his family seat from Waterloo, Gervase Frant, seventh Earl of St Erth, could have expected more enthusiasm for his homecoming. His quiet cousin, stepmother, and young half-brother seem openly disappointed that he survived the wars. And when he begins to fall for his half-brother's sweetheart, his chilly reception goes from unfriendly to positively murderous.

One of Heyer's most suspenseful Regency romances, The Quiet Gentleman combines an ingenious mystery plot with her signature witty style and effervescently engaging characters.

What Readers Say:

"A must read. You will love the quirky characters, the great suspense plot, and the incredible wit."

"A breath of fresh air... Heyer's witty dialog, engaging and sparkling characters, and humorous repartee make this an engaging and wonderful read."

"One of my favourites; it is a mystery as well as a lighthearted comedy of manners."

Georgette Heyer wrote over fifty novels, including Regency romances, mysteries, and historical fiction. She was known as the Queen of Regency romance, and was legendary for her research, historical accuracy, and her extraordinary plots and characterizations.