New Releases by Jim Eldridge

His Holiness needs to meet Museum Detectives, Mr and Mrs Wilson, urgently. It''s been two years since Daniel and Abigail Wilson visited the Eternal City, and this time they''re invited by none other than Pope Leo XIII himself. But this is no sightseeing visit, as the renowned detectives are asked to put their skills to good use, investigating a suspected assassination attempt from within the Vatican''s walls. Who can be trusted when murder could come from any direction? As the detectives begin to delve into the workings of the Vatican they encounter all manner of threats, with possible Mafia involvement likely. It seems not everyone views the presence of two British non-Catholics as welcome in such matters, and they certainly do not appreciate them meddling in finely laid plans.

May 1941. Both the centre of London and rural Kent continue to take a battering from German bombers. Canterbury and its distinctive cathedral are among the hardest hit. The landmark and holy site is the scene of further tragedy when Canon Walter de la Coeur is found savagely bludgeoned to death on the exact spot where Thomas Becket also met his end centuries before. Detective Chief Inspector Coburg and Sergeant Lampson are called in from Scotland Yard and must sift through the dead man''s responsibilities for the cathedral''s finances, as well as his private life. But their quest to find the killer is hampered when the deadly force of the Blitz strikes very close to home.

''The plotting is excellent, with admirable narrative drive . an engaging and entertaining read'' Historical Novels Review January 1901. Abigail and Daniel Wilson, often lauded as ''The Museum Detectives'', are on their way to the Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza. Their explorations of the pyramid, including the Robbers'' Tunnel, take a very sinister turn when they come upon the dead body of a man who has been brutally garrotted. Investigations by the local police reveal him to be Simeon McGruder, a wealthy American who is financing an excavation of the pyramids. When Daniel and Abigail return to Cairo they are asked by the American Embassy if they can take on the case, but they have a difficult path to tread as they try to keep different factions onside: the British and American authorities, the puppet Egyptian Government and officials, while at the same time facing lies and deviousness from McGruder''s associates and friends.

Rome, 1900. Fifteen years ago, Abigail Wilson joined an archaeological dig at the Colosseum at the start of her career. She returns now to the Eternal City as a guest speaker for a festival on Classical Rome, including the site of legendary gladiator battles. Travelling with Abigail is her husband, Daniel Wilson, a private investigator with whom she has built up a reputation for solving complex cases. The trip is also meant to be a well-earned holiday, but the bloody history of the ancient arena seeps into the present with the violent murder of one of Abigail''s colleagues and his wife at the Colosseum itself. Moving from the Forum to the Spanish Steps, Rome is suddenly the backdrop of another investigation for the Museum Detectives, who must contend with the local authorities and a shady mafia influence if they are to crack this case.

April, 1941. At the former Whitechapel Road Underground station, repurposed as an air raid shelter since the onset of the Blitz, the body of a woman has been discovered, stabbed and eviscerated. With the ghoulish history of Jack the Ripper and his victims not far from their thoughts, Detective Chief Inspector Coburg and Sergeant Lampson are called from Scotland Yard to examine the scene. In the station''s dark and dingy tunnels they stumble across a battered Victorian doctor''s case containing surgical tools. Has it been deliberately left to be discovered? With the spectre of London''s most famous killer looming large over their investigation, Coburg and Lampson are under pressure to swiftly conclude this very difficult case as more victims come to light. But that proves to be a challenge when King George and the Prime Minister Winston Churchill seek their help with a puzzling inquiry that also has links to Whitechapel.

London, March 1941. The Blitz continues to cast a shadow over the city''s brightest spots such as the Café de Paris. Having narrowly escaped a devastating bomb attack on the nightclub, Detective Chief Inspector Coburg and Sergeant Lampson are called to the disused Lord''s Underground station where the body of a man has been discovered. The dead man was beaten to death by what may have been a cricket bat. Is he linked to the British Empire XI, made up of players from Great Britain and far-flung corners of the globe, who are playing at the world-famous Lord''s Cricket Ground? Coburg and Lampson are certainly put in a spin by this complex case.

Paris, 1899. Abigail Wilson has received an invitation from Professor Alphonse Flamand, a prominent French Professor of Archaeology, to join him on a dig in Egypt. Overjoyed to be presented with such an opportunity, Abigail and her husband, Daniel, travel to Paris to meet the Professor to discuss plans. However, when Abigail goes to the appointment at his office in the Louvre, she finds Flamand dead with a knife in his chest. In a whirl of confusion and despite her pleas of innocence, Abigail is arrested. Determined to prove that she has been framed for Flamand''s brutal murder, the Museum Detectives will delve far into the shadowy corners of the City of Light for the truth.

These world-renowned museums hold some deadly secrets ... Murder at the Fitzwilliam 1894. Daniel Wilson, who made his name investigating the case of Jack the Ripper alongside the formidable Inspector Abberline, is now working as a private enquiry agent. When the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge finds itself in need of urgent - and discreet - assistance, he is the natural first choice. The museum will soon unveil its new Egyptian collection, but strange occurrences have followed the exhibits to Britain including the discovery of a dead body in a previously empty sarcophagus. Aided by the talented resident archaeologist, Abigail Fenton, can Wilson unravel the mystery before the museum''s public launch? Murder at the British Museum 1894, London. Professor Lance Pickering had been due to give a talk at the British Museum, when his brutally stabbed body is discovered. Daniel Wilson is called in to solve the mystery with the help and expertise of archaeologist Abigail Fenton. With their investigation hampered by persistent journalists, vandals and a fanatical society, and the pressure building with another fatality, Wilson and Fenton must race against time to salvage the reputation of the museum and catch a murderer desperate for revenge. Murder at the Ashmolean Museum 1895, Oxford. The Ashmolean Museum is a site of tragedy when a manager is found with a bullet hole between his eyes, a pistol discarded close by. Police have ruled the death as suicide but staff at the museum remain unconvinced. Daniel Wilson and Abigail Fenton''s inquiries are hindered by an interfering lone agent from Special Branch, mislaid artefacts and a web of bureaucracy as the hunt for a dangerous killer intensifies. Murder at the Manchester Museum 1895. Former Jack the Ripper detective Daniel Wilson and his archaeologist assistant Abigail Fenton are summoned to investigate the murder of a young woman at the Manchester Museum. The case turns more sinister when the body of a second woman is discovered. With the help of a local journalist, Wilson and Fenton hope to unravel the mystery, but the journey to the truth is fraught with obstacles, and the mistakes of the past will not be forgotten ... Murder at the Natural History Museum 1895, London. When the Museum Detectives are asked to investigate a vandalised dinosaur skeleton at the Natural History Museum, there is evidence that the fossil-hunting mania of the notorious Bone Wars in America may have reached British shores. Events take a sinister turn though when a museum attendant is found dead by the famous theatre manager Bram Stoker, who may be more involved than he is willing to admit. Facing mounting pressure Wilson and Fenton must rely on their talents and instincts to solve their most intriguing case yet. ''A captivating new series'' Marni Graff

Christmas, 1940. A temporary truce between the German and Allied forces is a welcome respite from the relentless air raids over London. Down Street underground station, in the heart of Mayfair, is now a secret retreat for Prime Minister Winston Churchill and his cabinet. In this supposedly secure location, the body of a woman is found, stabbed in the heart. Detective Chief Inspector Coburg and Sergeant Lampson are called to investigate. However, whispers of treason as well as the suspicion of insidious Russian plots muddy the waters of the case, and personal resentments strike far too close to home. Everything is on the line for Coburg and Lampson as the body count steadily rises.

December, 1940. With the Luftwaffe pounding the city nightly, Londoners seek refuge in underground stations. Aldwych has been taken out of service to provide shelter for the British Museum''s priceless Elgin Marbles, as well as civilians escaping the bombing. When the body of a young man is discovered on the tracks, wearing evening dress but barefoot, Detective Chief Inspector Coburg and Sergeant Lampson are on the case. Before long, more bodies are discovered, and Coburg''s wife Rosa becomes a target for the brutal killer. Caught up in a world of underground jazz clubs, abandoned tube stations and looters, Coburg and Lampson must track down the ruthless murderer before it''s too late.

London, 1899. Queen Victoria lays the foundation stone on the site of what she names as The Victoria and Albert Museum. Shortly after, the Museum Detectives Daniel Wilson and Abigail Fenton are called to the site because the dead body of curator Andrew Page has been found.The Queen is determined that nothing will sully the new museum, and by association her beloved Albert''s legacy. But the more Wilson and Fenton dig, the more they discover other potential motives for Page''s murder, some with potentially explosive implications. They will have to tread carefully as someone is determined to stand in their way .

A grim portrait of murder in Victorian London. 1897, London. The capital is shocked to learn that the body of a woman has been found at the National Gallery, eviscerated in a manner that recalls all too strongly the exploits of the infamous Jack the Ripper. Daniel Wilson and Abigail Fenton are contacted by a curator of the National Gallery for their assistance. The dead woman, an artist''s model and lady of the night, had links to artist Walter Sickert who was a suspect during the Ripper''s spree of killings. Scotland Yard have arrested Sickert on suspicion of this fresh murder but it is not the last. Copycat murders of the Ripper''s crimes implicate the artist who loves to shock but Sickert insists that he is innocent. Who would want to frame him? Wilson and Fenton have their work cut out catching an elusive and determined killer.

1895. Former Scotland Yard detective Daniel Wilson, famous for working the notorious Jack the Ripper case, and his archaeologist sidekick Abigail Fenton are summoned to investigate the murder of a young woman at the Manchester Museum. Though staff remember the woman as a recent and regular visitor, no one appears to know her and she has no possessions from which to identify her. When the pair arrive, the case turns more deadly when the body of a second woman is discovered hidden in the depths of the museum. Seeking help from a local journalist, Daniel hopes to unravel this mystery, but the journey to the truth is fraught with obstacles and the mistakes of the past will not be forgotten ...

1895. A senior executive at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford is found in his office with a bullet hole between his eyes, a pistol discarded close by. The death has officially been ruled as suicide by local police, but with an apparent lack of motive for such action, the museum''s administrator, Gladstone Marriott, suspects foul play. With his cast-iron reputation for shrewdness, formed during his time investigating the case of Jack the Ripper alongside Inspector Abberline, private enquiry agent Daniel Wilson is a natural choice to discreetly explore the situation, ably assisted by his partner, archaeologist-cum-detective Abigail Fenton. Yet their enquiries are hindered from the start by an interfering lone agent from Special Branch, ever secretive and intimidating in his methods. With rumours of political ructions from South Africa, mislaid artefacts and a lost Shakespeare play, Wilson and Fenton soon find themselves tangled in bureaucracy. Making unlikely alliances, the pair face players who live by a different set of rules and will need their intellect and ingenuity to reveal the secrets of the aristocracy.

After rising to prominence for his role investigating the case of Jack the Ripper, former Detective Inspector Daniel Wilson is now retired. Known for his intelligence, investigative skills, and most of all his discretion, he''s often consulted when a case must be solved quickly and quietly. So when a body is found in the Egyptian Collection of the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, Wilson is called in. As he tries to uncover the identity of the dead man and the circumstances surrounding his demise, Wilson must contend with an unhelpful police Inspector, and more alarmingly, Abigail McKenzie, the archaeologist who discovered the body and is determined to protect the Egyptian collection. Can they find a way to work together to solve the mystery?

London, 1921. Cabinet minister Lord Amersham is shot dead outside his Regents Park home, two bullets to the chest, one to the forehead. The killing bears the hallmarks of a professional hit. DCI Paul Stark of Scotland Yard is under pressure to produce a quick result. But then there is a second murder - and the case takes a terrifying new twist.

DCI Paul Stark discovers that the bitter legacy of WWI casts a long shadow in the second of this intriguing historical mystery series. London, 1921. Lord Johnny Fairfax has been found dead in his study, along with a second victim, a mysterious American who arrived unannounced the previous evening. For DCI Paul Stark, the case is personal: he’s in a relationship with Lord Fairfax’s former wife, Lady Amelia. The dead man had no shortage of enemies. Winston Churchill, his former colleague at the War Office, is convinced the murder is revenge for the disaster at Gallipoli. Lady Amelia herself is accused of the crime. And who was the American visitor? What was his connection with Lord Fairfax – and could he have been the real target? As Stark digs deeper, he uncovers evidence of a shocking conspiracy that strikes at the heart of the British Establishment

Cat and Dog are detectives. Can they solve The Case of the Disappearing Fish?Oxford Reading Tree All Stars is an engaging chapter fiction series which combines age-appropriate content with imaginative stories, perfect for inspiring and stretching able infants. The series develops comprehension skills and provides a wide variety of fiction topics and styles, alongsideillustrations that aid understanding.All the books in this series are carefully levelled, so it''s easy to match every child to the right book - one which will develop their reading skills and fuel their love of reading. Help with children''s reading development is also available at ahref="https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/"www.oxfordowl.co.uk/a.

TRENCHES is set in 1917 and is the story of Billy Stevens, a telegraph operator, stationed near Ypres. The Great War has been raging for three years when Billy finds himself taking part in the deadly Big Push forward. But he is shocked to discover that the bullets of his fellow soldiers aren''t just aimed at the enemy.

A new title to add to the popular My Story series. It''s AD 84 when Bran, a prince of the Carvetii tribe, is captured by the Romans. A legion of soldiers is marching east, to build a military road. It''s hostile country, and Bran is to go with them as a hostage to ensure the legion''s safety ... but no one is safe in newly conquered Britain.

The Wrestling Trolls are BACK, facing nasty bullies and vengeful villains. Here come the Wrestling Trolls with two great new adventures! Jack, Milo, Robin and Big Rock are back, and they have a new friend with them too - Blaze, the magical phoenix. As usual, the gang are low on money, so they plan to come together as a family and make some dosh by taking on notorious bully Buster Gutt. Unfortunately, Buster is even meaner than they thought, and soon poor Jack finds himself and his alter-ego THUD in some seriously hot water... In the second story, villainous Lord Veto tries to break up the Waldo''s Wrestling Trolls family. He plants seeds of doubt in Jack, which sets Milo off, and soon Princess Ava is caught in the middle of two very grumpy boys - when they have a wrestling tournament to fight! The brave Wrestling Trolls troupe must come together for glory once more in this hilarious and heartfelt series.

It is 1918. A British soldier, Bill Sparkes, is carrying an important message for American troops on the frontline. Sparkes is soon caught up in the fighting when the Americans are attacked. With bullets flying all around, Sparkes must find a way to support the Americans and stop the Germans breaking through... This title is published by Franklin Watts EDGE, which produces a range of books to get children reading with confidence. EDGE - for books kids can''t put down.

Alan Turing was one of the most influential thinkers of the 20th century. He created one of the first designs for a stored-program computer and is widely considered to be the father of computer science and artificial intelligence. During World War II, Turing worked for the Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park, Britain''s codebreaking centre, where he was responsible for breaking German naval codes, including the supposedly unbreakable Enigma code, and helping the Atlantic convoys avoid German U-boat attacks. This work probably shortened World War II by up to four years, saving millions of lives. This is the story of the amazing life and work of a British hero and one of the greatest thinkers of the 20th century.

Collins Big Cat readers and workbooks help children to learn how to read in English - accurately, fluently and with enjoyment. Contains the following Readers and Workbooks: · China''s Terracotta Army (gold) · I never know how poems start (white) · Charles Dickens (lime) · Animals on the Move (copper) · Monster in the Mirror (copper)

This title is part of Bug Club, the first whole-school reading programme that joins books with an online reading world to teach today''s children to read. This title is suitable for ages 7-8 (Brown level).

Along the line of Hadrian''s Wall, someone is murdering people and taking their heads. Is this a ritualistic killer or a revenge mission? Detective Inspector Andreas Georgiou of Carlisle CID is brought back from suspension to investigate, but with an accusation of brutality on his record and a superior officer set on hanging him out to dry, his work will be anything but straightforward. Fighting battles on several fronts Georgiou slips deep into a web of corruption, extreme right-wing idealism and the shocking realization that the identity of the serial killer will be hard to discover and even harder to believe.

These three thrilling wartime adventures transport the reader to the heat of battle. Depth-charge Danger sees submariner John Smith on a top-secret mission to Norway using the experimental and dangerous X-craft. Night Bomber takes the action to the sky as John prepares to risk his life to destroy the German V2-rocket factory. Island of Fear follows John during the invasion of the Pacific island Iwo Jima, one of the Second World War''s most ferocious battles. Riveting fictionalised accounts, packed with historical detail, give a new immediacy to the Second World War that will enthral young readers.

An action-packed sleuth thriller for fans of the Da Vinci Code

An action-packed historical sleuth thriller for fans of The Da Vinci Code

These thrilling wartime adventures transport the reader to the heat of battle. ''Deadly Skies'' sees John Smith, Spitfire pilot, in the throes of the Battle of Britain. ''Tank Attack'' takes the action to the deserts of North Africa as John witnesses the Battle of El Alamein from behind a tank. ''Behind Enemy Lines'' takes us forward to 1943 to the jungles of South-East Asia, as John undertakes a dangerous commando mission. Riveting fictionalised accounts, packed with historical detail, give a new immediacy to WWII that will enthral young male readers.