Most Popular Books by John Lawrence

Although the illustrious career of Sherlock Holmes has been documented in innumerable stories over the decades, some accounts have remained classified due to their extremely sensitive nature … until now. Cases involving major historical figures and topics –Winston Churchill's request to investigate the emerging Nazi Party, the emergency surgery on the British monarch, the apparent suicide of a leading suffragist and the strange death of an American president – have been locked away, sometimes with explicit instructions that they be kept from public view well into the future. Now, these cases are available to readers in the collection The Undiscovered Archives of Sherlock Holmes. Each of these seven stories is linked to a major historical figure or event. The actual nature of the case had often been misunderstood for a century and more because of the need to respect the privacy of those involved and, in some cases, to avoid potentially embarrassing disclosures and diplomatic controversies. The author of these “history mysteries” is John Lawrence, a University of California-trained history Ph.D. who spent nearly 40 years as a top staff person in the U.S. House of Representatives, the last 8 as chief of staff to Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The author uses his professional training to blend historical fact with Holmesian embellishments that produce unique stories any devotee of The Canon will enjoy. These are all traditional-style pastiches published in various anthologies from 2015 – 2020, including the MX Book of New Sherlock Holmes Stories.

Corporate governance brings transparency to corporate decision-making, however more research is needed into the rationale for the diffusion of governance codes to developing countries. This book explores why listed corporations in Peru decided to comply with a voluntary code of corporate governance practice introduced in 2014 to over 200 corporations registered on the Lima stock exchange. It looks at why some listed corporations would incur the expense of actively complying with such a code when it is neither suited to their corporate ownership structures, nor to their equity markets. Combining empirical research with a sound theoretical base and interviews with those working in the field, the book comes to an objective conclusion that rejects the description that big businesses in Latin America are self-interested and frequently corrupt, and instead are concerned about sustainability and building legitimacy in their chosen domains.

This book illustrates the diverse and simultaneous happenings in the varied and complex Europe of the 1500s and 1600s AD, mainly focusing on England and Italy, the two major protagonists of this most fascinating period of history, when military interventions, literature, art and religious philosophies formed the Europe which we have inherited today. The book is enriched with more than 1000 illustrations and a 100-year calendar of historical events, in addition to references to 1,168 important contemporaries who lived in England, Italy and Europe during the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods. This book also delves in depth into the fascinating mystery of the authorship question in relation to who wrote the Shakespearean works.

It's almost summer in small town Port Ainslie. Or is it? Temperatures are so far below normal that Police Chief Maxine Benson and her team are wearing sweaters. But is it cold enough to freeze the body of the man found in a ditch on the outskirts of town one morning? Maxine starts to investigate, but she is elbowed aside by the mostly-male provincial police force so she takes charge on her own. Soon she's visiting the victim's cold-hearted widow, tracking the widow's mysterious brother, and confronting the killer alone in a tract of forest. Will Maxine's skills solve this twisting tale of a case? This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for older teen readers and adults who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read! The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

Leaving behind the violence of the Boston streets and the politics of the Boston Police Department, homicide detective Joe McGuire is settled in a new life in the Bahamas. When Aunt Cora, his closest living relative, dies McGuire returns home to attend her funeral and settle her estate. McGuire quickly discovers that closing Cora’s affairs is anything but simple. And when suspicions of murder provoke an attempt on his own life, McGuire is forced to dig into his aunt’s past, revealing crimes long past and covered up . . . but not forgotten. Gypsy Sins is the fourth novel in the Joe McGuire mystery series, and won the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Mystery Novel. It is followed by Solitary Dancer. Praise for Gypsy Sins “...a sly and ingenious story that keeps one’s attention throughout all its twists and turns.”—Books in Canada

Relegated to reviewing unsolved murders as the result of a courtroom outburst, Boston homicide detective Lieutenant Joe McGuire becomes obsessed with solving the murder of a young woman found in the Boston Fens. Working with his now-quadriplegic ex-partner Ollie Schantz, McGuire follows a lead to ever-dangerous Texas-Mexican border and eventually to the very doorstep of the killer where he learns that everything—and everyone—may not be what it first appears to be. And Leaver Her Lay Dying is the second novel in the Joe McGuire mystery series, and was short-listed for the Arthur Ellis Best Novel Award. It is followed by Whisper Death. Praise for And Leave Her Lay Dying “This is, quite simply, a terrific book.”—Globe and Mail