Death Among the Ruins
by Susanna Calkins

Midnight assignations, dresses fit to meet the queen . . . and murder most horrid! Printer’s apprentice Lucy Campion investigates a puzzling death in this thrilling historical mystery set in seventeenth-century London.

London, 1668. Printer’s apprentice Lucy Campion is suspicious when she meets a young ragpicker who claims to have fine clothes to sell from a lady of quality. Are the garments stolen . . . or something worse?

Her suspicions are soon realized when the clothes are identified as belonging to a recently deceased elderly aristocrat. Young Mercy Sykes has robbed a grave! Mercy is arrested, and it’s only thanks to Lucy’s intervention that the ragpicker, who has a disabled sister who depends on her, isn’t locked up.

Lucy doesn’t expect to see Mercy again, but their meeting soon has unexpected consequences. For when Mercy finds a dead woman in the ruins of Christchurch, dressed in unexpected finery, it’s to Lucy who she turns for help . . .

Lucy Campion is a feisty working-class heroine, plying her trade as a printer’s apprentice in Renaissance London. If you’re new to the series (it’s safe to jump right in), we can’t wait for you to meet her in this twisty, puzzle-packed historical mystery, brimming with authenticity!

Reviews

“This series keeps getting better”

Publishers Weekly on The Cry of the Hangman

“Packed with intriguing historical details, which ably support a clever plot and a captivating heroine”

Booklist on The Cry of the Hangman

“Creepy and ingenious”

Kirkus Reviews on The Cry of the Hangman

“A crisply written, cleverly plotted, and nicely detailed historical mystery, with a lively heroine and a satisfying ending”

Booklist on The Sign of the Gallows

“Lavish period detail, romantic tension, and a complex puzzle make the heroine’s fifth adventure one of her best”

Kirkus Reviews on The Sign of the Gallows

“Calkins makes fine use of advances in mathematics and cryptography of this period, while also drawing in the chaos of the Great Fire and plague in London as agents of change in society. For anyone interested in 17th-century England, this mystery is a treat”

Publishers Weekly on The Sign of the Gallows

“An involving tale. Solid historical mystery, with intriguing hints about the future”

Booklist on A Death Along the River Fleet

“A nice option for devotees of Anne Rutherford and Samuel Thomas

Library Journal on A Death Along the River Fleet

“An enjoyably complex mystery with a clever heroine neatly interweaves detailed historical background with fascinating characters”

Kirkus Reviews on A Death Along the River Fleet

Susanna Calkins

Susanna Calkins is the author of the award-winning Lucy Campion mystery series, set in seventeenth century London, and the Speakeasy mysteries, set in Prohibition-era Chicago. She has a PhD in history and works at the Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science . Born and raised in Philadelphia, she currently lives in the Chicago area with her husband and two sons.

View author page

Editions

Death Among the Ruins by Susanna Calkins is available in the following formats

Hardback97814483061456th June 2023144 X 225mm240$29.99
Hardback97814483061456th June 2023144 X 225mm240£21.99
Ebook97814483061526th June 2023N/A240$14.99
Ebook97814483061526th June 2023N/A240£12.99
Paperback978144830616927th February 2024135 X 210mm240$18.99
Paperback978144830616928th December 2023135 X 210mm240£13.99
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