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Historia Magazine

The magazine of the Historical Writers Association

  • Features
  • New books
  • Topics
    • Writing historical fiction
    • History on your screen
    • Authors’ favourite books
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The Case of the Mad Doctor by PD Lennon

10 July 2025 By Editor

On the island of Jamaica in 1772, people have started disappearing without trace.

Have they run away, trying to start new lives in the British colony under assumed names, or is something darker afoot?

Some of the missing had taken out large life insurance policies before leaving England, and so word of the vanishings reaches Bristol when relatives try to collect their payouts.

With suspicion of a grand fraud in the air, ambitious Black barrister’s clerk Isaiah Ollenu is thrown together with pious insurance agent Ruben Ashby and ordered to the Caribbean to investigate.

But, confronted by prejudice, untoward characters and vengeful spirits, the task may cost this unlikely duo more than either man is willing to pay.

The Case of the Mad Doctor by PD Lennon is published on 10 July, 2025.

Read PD Lennon’s feature about the bizarre history behind her book.

If you enjoy historical fiction, our list of over 170 books published this year will have some other suggestions for you.

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Filed Under: New books Tagged With: 1770s, 18th century, historical crime, historical fiction, Jamaica, new release, PD Lennon, The Case of the Mad Doctor

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