We’re on the Black Isle, in 1831. As seagulls shriek and rise on the coastal winds, a circulating library in the bustling port town of Cromarty is meeting for the first time. Ostensibly united by a love of books, the demands of social convention have brought together a disparate group of people. Charlotte Mackenzie, the […]
Latest releases from HWA members
The Night Hag by Hester Musson
Scotland in 1886, where Lil, a keen archaeologist, has arrived at Pitcarden to lead a dig on a Bronze Age burial mound. Having escaped the clutches of her mother, a famous medium, and committed herself to a life of rational enquiry, she is determined to unearth the treasures buried deep, despite growing protests from the […]
Celebrations at the Toffee Factory by Glenda Young
The Great War has ended, but Jack’s toffee factory struggles after years of sugar rations and its troubles are far from over. Fun, feisty Elsie longs for freedom and excitement. Hoping to meet the man of her dreams, she spurns the attention of dependable Stan. Will she realise that what she wants and what she […]
The Secrets of Dragonfly Lodge by Rachel Hore
Nancy Foster has harboured a devastating secret that shattered her professional and personal life. On meeting her, journalist Stef Lansdown realizes that she has the power to restore Nancy’s reputation and to heal the wounds, if only Nancy will trust her. But someone else wants to get to the bottom of the story first, someone […]
The Face Stealer by Sarah Rayne
In London, in 1909, the Fitzglens combine running London’s finest theatre with a very profitable side-line in stealing. But while they might be thieves, they still have principles. They never pinch anything their victim couldn’t afford to lose. When a stranger approaches Jack Fitzglen after a performance, claiming that a Fitzglen has committed a grave […]
Beattie Cavendish and the Highland Hideaway by Mary-Jane Riley
The Cold War is intensifying in 1949 and rumours abound that the Russians are close to creating an atomic bomb. Beattie Cavendish, special operative for a covert section of GCHQ, is sent to Scotland, to the listening station at Kilbray. Beattie’s arrival is greeted with suspicion by the station’s staff. She faces an uphill battle […]
Beattie Cavendish and the White Pearl Club by Mary-Jane Riley
In 1948 the shadow of war still lingers over Britain and Beattie Cavendish, former Secret Operations Executive agent, refuses to settle into civilian life. When offered an undercover role at the newly-formed GCHQ, the nerve centre of Britain’s intelligence network, she doesn’t hesitate. Her first mission is to infiltrate the powerful Bowen family and find […]
The Blood Countess by Shelley Puhak
There have long been whispers, coming from the castle; from the village square; from the dark woods.The great lady-a countess, from one of Europe’s oldest families-is a vicious killer. Some even say she bathes in the blood of her victims. When the king’s men force their way into her manor house, she has blood on […]