Riley Rochester Investigates: Vols 7-9
(2023)(A book in the Riley Rochester Investigates series)
An omnibus of novels by Wendy Soliman
Death of a Matriarch
Spring 1872 Lord Riley Rochester has accepted promotion to become Detective Chief Inspector Rochester of Scotland Yard. His skills are tested when the fabulously wealthy Lady Violet Pemberton, a contemporary of his mother’s, is found dead under suspicious circumstances on the morning following her seventieth birthday celebrations. Her warring relations all had reasons for wanting the old lady dead but Riley is unable to prove which of them committed the crime.
With the help of Sergeant Salter, Riley delves into Lady Pemberton’s personal life, finding evidence of a scandalous past that only serves to muddy the waters. Was the crime motivated by greed, a family feud or a burning need for revenge? And who would kill to prevent the details of past indiscretions becoming public knowledge…
Death of a Footman
Summer 1882 The murder of Ezra Dawson, a footman employed by Sir Philip Randall, at first appears to be the result of a drunken brawl. Chief Inspector Riley Rochester and Sergeant Salter suspect darker motives when they discover that Ezra had been romantically involved with his employer’s wife. He had also put himself at odds with local criminal kingpins by establishing an illegal sporting club in the Clapham district.
With half the females south of the Thames mourning Ezra’s demise and some of Ezra’s own family members harbouring grudges against the favoured son, the case proves to be anything other than straightforward. Riley and Salter are misled and misdirected at every turn, leaving them with a plethora of suspects and few answers.
Which of those suspects had the most compelling reason to murder Ezra and can Riley and Salter find the evidence to bring those responsible to justice…
Death of a Milliner
Murder becomes personal for Lord Riley Rochester when his sergeant’s daughter is caught standing over the corpse of her former employer with the murder weapon clutched in her hands.
Riley knows that Maureen Salter is incapable of committing murder but is also aware that if he shows her any favouritism then his detractors will seize the opportunity to undermine his position as one of Scotland Yard’s leading detectives.
As Riley and Salter delve deep into the world of Victorian London’s millinery trade, they discover professional jealousies and personal resentments that cast suspicion upon a widening circle of rivals and family members, none of whom mourn the loss of the victim.
Lied to and misled at every turn, can Riley get to the truth and discover who had the most compelling reason to commit this most vicious of murders, thereby saving his own reputation and that of his stalwart sergeant…
Genre: Historical Mystery
Spring 1872 Lord Riley Rochester has accepted promotion to become Detective Chief Inspector Rochester of Scotland Yard. His skills are tested when the fabulously wealthy Lady Violet Pemberton, a contemporary of his mother’s, is found dead under suspicious circumstances on the morning following her seventieth birthday celebrations. Her warring relations all had reasons for wanting the old lady dead but Riley is unable to prove which of them committed the crime.
With the help of Sergeant Salter, Riley delves into Lady Pemberton’s personal life, finding evidence of a scandalous past that only serves to muddy the waters. Was the crime motivated by greed, a family feud or a burning need for revenge? And who would kill to prevent the details of past indiscretions becoming public knowledge…
Death of a Footman
Summer 1882 The murder of Ezra Dawson, a footman employed by Sir Philip Randall, at first appears to be the result of a drunken brawl. Chief Inspector Riley Rochester and Sergeant Salter suspect darker motives when they discover that Ezra had been romantically involved with his employer’s wife. He had also put himself at odds with local criminal kingpins by establishing an illegal sporting club in the Clapham district.
With half the females south of the Thames mourning Ezra’s demise and some of Ezra’s own family members harbouring grudges against the favoured son, the case proves to be anything other than straightforward. Riley and Salter are misled and misdirected at every turn, leaving them with a plethora of suspects and few answers.
Which of those suspects had the most compelling reason to murder Ezra and can Riley and Salter find the evidence to bring those responsible to justice…
Death of a Milliner
Murder becomes personal for Lord Riley Rochester when his sergeant’s daughter is caught standing over the corpse of her former employer with the murder weapon clutched in her hands.
Riley knows that Maureen Salter is incapable of committing murder but is also aware that if he shows her any favouritism then his detractors will seize the opportunity to undermine his position as one of Scotland Yard’s leading detectives.
As Riley and Salter delve deep into the world of Victorian London’s millinery trade, they discover professional jealousies and personal resentments that cast suspicion upon a widening circle of rivals and family members, none of whom mourn the loss of the victim.
Lied to and misled at every turn, can Riley get to the truth and discover who had the most compelling reason to commit this most vicious of murders, thereby saving his own reputation and that of his stalwart sergeant…
Genre: Historical Mystery
Used availability for Wendy Soliman's Riley Rochester Investigates: Vols 7-9