Poppy Denby is back! In this final book in the current series Poppy heads to Oxford to investigate the mysterious death of an Oxford scientist, a Somerville College graduate who is found dead in the History of Science Museum. But ghosts from Poppy’s past haunt her and her ‘happy ever after’ with Daniel may soon fall apart. Will Poppy unmask the villain and save her love life all at the same time?

Murder of an Oxford Scientist (previously published as The Crystal Crypt) is out now in ebook and paperback (still in audio as The Crystal Crypt). The gorgeous cover is by Lisa Brewster. And yes, that is a real 1922 Remington portable typewriter! (it’s mine!). Buy here now!

It’s 1924. Poppy Denby, Fleet Street journalist, is hoping for a few weeks off, visiting her family in Newcastle upon Tyne. She’s reluctantly roped into filling in for the publicist of a renowned artist who, inconveniently, is then murdered on Poppy’s watch – at the Laing Art Gallery. ‘Murder at the Art Gallery’, #5 in the Poppy Denby Investigates series, is out now! https://loom.ly/gdhqLcY

(This was formerly published as The Art Fiasco by Lion Fiction. The audiobook by WF Howes is still under that name.)

Since the first Poppy Denby book, The Jazz Files, was re-released under the new title A Front-Page Murder, I have been delighted by the reception the books have received from fans old and new.
My wish was to give these wonderful stories new life and for them to reach a new audience. Here’s a sample:

“Now this is what I call a page turner! This is one of the best books I’ve read for a long time. Loved Poppy Denby.”

A new Poppy fan

Quick on the heels of A Front-Page Murder, the new titles have been released one a month. So far there are three out, the fourth will be out in December – and a further two in January and February! So why not gift yourself (or a loved one) the first four Poppy books for Christmas? Click here to order.

Reporter sleuth Poppy Denby is asked to investigate the mysterious death of an up-and-coming female scientist in an Oxford laboratory known as the Crystal Crypt. The official verdict is that Dr June Leighton died in a tragic accident, but Dr Leighton’s lab assistant believes it was murder. However, when Poppy discovers that the colleague has spent time in a mental institution and has an unresolved murder in her own past, Poppy wonders if she is being misled. But then, another female academic is attacked, and Poppy herself becomes a target. This is the sixth book in the Poppy Denby Investigates series.

Click here to pre-order you copy now!

Happy publication day to Poppy on her latest adventure, The Cairo Brief. As of today it is available at all good bookshops in the UK and through online stores. It will be released in the USA in the new year. This is book 4 in the series and it already has some fabulous reviews!

“Poppy Denby is on top form solving the mystery surrounding the ancient Egyptian mask of Queen Nefertiti. Highly recommended!”
Dolores Gordon-Smith, author of the Jack Haldean murder mysteries.

“Fiona Veitch Smith, where have you been all my life? Poppy Denby is delightful, the plot rocks, and the 1920s era is perfectly evoked. British mystery fans, you want to read this. You really, really do.” Cassandra Chan, author of the Bethancourt & Gibbons mysteries.

“Thoroughly enjoyable mystery. Murders, sinister figures, a cursed Egyptian mask… and a séance! All the ingredients for another superlative Poppy Denby investigation.”
A.J. Wright, author of the Lancashire Detective series.

Get your hands on a copy here!

As with the previous two novels, this was taut and entertaining. I also liked Poppy’s development from the earlier books. She’s always been torn between her upbringing as a Methodist minister’s daughter and her own desires as a career-minded young woman in the 1920s. Her inner conflict felt more pronounced to me in this book. Poppy has enlightened standards for how women should be treated that deviate quite a bit from her very traditional, conservative background, which at times cause her stress. This fits in well with the blossoming awareness about the conditions of immigrants and sweatshops and people forced into prostitution. While it was fun to see 1920s New York, I confess I missed London. In any case, it was an exciting, well written story and a good series addition. Recommended.

You can read the full review here.

Poppy Denby is on top form solving the mystery surrounding the ancient Egyptian mask of Queen Nefertiti. Highly recommended!

Dolores Gordon-Smith, author of the Jack Haldean murder mysteries

Intrepid Poppy Denby visits a country estate not unlike Downton Abbey in this caper. It’s great fun following Fiona’s crew of early 20th-century reporters as they seek scoops and solve murders on the side

Deb Richardson-Moore, author of The Cantaloupe Thief, The Cover Story and Death of a Jester

Thoroughly enjoyable mystery. Murders, sinister figures, a cursed Egyptian mask…and a seance! All the ingredients for another superlative Poppy Denby investigation.

A. J. Wright, award-winning author of the Lancashire Detective Series.

Fiona Veitch Smith, where have you been all my life? Poppy Denby is delightful, the plot rocks, and the 1920s era is perfectly evoked. British mystery fans, you want to read this. You really, really do.

Cassandra Chan, Author of the Bethancourt & Gibbons mysteries

I was honoured to be asked, along with Kate Shackleton author Frances Brody, to open the fringe of the Newcastle Noir Crime Festival last week. We spoke to a packed audience about the Golden Age of Crime Fiction and the pros and cons of writing books set in the 1920s. Thanks to the wonderful Dr Jacky Collins and her team of volunteers at the Newcastle Literary and Philosophical Society for a fantastic weekend.