Letter to Readers

November, 2024

DEAD BESIDE THE THAMES was released on October 17, 2024, in all formats. 

This is the ninth volume in The Casebook of Barnaby Adair and in this novel we find Charlie Hastings.

Charlie is astonished to find himself accused of murdering Viscount Sedbury. Admittedly, Charlie had two heated altercations with Sedbury in the hours preceding the man’s death, but as Charlie is quick to point out to Stokes – and to Barnaby and Penelope – there are a multitude of others in the ton who will be delighted to learn of Sedbury’s demise.

As Penelope, Barnaby, and Stokes start assembling a suspect list, Charlie’s prediction proves only too accurate. Yet the most puzzling aspect is who on earth managed to kill Sedbury. The man was a hulking brute, large, very strong, and known as a vicious brawler. Who managed to subdue him enough to strangle him?

As the number of suspects steadily increases, the investigators are forced to ask if, perhaps, one of their suspects hired a killer capable of taking Sedbury down. With that possibility thrown into the calculations, narrowing their suspect list becomes a futile exercise.

Their pursuit of the truth leads them to investigate the many shady avenues of Sedbury’s life, much to the consternation of Sedbury’s father, the Marquess of Rattenby. Rattenby does not want Sedbury’s distasteful proclivities exposed for all the world to see, further harming the other family members who Sedbury has taken great delight in tormenting for most of his life.

In the end, the resolution of the crime lies in old-fashioned policing coupled with the fresh twists Barnaby and Penelope bring to Scotland Yard’s efforts.

And when the truth is finally revealed, it raises questions that strike to the very heart of justice and what, with such a victim and such a murderer, true justice actually means.

If you’d like to find out more about DEAD BESIDE THE THAMES, and possibly arrange your pre-order, click on the cover below for details. 

I’ve also had a competition running in the last month to celebrate the release of DEAD BESIDE THE THAMES. Congratulations to the winners below -

Aileen G - Australia

Melsnie T - Wales

Gudrun S - Germany

Michelle D - USA

Donna K - USA

You have all been sent an email from admin@stephanielaurens.com with details of your winnings. If you haven’t received anything, please contact us on the email above.

That’s it from me for the rest of the year! I’m starting to get my book releases for 2025 in order, and I will have more information to share with you all shorty. In the mean time, I’ve been relaxing at home, enjoying the best spring season we’ve had in a few years!

As always, stay safe, and if all else fails, sit down and read a good book!

Looking Ahead:

October 17, 2024 - DEAD BESIDE THE THAMES, the ninth Casebook of Barnaby Adair Novel

As ever, I truly appreciate your wonderful support. As long as you are there, wanting to read my stories, I'm happy to keep writing them!

Stephanie