Showing results by author "John Plimmer" in All Categories

The most enterprising and emotional true story ever written about the ballet industry. A young girl whose dream to be a ballet dancer is threatened merely by the colour of her skin in 1960’s racist Britain. Yet by dedication and perseverance, she overcomes all manner of obstacles to eventually realise her ambitions, performing for the President and First Lady of the USA, Michael Jackson and with Luciano Pavarotti. Brickbats and Tutus is both inspirational and motivating; a true life story of adventure and adversity in which one individual accepts and overcomes the most daunting of ...

A former English cavalry officer and committed Jacobean Highlander, who fought on opposite sides at the Battle of Culloden, unexpectedly find themselves living as neighbours in adjacent valleys in the heart of the sparsely populated Highlands of Scotland. One breeding cattle and the other, sheep. Initially, they become close friends, giving each other assistance and support when required, until an incident occurs resulting in a disturbing conflict that divides the two families. Emotions run high and as both enterprises continue to prosper, the divide and bitterness between the neighbours ...

Another gripping thriller in the Victorian Detective’s Casebook series. Scotland Yard’s most successful detective, Richard Rayner, has finally decided to retire but then on his last day of working receives a directive from the highest government official in the land. Set in 1903, a serious threat has been made to the King’s life and both the Chief Inspector and his Sergeant, Henry Bustle, are tasked with identifying the person responsible and preventing the intended assassination. Just as the challenging Investigation commences, to add to the detective’s workload, a 20-year-old ...

The newly formed Detective Department at Scotland Yard is desperate for success, and when their best detective, Inspector Richard Rayner is given the task of tracking down the killer of two defenceless elderly women in Whitechapel, a difficult and complex investigation begins. The problem Rayner faces is that the crimes were committed fifteen years earlier. With his most reliable Sergeant, Henry Bustle confined to his bed following a severe beating by street vagabonds, and a young constable is kidnapped by men determined to kill him, Rayner has to call up all his reserves and experience to ...

When a 12 year old boy steps into a gents-only private club and begins to fire a handgun at the clientele, a bizarre investigation into a brutal murder commences, one that is destined to change Richard Rayner’s life forever. During the subsequent Inquiry, Scotland Yard’s most successful detective and his close friend and confidante, Henry Bustle, recover an ancient Egyptian relic that quickly becomes the focal point of other murders, robbery, extortion and kidnapping. The Pharaoh Hunter is a story of intrigue and mind baffling mystery, set against a background of personal emotional ...

The story is based during the post war years of Britain, when rationing was still a prominent feature of daily life and people were struggling to survive. Unfortunately for one young family living in the backstreet slums of Birmingham, their father, Reginald Tinwood, who worked at the local gasworks was a violent domestic bully who targets the youngest of three siblings. Six-year-old Jimmy is subjected to a number of severe beatings until the last leaves him close to death, having witnessed the brutal murder of his mother by his father who then disappears from the small, terraced house. ...

The Victorian Detectives return to delve into more complex mysteries. When a couple of newly weds discover the body of a man swinging from Tower Bridge at night, the gruesome murder is quickly delegated to Chief Inspector Richard Rayner to investigate. Much to the famous detective’s dismay, other serious crimes involving kidnappings and rape soon require Rayner’s attention and when his own son is abducted, the Tower Bridge murder is relegated to a less priority Inquiry. In similar fashion to its predecessors in the series, Bloody Retribution takes the reader back to 19th century London ...

The brutal murder of a member of a shooting party sees Richard Rayner and his two closest colleagues travelling to rural Warwickshire at a time when London is being plagued by a Cholera epidemic. Faced with hostility from the local community, the Scotland Yard detectives delve deeper into the mystery, unravelling a number of sinister and bewildering features.Whilst his most successful investigator is absent from London, Chief Superintendent Frederick Morgan is faced with an unusual and bizarre incident in which it appears a life extending machine has been invented and has been responsible ...

The body of a young woman found in a Westminster hotel room interrupts the Christmas celebrations. But the Investigation that follows, unravels a path of intrigue and international criminality possibly involving prominent government officials.With the Head of the Detective Branch at Scotland Yard, Frederick Morgan, volunteering for military service against the Boers in South Africa, matters prove to be difficult for the famous detective, Richard Rayner.‘Rayner could feel the snake moving up his left arm towards his shoulder, which was above the bed clothes. Still he remained motionless, ...

Another story of murder and intrigue from the Victorian Detective’s Casebook series set in 19th century Victorian England.Chief Superintendent Frederick Morgan, the Head of the Detective Branch at Scotland Yard is invited to a high society wedding at Westminster Cathedral by a former army colleague. The occasion is a happy one, until the bride’s father is murdered in front of the guests.Chief Inspector Richard Rayner and his reliable colleague, Sergeant Henry Bustle are sent for and what follows is a mystery that stretches from the gold fields of California to China.

Having been born into the cruel and uncaring world of humans whose only interest is in managing a puppy farm and subjecting their ‘merchandise’ to the most horrendous and wicked conditions, the collie, Little Louie is rescued by fate when a local constable discovers the atrocities being committed against those who are helplessly fragile and vulnerable to such detestable practices. The puppy survives with the love and nursing of Andrew Thornton and his wife Beth who soon realise their new addition to their family is no ordinary dog but is a companion that frequently displays loyalty, ...

The saga continues…Last Light in the Valley is the sequel to the popular historical novel, From Culloden to Shiloh by the same author. The last living member of a family, successful in building a cattle empire in the Highlands of Scotland, Jasper Sprinkler, retires from a career in American politics to live the remainder of his years in the White Mountains, New Hampshire. However, the peace and serenity the man seeks is interrupted by unwanted incidents of violence, fear, murder and various emotional upsets that keep the reader gripped as the stories unfold. Eventually, Jasper decides to ...

Rayner the middle years is the sequel to ‘Rayner the early years’ a fictional biography of arguably the most popular Scotland Yard detective being the principle subject in the Victorian Detective’s Casebook series by the same author. In the second part of the story, Richard Rayner has left Oxford and joined the Metropolitan Police only to find his ambition to be a detective is not as easy as he had once thought. A number of incidents tend to obstruct his career path, including working for a Sergeant who has an unusual way of disciplining his men, and having to face false accusations ...

Rayner’s Ripper, the sixth book in the Victorian Casebook series, is an exciting story of murder and intrigue based on the infamous Whitechapel murders committed in the Autumn of 1888 by the serial killer popularly known as ‘Jack the Ripper’.Scotland Yard’s dandy, Inspector Richard Rayner and his close associate, Sergeant Henry Bustle are faced with tracking down the killer who has brought fear and terror to the people of London’s East End, but the challenges presented are vast and mystifying. When more prostitutes are slain by the Ripper, public concern results in protests and ...

This second book in the series of The Victorian Detective Case Review finds Inspector Richard Rayner and his colleague Sergeant Henry Bustle given the task of investigating the brutal murder of a young vagrant whose body is found sitting upright on a bench in a churchyard. The two stalwarts of justice quickly discover a link to other historical murders committed in similar fashion. Yet, Rayner finds himself falling in love for the very first time and has to work hard to remain focused on what is proving to be an extremely difficult Investigation. Both detectives are faced with a web of ...

London residents are living in fear, as the Victorian detectives, Inspector Richard Rayner and Sergeant Henry Bustle are once again faced with tracking down the serial killer of three police officers in unusual circumstances. The mystery deepens when a Learned Queen’s Counsel is added to the killer’s list of victims and the two specialists in criminal detection are hampered by a number of diversions. The leader of the Irish migrants living in The St Giles Rookery is arrested following a brutal attack on an officer seconded to Scotland Yard’s Detective Branch and widespread mayhem ...

When the Bank of England is robbed of gold bullion, Richard Rayner and Henry Bustle are given the unenviable task of tracking down those responsible. However, when Bustle finds himself being accused of murder, matters become difficult and when a number of suspects are dispatched unmercifully, the mystery deepens and the senior detective, Rayner, is at his wits end. The attempt to discover the truth behind the robbery and murders takes the Investigation down a perilous path, resulting in the Police Commissioner threatening the careers of Scotland Yard’s finest, resulting in unorthodox ...

A fascinating history lesson given by a grandfather to his grandson describing the history of the police and criminal investigation since the first structured police forces patrolled Britain’s streets. Details of social and industrial confrontations come to the fore, including some of the most notorious murders and unusual crimes committed on the mainland. From the violent rejections bestowed on the first ‘Peelers’ to what was regarded as the 1950’s Golden Age of Policing. From the industrial unrest of the General Strike and Great Depression of the 20’s and 30’s to the problems ...

London’s Victorian detectives are back to their usual activities in trying to identify the killer of young professional men, each left with a daisy chain hanging around their necks.At a time when Scotland Yard is virtually overcome with serious crime, a terrorist bomb leaves five innocent people dead in its wake and Richard Rayner is required to bring those responsible to justice as quickly as possible.When the bullion coach from the Royal Mint is raided on its way to the Bank of England, leaving behind the dead body of a murdered guard, the celebrated detective wonders if he will ever be...

The story of a young girl with a dream to one day join the circus. As a six year old being raised in the Lakeland Fells of Cumbria, Emily Pratchett becomes enchanted by the glamour and thrills of a visiting circus, convinced that one day the dazzling entertainment will become a part of her life. As the years roll by, the girl’s ambition remains as determined as ever, even when tragedy strikes her impoverished farming family. Eventually she achieves her ambition but has no idea of the tribulations and obstacles which lie in front of her. Having to overcome the problems with which she is ...