Murder At The Ashmolean

1895. A senior executive at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford is found in his office with a bullet hole between his eyes, a pistol discarded close by. The death has officially been ruled as suicide by local police, but with an apparent lack of motive for such action, the museum's administrator, Gladstone Marriott, suspects foul play. With his cast-iron reputation for shrewdness, formed during his time investigating the case of Jack the Ripper alongside Inspector Abberline, private enquiry agent Daniel Wilson is a natural choice to discreetly explore the situation, ably assisted by his partner, archaeologist-cum-detective Abigail Fenton. Yet their enquiries are hindered from the start by an interfering lone agent from Special Branch, ever secretive and intimidating in his methods. With rumours of political ructions from South Africa, mislaid artefacts and a lost Shakespeare play, Wilson and Fenton soon find themselves tangled in bureaucracy. Making unlikely alliances, the pair face players who live by a different set of rules and will need their intellect and ingenuity to reveal the secrets of the aristocracy.

Daniel Wilson and Abigail Fenton discreetly investigate the apparent suicide of a senior executive at the Ashmolean Museum. But are things quite what they seem?

These world-renowned museums hold some deadly secrets ... Murder at the Fitzwilliam 1894. Daniel Wilson, who made his name investigating the case of Jack the Ripper alongside the formidable Inspector Abberline, is now working as a private enquiry agent. When the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge finds itself in need of urgent - and discreet - assistance, he is the natural first choice. The museum will soon unveil its new Egyptian collection, but strange occurrences have followed the exhibits to Britain including the discovery of a dead body in a previously empty sarcophagus. Aided by the talented resident archaeologist, Abigail Fenton, can Wilson unravel the mystery before the museum's public launch? Murder at the British Museum 1894, London. Professor Lance Pickering had been due to give a talk at the British Museum, when his brutally stabbed body is discovered. Daniel Wilson is called in to solve the mystery with the help and expertise of archaeologist Abigail Fenton. With their investigation hampered by persistent journalists, vandals and a fanatical society, and the pressure building with another fatality, Wilson and Fenton must race against time to salvage the reputation of the museum and catch a murderer desperate for revenge. Murder at the Ashmolean Museum 1895, Oxford. The Ashmolean Museum is a site of tragedy when a manager is found with a bullet hole between his eyes, a pistol discarded close by. Police have ruled the death as suicide but staff at the museum remain unconvinced. Daniel Wilson and Abigail Fenton's inquiries are hindered by an interfering lone agent from Special Branch, mislaid artefacts and a web of bureaucracy as the hunt for a dangerous killer intensifies. Murder at the Manchester Museum 1895. Former Jack the Ripper detective Daniel Wilson and his archaeologist assistant Abigail Fenton are summoned to investigate the murder of a young woman at the Manchester Museum. The case turns more sinister when the body of a second woman is discovered. With the help of a local journalist, Wilson and Fenton hope to unravel the mystery, but the journey to the truth is fraught with obstacles, and the mistakes of the past will not be forgotten ... Murder at the Natural History Museum 1895, London. When the Museum Detectives are asked to investigate a vandalised dinosaur skeleton at the Natural History Museum, there is evidence that the fossil-hunting mania of the notorious Bone Wars in America may have reached British shores. Events take a sinister turn though when a museum attendant is found dead by the famous theatre manager Bram Stoker, who may be more involved than he is willing to admit. Facing mounting pressure Wilson and Fenton must rely on their talents and instincts to solve their most intriguing case yet. 'A captivating new series' Marni Graff

After rising to prominence for his role investigating the case of Jack the Ripper, former Detective Inspector Daniel Wilson is now retired. Known for his intelligence, investigative skills, and most of all his discretion, he's often consulted when a case must be solved quickly and quietly. So when a body is found in the Egyptian Collection of the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, Wilson is called in. As he tries to uncover the identity of the dead man and the circumstances surrounding his demise, Wilson must contend with an unhelpful police Inspector, and more alarmingly, Abigail McKenzie, the archaeologist who discovered the body and is determined to protect the Egyptian collection. Can they find a way to work together to solve the mystery?

London, 1896. Madame Tussauds opens to find one of its nightwatchmen decapitated and his colleague nowhere to be found. To the police, the case seems simple: one killed the other and fled, but workers at the museum aren't convinced. Although forbidden contact by his superior officer, Scotland Yard detective John Feather secretly enlists 'The Museum Detectives' Daniel Wilson and Abigail Fenton to aid the police investigation. When the body of the missing nightwatchman is discovered encased within a wax figure, the case suddenly becomes more complex. With questions over rival museums, the dead men's pasts and a series of bank raids plaguing the city, Wilson and Fenton face their most intriguing and dangerous case yet.

Christmas, 1940. A temporary truce between the German and Allied forces is a welcome respite from the relentless air raids over London. Down Street underground station, in the heart of Mayfair, is now a secret retreat for Prime Minister Winston Churchill and his cabinet. In this supposedly secure location, the body of a woman is found, stabbed in the heart. Detective Chief Inspector Coburg and Sergeant Lampson are called to investigate. However, whispers of treason as well as the suspicion of insidious Russian plots muddy the waters of the case, and personal resentments strike far too close to home. Everything is on the line for Coburg and Lampson as the body count steadily rises.

1894. A well-respected academic is found dead in a gentlemen's convenience cubicle at the British Museum, the stall locked from the inside. Professor Lance Pickering had been due to give a talk promoting the museum's new 'Age of King Arthur' exhibition when he was stabbed repeatedly in the chest. Having forged a strong reputation working alongside the inimitable Inspector Abberline on the Jack the Ripper case, Daniel Wilson is called in to solve the mystery of the locked cubicle murder, and he brings his expertise and archaeologist Abigail Fenton with him. But it isn't long before the museum becomes the site of another fatality and the pair face mounting pressure to deliver results. With enquiries compounded by persistent journalists, local vandals and a fanatical society, Wilson and Fenton face a race against time to salvage the reputation of the museum and catch a murderer desperate for revenge.

The Jewel That Was Ours is the ninth novel in Colin Dexter's Oxford-set detective series. He looked overweight around the midriff, though nowhere else, and she wondered whether perhaps he drank too much. He looked weary, as if he had been up most of the night conducting his investigations . . . For Oxford, the arrival of twenty-seven American tourists is nothing out of the ordinary . . . until one of their number is found dead in Room 310 at the Randolph Hotel. It looks like a sudden – and tragic – accident. Only Chief Inspector Morse appears not to overlook the simultaneous theft of a jewel-encrusted antique from the victim's handbag . . . Then, two days later, a naked and battered corpse is dragged from the River Cherwell. A coincidence? Maybe. But this time Morse is determined to prove the link . . . The Jewel That Was Ours is followed by the tenth Inspector Morse book, The Way Through the Woods.