The Felse Investigations Volume One

From the author of the Chronicles of Brother Cadfael, the first three mysteries in the Edgar Award–winning series about an English policeman and his son. In the English village of Comerford, just on the border of Wales, it’s Det. Sgt. George Felse’s duty to keep the peace—and keep his fourteen-year-old son, Dominic, out of harm’s way . . . Fallen into the Pit: The shadow of World War II still looms over the village of Comerford. Dominic finds the body of a German ex-prisoner of war and develops a dangerous interest in solving the case. “Hypnotically good.” —Boston Sunday Globe Death and the Joyful Woman: Dominic falls in love with an heiress who stands accused of bludgeoning a millionaire beer baron to death with a magnum of champagne. “Felse . . .is a fully-dimensioned character who plumbs the experiences of his personal life to understand his case.” —Publishers Weekly Flight of a Witch: Felse handles a strange case involving the disappearance of a local beauty, a fatal robbery, and witchcraft. “A tension-laden, consistently intriguing puzzle.” —Kirkus Reviews

From the author of the Chronicles of Brother Cadfael: More mysteries in the “admirable” Edgar Award–winning series about an English policeman and his son (Anthony Boucher, The New York Times Book Review). In the English village of Comerford, just on the border of Wales, it’s Det. Inspector George Felse’s duty to keep the peace—and keep his teenage son, Dominic, out of harm’s way. A Nice Derangement of Epitaphs: While on a seaside vacation in Cornwall with his son, Detective Inspector Felse is called upon to investigate when an old grave reveals two bodies, neither of which belongs to the man named on the tombstone, an infamous smuggler. The Piper on the Mountain: When Herbert Terrell tumbles off a mountain during his annual climbing holiday in Czechoslovakia, his young stepdaughter is not convinced his death was an accident. Enchanted by Theodosia’s beautiful brown eyes, Dominic cannot help but become involved. Black Is the Colour of My True Love’s Heart: When two attendees go missing from a folk festival at a remote Gothic mansion, Detective Inspector Felse arrives to secure the safety of Dominic and his girlfriend, Theodosia—and to make sure the culprit faces the music.

No case is too strange or too baffling for the policeman George Felse and his son, Dominic. Over 13 instalments and two decades, the Felse Investigations will take them from their home on the Welsh Borders to the southernmost tip of India. It is 1952, the shadow of World War Two still lies over the green fields of the small village of Comerford on the Welsh borders. When ex-prisoner of war Helmut Schauffler is murdered, local policeman Sergeant George Felse has his work cut out: Schauffler was Nazi to the core and the majority of the villagers had good reason to despise him. Sergeant Felse's fourteen-year-old son Dominic – who found Schauffler's body in a shallow brook – is fascinated by the case. Much to his father's disapproval, he resolves to find the murderer – a decision that places his own life in great danger... 'Highly recommended to those who still like a proper five-course whodunnit with all the trimmings' Sunday Times 'A cult figure of crime fiction' Financial Times 'Charm is not usual in murder mysteries, but Ellis Peters' stories are full of it' Mail on Sunday

A detective investigates the disappearance of a beautiful Welsh teenager in this “deeply satisfying” mystery by the author of the Brother Cadfael series (Publishers Weekly). Annet Beck is hauntingly beautiful, which worries her parents so much that they guard her as closely as a prisoner . . . until the rainy Thursday in October when she disappears. Annet is last seen vanishing over the crest of the eerie Hallowmount, a hill said to be the abode of witches. Five days later, she mysteriously reappears, claiming that she was only gone for two hours. Enchanted by her beauty, Annet’s parents’ lodger Tom Kenyon is determined to find the explanation for her disappearance: Could it be deceit, amnesia, or witchcraft? Tom’s amateur investigations lead to nowhere until Detective Inspector George Felse finds cause to connect those missing five days with his inquiry into a death. Flight of a Witch is the 3rd book in the Felse Investigations, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

A millionaire is murdered and Inspector Felse, after sifting through the few shreds of evidence, finally arrests Kitty Norris, his teenaged son Dominic's first love. A young man's infatuation soon becomes something far more dangerous, though, as Dominic takes on Kitty's cause--in direct opposition to his father's investigation.

When an antiques mogul is murdered in an English village, there are many suspects and very few tears, making it a difficult case for Superintendant Felse. The sleepy village of Middlehope is suddenly jerked into life by antiques mogul Arthur Rainbow. In a whirlwind of activity, he extravagantly refurbishes the manor house; joins the golf club, angling society, and arts council; and—in a ruthless coup—dislodges the old church organist to take over the position himself. But for all his reforming zeal, the Middlehope community rejects Rainbow. And when Rainbow’s crushed body is found in the graveyard of Saint Eata’s church, there is very little surprise or sorrow—but much speculation as to whom the murderer could be. After all, there are so many candidates—from his young, beautiful, flirtatious wife to the usurped organist and his mutinous choir. It falls upon Superintendent George Felse, newly promoted head of the Midshire CID, to solve this most perplexing murder case. Rainbow’s End is the 13th book in the Felse Investigations, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

Dominic Felse and his girlfriend escort a young girl through India and investigate a murder in this mystery from the bestselling author of Fallen Into the Pit. When his girlfriend’s beautiful but erratic film-star mother, Chloe, calls to ask a favor, Dominic Felse fears the worst. But she makes the couple an offer they can’t refuse: an all-expense-paid trip to India to escort Anjili Kumar, the fourteen-year-old daughter of Chloe’s costar, to stay with her father while her mother is filming in England. But Dominic’s fears are not unfounded, and they soon discover that traveling with the spoiled, precocious Anjili is no vacation—and the task of delivering her back to her family will be less than easy. For behind the colorful, smiling mask of India that tourists see, there is another country—remote, mysterious, and often shatteringly brutal. . . . Mourning Raga is the 9th book in the Felse Investigations, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

When two attendees go missing from a folk music festival at a remote Gothic mansion, Inspector Felse arrives to solve the mystery—and protect his son. Singers and musicians are gathered for a weekend course in folk music at the impressive neo-Gothic country mansion Follymead. Most come only to sing or to listen, but one or two have nonmusical scores to settle. When brilliantly talented Liri Palmer sings “Black, black, black is the colour of my true-love’s heart,” she clearly has a message for someone in the audience. And as passions run high, there is murder brewing at Follymead. Among the music students are Dominic Felse and his girlfriend, Theodosia. When not one, but two, members of the group go missing from the hall, Dominic calls upon his father, Detective Inspector George Felse, to help him solve this most perplexing mystery. Black Is the Colour of My True Love’s Heart is the 6th book in the Felse Investigations, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.