Showing results by author "Rose Pascoe" in All Categories

Penrose and Pyke go together like fire and kerosene in this first-in-series Victorian era mystery. Trouble’s brewing in the Devil’s Half Acre. A death in an alleyway, a tragic accident in a factory, rumours of a murderer loose on the streets. It’s enough to give a genteel lady a fit of the vapours. Fortunately, Grace Penrose isn’t one to swoon at the sight of blood. All she wants is the chance to become the first female doctor in the colony. Instead, she must confront the harsh realities of the city’s most notorious sweatshop. When the police prove reluctant to investigate the ...

Penrose and Pyke are under siege. A mischievous gossip, a series of robberies, and now a callous murder and a looming epidemic. How much worse can it get? When a shopkeeper is killed during a robbery, Detective Charlie Pyke is desperate to track down the killer for reasons close to his heart. If only it was that simple. A tell-all article in the local ladies’ journal threatens both his investigation and his private life. Charlie needs Grace Penrose to stand by him, but she has her hands full preventing a deadly outbreak of measles. The rash of clues only starts to make sense when they ...

Penrose and Pyke’s honeymoon takes a dangerous turn when they investigate the most notorious robbery in Central Otago history. Grace and Charlie had been looking forward to a blissful break away from their hectic lives. Instead, watchful eyes follow their every move from the moment they step off the stagecoach in Clyde. Rumour has it that the Pyke family knows more about the robbery than they are telling. With a fortune in gold still missing, and destitute miners on the prowl, the tranquillity of their honeymoon is about to be shattered. But greed is not the only sin in town. Behind the ...

Penrose and Pyke’s hopes of a quieter life are dashed by a spate of baffling burglaries and a persuasive charlatan promoting a miracle cure. Dunedin society is up in arms as their valuables vanish without a trace from locked homes. Although the trail leads to an apparent dead end, private detective Charlie Penrose Pyke catches the scent of a shadowy figure lurking behind the scenes. Meanwhile, Grace Penrose Pyke’s curiosity leaves her in a precarious position with life-changing consequences, after she is drawn into an investigation of dubious medical devices. Their combined talents will...

Penrose and Pyke’s wedding dream turns to ashes when the local women’s refuge goes up in flames. Grace Penrose is used to protesters at Lavender House, but she never expected them to set the refuge on fire, especially not on her wedding day. And her mother’s carefully orchestrated wedding plan definitely did not include Charlie Pyke disappearing into an inferno. The discovery of a woman’s body in the smouldering ruins rouses Grace and Charlie’s detective instincts. With marital bliss on their minds, an investigation is the last thing they need. But how can they ignore a murder, ...

Penrose and Pyke must put aside their own problems in a race against the clock to rescue a kidnapped infant. When private detective Charlie Penrose Pyke is asked to investigate the kidnapping of a child, his instinct is to refuse. As their first wedding anniversary approaches, Charlie fears for the fragile state of his wife, Grace, for whom this heart-breaking case could be the final straw. But how can he let the desperate parents down, when they have struggled for years to conceive only to have their baby snatched away? Besides, Charlie is their only hope, because the ransom note threatens...

Whispers of misconduct swirl around Grace Penrose, when a prominent surgeon has a fatal seizure on their moonlit stroll together. Grace and the victim are on opposing sides of a feud over hospital services for women. How could she refuse his invitation to resolve their differences in private? When he dies despite her attempts to save him, and his unusual symptoms further implicate her, it’s not only her personal and professional reputation at risk. As the case becomes ever more baffling, the only thing Grace needs more than Charlie Pyke’s sleuthing skills is his uncanny knack of ...

Penrose & Pyke venture to the edge of madness when they reunite to investigate two tragic deaths and an old mystery. The last words of a frightened woman may be a vital clue to the disappearance of an old friend, if they aren’t the ravings of delusional lunatic. Detective Constable Charlie Pyke is desperate to find out. But is he desperate enough to risk the life of his sleuthing partner, medical student Grace Penrose? More to the point, can he stop her? The answers lie behind the locked doors of an asylum for wealthy young women of delicate sensibilities, where high walls and dark ...

A young widow desperate to escape. A past that won’t let her go. The year is 1841. Victoria is on the throne, but women are not in control of their own destiny. Elisabeth Godwin is facing a grim future after the death of her husband. Her brother-in-law is desperate to avoid ruin and determined to remove the threat she poses to him, leaving an escape to the colonies as her only option. An epic voyage in a crowded sailing ship brings its own challenges, from ferocious storms to social rivalries and single men in want of a wife. But the greatest challenge of all will be figuring out who her ...

Penrose & Pyke are flung into an explosive new mystery during the campaign for women’s suffrage. Politicians are worried that women voters will oust them, liquor barons are terrified that women will favour prohibition, and the man in the street fears his wife will no longer be content with home and hearth. Just how far will they go to stop women from getting the vote? Medical student Grace Penrose and Detective Constable Charlie Pyke are about to find out. The ‘Penrose & Pyke Mysteries’ are a series of heart-warming, pulse-racing historical mysteries, set during a remarkable period of...

Penrose & Pyke have until Christmas Eve to save the orphans’ home, by unravelling a tangle of tinsel and trickery. Private detective Charlie Pyke was looking forward to spending a quiet Christmas with his fiancée, Grace Penrose. Instead, Charlie and Grace must stop a dubious deal, find a sneak thief and foil a mischievous brother, with the help of a pair of inquisitive orphans and the spirit of a dear departed grandmother. If they can decipher the clues and make it through the dessert course, they just might survive their first family Christmas together. Tinsel and Trickery is a half-...

A gripping dual-timeline tale of revolution and family secrets. Versailles, 1789. A young girl must draw on all of her courage and loyalty, as her adoptive family is plunged into the chaos of the French Revolution. As her world spirals out of control, a vow to save their priceless heirlooms becomes a fight for survival. Now, after more than two centuries, the family secret is about to be rediscovered in a dusty attic half a world away. Sophie West is thrilled at the idea of visiting Paris to investigate her mysterious ancestor, especially as a distant relative appears to hold the missing ...

Listen or read along with three-time Paralympian swimmer, medal-winner and disability advocate Sarah Rose as she reads this this big-hearted guide to disability, full of words to know and questions to ask about life with disability. ABC Disability is an A to Z of celebrating what makes each of...

How far would you go to save your family and a priceless heirloom? France, 1830. A young woman is facing a difficult decision about her future, when the turmoil of the July Revolution overturns her tranquil world. Her family is called upon to protect a precious heirloom for an aunt who has been forced into exile, throwing them into the path of a powerful enemy. To save her family, and fulfil a promise to her mother, she must flee her secluded life and embark on a perilous journey to England. Outwitting her adversaries will take all of her courage and ingenuity, with the help of a charming ...