Georgette Heyer

In the 1920s, Georgette Heyer wrote a number of contemporary short fiction pieces, published in various women's and literary magazines of the era. Now, for the first time ever, these stories are collected in this fully-authorised anthology, with commentary by Heyer's official biographer, Jennifer Kloester, and Reading Heyer's Rachel Hyland. The stories include: - "A Proposal to Cicely"- "The Little Lady"- "The Bulldog and the Beast"- "Lincke's Great Case"- "Acting on Impulse"- "The Chinese Shawl"- "Whose Fault Was It?"- "The Old Maid"The collection also includes a bonus Georgian tragedy, "Love", and the search for "On Such a Night", a story long-missing from the Heyer canon. Given their proper context within Georgette Heyer's burgeoning literary career, in many ways these stories serve as her "Juvenilia," and are not only of great scholarly and popular interest to those who study and enjoy Heyer's magical works, words, and worlds, but amply demonstrate the seeds of genius that have since made her one of the most enduring and admired authors of the 20th-century.

A family tyrant whose murder has shocking and far-reaching consequences... Hated for his cruel and vicious nature, yet ruling his family with an iron hand from his sickbed, tyrannical patriarch Adam Penhallow is found murdered the day before his birthday. His entire family had assembled for his birthday celebration, and every one of them had the ways and means to commit the crime. As accusation and suspicion turn in one direction, then another, the claws and backstabbing come out, and no one is exempt from the coming implosion. "Miss Heyer's characters act and speak with an ease and conviction that is as refreshing as it is rare in the ordinary mystery novel." --Times Literary Supplement "The characters are...among the most complex and believable characters she has created." --Boston Evening Transcript

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They all wanted him dead...but which one turned hatred into murder? Slumped on a seat under an oak tree is local solicitor Sampson Warrenby, stone cold dead, with a bullet in his brain. And everybody in the village seems ready to tell Chief Inspector Hemingway who murdered him. Could the killer have been the dead man's niece, who found him in the first place? The couple at the farm had a guilty secret--what was it? And why is it someone else actually wants to be the prime suspect? Detection is unlimited when everyone in the tiny village has a theory about who murdered the socially pushy newcomer. With no shortage of motives and means, it's up to Chief Inspector Hemingway to uncover which of the villagers is guilt of the crime. A classic country house mystery, perfect for readers of Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers

Double the murder means double the stakes in this Golden Age mystery from Georgette HeyerInspector Hemingway has his work cut out for him when a seemingly civilized game of Duplicate Bridge leads to a double murder. The crimes seem identical, but were they carried out by the same hand? Things become even more complicated when the fianc e of the inspector's young friend Timothy Kane becomes Hemingway's prime suspect. Kane is determined to prove the lady's innocence--but when he begins digging into her past, he finds it's more than a little bit shady... Classic country house mystery, perfect for readers of Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers "Ranks alongside such incomparable whodunit authors as Christie, Marsh, Tey, and Allingham." --San Francisco Chronicle"The wittiest of detective story writers."--Daily Mail

A beloved country house mystery from Georgette Heyer, perfect for readers of Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers Who would kill the perfect gentleman? When Ernest Fletcher is found bludgeoned to death in his study, everyone is shocked and mystified: Ernest was well liked and respected, so who would have a motive for killing him? Superintendent Hannasyde, with consummate skill, uncovers one dirty little secret after another, and with them, a host of people who all have reasons for wanting Fletcher dead. Then, a second murder is committed, giving a grotesque twist to a very unusual case, and Hannasyde realizes he's up against a killer on a mission... Praise for Georgette Heyer: "Given the chance I could happily devour a stack of her novels one after the other."--A Work In Progress "A few things that you are guaranteed when you pick up a Georgette Heyer novel of any kind are unique characters and a fast-paced plot."--We Be Reading

One heir after another turns up dead... Silas Kane's sixtieth birthday party is marred by argument and dissension amongst his family, and then the next morning, Kane is found dead. The coroner's verdict of death by misadventure would seem to confirm that Silas accidentally lost his way in the fog. But then his heir is shot, and threats are made against the next in line to inherit his fortune. The formidable Superintendent Hannasyde is called in to investigate. All clues point to an apparently innocuous eighty-year-old woman, but as the Inspector delves further into the case, he discovers that nothing is quite as it seems...

A Moonlit Night, a Sleeping Village, and an Unaccountable Murder... In the dead of the night, a man in an evening dress is found murdered, locked in the stocks on the village green. Unfortunately for Superintendent Hannasyde, the deceased is Andrew Vereker, a man hated by nearly everyone, especially his odd and unhelpful family members. The Verekers are as eccentric as they are corrupt, and it will take all Hannasyde's skill at detection to determine who's telling the truth, and who is pointing him in the wrong direction. The question is: who in this family is clever enough to get away with murder?" Death in the Stocks is rare and refreshing."--The Times"Miss Heyer's characters act and speak with an ease and conviction that is refreshing as it is rare in the ordinary mystery novel."--Times Literary Supplement

These Old Shades is considered to be the book that launched Georgette Heyer's career and helped usher her into becoming the Queen of Regency Romance. It features two of Heyer's most memorable characters: Justin Alastair, the Duke of Avon, and Leonie, whom he rescues from a life of ignomy and comes to love and marry. A thrilling tale of long-awaited revenge... The Duke of Avon is known for his coldness of manner, his remarkable omniscience, and his debauched lifestyle. Late one evening, he is accosted by a young person dressed in ragged boy's clothing running away from a brutal rustic guardian. The duke makes "Leon" his page. "Leon" is in fact Leonie, and she serves the duke with deep devotion. When he uncovers the true story of her birth, he wreaks an unforgettable revenge on her sinister father in a chilling scene of public humiliation. What People Are Saying About These Old Shades: "A story in the grand tradition of romance, where love...reclaims one thought to be beyond all hope of redemption."--STEPHANIE LAURENS, New York Times bestselling authorThe Georgette Heyer Signature Collection is a fresh celebration of an author who has charmed tens of millions of readers with her delightful sense of humor and unique take on Regency romance. Includes fun and fascinating bonus content--a glossary of Regency slang, a Reading Group Guide, and an Afterword by official biographer Jennifer Kloester sharing insights into what Georgette herself thought of These Old Shades and what was going on in her life as she was writing.

Georgette Heyer's bestselling historical romance featuring a dashing and wild young nobleman and a gently bred young lady, both chasing happiness on a collision course with destiny. A rogue on a rampage... The Marquis of Vidal is a notorious rake, impossible to tame. Any night of the week you can find him wenching, gambling, or fighting, much to the dismay of his parents the Duke and Duchess of Avon. Forced to leave England after nearly killing his man in a duel, he decides to take a beautiful girl with him. In his rush, however, he runs off with the wrong woman. This is not your average meet cute... Determined to save her sister from the scandalous Marquis, Miss Mary Challoner throws herself into his path, hoping he'll release her when they get to Paris. But Vidal is intrigued by the unexpected young lady, who's not particularly impressed with him. The devilish rake has apparently met his match. And as Mary finds herself more and more entangled with the fascinating rogue, her reputation and her future are on the line. Take a deep breath and don't trip over your petticoats: This best-selling Regency romance features mistaken identities, a dashing rake, and a very smart young lady on a collision course with a marriage made in scandal. The Georgette Heyer Signature Collection is a fresh celebration of an author who has charmed tens of millions of readers with her delightful sense of humor and unique take on Regency romance. Includes fun and fascinating bonus content--a glossary of Regency slang, a Reading Group Guide, and an Afterword by official biographer Jennifer Kloester sharing insights into what Georgette herself thought of The Grand Sophy and what was going on in her life as she was writing.

What begins as an adventure soon becomes a nightmare... Locals claim it is haunted and refuse to put a single toe past the front door, but to siblings Peter, Celia, and Margaret, the Priory is nothing more than a rundown estate inherited from their late uncle--and the perfect setting for a much-needed holiday. But when a murder victim is discovered in the drafty Priory halls, the once unconcerned trio begins to fear that the ghostly rumors are true and they are not alone after all With a killer on the loose, will they find themselves the next victims of a supernatural predator, or will they uncover a far more corporeal culprit?" Bright and effervescent." --The Times Literary Supplement

In love? You? Nonsense Nonsense Nonsense You do not know what the word means. You are like a -- like a fish, with no more love in you than a fish, and no more heart than a fish, and... Book #9 of 15 in the SDE Classics Romance CollectionSix years earlier in the mid-18th Century England, Lord Jack Carstares takes the blame when his younger brother Richard was found to have cheated at cards. With such a breach of social propriety, Jack was socially exiled and, consequently, he left England and traveled through Europe. He secretly returns under an alternate identity and encounters an abduction in process. He foils the attempted abduction, and the woman, Miss Diana Beauleigh, whom he saves falls in love with Jack. Alas, his reputation does not serve him well enough to take up a bride as worthy as Miss Diana. But will that be the end of Lord Jack or will he succeed in repairing his image?

If you love Bridgerton, you'll love Georgette Heyer!'The greatest writer who ever lived' ANTONIA FRASER'[My] generation's Julia Quinn' ADJOA ANDOH, star of Bridgerton'One of my perennial comfort authors. Heyer's books are as incisively witty and quietly subversive as any of Jane Austen's' JOANNE HARRIS_____________Horry Winwood doesn't play by the rules. So when her family are near ruin and her sister is about to enter a loveless marriage to a wealthy man to settle the family debts, young and headstrong Horry proposes to marry him in her sister's place. As her new husband's attentions fall elsewhere, Horry begins to feel increasingly unhappy. Then she meets the attractive and dangerous Lord Lethbridge and her days suddenly become more exciting. But there is bad blood between Horry's husband and her new acquaitnance, and as complications and deceptions mount, the social tangle grows ever trickier to unpick. Will Horry's gamble cost her everything she holds most dear?_____________'Elegant, witty and rapturously romantic' KATIE FFORDE'Utterly delightful' GUARDIAN'Absolutely delicious tales of Regency heroes. . . Utter, immersive escapism' SOPHIE KINSELLA'Georgette Heyer's Regency romances brim with elegance, wit and historical accuracy, and this is one of her finest and most entertaining ... Escapism of the highest order' DAILY MAIL'If you haven't read Georgette Heyer yet, what a treat you have in store!' HARRIET EVANS_____________Readers love The Convenient Marriage . . .***** 'Another good read from Heyer!!! I absolutely loved the characters!!!'***** 'Heyer's characterizations just sparkle and shine.'***** 'Absolutely delightful. As expected, really.'***** 'I enjoyed this historical romance very much.' ***** 'Splendid comedy, with a charming romance.'

"Miss Heyer's characters and dialogue are an abiding delight to me... I have seldom met people to whom I have taken so violent a fancy from the word 'Go.'"--Dorothy L. SayersEveryone had a motive, but who had the means? Wally Carter's murder seems impossible--not one of the suspects was anywhere near the weapon at the time the shot was fired. The superlatively analytical Inspector Hemingway is confronted with a neglected widow, the neighbor who's in love with her, her resentful daughter, a patently phony Russian prince, and a case of blackmail that may--or may not--be at the heart of this most unusual case... Beloved author Georgette Heyer brings her inimitable wit and astute examination of human nature to a British country house mystery sure to delight fans of Agatha Christie and Margery Allingham.

Meet the Matthews... before the next one diesIt's no ordinary morning at the Poplars--the master is found dead in his bed, and it seems his high blood pressure was not the cause. When an autopsy reveals a sinister poison in his body, it's up to the quietly resourceful Inspector Hannasyde to catch the murderer in time to spare the next victim. But every single member of the quarrelsome Matthews family has a motive and none, of course, has an alibi." The ingredients are so well and carefully mixed, the writing is so bright, and the solution so unexpected that the book achieves success and remains one no reader can fail to enjoy."--Manchester Guardian"A marvelous m lange of malice, murder, mystery, and mirth. Priceless "--Saturday Review

#1 on BookRiot's 15 MUST-READ REGENCY ROMANCE NOVELSGeorgette Heyer is known as the "Queen of Regency Romance," and you won't want to wait to find out why You'll fall in love with Arabella Tallant, one of the most memorable and delightfully exuberant heroines you've ever met. Daughter of a modest country clergyman, Arabella Tallant still dreams of a proper romance, and is on her way to London when her carriage breaks down outside the hunting lodge of the wealthy Mr. Robert Beaumaris. Her pride stung when she overhears a remark of her host's, Arabella comes to her own defense and pretends to be an heiress, a pretense that deeply amuses the jaded Beau. To counter her white lie, Beaumaris launches her into high society and thereby subjects her to all kinds of fortune hunters. When compassionate Arabella rescues such unfortunate creatures as a mistreated chimney sweep and an abandoned dog--proving her love is refined by kindness and grace--Beaumaris finds he rather enjoys the role of rescuer and is soon given the opportunity to prove his mettle... The Georgette Heyer Signature Collection is a celebration of an author who has charmed millions of readers with her delightful sense of humor and unique take on Regency romance. This edition of Arabella includes fun and fascinating bonus content--a glossary of Regency slang, a Reading Group Guide, and an Afterword by official biographer Jennifer Kloester sharing insights into what Georgette herself thought of Arabella and what was going on in her life as she was writing.

A houseful of people he loathes is not Sir Arthur's worst problem... It should have been a lovely English country-house weekend. But the unfortunate guest list is enough to exasperate a saint, and the host, Sir Arthur Billingham-Smith, is an abusive wretch hated by everyone from his disinherited son to his wife's stoic would-be lover. When Sir Arthur is found stabbed to death, no one is particularly grieved--and no one has an alibi. The unhappy guests find themselves under the scrutiny of Scotland Yard's cool-headed Inspector Harding, who has solved tough cases before. But this time, the talented young inspector discovers much more than he's bargained for." Miss Heyer's characters and dialogue are an abiding delight to me... I have seldom met people to whom I have taken so violent a fancy from the word 'Go.'" --Dorothy L. Sayers"Heyer is an author to read--this means you " --New York Herald Tribune"Miss Heyer has the delightful talent of blending humor with mystery." --Boston Evening Transcript

A COUNTRY HOUSE MYSTERY PERFECT FOR FANS OF AGATHA CHRISTIEEvery family has secrets, but now they are turning deadly... On a dark night, along a lonely country road, barrister Frank Amberley stops to help a young lady in distress and discovers a sports car with a corpse behind the wheel. The girl protests her innocence and Amberley believes her--at least until he gets drawn into the mystery and the evidence incriminating Shirley Brown begins to add up. Why Shoot a Butler? is an English country-house murder with a twist. In this beloved classic by Georgette Heyer, the butler is the victim, every clue complicates the puzzle, and the bumbling police are well-meaning but completely baffled. Fortunately, amateur sleuth Amberley is as brilliant as he is arrogant as he ferrets out the desperate killer--even though this time he's not sure he wants to know the truth...

Jack Carstares, disgraced eldest son of the Earl Wyncham, returns home in secret to live as a highwayman, the only way he can remain in the land he loves. Injured while foiling the abduction of beautiful Diana Beauleigh by the infamous Duke of Andover, Jack is taken in by Diana's Aunt Betty, and his recovery is surrounded by mystery and intrigue.

The Black Moth is Georgette Heyer's first novel, written when she was 17 years old to amuse her sick brother. It is set in 1751 in Georgian England. It features Jack Carstares, Earl of Wyncham. Few years before the story opens, Carstares protected his brother Richard by allowing himself to be disgraced for cheating at cards. Richard was madly in love with Lavinia Belmanoir, and had he been caught cheating, he couldn't have married her. Years passed. Richard is married to Lavinia, but feeling guilty for what he did to his brother. Now Jack is back, roaming his beloved South Country in the disguise of a highwayman. Not long after Jack's return, he encounters his old adversary, the libertine Duke of Andover, attempting the abduction of the beautiful Diana Beauleigh. "A romance of the eighteenth century, with a wicked Duke, self-sacrificing elder brother, weak younger brother, highwayman, gambling, abduction, and rescue all complete." THE SATURDAY REVIEW