Books by Martin Davies

Mrs Hudson must step into action once more.It's summer in London, and things are quiet. But while Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson chafe at their inactivity, a train carrying a vital secret is entering a tunnel in an obscure region of the Balkans ‿ never to be seen again. The train is only the beginning. The missing message must be found and decoded, and a diplomat‿s wife must be rescued from the clutches of a pernicious blackmailer. The nation is in danger, and if a diplomatic scandal of disastrous proportions is to be avoided, Sherlock Holmes‿ brilliance may not be enough‿ Mrs Hudson and Flottie her assistant will once again turn detective. From the Richard & Judy-featured author of The Conjuror‿s Bird, back by popular demand, the first new Holmes & Hudson novel for several years.

A thrilling cosy mystery for Mrs Hudson, Baker Street's best-kept secret.A man is knocked down outside 221B Baker Street. His dying words speak of a man risen from the grave. A Viscount has gone missing and there are rumours of a dead man haunting the moors and a country hall beset by ghostly lights and spectres. Sherlock Holmes' housekeeper, the formidable Mrs Hudson, is faced with a mystery. Joined by her assistant Flotsam, they're once again thrown into dark adventure full of gripping twists and murderous intrigue. Together with Holmes and Dr. Watson they must race against the forces of darkness to uncover the truth behind the mysterious document known as the Lazarus Testament. Lives are on the line and the puzzle must be solved... But not before a slice of Dundee cake. The third in the bestselling Sherlock Holmes & Mrs Hudson Mysteries, this is a dark but cosy crime novel that will transport readers to a world of foggy streets and snow-covered fells and Victorian London.

Sherlock Holmes and Mrs Hudson are faced with a new challenge...Dangerous magicians! Precious gems! Dastardly Plans! Sherlock Holmes is just the man... But what if Holmes isn't the only brains at Baker Street?As snow falls on Baker Street, the wintry city is abuzz with excitement: the Malabar Rose - a fabled and enormous ruby - has been sent as a gift to Queen Victoria by the Marharajah of Marjoudh. An extraordinary condition is attached: the gem must be displayed at London's sumptuous Blenheim Hotel. How can the safety of this priceless jewel be assured? The authorities wisely enlist the help of Sherlock Holmes and his colleague Dr Watson... but fortunately for them, they are also on the receiving end of help from Holmes's redoubtable housekeeper Mrs Hudson and her able assistant, Flotsam the housemaid. The Malabar Rose isn't the only exotic attraction stirring up excitement in the city, however. World famous magician the Great Salmanazar will be amazing the lucky few who can secure tickets at a once-in-a-lifetime spectacular. Not only that, but the world's most beautiful woman - the glamorous, if rather risque, fire dancer Lola Del Fuego - will be joining him on the bill. With all this excitement and a peculiar disappearance in Ealing, Mrs Hudson and Flottie have their hands full this festive season. Their investigations take in snow-shrouded streets, a toyshop full of wonders, a tumultuous Covent Garden as the New Year rings in and even theatre dressing rooms in Stepney. This fresh twist on classic Victorian mystery will delight fans and new readers alike. Martin Davies grew up in north-west England. In addition to the Holmes & Hudson Mysteries, he is the author of four other novels, including The Conjurer's Bird, which sold over 150,000 copies and was selected for the Richard & Judy Book Club and Havana Sleeping, which was shortlisted for the 2015 CWA Historical Dagger award. He works as a consultant in the broadcasting industry.

From acclaimed Richard & Judy Book Club author Martin Davies comes a rollicking new take on Sherlock Holmes: Mrs Hudson & the Spirits' Curse, the first Holmes & Hudson Mystery

A bestselling Richard and Judy Book Club title, The Conjuror's Bird is a dazzling debut novel, spanning three centuries of secrets and surprises.It seems a long time ago that Fitz and Gabby were together, with his work on extinct species about to make him world-famous. Now, it's his career that is almost extinct.Suddenly, though, the beautiful Gabby reappears in his life. She wants his help in tracing the history of The Mysterious Bird of Ulieta, a creature once owned by the great 18th Century naturalist Joseph Banks.It soon becomes clear that Fitz is getting involved in something more complicated and dangerous than the search for a stuffed bird.To solve the puzzle, he must uncover the identity of the amazing woman Banks loved a woman who has disappeared from history as effectively as the specimen he is hunting.A mixture of detection, romance and history, The Conjuror's Bird has all the makings of a word-of-mouth bestseller.

The methods of concealment of real military artefacts and the creation of dummy ones were ingenious enough but the real art lay in the development of geographically dispersed deception plans which disguised the real time and place of attack and forced the enemy to defend areas threatened by fake operations.

This revised edition continues to defend the idea of a profession seeking to maintain disadvantaged people in the community. It includes a new chapter on the framework within which social work operates in practice - child care, disability, mental health, old age and criminal justice.