Dead Man's Shadow

1890, Stoke Newington

A new church is being built…

Although quite beautiful, it does not sit well with older members of the community, whoare all members of the Church of England.

The pastor, Tristan King, insists on calling the lord, ‘my father’ and preaches not from an altar, but on a dais with a golden throne to his followers, the brothers of the Ark of the Covenant .

And while some may object, others are strangely captivated by his message of hope...

Stoke Newington, present day

Will and Bella have just bought an old house, and Bella’s mother, Alex, has agreed to help do it up.

When the floorboards are torn up, she finds letters written by a man named Edward Barton, requesting deeds relating to a property called Gothic Hall.

She starts to investigate the site of the old house, and learns that bones were found nearby during some construction work.

There’s a mystery to be solved and if there’s one thing Alex likes, it’s a good mystery…

Tales of arranged marriages, conspiring families and dangerous liasons are soon unravelled, revealing the complicated relationship between Edward Barton and Harriet, a young heiress who longs to be free from her controlling brother.

Meanwhile, while conducting her research into the mystery of Edward and Harriet, Alex meets a forceful woman named Jane, who thinks she has a right to ownership of the church, now an important historic building.

She claims to be descended from the one of the founders and when Jane thinks Alex has the document she needs to prove her claim, things take a sinister turn.

Based on true events, Dead Man’s Shadow is the second book in the Mrs Stonier Mystery series.

Praise for Anne Wilkinson

'A gripping murder mystery set in the depths of leafy Sussex' - Thomas Waugh

‘A thrilling murder mystery’ – Thomas Waugh

Anne Wilkinson is a retired marine lawyer with a PhD in the history of amateur gardening, on which she has written three books.