The illusion of murder - Softcover

Packed with historical detail and humour. Elle Praise for The Alchemy of Murder: 'Meet Nellie Bly, America's first female investigative reporter. She's feisty, funny, opinionated, persistent, and as tough as any male she meets. She has to be, because in The Alchemy of Murder, she's swept through a tale of peril and pursuit that is sure to keep you turning pages long after you should have been asleep. You'll find yourself on the mean streets of nineteenth century New York, in Victorian London and in Paris as the Eiffel Tower rises and deadly things - men and microbes - stalk the streets. It is a dazzling entertainment, so well constructed - and it has Oscar Wilde too!' William Martin Carol McCleary does for the City of Light what Ann Perry has done for Victorian London and what The Alienist did for 19th century New York. A gripping, atmospheric, electrifying masterwork! Barbara Woods

In the bustling harbour city of Port Said, Nellie witnesses a mysterious death and this makes her a target for a killer and involves her in international intrigue with the fate of nations at stake. On her journey from the Land of the Pharaohs to the exotic Orient, Nellie meets the most famous magicians in the world, legendary actress Sarah Bernhardt, and Frederick Selous, the real life inspiration for Rider Haggard's hero in King Solomon's Mines and for Indiana Jones. As magicians conjure the fantasy and a spiritualist raises the dead, Nellie discovers that the deadly plot begun in Egypt has tentacles around the world.