C. J. Archer

Victorian London: For five years, Charlotte (Charlie) Holloway has lived as a boy in the slums. But when one theft too many gets her arrested, her only means of escape lies with a dead man. Charlie hasn't raised a spirit since she first discovered she could do so five years ago. That time, her father banished her. This time, she brings even more trouble upon herself. People are now hunting Charlie all over London, but only one man succeeds in capturing her. Lincoln Fitzroy is the mysterious head of a secret organization on the trail of a madman who needs a necromancer to control his newly "made" creatures. There was only one known necromancer in the world - Charlotte - but now there appears to be two. Lincoln captures the willful Charlie in the hopes the boy will lead him to Charlotte. But what happens when he discovers the boy is in fact the young woman he's been searching for all along? And will she agree to work for the man who held her against her will, and for an organization she doesn't trust? Because Lincoln and his ministry might be just as dangerous as the madman they're hunting. C.J. Archer is the author of the bestselling Emily Chambers Spirit Medium and Freak House series. If you love historical novels with mystery, romance and a paranormal twist, THE LAST NECROMANCER is for you. It's the first book in the MINISTRY OF CURIOSITIES series.

The Last Necromancer

It's customary for Gothic romance novels to include a mysterious girl locked in the attic. Hannah Smith just wishes she wasn't that girl. As a narcoleptic and the companion to an earl's daughter with a strange affliction of her own, Hannah knows she's lucky to have a roof over her head and food in her belly when so many orphans starve on the streets. Yet freedom is something Hannah longs for. She did not, however, want her freedom to arrive in the form of kidnapping. Taken by handsome Jack Langley to a place known as Freak House, she finds herself under the same roof as a mad scientist, his niece, a mute servant and Jack, a fire starter with a mysterious past. They assure Hannah she is not a prisoner and that they want to help her. The problem is, they think she's the earl's daughter. What will they do when they discover they took the wrong girl?

Book 1 in the First Freak House Series

The Wrong Girl

It was the most fashionable place to stay in London, until murder made a reservation. Solve the puzzle in this new mystery from USA Today bestselling author of the Glass and Steele series.December 1899. After the death of her beloved grandmother, Cleopatra Fox moves into the luxury hotel owned by her estranged uncle in the hopes of putting hardship and loneliness behind her. But the poisoning of a guest throws her new life, and the hotel, into chaos.Cleo quickly realizes no one can be trusted, not Scotland Yard and especially not the hotel's charming assistant manager. With the New Year's Eve ball approaching fast and the hotel's reputation hanging by a thread, Cleo must find the killer before the ball, and the hotel itself, are ruined. But catching a murderer proves just as difficult as navigating the hotel's hierarchy and the peculiarities of her family. Can Cleo find the killer before the new century begins? Or will someone get away with murder?

Murder at the Mayfair Hotel

India Steele is desperate. Her father is dead, her fiancé took her inheritance, and no one will employ her, despite years working for her watchmaker father. Indeed, the other London watchmakers seem frightened of her. Alone, poor, and at the end of her tether, India takes employment with the only person who'll accept her - an enigmatic and mysterious man from America. A man who possesses a strange watch that rejuvenates him when he's ill. Matthew Glass must find a particular watchmaker, but he won't tell India why any old one won't do. Nor will he tell her what he does back home, and how he can afford to stay in a house in one of London's best streets. So when she reads about an American outlaw known as the Dark Rider arriving in England, she suspects Mr. Glass is the fugitive. When danger comes to their door, she's certain of it. But if she notifies the authorities, she'll find herself unemployed and homeless again - and she will have betrayed the man who saved her life.With a cast of quirky characters, an intriguing mystery, and a dash of romance,

The Watchmaker's Daughter

The 3rd book in the After The Rift fantasy series by bestselling author, C.J. Archer.

The Whisper of Silenced Voices

In the 3rd Glass and Steele novel, Matt and India investigate the murder of an apothecary magician.

The Apothecary's Poison

Cara Moreau is dying from a supernatural curse. Her only chance of survival lies with the warrior, an enigmatic man who comes from a realm "in between." Quin St. Clair lived hundreds of years ago, but now exists solely to protect the world he once called home. That's all he will tell Cara, the woman he must keep alive by remaining close to her. Very close. But Cara is determined to discover more answers as she grows to like her warrior. While they search for the book of spells and the cure contained within its pages, their feelings for one another can no longer be denied. But what will happen when Cara is cured and Quin's assignment is complete? And can she trust this mysterious man with the book if they find it? As friends and family from the previous Freak House novels help them, and old and new foes vie for power, Quin and Cara must not allow their feelings to get in the way of their task. Or Cara's life, and Quin's afterlife, may be cut short. GHOST GIRL is the start of the 3rd Freak House Trilogy. You do not have to read the 1st and 2nd trilogies to enjoy the 3rd.

Ghost Girl

The 3rd book in the Ministry of Curiosities series sees Charlie and Lincoln facing dangerous spirits they cannot control in the search for Lady Harcourt's missing stepson. Working together draws them closer to one another, and leads Charlie to learn more about her employer.

Beyond the Grave

When Charlie returns to Lichfield, she steps into chaos. The killer is still on the loose, Lady Harcourt's secret is out, Seth and Gus are gone, and Lady Vickers has come to stay. But nothing compares to the chaos inflicted on Charlie's heart by seeing Lincoln every day. Despite their frequent clashes, Lincoln and Charlie manage to work together to narrow their list of suspects. No one can be trusted, especially not the members of the committee who are not what they seem. Long buried pasts are dug up as Charlie and Lincoln attempt to restore peace to Lichfield. But when danger enters her home, Charlie's world is shattered.

C.J. Archer

From the Ashes

With Alice determined to discover the truth about her past, and Seth determined to help her, the couple find themselves sucked into a world where nothing is as it seems and no one can be trusted. On the run to escape a mad queen's wrath, and with an entire realm looking for them, tensions fray and friendships are tested. Even worse for Seth, shocking secrets he'd rather leave buried are brought to the surface. Joined on their adventure by an irritable Gus and a mysterious Eva, the four friends must learn the truth of Alice's past so she can forge her future. But a future with whom? And where? THE WISDOM OF MADNESS is the final book in the Ministry of Curiosities series.

The Wisdom of Madness

When an apprentice from the Mapmakers' Guild goes missing, Matt and India are employed to find him. Going undercover as a married couple, they discover that not everyone at the guild is what they seem. The 2nd book in the GLASS AND STEELE series brings danger as enemies draw near, sinister plots are uncovered, and magic links two powerful guilds.

The Mapmaker's Apprentice

Charity Evans wants nothing more than to leave her troubled past behind and start afresh. The teacher at a London school for orphans is encouraged to have her memories blocked by hypnotist Samuel Gladstone, but when they experience visions with an unknown third person, they realize the past can never be truly erased. Now her past is returning to haunt Charity all over again. Samuel is determined to help her, but how can a woman who trusts no man trust a hypnotist? And what dark secrets changed the charming gentleman into a desperate one who'll do anything to keep those secrets buried?

Book 1 of the 2nd Freak House Trilogy

The Memory Keeper

Handsome. Charming. Devastating. He was the last man she needed, but the only one she wanted. Orlando Holt has never assassinated a woman before. The lovely, feisty Lady Lynden will be his first. She's supposed to be a vicious murderess, but when Orlando begins to have doubts, he sets out to discover the identity of the person who hired him. What he learns will turn his world upside down, and propel him headlong into love with a woman who's immune to his charms. Twice widowed by the age of twenty-four, Lady Susanna Lynden has had enough of charming men. Her last husband knew all the right things to say to get her to the marriage bed...then made her life miserable. Money may be scarce and her house falling down around her, but the exotic fruit from her orange trees will keep poverty away. Except someone is thwarting her at every turn. Someone who may even want her dead.

An Assassins Guild Novel

The Charmer

The arrival of Buffalo Bill's Wild West show in London brings trouble. When the sharpshooter who beats Willie at poker is murdered, Matt and India investigate. Willie is convinced the victim cheated, but no one knows how until India discovers his secret - he was a paper magician. When their list of suspects grows to include a member of the mysterious magic Collector's Club, they uncover a spy. But who is he working for? And what does his employer want? As danger circles, secrets are revealed, and India struggles to keep her own secret hidden from Matt. But when her grandfather introduces her to a man who can change her life, India must decide if she wants her life to change at all.

The Cheater's Game

It should be a happy time for India and Matt, but forces beyond their control conspire to ruin their future. A distraction from their troubles comes in the form of murder. When the editor of The Weekly Gazette is killed, controversial journalist and ink magician Oscar Barratt asks India and Matt to investigate. As the recipient of threatening letters written on magic paper, he believes he was the intended target. With suspects ranging from Oscar's brother to guild masters and London's elite, India and Matt have a lot of investigating to do. But the more they dig, the more dark secrets they uncover. Secrets that involve blackmail and an exclusive club of magic collectors who want to preserve the value of their collections. When one of the secrets can give India and Matt the future they desire, will they give in to blackmail or sacrifice their happiness?

The Ink Master's Silence

USA TODAY BESTSELLER India and Matt thought all their problems would come to an end once they found Chronos. But the watch magician brings with him as many questions as answers, and a load of trouble. To fix Matt's magic watch, they must find an old diary that once belonged to a doctor magician murdered decades ago. The hunt drags them into a sordid mystery involving two of London's craft guilds. With old and new enemies determined to stop them, and long-held secrets unearthed, Matt and India must work together better than ever. But as the reason for India's strangely strong magic is revealed, she wants to draw other magicians into the open, while Matt wants to hide magic to keep her safe. Her plan backfires. His plan shatters. And danger comes to their door.

The Magician's Diary

From the author of the USA Today bestselling GLASS AND STEELE series comes this captivating new fantasy. The king's magnificent palace was built in a matter of weeks. No one saw the builders, no villagers are allowed beyond the gilded gate, and only one servant has ever left. The haunted look in her eyes as she was recaptured by the palace guards is something Josie, daughter of the village doctor, has never forgotten. For Josie, the palace is a mystery that grows more intriguing after she meets the captain of the guards, a man known only as Hammer, as mysterious and captivating as the palace itself. Whispers of magic fuel Josie's desire to uncover the truth, but an ordinary girl like her can only dream of ever being invited inside. When the king decides to take a wife from among the eligible daughters of the noble families, the palace gates are finally thrown open and the kingdom's elite pour in. In a court where old rivalries and new jealousies collide, the king's favorite is poisoned and the doctor is summoned. As her father's assistant, Josie finally sees inside the lavish walls, but she soon learns the palace won't surrender its secrets easily, for not a single resident, from the lowest servant to the king himself, has a memory from before the palace existed. In the search for the truth, Josie is drawn deeper into danger, and the answers she seeks might shake the very foundations of the kingdom.

The Palace of Lost Memories

The genteel tranquility of a country house party is shattered when the gamekeeper is shot. Was his death the result of his recent indiscretions, or long-buried secrets?

The weekend was supposed to be an enjoyable time with her family at the neo-Gothic manor of Lord and Lady Kershaw, but when the gamekeeper is murdered, Cleo can’t rest until the killer is caught. As a witness herself, she’s frustrated with the incompetence of the local police who lay the blame on a man who conveniently disappeared. When she realizes their ineptitude is a result of Lord Kershaw’s influence, she focuses her investigation on the earl and his family, against the wishes of her uncle.

The arrival of her suspects at the Mayfair Hotel allows Cleo to continue the investigation after the country house party ends, but what she discovers unnerves her. The gamekeeper’s reputation for seducing young women has left a trail of broken hearts, from the lowest maid to the highest lady. But could there be another reason for his murder?

Meanwhile, the hotel staff have secrets of their own to hide. As loyalties are tested on several fronts, Cleo needs her friends more than ever if she is to unravel the mysteries, both old and new.

(Cleopatra Fox Mysteries, Book 10)

Murder at Hambledon Hall

With the Master's spirit still haunting London, Charity must remain at Freak House. But the peace is shattered when Samuel's father is brutally slain by a demon on the estate. Who summoned it and why? As some questions are answered, yet more secrets about Samuel emerge that send him hurtling toward madness. Secrets that terrify Charity and draw her inevitably closer to him. As the lies are peeled back to reveal the truth, will she be able to conquer her fears and give Samuel what he craves?

Book 2 of the 2nd Freak House Trilogy

Seared With Scars

Courageous Minerva Peabody, a poor but passionate playwright, is cursed to be living in Elizabethan England, when women most assuredly did not write plays.Determined to succeed, Min impulsively enlists the help of the first man she sees to be her "cover." Blake, her chosen surrogate, a handsome blue-eyed sea captain with his own agenda, is a man with a mysterious past, a wondrous pair of shoulders, and an irresistible aura of intrigue.As his own mission -- ferreting out the cad who got his sister pregnant -- collides with Min's nascent career, his dilemma is keen: protect either his family's honor or the woman who's slowly but surely winning his heart.Fast-paced, funny, richly detailed, and with a deliciously dark edge, Her Secret Desire speaks to any woman who, no matter what, never gives up on her dreams.

C. J. Archer

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