The Changeling Murders: Free Sneak Peak

By CS Quinn

FREE SAMPLE from bestselling author CS Quinn's latest book...

Abduction. Murder. A conspiracy that could bring down the King.

London, 1667: In the wake of the Great Fire, a new city has emerged from the flames. The King has reopened the capital’s theatres, and the royal court is hell-bent on debauched entertainment. But amid the raucous festivities, an actress shows up dead, dressed in the clothes of a missing girl.

It’s a time of great change for thief taker Charlie Tuesday too: his old flame, Maria, is on the cusp of marrying someone else. But when she is abducted on the way to her wedding, Charlie realises her disappearance is linked to the murder.

Meanwhile, as Lent draws to a close, London is exploding into shocking riot. With brothels and theatres being attacked, Charlie and his sidekick Lily must find clues before an angry mob does. And as the mystery deepens and violence fills the streets, can Charlie solve a riddle that threatens not just Maria, but London itself?

• Language: English
• Publisher: CS Quinn
• Release date: May 25, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463037140

Book preview

THE CHANGELING MURDERS

Also by C.S. Quinn

The Thief Taker Series

The Thief Taker

Fire Catcher

Dark Stars

Death Magic (Short Story)

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Text copyright © 2018 by C.S. Quinn

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

Published by Thomas & Mercer, Seattle

ISBN-13: 9781477805114

ISBN-10: 1477805117

Prologue

It was an inauspicious day for a wedding. Dark clouds had gathered as Maria tightened the ribbons on her blue dress. She’d begged and borrowed pieces of lace and silk, tucked flowers into her long blonde hair and curled the front into fashionable ringlets. But she still didn’t feel ready.

Maria could hear the church bells ringing the hour across London. She was late for her own wedding, she realised with a sliding sense of panic. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been late for anything.

Be honest, whispered a snake voice in her head. Your heart is still with Charlie Tuesday.

A hackney carriage drew up outside, large metal wheels striking loudly on the cobbles. Maria watched from the window of her rented room. She frowned in confusion as the driver emerged and knocked on her door.

The man was dressed strangely. Courtly clothes, old-fashioned and moth-eaten. Unease swirled in Maria’s stomach. ‘I didn’t send for a carriage,’ she said as she opened the door.

‘It looks to rain,’ he said in a clipped voice. ‘Your betrothed thought it best you were driven to church.’

Maria eyed the carriage behind him. It was small, black and slightly scruffy. The kind of modest vehicle that ferried middling sorts about the city. It had large wheels, one horse and space for two people. A considerate yet frugal expense from a lawyer to his wife-to-be on her wedding morning. Exactly like Percy. So why did she feel so apprehensive?

The driver smiled in a way that didn’t reach his unusual blue-green eyes. ‘I have no other passengers inside,’ he said. ‘You have it to yourself.’

For some reason, this filled Maria with fear. She swallowed, trying to pull herself together. Every bride feels anxious on her wedding day,