The Londum Series

Book one of The Londum Series, set in an Alternate Victorian England, called Albion. A sweeping melodrama, full of romance, passion, death and betrayal. A country, torn apart by divided loyalties as great armies battle each other. The story of a woman’s struggle against overwhelming odds. Yes, what a great book “Gone With The Wind” was. However, about this book ... In an alternate Victorian England named Albion, Rufus Cobb, part time private detective, full time drunk, is having a rough time. Once a respected police officer at Caledonia Yard, he is now reduced to tracking lost dogs and unfaithful spouses to make ends meet. And just when he thought things couldn’t get any worse, they did. Hired by his old enemy, Marcus Quist, to find his missing daughter, before the case is through Cobb will have to face witches, immortals, oriental bodyguards, dangerous foreign monks and mythical monsters. Oh yes, and his cat hates him, as well. Destiny conspires to saddle Cobb with the most important case of his life, well, anybody’s life come to that. The fate of the Universe may depend on Cobb. Good job the pubs stay open late. And who is killing all the clowns? Although this book is part of The Londum Series, all the books are stand-alone novels and can be read in any order.

The Omnibus edition of the Londum Series containing the first three novels. Collected here for the first time in one volume. Set in an Alternate Victorian England, called Albion. Rufus Cobb, Adele Curran and Jim Darby are the lead characters in a series of books – The Londum Series. Set in an alternate Victorian Era, they recount the adventures of Rufus Cobb, a private detective, his lady friend, Adele Curran (who just happens to be a witch) and Jim Darby, who is a jewel-thief and conman ... but whose crimes strangely only seem to benefit the poor. Cobb and his friends live in the city of Londum, in the country of Albion, the centre of the British Empire. This book contains the novels: Split Infinity: In an alternate Victorian England named Albion, Rufus Cobb, part time private detective, full time drunk, is having a rough time. Once a respected police officer at Caledonia Yard, he is now reduced to tracking lost dogs and unfaithful spouses to make ends meet. And just when he thought things couldn’t get any worse, they did. Hired by his old enemy, Marcus Quist, to find his missing daughter, before the case is through Cobb will have to face witches, immortals, oriental bodyguards, dangerous foreign monks and mythical monsters. Oh yes, and his cat hates him, as well. Destiny conspires to saddle Cobb with the most important case of his life, well anybody’s life come to that. The fate of the Universe may depend on Cobb. Good job the pubs stay open late. And who is killing all the clowns? Hair of the Dog: During a state visit to Albion, the Great Seal of Pils-Holstein is stolen. Private detective Rufus Cobb is called in by Caledonia Yard to recover the Seal and avoid an international incident. Meanwhile, a werewolf is stalking the East End of Londum, cold bloodedly killing its innocent victims (and some not so innocent ones). Are the two things connected? Cobb and Jim Darby are sent to Pils-Holstein by the British Government to put an end to the werewolf menace once and for all but does Darby have his own agenda? Stuck between the werewolves on one side and the Jim Darby on the other, with no one to watch his back, Cobb finds that things can get decidedly ... hairy! The Speed of Dark: It’s a pretty risky thing to travel to another Universe and rescue someone that you don’t even like and generally isn’t a recommended course of action. However, against his better judgement, Rufus Cobb is persuaded to do so by a beautiful woman. (Women eh?) Little does he know what he’s letting himself in for. Before he’s finished, he will find himself fulfilling someone’s centuries old prophecy in an oppressed country, which may seem somewhat familiar. Captured by the Black Guard and subjected to the Castilian Questioning by the Grand Questioner himself, Torquelauda, Cobb is responsible for igniting a revolution that will lead to the freedom of all Angleland. (Where? I hear you ask. Well, read the book and find out.) And as if that wasn’t enough, having a showdown with the Gods themselves is enough to keep anyone on their toes. And talking of toes ... did I mention the one-legged man? It’s all in here ... Love, Death, Sex, Violence, Destiny ... and many other words!

Book six of The Londum Series, set in an Alternate Victorian England, called Albion. In between rescuing a young girl from child slavery and saving a street full of tenants from an unscrupulous landlord, Jim Darby is planning one of the biggest heists of his career, when an old flame re-enters his life. Racine Deveaux seeks Jim’s help to bring down her travelling companion, Vincent Lassiter. Reluctant at first to help, Jim is finally persuaded to involve Lassiter in a scam to force him into a position where Racine can be revenged upon him. Seems simple, doesn’t it? However, Jim has to contend with Lassiter’s man, Bolan, an ex-street fighter, who may be more than a match for Jim. Also there’s a new addition to Jim’s list of annoyances, Inspector Herbert Corner of Caledonia Yard, who seems intent on finding out Jim’s secrets. Oh well, it’s just another day at the office for Jim. Including Bonus Story – A Londum Yuletide From an Alternate Victorian England called Albion, three spooky, short stories set during the Yuletide season, woven together into one narrative, A Londum Yuletide, to prove that ‘There are more things in Heaven and Earth, than are dreamt of in your philosophy, Horatio Hornblower!’ Pub Talk While working on a case in the snowy village of Strapley-on-the-Wold during the Yuletide season, Rufus Cobb, private detective, has a casual conversation with a stranger in the village pub, the outcome of which may have dire consequences for the whole world. What would you say to a disillusioned Father Yule (the man who delivers toys to all the children) who is about to quit his job? Trial by Gravity Jim Darby, gentleman thief, is making his escape from a successful robbery, over a snowy rooftop when disaster strikes, leaving him dangling over a four-storey drop. Luckily, someone comes along who could rescue him; the only trouble is ... Jim has to convince him first, why he should. Unfinished Business Thornton Wells is visited by one of his trusted Secret Service contacts. A dangerous, foreign agent is about to leave the country with vital information, they must apprehend him immediately, without waiting for backup. The two of them set off at once, there is no time to lose, but is there more to this than meets the eye?

Book five of The Londum Series. From an Alternate Victorian England called Albion, three spooky, short stories set during the Yuletide season, woven together into one narrative, A Londum Yuletide, to prove that ‘There are more things in Heaven and Earth, than are dreamt of in your philosophy, Horatio Hornblower!’ Pub Talk While working on a case in the snowy village of Strapley-on-the-Wold during the Yuletide season, Rufus Cobb, private detective, has a casual conversation with a stranger in the village pub, the outcome of which may have dire consequences for the whole world. What would you say to a disillusioned Father Yule (the man who delivers toys to all the children) who is about to quit his job? Trial by Gravity Jim Darby, gentleman thief, is making his escape from a successful robbery, over a snowy rooftop when disaster strikes, leaving him dangling over a four-storey drop. Luckily, someone comes along who could rescue him; the only trouble is ... Jim has to convince him first, why he should. Unfinished Business Thornton Wells is visited by one of his trusted Secret Service contacts. A dangerous, foreign agent is about to leave the country with vital information, they must apprehend him immediately, without waiting for backup. The two of them set off at once, there is no time to lose, but is there more to this than meets the eye? A Londum Yuletide is also available as a bonus story included in Snake Eyes, part of The Londum Series.

Book three of The Londum Series, set in an Alternate Victorian England, called Albion. It’s a pretty risky thing to travel to another Universe and rescue someone that you don’t even like and generally isn’t a recommended course of action. However, against his better judgement, Rufus Cobb is persuaded to do so by a beautiful woman. (Women eh?) Little does he know what he’s letting himself in for. Before he’s finished, he will find himself fulfilling someone’s centuries old prophecy in an oppressed country, which may seem somewhat familiar. Captured by the Black Guard and subjected to the Castilian Questioning by the Grand Questioner himself, Torquelauda, Cobb is responsible for igniting a revolution that will lead to the freedom of all Angleland. (Where? I hear you ask. Well, read the book and find out.) And as if that wasn’t enough, having a showdown with the Gods themselves is enough to keep anyone on their toes. And talking of toes ... did I mention the one-legged man? It’s all in here ... Love, Death, Sex, Violence, Destiny ... and many other words!

Book eight of The Londum Series. From an Alternate Victorian England called Albion, three spooky short stories set during the Yuletide season, featuring Rufus Cobb, Adele Curran, Jim Darby and Thornton Wells. In the depths of winter, the worst snowstorm in fifty years is ravaging Albion. In these three stories our heroes come face to face with what it means to live ... and to die. Yet despite facing their own mortality, perhaps they can still find a measure of Yuletide spirit, a Quantum of Solstice, perhaps? The Last Present What’s so unusual about seeing a ghost at a spiritualist meeting? Nothing you might think, except Adele is the only one that can see him, not the medium. And he wants her help to stop the man who murdered him from doing the same to his family. Adele, Cobb and Won Lungh set out in a snowstorm to try and stop this but it may cost them their own lives. A Snowball in Hell’s Chance Jim Darby comes across two young brothers trying to survive on the streets of Londum. He buys them some food but they refuse any further help and he doesn’t see them again. Or does he? Who is the shadowy figure he sees through the falling snow, throwing snowballs at him? And why does he want Jim to follow him? Death on the Cards Thornton Wells is drinking and reminiscing with his old friend, Sir Harold Ingleby, when Thornton tells him about what happened to him once, as a young man. ‘You’ll be the Death of me,’ ‘Facing your Death,’ ‘Look Death in the eye,’ those are just sayings ... aren’t they? And a bonus poem ‘Twas the night before Solstice. (Also contains a URL to where you can download a free MP3 of the author reading this poem.) Part of the Londum series

Book Seven of The Londum Series, set in an Alternate Victorian England, called Albion. Sometimes you can do bad things for good reasons. Ask Jim Darby, he knows better than most. After helping his lady friend, the Honourable Fiona Hetheringham, with a little insurance scam involving the staged theft of the famed Hetheringham Necklace, he’s clandestinely approached by the British Secret Service, in the form of Thornton Wells, to do a little ‘search and recovery’ operation for them. A secret treaty between Rooskia and the Ostro-Ungarian Empire needs to be recovered from the Rooskian Embassy in Budapescht, so Jim obliges and hands it over to his Ungarian contact. Job done! But suddenly the treaty has disappeared, his contact has gone missing and everyone’s pointing the finger at Jim. Jim has no option but to go back to Budapescht and sort it all out for himself. And just to add to the fun, Jim’s old adversary from Caledonia Yard, Inspector Herbert Corner, is on his trail for the Hetheringham Necklace robbery. (There are times, Jim feels, when a change of career to Merchant Banking can seem awfully attractive.)

Book Eleven of The Londum Series. Once upon a time, private detective Rufus Cobb met the supreme being of the Multiverse, the Creator, who was called ... Jeremy. Before they parted, Jeremy gave him these words of wisdom to remember ... ‘Cobb ... never trust an Elf!’ ‘There’s no such thing as Elves, are there? Even if they weren’t just a myth, surely they died out long ago?’ ‘They never died out; they just went ... somewhere else. One of these days they’re going to want to come back.’ And now they’re back! They have breached the walls between Universes and, as the last remnants of a dying race, have asked for sanctuary, to escape their own, barren world. The rulers of Cobb’s world are inclined to help but is there something more sinister going on? Mindful of Jeremy’s warning Cobb believes so and tries to warn the authorities but no one will listen until it’s too late. And now once again, (thanks to Harlequin) they are calling on Cobb to save the day along with Jim, Adele and King Arthur (yes, I did say King Arthur). This could be Cobb’s most dangerous adventure yet (well, apart from the one with the goat and the machine gun, but that’s another story). Warning! This book contains flash photography!

The Omnibus edition of the Londum Series Volume Two containing three more novels. Collected here for the first time in one volume. This book contains the novels: Snake Eyes: In between rescuing a young girl from child slavery and saving a street full of tenants from an unscrupulous landlord, Jim Darby is planning one of the biggest heists of his career, when an old flame re-enters his life. Racine Deveaux seeks Jim’s help to bring down her travelling companion, Vincent Lassiter. Reluctant at first to help, Jim is finally persuaded to involve Lassiter in a scam to force him into a position where Racine can be revenged upon him. Seems simple, doesn’t it? However, Jim has to contend with Lassiter’s man, Bolan, an ex-street fighter, who may be more than a match for Jim. Also there’s as a new addition to Jim’s list of annoyances, Inspector Herbert Corner of Caledonia Yard, who seems intent on finding out Jim’s secrets. Oh well, it’s just another day at the office for Jim. The Great Game: Sometimes you can do bad things for good reasons. Ask Jim Darby, he knows better than most. After helping his lady friend, the Honourable Fiona Hetheringham, with a little insurance scam involving the staged theft of the famed Hetheringham Necklace, he’s clandestinely approached by the British Secret Service, in the form of Thornton Wells, to do a little ‘search and recovery’ operation for them. A secret treaty between Rooskia and the Ostro-Ungarian Empire needs to be recovered from the Rooskian Embassy in Budapescht, so Jim obliges and hands it over to his Ungarian contact. Job done! But suddenly the treaty has disappeared, his contact has gone missing and everyone’s pointing the finger at Jim. Jim has no option but to go back to Budapescht and sort it all out for himself. And just to add to the fun, Jim’s old adversary from Caledonia Yard, Inspector Herbert Corner, is on his trail for the Hetheringham Necklace robbery. (There are times, Jim feels, when a change of career to Merchant Banking can seem awfully attractive.) Foothold: Once upon a time, private detective Rufus Cobb met the supreme being of the Multiverse, the Creator, who was called ... Jeremy. Before they parted, Jeremy gave him these words of wisdom to remember ... ‘Cobb ... never trust an Elf!’ ‘There’s no such thing as Elves, are there? Even if they weren’t just a myth, surely they died out long ago?’ ‘They never died out; they just went ... somewhere else. One of these days they’re going to want to come back.’ And now they’re back! They have breached the walls between Universes and, as the last remnants of a dying race, have asked for sanctuary, to escape their own, barren world. The rulers of Cobb’s world are inclined to help but is there something more sinister going on? Mindful of Jeremy’s warning Cobb believes so and tries to warn the authorities but no one will listen until it’s too late. And now once again, (thanks to Harlequin) they are calling on Cobb to save the day along with Jim, Adele and King Arthur (yes, I did say King Arthur). This could be Cobb’s most dangerous adventure yet (well, apart from the one with the goat and the machine gun, but that’s another story). Warning! This book contains flash photography!

Book Ten of The Londum series Another visit to Albion in the Yuletide season. As the snow falls and Solstice approaches join Rufus Cobb and his friends in three more seasonal short stories as they once again confront life and death, mystery and Magick, tea and crumpets! Contains the stories: The One That Got Away Rufus Cobb is called in by Caledonia Yard to consult on the puzzling murders of several renowned scientists. What connects these deaths to the mysterious figure in Professor Court’s workshop? All that Glitters ... Dr. Barnato’s orphanage is in financial trouble and appeals to Jim Darby for help. A large amount of money is needed to save them and it looks like Jim might have to resort to crime again to solve the problem. But then he finds an injured faerie and it occurs to him that if what they say about faeries is true, then she just might be the answer to everyone’s prayers. Yuletide Spirit It’s Solstice Eve in Strapley-on-the-Wold and time for the annual party at the manor. The weather is against them but Thornton Wells and Sir Harold Ingleby take special care to make sure that the village witch makes it to the party and has a good time. So why does she mysteriously disappear overnight?

Jim Darby is back on his travels again! Now that he’s got his airship company off the ground (ahem) the British Secret Service want him to do another little job for them. Just pop down to Malta in one of his airships and pick up a certain decoding device for them. Easy you’d think but this one’s been stolen from one of Albion’s rivals so Jim and his crew have to be discreet. Too bad there’s a sexy woman pyrate docked there, who’s an old flame of Jim’s and she’s still smouldering about how they parted. As well as that annoying little matter of another pyrate having put a price on his head of which Jim is unaware, as he flies into danger. This book’s got it all. Thrills and spills! Excitement and danger! Wiener Schnitzels and cuckoo clocks!

A collected edition of the Christmas books: A Londum Yuletide, Quantum of Solstice and Winter Shorts. From an alternate Victorian England called Albion, a collection of spooky stories set during the Yuletide season: Pub Talk While working on a case in the snowy village of Strapley-on-the-Wold during the Yuletide season, Rufus Cobb, private detective, has a casual conversation with a stranger in the village pub, the outcome of which may have dire consequences for the whole world. What would you say to a disillusioned Father Yule (the man who delivers toys to all the children of the world) who is about to quit his job? Trial by Gravity Jim Darby, gentleman thief, is making his escape from a successful robbery, over a snowy rooftop when disaster strikes, leaving him dangling over a four-storey drop. Luckily, someone comes along who could rescue him; the only trouble is ... Jim has to convince him first, why he should. Unfinished Business Thornton Wells is visited by one of his trusted Secret Service contacts. A dangerous, foreign agent is about to leave the country with vital information, they must apprehend him immediately, without waiting for backup. The two of them set off at once, there is no time to lose, but is there more to this than meets the eye? The Last Present What’s so unusual about seeing a ghost at a spiritualist meeting? Nothing you might think, except Adele is the only one that can see him, not the medium. He wants Adele’s help to stop the man who murdered him, from doing the same to his family. Adele, Cobb and Won Lungh set out in a snowstorm to try and stop that from happening but it may well cost them their own lives, instead. A Snowball in Hell’s Chance Jim Darby comes across two young brothers trying to survive on the streets of Londum. He buys them some food but they refuse any further help and he doesn’t see them again. Or does he? Jim thinks that the shadowy figure he sees through the falling snow is one of them, but why is he throwing snowballs at him? And why does he want Jim to follow him? Death on the Cards Thornton Wells is drinking and reminiscing with an old friend, Sir Harold Ingleby, when Thornton tells him about what happened to him once, as a young man. ‘You’ll be the Death of me,’ ‘Facing your Death,’ ‘Look Death in the eye,’ those are just sayings ... aren’t they? The One That Got Away Rufus Cobb is called in by Caledonia Yard to consult on the puzzling murders of several renowned scientists. What connects these deaths to the mysterious figure in Professor Court’s workshop? All That Glitters ... Dr. Barnato’s orphanage is in financial trouble and appeals to Jim Darby for help. A large amount of money is needed to save them and it looks like Jim might have to resort to crime again to solve the problem. But then he finds an injured faerie and it occurs to him that if what they say about faeries is true, then she just might be the answer to everyone’s prayers. Yuletide Spirit It’s Solstice Eve in Strapley-on-the-Wold and time for the annual party at the manor. The weather is against them but Thornton Wells and Sir Harold Ingleby take special care to make sure that the village witch makes it to the party and has a good time. So why does she mysteriously disappear overnight? And a bonus poem ‘Twas the Night Before Solstice.

Book two of The Londum Series, set in an Alternate Victorian England, called Albion. A rousing tale of love, larceny, werewolves ... and whipped cream! During a state visit to Albion, the Great Seal of Pils-Holstein is stolen. Private detective Rufus Cobb is called in by Caledonia Yard to recover the Seal and avoid an international incident. Meanwhile, a werewolf is stalking the East End of Londum, cold bloodedly killing its innocent victims (and some not so innocent ones). Are the two things connected? Cobb and Jim Darby are sent to Pils-Holstein by the British Government to put an end to the werewolf menace once and for all but does Darby have his own agenda? Stuck between the werewolves on one side and Jim Darby on the other, with no one to watch his back, Cobb finds that things can get decidedly ... hairy!