Writing as “Anne Rutherford,” a murder mystery series, set in Restoration London and featuring a theatre troupe led by a most talented woman.

 

The Opening Night Murder

At the dawn of the Restoration period, Suzanne Thornton hopes to find a second life in the theatre. But instead, on opening night, she finds a dead body onstage…

The triumphant return of King Charles II is occasion for much celebration in London. The Merry Monarch’s unquenchable thirst for entertainment creates opportunities for everyone from tavern keepers to brothel owners to actors.

One of these is Suzanne Thornton. No longer a kept women since her man fled, she sees an opportunity to reopen a theatre and stage the greats—Shakespeare, Marlowe, and the like. And now, thanks to Royal decree, women can openly tread the boards.

Suzanne secures financing from an old lover, assembles a troupe, and restores the venue—none other than the historic Globe Theatre. And then, tragically, during the opening night performance, a dead body lands on the stage.

After the curtain comes down, Suzanne finds herself a suspect. But she also finds that murder is good for business—the next night’s performance is sold out. Wishing to live to enjoy her success, Suzanne undertakes her own investigation to find a killer who may try to close her down for good.

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The Scottish Play Murder

The first production of The New Globe Players was marked by murder. Now Suzanne Thornton’s company dares to mount the most cursed of plays…

When charming Scotsman Diarmid Ramsay asks to play the titular role in Macbeth, he sets off a flurry of excitement among The New Globe Players. Despite protests from the company director that performing the Scottish play will lead only to disaster, Suzanne decides that the show must go on—with herself acting the part of Lady Macbeth, opposite the handsome stranger.

Rehearsals begin—but then rumors about Ramsay arise, implicating him in the death of a sailor found behind the Goat and Boar. Is the man a murderer, possibly involved in a plot against the newly restored king? Suzanne refuses to believe it, until another murder connected to Ramsay occurs.

It seems the curse of Macbeth may have been unleashed, leaving Suzanne no choice but to use her wits and her wiles to determine if Ramsay is a gifted actor—or a murderous villain.

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The Twelfth Night Murder

As The New Globe Players bring laughter to audiences with their production of Shakespeare’s comedy Twelfth Night, Suzanne Thornton must bring justice to the tragic victim of a brutal murder…

When the body of a young boy—murdered, mutilated, and clothed in women’s attire—is found under London Bridge, Constable Pepper believes him to be a member of the New Globe Players, one of the actors who specialize in women’s parts.

He is not, but Suzanne, summoned to make an identification, does recognize him from an encounter in the tavern the night before—as the alluring doxy who caught the eye of more than a few of the patrons. Suzanne suspects that whoever hired him for the night reacted violently when his true sex was discovered.

Moved by the lad’s fate, Suzanne determines to find his killer. But first, she must uncover the boy’s identity—an investigation that leads her to one of England’s wealthiest families and a powerful politician determined to keep the truth from being revealed at all costs.

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