This page includes affiliate links.
Fatal Festivities: A Christmas Novella
A mysterious invite, a festive party, and a murderer hiding amongst the mistletoe.
Christmas in England, 1936.
When Ruby Dove receives a cryptic invitation to Lady Charlesworth’s swanky London soiree, Fina Aubrey-Havelock convinces her friend to attend. With journalist Pixley Hayford in tow, the trio is determined to have a smashing time and discover the face behind the missive. But they soon face a corpse instead.
To clear Ruby’s name, they set off across the wintry English countryside in search of the miscreant. Will the snow halt the murderer in their tracks?
If you love golden age detection with a dash of history, join our fashionable Oxford sleuth-spies in a delightful mystery romp through the 1930s. Ruby and Fina wager that you’ll never guess who did it.
$2.99
$9.99
BOOK 1
Death in Velvet
Who doesn’t want the latest fashions?
But the cutting-edge is a dangerous place to be.
Springtime in Paris, 1936.
When Madame Lafitte invites Ruby Dove to her fashion show, how can she and Fina resist?
Unaware of the gathering storm of greed, envy, and malice, our intrepid sleuths plunge headlong once more from the drama of fashion into the drama of murder. A flighty model, an affable cad, a pushy buyer, a gruff archeologist, a wretched assistant, an insouciant hotel manager, a confident maid, and a talented designer all have a motive for murder. And every one of them could have risked the guillotine.
Faced with too many suspects, too many motives, and the ticking clock of a police investigation, our detectives wine and dine their way through Paris, hoping that someone will slip. Perhaps a Freudian slip, edged with fashionable lace?
If you love golden age detection with a dash of history, join our fashionable Oxford sleuth-spies in a delightful mystery romp through the 1930s. Ruby and Fina wager that you’ll never guess who did it.
$4.99
$9.99
BOOK 2
The Art of Murder
The art world is deliciously petty.
Until the stakes are raised to murder.
Cornwall, 1936.
Our intrepid trio descends on a Cornish island for an art competition to settle old scores. But someone’s new scorecard adds up to murder.
A delightful weekend away on an island halts with the coming storm. Cut off from the mainland, Ruby, Fina, and Pixley must sharpen their wits against a cunning murderer quite content with bumping off the next guest without a second thought. A tangle of international intrigue and the London Art world brings together a vivacious New York painter, a mysterious Barbadian sugar-company officer, a larger-than-life host, an eccentric Welsh painter, a frenetic gallery owner, an Irish psychotherapist, an heiress to a fortune, a loyal valet, and a devoted secretary. But which of them dares to dabble in the art of murder?
Our trio must solve the murder before everyone on the island becomes victim to this artist’s experiments in erasure.
If you love golden age detection with a dash of history, join our fashionable Oxford sleuth-spies in a delightful mystery romp through the 1930s. Ruby and Fina wager that you’ll never guess who did it.
$4.99
$11.99
BOOk 3
Murder in a Mask
Halloween masks hide secrets, both petty and passionate.
Behind one mask also hides a murderer.
Crickle Hythe, Oxfordshire, 1936.
Ruby Dove is depressed. So Fina and Pixley lift her spirits with a lighthearted party, though it soon has deadly results.
At a Halloween gala in Ruby’s village of Crickle Hythe, long-standing grudges and insignificant slights rise to the surface like the bobbing apples awaiting the snap of children’s teeth. After the death of a guest, Ruby and Fina are eyed suspiciously by the local police—though there’s no shortage of suspects. Crickle Hythe’s placid surface hides a hotbed of intrigue from the local witch to the sharp-tongued owner of Chidden Park. Our intrepid detectives are running from the police and running out of time. Will they unmask the murderer before the net tightens around them?
Our trio hops aboard Pixley’s new narrowboat to plumb the depths of inequity in the gently flowing river of the English countryside.
But they know too well that still waters run deep.
If you love golden age detection with a dash of history, join our fashionable Oxford sleuth-spies in a delightful mystery romp through the 1930s. Ruby and Fina wager that you’ll never guess who did it.
$11.99
BOOK 1
The Mystery of Ruby's Sugar
A locked room. A secret letter. A weekend to solve a murder.
Christmas, 1934.
The snow lies heavy around Pauncefort Hall. Fashion-spy-amateur sleuth heroes Ruby and Fina are on a mission to avenge Ruby’s family and bring down an empire. After a murderer strikes, an aristocratic family, a princess, a left-wing professor, and a West End starlet are among the top suspects. Ruby and Fina must find the culprit and still carry out their secret plans—all before the law arrives.
But Pauncefort Hall can remain snowbound for only so long.
$4.99
$12.99
BOOK 2
The Mystery of Ruby's Smoke
Someone is a spy. Someone is a thief. Someone is about to become a murderer.
Autumn in Oxford, 1935.
Passing exams is the least of Ruby and Fina’s worries as they return to their beloved Quenby College. A thief lurks amongst the students and faculty, and when an infamous guest lecturer keels over at the Dean’s sherry party, Fina is shocked to find herself the prime suspect.
Determined to clear her friend’s name, Ruby launches into a hunt for a murderer that takes her to secret college boltholes, dubious pawnshops, and a red-hot jazz club. At least she has allies she can trust – until a coded letter arrives, warning Ruby and Fina that one of their friends is not what they seem…
Will the pair evade the spy and find the killer in time to save Fina from the gallows?
$4.99
$12.99
BOOK 3
The Mystery of Ruby's Stiletto
Someone is a spy. Someone is a thief. Someone is about to become a murderer.
Autumn in Oxford, 1935.
Passing exams is the least of Ruby and Fina’s worries as they return to their beloved Quenby College. A thief lurks amongst the students and faculty, and when an infamous guest lecturer keels over at the Dean’s sherry party, Fina is shocked to find herself the prime suspect.
Determined to clear her friend’s name, Ruby launches into a hunt for a murderer that takes her to secret college boltholes, dubious pawnshops, and a red-hot jazz club. At least she has allies she can trust – until a coded letter arrives, warning Ruby and Fina that one of their friends is not what they seem…
Will the pair evade the spy and find the killer in time to save Fina from the gallows?
$4.99
$12.99
BOOK 4
The Mystery of Ruby's Tracks4
Ready for a snowy ride aboard the Train Blanc?
Murder and mayhem await.
November, 1935.
With its velvet sofas and bone china teacups, the Train Blanc is a haven of 1930s luxury. But for Ruby and Fina, the trip holds some shocking surprises – not least that one of their fellow passengers is a murderer …
As the famous train steams through the cold Alpine night, the detective pair must work out which of the travellers is not what they seem. Could it be the friendly Swiss priest? The glamorous erotica author? The ‘artistic’ dilettante? Or even the grandmother with the hideous knitting?
Ruby and Fina are at the top of their game in this witty, sophisticated tale, which weaves together politics, fashion, intrigue and romance in a mystery with more twists and turns than a train track through the Alps.
$4.99
$12.99
BOOK 5
The Mystery of Ruby's Mistletoe
Snowbound at Christmas. Very cosy. Until a murderer and a thief appear.
December, 1935.
Ruby and Fina are anticipating a quiet Christmas. But the snowy peace of Quenby College is shattered when the police come looking for Ruby. She and Fina escape to a relative’s plush country home — only to find that Aunt Millie has a few surprises in store …
As the mercury drops, Ruby and Fina are drawn into a web of false identities and half-truths. Why did someone spike the cocktails during the after-dinner jazz? Who stole Aunt Millie’s priceless hatpin collection? Could it be a coincidence that all the house guests were also present on the day when Fina’s father was murdered?
With the police on their tail, and a killer on the loose, the two dressmaking sleuths have to use all their considerable wits to solve Fina’s family tragedy – and bring a little joy back to Christmas.
$4.99
$12.99
BOOK 6
The Mystery of Ruby's Roulette
A secret mission to Lisbon. A murder at the casino. And a killer gambling on escape.
New Year’s Eve, 1935.
The clink of champagne flutes mingles with the rattle of the roulette ball. Fina’s on a winning streak. But just as she’s about to celebrate, someone gasps, chokes, and slides to the floor.
The Portuguese police treat it as a crime passionel, but Ruby and Fina have other ideas. Could the murder be linked to the high-level jewel-smuggling operation they’ve been asked to investigate? Working undercover, they scope out the other guests: a handsome airman, an icy princess, a genial mathematician, a suave croupier, and a Brazilian diva with flashy frocks and a personality to match. They all have something to hide – but the truth turns out to be far stranger than Fina could ever have dreamed.
Join Ruby, Fina, Pixley, and Gayatri as they battle with profiteers, saboteurs, assassins, and a ghostly apparition on their twistiest and most captivating adventure yet!
$4.99
$12.99
BOOK 7
The Mystery of Ruby's Mask
A masked ball. Secret negotiations. And a killer with a few tricks up their sleeve.
Mardi Gras, 1936.
Though the shores of Lake Como Italy may be calm, intrigue roils beneath the surface of the Marchesa’s palatial villa. It’s the only time a cat may dance with a king, Harlequin waltzes with Columbina… and a murderer waits to strike.
Ruby and Fina are hoping for a relaxing holiday, enjoying the wintry scenery and delicious food. But while Ruby races to finish the Marchesa’s costume, Fina becomes entangled in what appears to be magic. Pixley, meanwhile, can’t shake the feeling he’s being watched in this villa full of mysteries.
Join Ruby, Fina, and Pixley as they uncover a startling truth in this house of mirrors.
$4.99
$12.99
Box Set 1
The first three books in the Ruby Dove Mystery Series:
The Mystery of Ruby’s Sugar
The Mystery of Ruby’s Smoke
The Mystery of Ruby’s Stiletto
Enjoy golden-age cosies with a twist? Then you’ll love Rose Donovan’s fashion-spy-amateur sleuth heroes, Ruby Dove and Fina Aubrey-Havelock.
$9.99
$29.99
Box Set 2
Books four through six in the Ruby Dove Mystery Series:
The Mystery of Ruby’s Tracks
The Mystery of Ruby’s Mistletoe
The Mystery of Ruby’s Roulette
Enjoy golden-age cosies with a twist? Then you’ll love Rose Donovan’s fashion-spy-amateur sleuth heroes, Ruby Dove and Fina Aubrey-Havelock.
$9.99
$23.99
Please note that the paperbacks are affiliate links, which means I receive a small percentage of the sale in addition to the book royalty. Thank you!
