From the author of the 'John Rawlings' mysteries - The sleepy, eccentric Sussex village of Lakehurst suddenly becomes a place of terror and night shadows. After dark, it is hardly safe to go out, to the consternation of the newly arrived Vicar, trendy young Nick Lawrence, and Inspector Dominic Tennant of the Sussex Police Force. For a serial killer is on the loose: one who leaves notes at the scene of his crimes signed 'The Acting Light of the World' . . .From Publishers WeeklyThis delightful first in a new contemporary cozy series from British author Lake (the pseudonym of Dinah Lampitt) opens with the arrival of 28-year-old Nick Lawrence, the recently appointed vicar, in the quaint Sussex village of Lakehurst. The beautiful vicarage in which he's to live comes complete with a friendly ghost. Even better, Nick soon becomes enamored with lovely Olivia Beauchamp, a professional violinist from London who has a weekend cottage in Lakehurst. When someone spoils the reverend's idyll by brutally stabbing to death the couple who run the local supermarket, the dedicated and astute Det. Insp. Dominic Tennant from the nearby town of Lewes gets on the case. The inspector and Nick work closely together as the death toll mounts. Colorful characters like the ever helpful and efficient churchwarden, Mrs. Mavis Cox, add charm to a puzzle that will keep the reader guessing until the end. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From BooklistDeryn Lake (a pseudonym for Dinah Lampitt) moves from her long-running, historical mystery series featuring apothecary John Rawlings to a new contemporary series set in the sleepy Sussex village of Lakehurst and starring Nick Lawrence, the village’s recently appointed vicar. Nick’s sixteenth-century vicarage comes complete with a ghost, and the charming village has its share of eccentric living characters as well. But this idyllic setting suddenly becomes home to terror when a serial killer (who signs his crimes The Acting Light of the World) begins to strike. The case is assigned to Inspector Dominic Tennant of the Sussex police, and soon enough the detective and the vicar have become friends, and Nick is assisting in the official inquiry. This is a well-plotted new series in a delightful setting and boasts plenty of characters whom readers will be eager to get to know better in future outings. --Judy Coon

When John Rawlings is asked to investigate a secret club and some shady goings-on, he is intrigued. The disreputable Sir Francis Dashwood might be involved, as well as some illustrious members of the British aristocracy. In disguise and accompanied by the ungainly Sam Swann, John befriends Sir Dashwood and gains access to his home and family, including someone from John’s past, someone whose exceptional beauty still hypnotizes him. However, evil lurks in hidden corners of Sir Dashwood’s opulent home and there seems to be a sinister element behind the infamous Hellfire Club’s debaucheries. Is John putting himself and Sam in danger by trying to find out the truth?**

A new puzzle for the Reverend Nick Lawrence . . . It is May in the sleepy village of Lakehurst, Sussex, and Nick Lawrence has organised a Medieval Fair, complete with maypole dancing, archers and Mr Grimm's men, a group of Morris dancers. The fair is enjoyed by all and a great success, but once the village green is deserted a horrific event takes place that shocks the whole village. A young orphan, Billy, is shot through the heart with an arrow and his body covered with the ribbons from the maypole. It is up to Nick and Detective Inspector Dominic Tennant to try and find out who would commit such a horrific crime – and why?

Apothecary John Rawlings is intrigued when a letter arrives asking him to investigate an impostor claiming to be the long-lost step-son of a wealthy Bristol merchant in possession of his dead wife's diamond inheritance. John Rawlings' father, Sir Gabriel Kent joins him on the trip to take the healing waters at Hotwell where they socialize with the crème of Bristol society. But Rawlings is compelled to try and solve the mystery and so he must trawl through the underbelly of eighteenth-century society to unearth the sordid secrets at the heart of the investigation.**Review"Newcomers and devoted fans of Lake’s hero based on a real 18th-century apothecary, will delight in the period detail, excellent mystery and well-drawn characters." (Kirkus Reviews) “Lake’s Georgian-era historical series gives no signs of running out of juicy stories and imaginative plots." (Library Journal) “First-timers will find themselves invested in the developments that change Rawlings’s future." (Publishers Weekly) Book DescriptionJohn Rawlings trawls the underbelly of Bristol society to unearth its sordid secrets . . .

A new business opportunity in America leads to a case of cold-blooded murder for Apothecary John Rawlings 1773. Following a long and perilous journey, John Rawlings has arrived in Boston, Massachusetts, to pursue a new business venture. He finds the place riven with tension and unrest. There are many who feel it's time the colonies sought freedom from British rule, and the seething resentment erupts into outright rebellion during the notorious Boston Tea Party. But has someone taken advantage of the chaos to commit cold-blooded murder? Called in to examine a body fished out of Boston Harbour, Rawlings recognizes one of his fellow travellers from England. If he could unearth the truth about the victim's past and the reason why they'd come to Boston, he would be one step closer to catching the killer. But has Rawlings become a pawn in an altogether bigger game?

Apothecary John Rawlings and his wife, Emilia, are delighted and honoured to be invited to a Christmas Mask gathering to be held in the grounds of Gunnersbury House, hosted by Princess Amelia, a close relation of King George II. Excited by the sense of occasion, and by her first large formal gathering since the birth of their infant daughter, Emilia spends a long time choosing and refining her costume for the ball. Once at Gunnersbury House, the event is everything the Apothecary and his wife could have wished for and John Rawlings considers Emilia the belle of the ball in her fetching red cloak to keep out the December chill. After talking to friends he catches sight of her heading outside, and follows to spend some time walking with her through the magnificent grounds. Tragically, when he finds Emilia she is bleeding to death after being stabbed through the heart. Stricken with grief, John Rawlings is numb. But when his former friends, the Blind Beak and Joe Jago, enforcers in law, are ordered to arrest him as the prime suspect, the Apothecary flees to Devon to seek help from an old ally. Discovering the identity of his wife’s murderer is crucial, not just to see Justice served, but to save his own neck from the gallows…**

Having just finished his indentures, Rawlings is celebrating at Vaux Hall Pleasure Gardens when he trips over the body of a young girl. Summoned to the magistrate's office as prime suspect, Rawlings not only clears his own name but impresses Fielding so much with his powers of recollection that he is asked to investigate the crime. From gaming hell to fashionable house, Rawlings follows a trail of lustful liaisons and illicit intrigue which prove beyond a shadow of doubt that the girl has quite a past . a past filled with threatening secrets.

John Rawlings, the exuberant young apothecary, is celebrating in The Devil's Tavern, a popular if notorious haunt for sailors and smugglers. Stumbling across a corpse that has been fished out of the Thames, he identifies it as Sir William Hartfield, the bridegroom who had failed to show at his own wedding earlier that day. As the drowning reveals itself as murder, Rawlings is called upon by London's revered sightless magistrate, John Fielding, to investigate the colourful members of Sir William's family - from terrible old Lady Hodkin to her downtrodden daughter, and from Roger, flamboyant man of fashion to the outrageous twins who share an elaborate past.

Summoned to attend a patient in a house near the Romney Marsh, Rawlings does not suspect that he is walking into a web of conspiracy, intrigue and mystery. Until he discovers a body near a deserted church, bearing a coded document. Rawlings reports the case to London’s famous blind magistrate John Fielding who identifies the victim as a French spy master. So Rawlings returns to the marshes to investigate who, among the colourful local characters, could be harbouring politically explosive secrets.

A new arrival to Lakehurst village can only mean trouble for Reverend Nick Lawrence . . . The residents of the sleepy Sussex village of Lakehurst are abuzz with the news of the arrival of Gerry Harlington, a flamboyant American actor and the new owner of Abbot’s Manor, with his glamorous wife. The local dramatic society recruits him as their director for their new show, but his ideas are met with violent protest from the amateur actors. So when a corpse is discovered after the grand opening night, Reverend Nick Lawrence doesn’t have to look far to find potential suspects . . .From BooklistShowy Hollywood actor Gerry Harlington, star of the Wasp Man movies, has recently settled in the village of Lakehurst in Sussex. Hoping to ingratiate himself with the locals, he offers to direct the son et lumiere show, which celebrates the area’s eleventh-century Fulke Castle. But when he performs a hip-hop dance in the midst of an Elizabethan fair at dress rehearsal, he’s clearly gone too far, and cast members revolt. So when Harlington is found dead after the first performance, there are plenty of suspects, including the victim’s wife, who had decided to divorce him. Compounding matters is the death of a young woman who apparently witnessed Harlington’s murder. In the second Reverend Nick Lawrence mystery, after The Mills of God (2010), the vicar, who shares his vicarage with a ghost and a cat, helps DI Dominic Tennant find the murderer. The presence of the over-the-top Hollywood figure adds a campy element, but this settles down to a nice cozy with sympathetic characters. A good choice for village-crime fans. --Michele Leber Review." Brisk prose and vivid portraits of the villagers "Publishers Weekly on Dead on Cue“A good choice for village-crime fans.”Booklist on Dead on Cue

John Rawlings, apothecary and amateur sleuth, returns in his most baffling mystery yet.John Rawlings, London's most colourful apothecary and occasional sleuth, is relaxing at the popular swimming baths, the Peerless Pool, when his peace is shattered by the alarming discovery of a drowned woman. The victim is identified as Hannah Rankin, an assistant at the nearby St Luke's asylum for the insane.Assigned to the case by John Fielding, London's famous blind magistrate, Rawlings doesn't realise that he is scratching the surface of something more complex than isolated murder. At St Luke's, Rawlings discovers a vital clue to Hannah's hidden past which leads to a strange case concerning a child's mysterious disappearance. Was Hannah involved? Any why do his investigations lead him again and again to a house of sinister secrets in Bath?

An Apothecary John Rawlings Georgian  mystery - Apothecary John Rawlings has travelled to Devon to be by the side of his mistress, Elizabeth di Lorenzi, who is due to give birth to their child. Leaving his shop – and his new carbonated water business – in good hands, John is presented with a surprise on his arrival at Sidmouth Bay. While Elizabeth is recuperating, he learns that Lady Sidmouth’s daughter, Miranda, is to marry the elderly Earl of St Austell, who is fifty-four years her senior and has a cruel reputation. As the wedding day approaches, John feels increasingly uneasy, and before too long his worst forebodings are realized . . .About the AuthorLake is the pseudonym of a popular, best-selling historical novelist.