Bücher von Fran Smith

A vicious master. A cruel injustice. A secret long-held. December 1907. Depressed by a failed examination, Vita treats a passenger injured in a train accident, a chance meeting that leads to a portrait commission for Aunt Louisa and a stay for them both at the notoriously haunted Crowswood Castle.They find the vivacious new owner more interested in breeding fine horses than in Crowswood's gloomy traditions. The ancient castle's first renovations will be complete when a new portrait replaces that of the unhappy previous lady of the house who was banished to an asylum by her cruel husband, the Earl of Mountfitchet.Struck down by sudden illness, Vita is confined to her room, struggling to know which of the visitors who come and go are real, and which are figments of her feverish dreams. Then workmen unearth human remains in the castle grounds and the butler confides a lifelong secret, begging for her help. Can the old portrait help Vita untangle what happened to the mysterious lady in blue, and its connection to the Earl's disappearance? And will she escape the attentions of the strange night-visiting doctor?

A quiet lodger. A secret vice. A fortune-seeker who will stop at nothing.A neighbour's quiet lodger dies in an unlucky fall, but Vita finds clues that suggest a complex and dangerous secret life, and doubts his death was an accident.Forced to investigate when the police refuse to listen, she finds a connection with a second sudden death - that of a wealthy and eccentric local lady.As usual, Vita's discoveries infuriate the police and the murderer, but they also cast doubt on the findings of a police surgeon whose good opinion is vital if she is to continue her own scientific studies.With no one else willing to take on the killer, Vita must act alone.If you like a stylishly authentic Edwardian setting with the dark undertow of secrets, this is one for you.

When a popular boxer dies and her brother collapses after an exhibition match, Vita pots a connection the experts have missed. The very professor who rubbished her dreams of studying science is the one she needs to convince.Can Vita prove what really killed the boxer? And how will the glamorous American widow react?

A mysterious victim. A heartless doctor. An assistant whose loyalty extends to murder.Christmas, 1904. Falling behind in her first year of science, Vita plans a vacation devoted to study, but is lured from her books when a man with no memory is brought to the hospital, injured. Curious to learn more, she retraces his steps to a disused well, but how did he get there? Piece by piece events leading to the attack emerge, revealing a long-standing arrangement between a country doctor and his wealthy clients. Can Vita protect the amnesiac patient from the toxic partnership of the doctor and his dangerous assistant? Can she escape herself, and convince the police to investigate so many convenient deaths.If you enjoy an Edwardian English Christmas with an extra frisson of gothic intrigue, Dr Potter's Private Practice is definitely one for you.

It''s 1903 and bookish, bespectacled Vita Carew longs to be left to her studies, but her aunt insists they attend a gala dinner at Pemberton Hall, home of a girlhood friend. A glamorous German opera singer is to perform, and the grandest of company will enjoy a lavish dinner to mark the household''s return to high society after a run of misfortune.But Vita soon notices dark undercurrents at the grand country house. What strange power does the footman hold over his master? When disaster strikes as the seafood is served, only Vita and a visiting German doctor are on hand to offer first aid. Worse still, she suspects the death of a troubled governess has been covered up to preserve Pemberton''s reputation.Vita and the German doctor are left to delve into the hidden undercurrents at the grand country house, and find who is to blame, but can they do so in time to prevent the poisoner striking again? Wit, drama and a hint of the Gothic; if you like stylish mystery with your Downton Abbey, dip into Poison at Pemberton Hall today.

Focus on illness-related anxiety and depression.