House Of Stratus: 587 books

The story of a miraculous relic, believed to be a piece of the seamless coat won by a soldier on Mount Golgotha after Jesus of Nazareth’s crucifixion, captivates young Christopher Trevenen after his sister dies tragically and motivates the very core of his existence from then on, culminating in a profound and tragic realisation.

Charting a series of adventures set in many strange scenarios, Mr Shuttlebury Cobb is led through the dark and twisted streets of London where he meets a highly gifted stranger, enters secret chambers, and finds a magic mirror. Cobb engages with a secret code and a castaway in a delightful collection designed to while away the hours.

Gilbert Welton’s life changed one breakfast time – his wife, Virginia, announced she was leaving him. Perhaps not the expected beginning of a comedy, but Symons employs his customary skill and brilliant wit to reveal the funny side of the tale. The result is a hilarious and riotous look at the life of a very ordinary middle-aged man.

The Honourable Richard Rollison, (aka ‘The Toff’) once more faces death, but this time by the most horrible of causes: fire. He is on the trail of the kidnapper of a young child and up against the most chilling of opponents. Threatened shooting, murder, and the unexpected disappearance of Rollison...

A blanket of fog grounds a flight in Brussels and Dr. Andrew Maclaren finds himself sharing a room with a fellow passenger who by morning disappears in suspicious circumstances, leaving behind an envelope hidden under the carpet. Whilst the contents are seemingly innocent, they lead the young Doctor...

The corridors and committee rooms of Whitehall are the setting for the ninth in the Strangers and Brothers series. They are also home to the manipulation of political power. Roger Quaife wages his ban-the-bomb campaign from his seat in the Cabinet and his office at the Ministry. The stakes are high as he employs his persuasiveness.

Recently released from prison, John Gray visits his old friend Peter Kane. Although it is the day of his daughter's wedding, Kane agrees to an audience with Emanuel Legg, the criminal and cop-killer with whom he has some business. Gray wanders into the garden and a tornado of fury sweeps through him....

The title story in this wry collection concerns acquaintances Staunton and Barstow, who witness a bizarre spectacle outside a bar in an Austrian village. A thin-lipped aristocrat steps down from his plush horse-drawn vehicle, and commences formidable target-practice on some playing cards – the Five...

Arthur Brownjohn has never quite got anything right. Whatever he does, it always seems to go more than a little awry. The same could be said for the murder of his wife – a bungled, inferior affair despite his having consulting all the experts in the field of killings, executions and dastardly deeds....

Richard Rollison, otherwise known as the Toff, has become lethargic. Even his passion for solving difficult criminal cases seems to have waned. Aunt Gloria arranges a birthday party so as to cheer him up, but it ends in disaster as one of his souvenirs - a tube of arsenic - disappears, with the contents...

Time of Hope is the third in the Strangers and Brothers series and tells the story of Lewis Eliot’s early life. As a child he is faced with his father’s bankruptcy. As a young man, he finds his career at the Bar hindered by a neurotic wife. Separation from her is impossible however.

This is Yates’ final book, a semi-autobiographical novel spanning a lifetime of events from the sinking of the Titanic to the notorious Tichborne murder case. It opens with Berry, one of British comic writing’s finest creations, at his funniest, and is a companion volume to 'As Berry and I Were Saying'. Pure, vintageYates.

In his beloved Burgundy, Chief Inspector Pel finds himself incensed by interference from Paris, but it isn’t the descent of rival policemen that makes Pel’s blood boil – crimes are being committed by violent gangs from Paris and Marseilles. Pel also unravels the riddles of the robbery on the...

Surgeon at Arms continues the story of the much-admired surgeon, Graham Trevose, who first appeared in The Facemaker. As the Second World War breaks out and begins to yield its countless casualties, Trevose uses his skills as a plastic surgeon to rebuild burned faces and damaged limbs. For this, his...