Over the past two decades, many states have heard demands that they recognize and apologize for historic wrongs. Such calls have not elicited uniform or predictable responses. While some states have apologized for past crimes, others continue to silence, deny, and relativize dark pasts. What explains the tremendous variation in how states deal with past crimes? When and why do states change the stories they tell about their dark pasts. Dark Pasts...

"Tucked away among Devon's rolling green hills, Mallowan Hall combines the best of English tradition with the modern conveniences of 1930. Housekeeper Phyllida Bright manages the large household with an iron fist in her very elegant glove. In one respect, however, Mallowan Hall stands far apart from other picturesque country houses... The manor is home to archaeologist Max Mallowan and his famous wife, Agatha Christie. Phyllida is both loyal to and...

Housekeeper Phyllida Bright is comfortable managing Mallowan Hall, but struggles with London's chaos while her employer Agatha Christie is away. With a limited staff and a difficult French cook, Phyllida is further challenged when Archibald Allston is found dead onstage, initially believed to be of natural causes. Soon, more theater-related murders occur, creating panic. Phyllida steps in to investigate the pattern, aiming to uncover the killer before...

""A murder will occur tonight at Beecham House . . ." Who could resist such a compelling invitation? Of course, the murder in question purports to be a party game, and Phyllida looks forward to using some of the deductive skills she has acquired thanks to her employer, Mrs. Agatha, who is unable to attend in person. The hosts, Mr. and Mrs. Wokesley, are new to the area, and Phyllida gladly offers their own overwhelmed housekeeper some guidance while...

Set in post-WWI England, this historical mystery finds sleuthing duo Lady Phoebe Renshaw and her lady's maid, Eva Huntford, hunting a killer after the decision to open Foxwood Hall for guided tours turns deadly The lean times following the Great War continue to require creative solutions for England's noble class. To make ends meet, Lady Phoebe Renshaw and her lady's maid, Eva Huntford, have decided to open up Foxwood Hall to guided public tours....

"Following the devastation of the Great War, England's noble class takes comfort in honoring tradition. To celebrate their grandparents' wedding anniversary, Lady Phoebe Renshaw and her siblings travel to Staffordshire to commission a china service bearing the Wroxly coat of arms from the venerated Crown Lily Potteries, a favorite of Queen Mary. The two leading designers at the illustrious china manufacturer offer competing patterns. But when one...

GUILTY BYSTANDERS

After a perfectly decent local woman is killed during a robbery, the Witherspoon household receives a surprising visit from a stranger named Blimpey Groggins. He claims his best buddy was convicted of the crime. He also claims the peaceable chap didn’t even know how to fire a gun. And considering he’s to be hanged in three weeks, Blimpey’s desperate to find the real killer. With the trail cold, the crime allegedly

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Michael Provost lived a quiet life, yet this successful owner of a medical supply company was spotted floating facedown off the Chelsea Vestry Wharf. His servants adored him, and he had no greedy relatives or business rivals—who would ever want him dead? Luckily for Inspector Gerald Witherspoon, Mrs. Jeffries and her staff are always ready to dive into an investigation, and their combined efforts soon lead to a connection with an earlier crime....

A two-story killer.
Train enthusiast Francis Humphreys took his last breath while relatives and neighbors visited downstairs. But if everyone was downstairs, who could have stolen into Uncle Francis?s study, killed him, and escaped? Mrs. Jeffries will have to lend her downstairs common sense to this upstairs murder mystery.

First published in 1929. A young man is stabbed in the back with a stiletto dagger while waiting in the queue for standing room at one of the final West End performances of a hit musical comedy. None of those near him in the queue noticed him until he collapsed, or appear to have any motive for killing him. The dead man carries no identification; the only item found on him is a service revolver.