 Yes... the adventures of Harriet and Curran are continuing and this story will see them back in Singapore after their sojourn in Kuala Lumpur. BUT there are forces at work that will continue to make their lives difficult (probably me... the author!). I am absolutely thrilled with the cover for Book 5, AGONY IN AMETHYST (the work of the talented Fiona Jayda Media). The building featured is what is now known in Singapore as the Istana - the Presidential Palace - but in Harriet's time was Government House. You will have to read the book to discover the significance! The book will be released in ebook and print editions on 28 October. Audio will come later. For now you can preorder the ebook from some distributors and the print book direct from Alison's Bookstore (if you would like it personalised). AGONY IN AMETHYST An important visitor casts a shadow of darkness and death over Singapore.
Harriet Gordon, newly settled in her new role as a teacher at a girls' school in Singapore, faces uncertainty in her budding relationship with Robert Curran, who has just returned from months in Kuala Lumpur. Curran's expected promotion turns sour when the position is given to an old adversary from his Scotland Yard days. The arrival of the Colonial foreign secretary, Sir Henry Cunningham, revives memories of one of Curran's unresolved cases. The death of a schoolgirl at a lavish ball, hosted by the Governor in honour of the visitor, brings Curran into direct conflict with his new superior officer. When he confides his suspicions to Harriet, she inadvertently betrays his trust, threatening his already shaky career. With their relationship on the brink of irreparable damage, a second death changes the course of the investigation. Can Harriet and Curran bring justice to a grieving family and emerge from this ordeal with their connection intact? Delve into the captivating world of the Harriet Gordon mysteries. Grab your copy today for a tale of intrigue and suspense set in the tropical heat of colonial Singapore.
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Today's the day for the final book in this series of THE HARRIET GORDON MYSTERIES.... Did you see what I did there? I said "THIS SERIES"! I'm not sure I am quite ready to let Harriet, Curran and their friends go completely and certainly my readers aren't... so there will be something coming (maybe later next year). However as far as this series arc is concerned, TERROR IN TOPAZ brings it to the end and today is RELEASE DAY! Yay... pop the champagne. What to expect with TERROR IN TOPAZ... Firstly a change of scene as Harriet and Julian take a trip north to Kuala Lumpur (KL) at the behest of the headmaster of the Prince Alfred School. Is Julian ready for a change of job? The idea for this plot thread came again from my poking around the archives of the Singapore State Library and found the account of an actual murder that took place in KL in April 1911. The wife of the acting headmaster of the Victoria Institution shot dead her lover on the steps of the headmaster's bungalow. This scenario fitted so beautifully into Harriet's world, I had to use it. I will be writing about what is known as the 'Proudlock Murder' in another blog post. Secondly, I am guilty of leaving the last book, EVIL IN EMERALD, on a bit of a cliff hanger as Curran goes off on a quest of his own (no spoilers) - probably to KL. So the two plot threads may come together... That is where TERROR IN TOPAZ starts... do I manage to pull all the loose threads together for an ending that satisfies the readers? I hope so! Alison Stuart reads from TERROR IN TOPAZ...If you would like to meet me in person (so as to speak), I have prepared a short release day video. I will talk about the book and read the first chapter :-) Just click the button below  The final episode in the riveting HARRIET GORDON MYSTERIES. The chance to pursue a new opportunity takes Harriet and her brother Julian, to Kuala Lumpur, but death is waiting… Singapore 1910: Harriet Gordon has been dismissed from the job she loved and finds herself cast adrift. When her brother receives an invitation to visit a prestigious school in Kuala Lumpur, she and Julian decide to leave Singapore behind for a few days, but their pleasant visit takes a dark turn when a visitor to the school is shot dead on the front steps of the headmaster’s bungalow. After being suspended from the Straits Settlements Police, Inspector Robert Curran has disappeared on a personal quest to find a missing girl but his suspension is not all it appears and he receives secretive orders to investigate the mysterious Topaz Club, which seems to be at the centre of high-level corruption within the colonial government of Malaya. The uninvestigated death of a woman with links to the Topaz Club, brings Harriet and Curran together in a determination to shut down the notorious establishment for good. But a devious criminal stands in the way and it is going to take Harriet and Curran all their resources to bring justice for the victims of the Topaz Club and in doing so, find what it is they have been looking for in each other. NOTE ON AVAILABILITY: TERROR IN TOPAZ (Book 4) is available in print and digital editions. There will be an audio version but it is a little way off yet. Sadly the print edition will not be available in stores but is easily ordered from the usual online stores and if you ask your library (or your local bookshop) nicely they should be able to get it in for you. AND FINALLY: If you want more news and updates on the 'where to next' for Harriet Gordon please sign up to Alison Stuart's newsletter!
 TA DA! I am delighted to reveal the cover for the fourth (and final) book in the Harriet Gordon Mystery series. I know many loyal readers will be sad to say farewell to Harriet and Curran but all good series have their own arc and this has reached an end! But never say never and perhaps they may be back for more adventures in the future? The ebook is now up for pre order (with print and audio books to follow). Click the button below to go to the buy links. If you want to keep up to date with the latest news don’t forget you can subscribe to Alison’s newsletter… Click HERE (And get the Harriet prequel for free!) ABOUT TERROR IN TOPAZ
The final episode in the riveting HARRIET GORDON MYSTERIES. The chance to pursue a new opportunity takes Harriet and her brother Julian, to Kuala Lumpur, but death is waiting… Singapore 1910: Harriet Gordon has been dismissed from the job she loved and finds herself cast adrift. When her brother receives an invitation to visit a prestigious school in Kuala Lumpur, she and Julian decide to leave Singapore behind for a few days, but their pleasant visit takes a dark turn when a visitor to the school is shot dead on the front steps of the headmaster’s bungalow. After being suspended from the Straits Settlements Police, Inspector Robert Curran has disappeared on a personal quest to find a missing girl but his suspension is not all it appears and he receives secretive orders to investigate the mysterious Topaz Club, which seems to be at the centre of high-level corruption within the colonial government of Malaya. The uninvestigated death of a woman with links to the Topaz Club, brings Harriet and Curran together in a determination to shut down the notorious establishment for good. But a devious criminal stands in the way and it is going to take Harriet and Curran all their resources to bring justice for the victims of the Topaz Club and in doing so, find what it is they have been looking for in each other.  It felt like this day would never come! EVIL IN EMERALD was written during the height of the Melbourne lockdowns which one would think would be an ideal time to be writing but I have to admit, I struggled. While it seemed like the world I knew was slipping away from my grasp, there were days when I stared at an empty screen. At one point I pretty much scrapped what I had written and started again. But it all came together in the end and I am delighted to see EVIL IN EMERALD finally get the wings to fly. The inspiration for this story comes from my own brush with amateur theatre in my early twenties when I joined the local Gilbert and Sullivan Society. It must have had a profound influence on me because G&S themes have run in other books. GATHER THE BONES, for example, has several oblique references to RUDDIGORE (which I think was the show I had the most fun in!) - indeed the title itself is a riff on a song from Ruddigore. PIRATES OF PENZANCE marked the height of my theatrical ambition - I actually scored a role (not just third chorus girl from the left). I was cast as Isabel - one of Major General Stanley's daughters. I had a whole two lines to say and no singing but it still gave me proper billing and a place in the 'principal's dressing room'. Oh to be that young (and that thin!) again. Just as in the last Harriet Gordon Mystery, Harriet and Curran cross with another part of my past (the military), in this book Harriet gets to reprise my experience of an amateur dramatic society. Not that we had any murders... So Pour, oh, pour, the pirate sherry; Fill, oh, fill the pirate glass... and drink to EVIL IN EMERALD - Available now in print, digital and audio!  A much younger (and thinner) Alison as Isabel in Pirates of Penzance.  Welcome to Notes from Harriet's Typewriter... the news and updates for the Harriet Gordon Mystery series. In this post, I get to introduce you to the main protagonist of the new series... Harriet Gordon. I first met Harriet in the microfiche room of the Singapore National Library. Of course, she wasn’t known as Harriet Gordon, her name was Mrs Howell and in March 1905 she placed an advertisement in the Straits Times, offering her services as a Stenographer and Typist. She guaranteed “RAPID & CAREFUL work together with ABSOLUTE SECRECY” (the capitals are hers). The now long forgotten Mrs. Howell’s advertisement jumped off the microfiche at me. I loved her commitment to ABSOLUTE SECRECY, and slowly the character of Harriet Gordon, widow, typist, stenographer and failed suffragette began to form. (On the left is the original advert I found in the 1905 Straits and on the right is the advert Harriet placed in the Straits Times... and the start of her adventures!)
Over the next few years, I started to build her world… her friends, her family and most importantly (for Harriet) her partner in crime, the enigmatic Inspector Robert Curran, head of the Detective Branch of the Straits Settlements Police Force. Over future posts I will introduce you to other characters in Harriet's world including colonial Singapore itself… SINGAPORE SAPPHIRE is the first of, what I hope, will be an ongoing historical mystery series with Harriet Gordon and Inspector Curran at its heart. There are so many stories brewing in the tropical heat of the Malay Peninsula where truth and corpses tend to decompose quickly! Although SINGAPORE SAPPHIRE is not due for release until 6 August, it is already available for preoorder... in print or digital (all the links are in the button below). I have been waiting a long time to share Harriet with you. I hope you love her as much as I do! A.M. Stuart  |
A.M. StuartReaders can connect with A.M. Stuart at her website, Facebook, or subscribe to her newsletter on the form below. Subscribe to Alison's NewsletterArchives
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