Books
Start the series — Books 1–3 in one collection
The Mr. Quayle Mysteries Books 1-3: A 1920s Murder Mystery
$6.99 · available 4 December 2026
Mr. Quayle keeps the Earl of Unsworth’s diary, his correspondence, and his relations out of the newspapers. The body in the garden was not in the job description. Follow England’s most reluctant detective as he contends with a country-house murder, a deadly Riviera holiday, and a funeral of suspects in this box set of three witty 1920s whodunits.
Includes A Most Efficient Murder · A Rather Dastardly Death · A Terribly Savage Killing.
The Mr. Quayle Mysteries
New here? Start with A Most Efficient Murder — after that, dive in anywhere.
Prequel Novella
A Quite Deadly Affair
A Christmas party turns deadly when a scandalous affair, suspicion of treason, and a woman scorned lead to murder in this 1920s-style whodunit.
London 1928. For Sir Edmund Ferrier, the past year has been one of hard-won triumphs. Recently appointed a cabinet minister, Sir Edmund confidently expects to be elected prime minister one day. But when his ex-lover, Mrs. Pulver, is found dead in his study, Sir Edmund soon finds his career and his life in danger—not least from his spiteful and enigmatic wife.
Sir Edmund’s secretary, Mr. Quayle, knows there’s more to Mrs. Pulver’s murder than meets the eye. Vital documents have gone missing from the ministry, and Mr. Quayle believes that Sir Edmund and Mrs. Pulver were involved. Unfortunately, the ministry has a different suspect in mind—Mr. Quayle.
Desperate to prove his innocence, Mr. Quayle sets out to catch the killer and find the missing documents. But he soon discovers that treason isn’t the only skeleton hiding in Sir Edmund’s cupboard in this classic Agatha-Christie-style whodunit.
Book 1
A Most Efficient Murder
When a young woman is found murdered in the Earl of Unsworth’s garden, his loyal secretary, Mr. Quayle, must uncover the truth in this “English country house mystery infused with humor, verve, and plenty of surprises.” (Kirkus Reviews)
“I do not wish to disturb you, your lordship, but there is a body in the garden…”
England, 1925. No one knew who the dead woman was—not Lord Unsworth or his sister, not his niece or his nephew, nor any of His Lordship’s other increasingly distant relations—no one. Or so they claimed.
But the police soon have other ideas, impertinent, dangerous ideas, and when their suspicions dare fall on one of the family, Lord Unsworth turns to his loyal secretary, Mr. Quayle to solve the case.
Quiet, methodical, and eminently efficient, Mr. Quayle has been Lord Unsworth’s personal secretary for almost a year now, but their connection runs far deeper. Unable to protect His Lordship’s only son-and-heir during the War, Mr. Quayle is determined to find the true culprit and save Lord Unsworth’s remaining family—from themselves, if necessary.
With a cast of intriguing characters and a plot full of twists and turns, “A Most Efficient Murder” offers an intriguing blend of humor and suspense—an Agatha-Christie-style whodunit that will keep you guessing until the final page
A Most Efficient Murder is the first Mr. Quayle Mystery.
Book 2
A Rather Dastardly Death
A holiday on the French Riviera turns deadly when Lord Unsworth’s old flame is found murdered and his secretary, Mr. Quayle, must once again uncover the truth and try to find the true murderer before it’s too late.
“One murder was quite enough for this family!” Lady Constance declared. “Two starts to look like carelessness! And what happens when it’s three? Or four?”
France 1926. In the wake of murder and tragedy, Lord Unsworth and his family flee to the French Riviera in a desperate attempt to escape the ensuing scandal and find a few months of peace and solitude. But their hopes are soon dashed when Fanny joins a community of writers, artists, and anarchists, and Arthur unwittingly becomes entangled in a plot to catch an elusive international jewel thief.
And when Lord Unsworth’s old flame, Lady Rosaline Barrett De Marchi, is found dead in suspicious circumstances, the efficient Mr. Quayle finds himself once again called upon to save the family from ruin…
A Rather Dastardly Death is the second novel in the Mr. Quayle Mystery series.
Book 3
A Terribly Savage Killing
A funeral on a remote country estate descends into chaos and murder when the deceased proves unexpectedly alive in this latest Mr. Quayle mystery.
England, 1926. Following the death of the Viscount Featherstone, his closest friends and most hated family descend upon his isolated mansion for the funeral and—more importantly—for the will-reading.
Among the guests are Featherstone’s first and second wives with their assorted brood of ne’er-do-well children, along with the love of Featherstone’s life, the woman he jilted almost forty years before—Lady Constance.
The only trouble is that Featherstone is very much alive and is not at all pleased to see them, but when someone starts picking the unwanted guests off one by one, Mr. Quayle must race against time not only to save the Unsworth’s reputation but their very lives!
A Terribly Savage Killing is the third novel in the Mr. Quayle Mystery series.
Coming next…
An Unusually Fatal Haunting
An Unusually Fatal Haunting — the fourth Mr. Quayle Mystery, expected Spring 2027.
Mr. Quayle returns. To hear when it’s ready — and to read the prequel novella free in the meantime — join the Anthony Slayton Reader’s Club.
Coming next…
An Unusually Fatal Haunting — the fourth Mr. Quayle Mystery, expected Spring 2027.
Mr. Quayle returns. To hear when it’s ready — and to read the prequel novella free in the meantime — join the Anthony Slayton Reader’s Club.
Subscribe Now to Get Regular Updates
