Welcome

Thank you for visiting the website of Martine Bailey, author of
crime novels and historical mysteries.

Sharp Scratch – coming February 2024

'A brilliant and darkly compelling thriller, with a genuinely creepy mix of mystery, psychology and murder'
​- S. D. Sykes

Pre-order a copy here

Sharp Scratch is a change of direction as Martine explores crime in a more modern setting based on her experiences conducting psychometric testing in British hospitals and psychiatric units. 

Six candidates. One job. A killer prepared to murder their way to the top.

Salford, 1983. Lorraine Quick is a single mum, a member of a band going nowhere fast and Personnel Officer at Salford’s Memorial Hospital. A new General Manager position is being introduced, someone to steer the institution towards Margaret Thatcher’s lofty vision for the NHS. Lorraine will be pivotal in selecting the successful candidate, thanks to her recent training in psychometric testing. 

However, the deliberate substitution of a flu vaccine for a lethal dose of anaesthetic reveals a killer is at work. Lorraine’s suspicions turn towards the top brass vying for the new role - could the personality tests lead her to the killer? 
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​An Appetite for Violets

​Forced to accompany her new mistress to Italy, young cook Biddy Leigh takes with her an old household book of recipes, The Cook’s Jewel, in which she records her observations. When she finds herself embroiled in a murderous conspiracy, Biddy realises that the secrets she holds could be the key to her survival – or her downfall . . .

'Martine Bailey writes with such easy, compelling grace, and in a fascinating new genre – best described as Culinary Gothic. I was hooked and enraptured.'   - Fay Weldon
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Find out more about An Appetite for Violets

​THE PENNY HEART

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(A Taste for Nightshade in the US)

Sentenced to death for a simple confidence trick, Mary Jebb escapes the gallows ... but her reprieve is harsh: seven years in the unforgiving penal colony of Botany Bay. Yet Mary is determined not to be forgotten, sending two pennies, engraved with a promise, to the two men who sealed her fate.

'Intelligent and engrossing reading ... An ingenious exercise in gothic pastiche, this is a richly rewarding read.'  - The Sunday Times Best Summer Reads

Find out more about The Penny Heart

THE ALMANACK  

Tabitha Hart earns a scandalous living in London but is summoned to her home village to find her mother has died leaving cryptic notes in her almanack. Only the enigmatic Nat Starling is prepared to help her uncover her mother's killer, drawing the pair towards the darkest hours of their lives…

"Engrossing whodunit set in 1752 England ... Historical fans are in for a treat." - Publishers Weekly, US

Find out more about The Almanack here.
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    Buy a copy here

THE PROPHET

Tabitha De Vallory is expecting her first child with doting husband Nat when they find a girl slaughtered beneath the Mondrem Oak on the family's forest estate. Nearby, enigmatic Baptist Gunn and his followers are convinced that a second messiah will be born, amid blood and strife. As Midsummer's Day draws closer, Tabitha soon learns the destiny that threatens her and those she holds most dear...
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‘Spooky historical detail enlivens a mystery thronged with suspects.' - Kirkus Reviews, US

Find out more about The Prophet here

Buy a copy here
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