Canadian Author
SHIRLEY BURTON
HIGH STREET PRESS
A suspense mystery with an imposter, a blackmailer, and unscrupulous members of the House of Lords. Lurking in the post-war East London moors, an imposter snuffs out the life of stuffy Lord Tannahill and assumes the prestigious life at the family estate. He finds hidden diaries of the old Lord Tannahill with secrets of past crimes and adds his own dastardly entries to the journals, with confessions of his dark life.
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Years later, a collector of rare books in London comes upon the incriminating journals of Lord Tannahill and the imposter who had crept into the family. As news of the diaries' existence spreads, ruthless bidders plot to acquire them for their financial value. As the bookseller and an employee conspire to expose a blackmail plot, the drama heightens, intertwining generations linked to the conniving imposter.
A thought-provoking suspense thriller that moves quickly from the startling first pages to the dramatic conclusion. The romantic tension between Tess and her husband Deane turns into a vacuum as she follows his advice for a shopping day in Manhattan, then disappears. The mystery deepens as Tess finds herself in the Fifth Avenue shopping district, but two years have passed without her knowledge. Detective Mitchell takes the case, uncovering the past lives of Tess, Deane, and others in and out of their circle, including a criminal connection that threatens to the unexpected end.
A fantasy adventure in the life of an orphaned boy, Gaeten, living in the home town of explorer Jacques Cartier, with dreams to become a mariner. Unloading Cartier's ship, he is taken to Limoulou to recover and the fantasy begins. Beyond a door, he enters a world of visionaries and famous inventors that guide him to seek his own powers and protect the book of knowledge. He sails to the new world on Cartier's ship and an unbounded future. An inspiring fantasy to live life with a belief in oneself, without barriers.
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Book One, Thomas York Series
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Under the Ashes is a thrilling start to the Thomas York Series, with a breathtaking speed as our young spirited couple race against an unscrupulous antagonist capable of murder to survive. Brace for fast action, murder and suspense in upstate New York.
"The story begins at an electrifying pace with a high speed chase that leaves the protagonist barely alive, his unknown passenger dead and his mysterious passengers on the lam. Daniel Boisvert recovers from his injuries, but remembers nothing prior to the moment when a train slammed his automobile. However, he soon begins to suspect that the name he's been using may not be his own . . ." —Kirkus Reviews
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Book Two, Thomas York Series
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From their loft in the Paris art district of Montmartre, our dynamic couple, Thomas and Rachel, become exposed in The Frizon to an international art forgery operation. The risk heightens when she unknowingly purchases a high profile object of great demand to unscrupulous dealers.
Thomas and Rachel face the world of forgers and crime rings, and become drawn into the scams and conspiracies. The secret of the 'Frizon' becomes unveiled, a one-of-a-kind mystery that could change the future of the world of art. Another character from the past enters their lives, with his relationship perplexing and ultimately conflicting with their mission.
Book Three, Thomas York Series
In Rogue Courier, Rachel and Thomas accept a contract to find a missing international Paris courier, but instead become targets themselves. As the loyalty of the courier is questioned, a covert mission unfolds, with missing diamonds in Holland, and death threats from a ruthless South African mine owner.
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Left alone at their Montmartre loft in Paris, Rachel is threatened by a deranged client, then the courier's life becomes entangled in a conflict, facing the consequences of his own greed. The mysterious arrival of a person from the past continues to overshadow the lives of Thomas and Rachel, with suspicions of his purpose and motivation.
Book Four, Thomas York Series​
In Secret Cache, Thomas and Rachel respond to the dramatic murder of her Uncle Zach in Napa Valley, California. The family vineyard becomes a crime scene in the busiest harvest season, complicated as unknown criminals from Zach's teenage past turn up in search of a hidden treasure cache on the estate.
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Disputes erupt at the vineyard, fueled initially by the criminal's plot, then complicated by a disruptive neighbor and a hostile relative. As Thomas and Rachel investigate, their own lives become endangered by a nemesis closing in on them from the past. Watch for Thomas and Rachel's return in Book Five of The Thomas York Series, in 2018.
Book Five of The Thomas York Series.
Our attractive young protagonists, Thomas and Rachel are back in Paris. Soon after the Bataclan terrorist attack, a chance encounter at the Sacre-Coeur Basilica in Montmartre sets them on the track of a terrorist plot to collapse the catacomb system in Paris with a sophisticated drone scheme. A former Interpol agent comes to their aid when Rachel's life is at risk. A contemporary story of terror and suspense.
This unique book is a comprehensive 620 page historical novel, a fictional account of the ten-generation migration of a family from France, following the passion of explorers, settling in Quebec, with colourful tales of the habitants' family life, wars and conflicts, births, deaths and emotions, from the 1600s to the twentieth century.
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The story starts in the era of French explorers seeking expansion in the new world. With enticements of land and opportunity in New France, the settlers venture across the Atlantic to face hardships, and cultural encounters with natives, British, and American settlers.
AN INSPECTOR FURNACE MYSTERY
Mystery at Grey Stokes is a delightful old-fashioned whodunit. In a charming English countryside manor at the height of the Christmas festivities, guests arrive for a splendid feast. The intriguing cast of characters includes the butler, housekeeper, the Berwick family members, social guests, and a lawyer.
Introducing Inspector Furnace and his helper Detective Prentice, called by the manor to untangle the web of deception and solve the mystery at Grey Stokes.
AN INSPECTOR FURNACE MYSTERY
Swindle- Mystery at Sea is another old fashioned whodunit. The Inspector and his new bride Martha set out from the English countryside before Christmas for a honeymoon sailing on the luxurious Queen Elizabeth to New York City. When a victim is discovered deceased in the cargo hold, Inspector Furnace takes charge, and a host of passengers and onboard celebrities become suspects and amateur sleuths as well. Everyone is a suspect at the nightly Captain's Table dinner to analyze clues and reveal the culprit.
A warm and nostalgic Christmas novel, set in the sixties, in Manhattan and at the charming Christmas markets of Heidelberg. Rosa Stanford, a single mother and clerk at Macy's glove counter, travels to Heidelberg weeks before Christmas 1962 to settle a family estate matter and find news of her lost soldier, missing in action. In the magical setting of the castle and German Christmas markets, Rosa is tempted into an unexpected whirlwind romance. With his matchmaking charm and a secret knowledge of Santa's workshop, a Heidelberg clockmaker bestows special gifts on the two lovers, who were brought together from different worlds.
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A sentimental family Christmas with her two young sons awaits Rosa's return to New York. The family becomes entwined in the romance, filled with benevolence and hope, and touched by the lasting gift from the old Heidelberg clockmaker.
Christmas Treasure Box is a warm and charming Christmas romance. Polly Perkins operates the family antique shop in a small Quebec town after the tragic death of her parents. In the days leading to Christmas, she discovers old family diaries from her grandmother, unveiling a lost love she had held from others in her life. Polly meets a man who wins her heart and whisks her into a subtle romance. A distant relative makes a surprising claim on the family's resources, and Polly pursues a resolution to lead to a memorable Christmas Day.
A charming Christmas romance in the French Alps near Chamonix at a luxury mountain hotel. When Chef Marceau attends a culinary competition in Paris, a temporary replacement comes to the Grand Marceau in the brisk Christmas season. Chef Marceau's niece catches the young recruit's eye and their relationship flourishes along with other unexpected romances. An avalanche warning isolates a family at a woodcutter's cabin in the mountains. With snow-packed roads inaccessible, Logan and Flaxie and the ranger reach the cabin on snow machines, with supplies and Christmas meals, gifts and stockings, and medical help for the newborn. The spirit of charity is inspired by tales of the ancient king from Good King Wenceslas. The plan to care for others enlists hotel guests and employees, bringing a Wenceslas Christmas of joy to the village.
A story of romance, generosity, and the rewards for caring for others.
Red Jackal, in Istanbul
In my first book outside the Thomas York Series, Red Jackal introduces a new character, Finn Greer. Returning from Afghanistan combat, Finn takes an undercover assignment in Istanbul, recruited by elite international force. His mission is enriched by the promise of a lucrative insurance reward if he can recover an historical ruby from the Ottoman empire.
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Finn's mandate intensifies as comes across a smuggling ring on a Mediterranean cruise operation from Istanbul. In his undercover role, he infiltrates the ring, hoping to flush out the kingpin, but mistrust grows as he encounters suspected double agents, and Interpol keeps him on the run, joined by a beautiful confidant Nicole Colbert.
A light mystery at Yorkshire Moors
​In Sentinel on the Moors, Gabe Farrow is recruited as an undercover investigator for the British Museum. In the guise of an artisan in the charming fishing village of Staithes, his plan is to intercept the thefts of ancient Viking artifacts buried in the moors. Soon he determines that players may not be who they say, and he begins to rely on help from the townsfolk.
While smoking out suspected corrupt gold scammers, Gabe is attrcated to a beautiful young woman, and accepts help from a clever, young boy from the village, who proves to be wiser than his years. Personalities emerge in the village, demonstrating strengths of character, humour, loyalty and cohesiveness.
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