Miss Caoline Bingley Private Detective

When Caroline Bingley receives a secretive letter from her friend, Georgina Darcy, she heads to London to find and attempt to help her friend. Georgina's maid, Jade, had disappeared overnight and Georgina had taken a public coach to travel to London to find her. Caroline is travelling in her own coach with her maid, butler and driver but it is a long trip travelling on roads covered with snow. 

Caroline has deduced where Georgina may have gone and takes her to her London apartment. Caroline listens to Georgina's story and they set out to try and find Jade. Unfortunately when Jade is discovered she is with her brother who has been murdered. Caroline is determined to discover who is responsible.

Set in Regency England, Miss Caroline Bingley, Private Detective by Kelly Gardiner and Sharmini Kumar is a story about class, attitudes to people from other countries, slavery, greed, Napoleonic Wars and the East India Company. Above all it is an enjoyable crime novel with frequent references to characters from Jane Austen's novel, Pride and Prejudice.

Act of faith

Set in 1640 this book by Kelly Gardiner recounts the story of  sixteen year old Isabella Hawkins who is forced to flee England as her father's radical views about freedom  and related topics have come to the notice of Oliver Cromwell and his followers. She finds safety in Amsterdam where a friend of her father allows her to assist him with his printing business. However it soon becomes obvious that Europe is also not safe when Master de Aquila vanishes, taken by agents of the Spanish Inquisition.

This story of the quest for true freedom, not one imposed on people by others provides an insight into life in Europe in the seventeenth century, particularly in London, Amsterdam and Venice and also introduces us to a feisty heroine in Isabella Hawkins..

Ocean without end

Local writer, Kelly Gardiner, has written a pirate trilogy - the Swashbuckler Trilogy - for  upper primary school age children. The first book introduces the reader to 12 year old Lily Swann who is mistakenly kidnapped by pirates who are looking for a cabin boy. So begins the adventures as Lily initially struggles to survive in her new and dangerous environment but when the opportunity arises decides to find out what happened to her father who disappeared many years previously. Lots of action in this book - will have to look out for the sequels to find out what happens to Lily, or Cyg as she is known in her pirate world.