Spyderwort Reprints

The Cavalier of the Apocalypse (Aristide Ravel Mysteries #1)

Susanne Alleyn

Historical Mystery. In seething 1786 Paris, penniless writer Aristide Ravel, already suspected of subversion, must clear his name of murder. But his search for answers—with the aid of friends who may not be all that they seem—leads him into a tangle of conspiracy, secret societies, royal scandal, and imminent revolution, which grows only more complex when the corpse disappears...

Deborah Remembers

Lillie V. Albrecht

Children's Historical Fiction. Deborah, a very special doll, was created 300 years ago in New England: She can remember a terrible Indian massacre, the old Puritan settlements, the Revolutionary War, and the Underground Railroad. Deborah Remembers was based on many real local events and personalities from the history of Westfield, Massachusetts. Her long, rich, often poignant story will captivate you and touch your heart.

Game of Patience (Aristide Ravel Mysteries #3)

Susanne Alleyn

Historical Mystery. Paris, 1796. Aristide Ravel, freelance undercover police agent and investigator, is confronted with a double murder in a fashionable apartment. The victims are the daughter of a wealthy and influential family, and the man who was blackmailing her. From the gritty back alleys of Paris to its glittering salons and cafés, through the heart of feverish, decadent postrevolutionary France, Ravel’s investigation leads him into a puzzle involving hidden secrets, crimes of passion, and long-nurtured hatreds.

The Grist Mill Secret

Lillie V. Albrecht

Children's Historical Fiction. In 1773, in a hidden cellar below the lonely mill where Tabby lives, is a gunshop where Father makes muskets for the Minute Men. But when an English family, suspected by all to be loyalist spies, builds a country house nearby, Tabby is trapped between patriotism and friendship with the new neighbors. Can she remain friends with Alice and Jack and still keep the vital secret of the grist mill?

Hannah's Hessian

Lillie V. Albrecht

Children's Historical Fiction. Little Hannah has plenty to worry about in the spring of 1775—war, smallpox, storing enough food and firewood to last through the New England winters—and also school. But worst of all are the terrifying Hessians, soldiers hired to fight the American patriot army. And when Hessian prisoners pass through their own village, Hannah’s greatest fear seems to be coming true—or does it?

Palace of Justice (Aristide Ravel Mysteries #2)

Susanne Alleyn

Historical Mystery. Paris is hungry, restless, and fearful in the autumn of 1793. Amid distrust and anxiety, police agent Aristide Ravel must stop a ruthless killer who is terrorizing the city. Ravel soon learns, however, that hunting a murderer who leaves headless corpses on the streets, paralleling the victims of the guillotine, is a task that will lead him to dark secrets and echoes from an even darker past.

The Spinning Wheel Secret

Lillie V. Albrecht

Children's Historical Fiction. Joan’s brothers didn’t want a baby sister. So they called her Jo and never admitted that she was a girl. A properly-brought-up young Puritan girl in 1705 would never know all the useful skills, like fishing and swimming, that Jo learns from Dan and Sam, though when it comes to doing ordinary household tasks, she's hopeless. But when Indians attack and carry off Jo’s mother, Jo will find her own resources and courage sorely tested.

Susanna's Candlestick

Lillie V. Albrecht

Children's Historical Fiction. Susanna’s strict Puritan father is determined to settle in the New World, where his family can worship God as they please. She has only one keepsake to bring to the remote, untamed New England of 1663: her silver candlestick. But when a gypsy foretells, "The light will show you the way," her candlestick seems very special indeed. Susanna carries it through a hard journey in a strange, wild land, meeting kindness and cruelty, understanding and prejudice, until at last she finds in the gypsy’s words an unexpected meaning.

A Treasury of Regrets (Aristide Ravel Mysteries #4)

Susanne Alleyn

Historical Mystery. When an illiterate servant girl is accused of poisoning the master of the house where she works, Ravel cannot believe she is guilty; in a large household brimming with bickering and resentment, everyone seems to have a motive for poisoning old Dupont. With stubborn witnesses, mysterious white powder, and stolen goods all stacked against her, however, he knows it will not be easy to clear her. But as more family members begin to turn up dead, the list of suspects rapidly dwindles...