Bøger af Philip Gooden

Geoffrey Chaucer Mysteries - Book Three'A central character and a story that will leave readers clamouring for more.' Booklist1373.Geoffrey Chaucer, diplomat, king's agent and aspiring poet, is despatched to the Devon port of Dartmouth.A ship from the Italian city of Genoa has been deliberately wrecked and its cargo stolen. A treaty between England and Genoa is at risk.Chaucer must find the perpetrators.Chaucer and his travelling companions are lodged with a wealthy doctor of physic, Richard Storey, and his new, young wife, Sara.The fine house, overlooking the river Dart, is full of intrigue and suspicion between its members and visitors, who include a much-married woman, a softly spoken herbalist and the madam of a local brothel.When a murder occurs, Chaucer's mission grows more perilous still. And there are rumours that the shipwrecked boat contained no ordinary cargo but an object that is worth a king's ransom. Worth killing for.Recommended for fans of CJ Sansom, Steven Saylor and Andrew Taylor.Philip Gooden is a historical novelist and contributor to various short story anthologies. He lives in Bath.Praise for Philip Gooden: 'An absorbing mix of history, suspense and romance, this tale brings one of Britain's most renowned literary figures to credible life.' Publishers Weekly

Geoffrey Chaucer Mysteries - Book Two'An absorbing mix of history, suspense and romance, this tale brings one of Britain's most renowned literary figures to credible life.' Publishers WeeklyItaly. 1373.Geoffrey Chaucer, diplomat, secret agent and aspiring poet, journeys to medieval Florence, a city twice the size of London and the financial centre of Europe.His mission is to arrange a loan from the banking house of Antonio Lipari for the English king, Edward III, to help fund the ongoing war with France.But there are plenty of people inside and outside the Lipari family who are opposed to the deal. Within days of Chaucer's arrival, Lipari is found dead in a chamber in his Florentine palace.Violence and unrest simmer under the surface. Chaucer is aware of shadowy conspirators and pursuers. In constant danger of his life, he must follow a trail of clues to establish the murderous truth about Lipari's death.Recommended for fans of Michael Jecks, Angus Donald and CJ Sansom.Philip Gooden is a historical novelist and contributor to various short story anthologies. He lives in Bath.Praise for Philip Gooden: 'Full of the sights and sounds of fourteenth-century England--and pleasingly free of tedious exposition and clumps of research--this lively novel is a fine example of how to get it right in a historical mystery. Chaucer himself is a well-realized and charming protagonist, and the series seems to be settling in for a long run.' Booklist

'Gooden may be the best history-mystery writer going.' Booklist1873. A treasure-hunter is stabbed to death while searching a burial chamber on the outskirts of the city of Salisbury. At the same time Tom Ansell arrives from London to receive a manuscript from one of the cathedral canons. Tom is an ambitious lawyer, and about to marry Helen Scott - a budding novelist. Felix Slater, a respectable churchman and amateur archaeologist, wants the scandalous manuscript of his late father's memoirs locked away until after his own death. But Slater's death comes much sooner than expected, and Tom falls under suspicion for his murder. The compromising manuscript has disappeared. To exonerate himself, Tom, accompanied by Helen, must unmask an ingenious, elusive killer, one who will threaten their own lives. The pursuit takes them from the cells of the city gaol to the heights of the cathedral spire and out among the ancient earthworks of Salisbury Plain. The Salisbury Manuscript is the first in a series set in England's cathedral cities. Full of action, suspense and gothic atmosphere, the novel brings back to life a world of Victorian mystery.Philip Gooden is an acclaimed historical novelist and non-fiction author. He is the author of the Geoffrey Chaucer Mysteries. Praise for Philip Gooden: 'Full of the sights and sounds of fourteenth-century England--and pleasingly free of tedious exposition and clumps of research--this lively novel is a fine example of how to get it right in a historical mystery. Chaucer himself is a well-realized and charming protagonist, and the series seems to be settling in for a long run.' Booklist'An absorbing mix of history, suspense and romance, this tale brings one of Britain's most renowned literary figures to credible life.' Publishers Weekly

Geoffrey Chaucer Mysteries - Book One'A central character and a story that will leave readers clamouring for more.' Booklist1370.Midway through the Hundred Years War, England is in danger of losing its prized territorial possession in France, the rich domain of Aquitaine.Henri de Guyac, the most important nobleman of the region, is wavering in his allegiance to the English king. He must be persuaded to remain loyal.The man chosen for this delicate task is Geoffrey Chaucer, one-time soldier, would-be poet and now an agent for John of Gaunt, the King's son. Chaucer was once a hostage of Henri de Guyac in his castle on the river Dordogne. To complicate things, he had fallen in love with Rosamund, Henri's wife.There are factions inside and outside Guyac's castle determined to thwart Chaucer's mission. And when Henri is killed during a boar-hunt, Chaucer must not only uncover a murderer but escape through the dangerous territory of Aquitaine.Recommended for fans of CJ Sansom, Michael Jecks and John Pilkington.Chaucer and the House of Fame is the first book in the acclaimed Geoffrey Chaucer Mystery series by bestselling historical novelist Philip Gooden.Philip Gooden is a historical novelist and contributor to various short story anthologies. He lives in Bath.

'Gooden may be the best history-mystery writer going.' Booklist London 1874. Newlyweds Tom and Helen Ansell attend a London seance at which Ernest Smight, a fraudulent medium, is unmasked. It's good preparation for a visit to the city of Durham, where Helen is tasked with rescuing her aunt Julia from the clutches of a much more dangerous psychic, Eustace Flask. Meanwhile Tom, a lawyer, is despatched to learn the facts about the Lucknow Dagger, an ill-omened trophy in the possession of Major Sebastian Mormont, a military man turned magician who is staging shows in the cathedral city. The realms of stage magic and spiritualism overlap when Flask is stabbed to death with the Dagger and Helen is accused of the crime. But which of Flask's many enemies is the real murderer? And who is systematically eliminating the witnesses to the earlier unmasking of medium Ernest Smight? In their quest for the truth, Tom and Helen put themselves in danger. Before the end, Helen will come face to face with a ruthless and ingenious killer. The Durham Deception plunges the reader into the strange world of Victorian mediums and con artists, magicians and showmen. A gripping follow-up to The Salisbury Manuscript.Philip Gooden is a historical novelist and contributor to various short story anthologies. He is the author of the Geoffrey Chaucer Mysteries.Praise for Philip Gooden: 'Full of the sights and sounds of fourteenth-century England--and pleasingly free of tedious exposition and clumps of research--this lively novel is a fine example of how to get it right in a historical mystery. Chaucer himself is a well-realized and charming protagonist, and the series seems to be settling in for a long run.' Booklist'An absorbing mix of history, suspense and romance, this tale brings one of Britain's most renowned literary figures to credible life.' Publishers Weekly

The English language that is spoken by one billion people around the world is a linguistic mongrel, its vocabulary a diverse mix resulting from centuries of borrowing from other tongues. From the Celtic languages of pre-Roman Britain to Norman French; from the Vikings' Old Scandinavian to Persian, Sanskrit, Algonquian, Cantonese and Hawaiian – amongst a host of others – we have enriched our modern language with such words as tulip, slogan, doolally, avocado, moccasin, ketchup and ukulele. May We Borrow Your Language? explores the intriguing and unfamiliar stories behind scores of familiar words that the English language has filched from abroad; in so doing, it also sheds fascinating light on the wider history of the development of the English we speak today. Full of etymological nuggets to intrigue and delight the reader, this is a gift book for word buffs to cherish – as cerebrally stimulating as it is more-ishly entertaining. Philip Gooden writes books about language as well as historical crime novels. The former include "Who's Whose? A No-Nonsense Guide to Easily-Confused Words", "The Story of English", and (as co-author) "Idiomantics" and "The Word at War".

It's the summer of 1604 and the Spanish are in London. Many years after the ill-fated Armada, they are negotiating a peace treaty with the English. Nick Revill's acting company is given a ceremonial role at the celebrations. But not everybody welcomes this outbreak of peace. In the shifting world of the court there are factions. In the Tower of London sits that implacable enemy of the Spanish, Sir Walter Raleigh, and he has friends on the outside who may try to sabotage the negotiations. Nick, meanwhile, is trying to get on with his playing. Invited by Shakespeare's rival, Ben Jonson, to take part in a masque at Somerset House where the Spanish are lodged, Nick is caught up in a conspiracy. During a rehearsal the courtier Sir Philip Blake dies an apparently accidental death when he tumbles from a 'Deus ex machina' chair which is lowering him to the stage. But this is only the first of a series of suspicious deaths, and Nick must look for the murderer among those around him. And Nick has other distractions besides. There is his growing attraction to his landlady, the widowed Ursula Buckle. And then there is that new French girl at the Mitre brothel...

When the Black Death strikes London, all the theatres are closed down by order of the Privy Council. The Chamberlain's Men, the theatre company Nick Revill is part of, takes up an invitation to play in Oxford. However, it seems that the plague has followed them - but not all deaths are as they seem.

On a foggy morning in 1602, a boyhood friend of Nick Revill arrives in London. When Peter Agate announces that he wants to try his hand at acting, what can Nick do but offer him a part with his own company, the Chamberlain's Men, who are putting on a private production of Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida for the lawyers of Middle Temple.Yet within days Peter Agate is dead, stabbed to death at Nick's lodgings - the beginning of a sequence of violent deaths, each somehow implicating Nick himself. To avoid the hangman's noose Nick must discover the real murderer among a cast of suspects, including an aristocratic brother and sister, a troublemaker from a rival company and an ex-actor who once saw the Devil himself on stage...

In the last decade of Elizabeth I's reign, Nick Revill, an aspiring young actor, comes to London seeking fame and fortune. Once there he gains employment with the Chamberlain's Men.Thrown out of his digs over an unfortunate accident, Nick is offered lodgings at a wealthy Thameside mansion by a black-clad youth whose father has just died and whose mother has remarried his uncle. Pondering on the similarities between the young man's story and William Shakespeare's newest tragedy, Hamlet, Nick is charged with the task of finding out whether foul play was involved in the death of the old man and hasty remarriage of his young, lusty wife.As Nick works his way ever closer to the truth, the finger of suspicion begins to point to his enigmatic employer Mr William Shakespeare - actor, author and shareholder in the Chamberlain's Men...

Elizabeth I is nearing the end of her reign with no direct heir and plots and rumours of rebellion abound. The Queen's former favourite, the Earl of Essex, appears to be eager to protect the throne, but some believe he intends to seize it.In the world of the theatre, the Chamberlain's Men are approached by a member of Essex's inner circle. He offers them money to put on a special performance of Shakespeare's Richard II - the treasonous drama of monarchy deposed and murdered. And player Nick Revill finds himself forced to act as a government spy and keep watch on his own company. But then the murders start...Praise for Philip Gooden:'Highly entertaining.' Sunday Times'Welcome to Elizabethan England where... Gooden will give you a gratifying taste of the danger and excitement of that lusty place and time.' Publishers Weekly

Third in the entertaining adventures of Shakespearean actor and sleuth, Nick Revill. It is midsummer in the year 1601. Nick Revill and his fellow actors of the company known as the Chamberlain's Men are journeying across the Wiltshire Downs for a country-house presentation of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. It should be a pleasant well-paid jaunt to celebrate a noble marriage, but instead the players find themselves in the midst of a tense family atmosphere, somehow linked to the presence of the household's sinister steward. Very soon Nick finds that the Dream has turned into a nightmare, where murder appears commonplace, and before too long he must fight to save his own life against the ancient backdrop of Stonehenge...

Snowflake, elite, expert . . . What are today's 'bad words' and what do they say about us, both as individuals and as a society?

If you have ever been bamboozled by the use of a foreign word or phrase, or simply want to spice up your vocabulary with some well-chosen bons mots, then this is the book for you.

The extraordinary story of the development and spread of the English language, from Dark Age Britain to the age of the Internet.