Masters In This Hall: New book out now!
So I wrote a surprise book, as you do. (I didn’t announce it because I wasn’t sure I’d have time to do it. Then I realised I absolutely didn’t have time to do it. So I did it. Huge thanks to Kanaxa, who created the lovely cover in an afternoon to make this possible!)
Masters In This Hall is a 30K story set in England, December 1899. John Garland is a disgraced hotel detective, sacked from his job because of the callous actions of stage designer/jewel thief Barnaby Littimer. Now Barnaby has a job managing the Christmas celebrations at John’s millionaire uncle’s home. And John intends to stop whatever he’s up to…
This is set in the world of the Lilywhite Boys, some four years after the end of Gilded Cage. It’s a standalone story so you don’t need to have read that series, but if you have, you may see cameos.
I’m not religious, but I like carols (not the ‘sweet baby Jesus’ ones, the ‘It’s very cold outside and we’re going medieval on your arse’ ones). Masters In This Hall is named after my favourite carol and I made a Spotify playlist with all the carols mentioned in the book, for your enhanced reading experience.
There are many Dickens references, and I am waiting with anticipation for the first person to complain about the particularly inexcusable pun.
It’s out now on all the usual e-stores (some are taking a bit longer to come through). Enjoy!
Thank you so much for this lovely Christmas present. I had to keep checking Barnes & Noble but it finally showed up there so I was able to get my copy.
Sorry that took so long, B&N seem to drag their feet a lot.
I think I missed the pun (which is a shame because I love them; will have to reread!), but the book was wonderful–made me want to reread Lilywhite Boys, too, so I started Any Old Diamonds in audio again. 🙂
Bought it before work, read it after work, loved it. 🙂
Bought it when I got this notification, just read it and loved it! Liked John the most, but Barnaby is quite delightful too. Jerry is devilishly charming as usual, though I did miss Alec a lot, even though it made me happy to know Jerry bites him. 😛
I do have to ask, though: do you watch Tiger&Bunny? Is our favourite Angora rabbit named Barnaby as a homage??
Thanks for another wonderful story!
I don’t know what that is, so will be serendipity!
What a lovely Advent gift! I’m a teacher and we’re stuck in the excruciatingly slow slog toward winter vacation right now, so a surprise KJ Charles story was just what I needed to leaven an otherwise trash week. The only downside is that I have now had “Masters in this Hall” stuck in my head for all of December. I think I caught most of the Dickens references but missed the pun, so I will have to re-read.
Lord Sidney’s name. It’s got some cries of dismay. 😛
Love the book, love the playlist, love that we meet useful idiot Bubby Fanshawe’s distinguished (harmless idiot) ancestor. Where I live the sun rises these days between 9:50 and 10 am, and sets around 14:30. Not to be all DRAMA!!, but this wonderful little x-mas surprise has really helped against the darkness this last week.
Also since you love carols — you might enjoy Norwegian artist Nils Bech’s version of O Holy Night (O helga natt) — not a carol of the peppy-organ-medieval-arse-bashing variety, but a simple strings arrangement and the voice of an angel. Shivers.
I love this beautiful book! Just the thing for a cozy Chanukah snowed in…