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Email Address: jack@jacksonmarsh.com
Books By Jackson Marsh
Word Count: 160000
Character Identities: Gay, Straight
Summary: Henry Hope lies in a coma, and Lord Clearwater’s hunt for his mother’s secret treasure is on hold. But when a new clue comes to light, Clearwater and the academy men resume their greatest adventure. It is also to be their most dangerous. With murderous enemies behind, the unknown ahead, and a warrant out for Clearwater’s arrest, no-one is safe. Loyalties and friendships are tested as the men face harrowing confrontations, a war of attrition in the national newspapers, storms, gunfights and death. Will love and friendship be enough to secure the lives and futures of Lord Clearwater and his crew? Can they solve the riddles in time, and will anyone ever know the meaning of the seemingly unlockable riddle? Behind four points ’neath gifted crook, the light awaits for those who look… ◆ ◆ ◆ The Larkspur Legacy follows on directly from ‘Starting with Secrets’ and is the culmination of both the Clearwater and Larkspur mystery series. It is not necessary to have read the Clearwater Mysteries, but to get the best from this ‘end of season finale,’ you’re advised to read both, the Larkspur Mysteries in particular, and to read them in order. With themes of friendship, bromance, male love and revenge, the story combines historical fact with fiction. As with all of Jackson Marsh’s mysteries, the novel contains humour, love and action, while offering the reader the chance to solve the clues with the cast of disparate, well-drawn characters. “This is a book that could have been written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Dan Brown.”
Word Count: 12000
Character Identities: Gay, Straight
Summary: “The greatest reward often lies at the end of the stoniest path.” Lady Dorothy Marshall, March 1891 When Lord Clearwater inherits a set of enigmatic clues and a compass, it becomes clear he has the means to uncover a momentous secret. He calls upon the men of the Larkspur Academy to help with the hunt, including the latest recruit, the bewildered ex-sailor, Bertie Tucker. The academy men investigate follies, national monuments and ancient churches, using their diverse skills to unlock a series of random messages. The men must work together to find Clearwater’s secret and ‘treasure’, but relationships threaten the status quo. Edward Hyde has turned his affections from Henry and aimed them at Bertie Tucker, opening a rift which must be mended if the hunt is to succeed. And when two of Clearwater’s adversaries conspire to beat him to the secret, what begins as an adventure becomes a game of cat and mouse that leads to a fight for survival. Starting with Secrets is the sixth book in the Larkspur Mysteries series. With themes of friendship, bromance, male love and revenge, the story is the first part of a two-part adventure, and combines historical fact with fiction. As with all of Jackson Marsh’s mysteries, the novel contains humour, love and action, while offering the reader the chance to solve the clues with the cast of disparate, well-drawn characters.
Word Count: 95000
Character Identities: Gay
Summary: March 1891. A parliamentary committee arrives at Larkspur Hall to assess Lord Clearwater’s suitability to become an earl. Prince Albert Victor will announce their decision at a society dinner on Archer’s thirty-second birthday. However, the MP with the authority to advance Archer to the title is the same man who caused Edward Hyde never to speak again. When the parliamentarians arrive to inspect the Larkspur Academy, Edward comes face to face with the man he had arrested for making unnatural advances. A man who was never tried for his crime. Silas Hawkins and the academy men band together to ensure Edward sees justice done while protecting Lord Clearwater’s reputation and each other. Using their skills in chemistry, physics and deception, they embark on a game of secrets and subterfuge where the unspoken causes the loudest outcry. “The quiet ones have the loudest voice. Them as say most by speaking in silence.” Fiona Hawkins, 1881 Speaking in Silence is the fifth book in the Larkspur Mysteries series, and touches on themes of victimisation and suicide. Like all books in the series, it is inspired by actual events from the late 1800s. With themes of friendship, bromance, male love and revenge, the story is more of a ‘how dunnit?’ than a ‘who dunnit?’ and like all of Jackson’s mysteries, contains humour, while mixing fact with fiction.
Word Count: 105000
Character Identities: Gay
Summary: “Risk is the spark that ignites adventure.” Barbary Fleet, 1891 The Larkspur Academy — Where men explore the mysteries of love and learning Chester Cadman has been duped by unscrupulous men, ridiculed in the newspapers, and disowned by his family. Only twenty-two, he is on the verge of starvation when a Clearwater detective makes him an offer he can't refuse: Join the Larkspur Academy and investigate a haunting that has plagued Lord Clearwater’s family for nearly four hundred years. Mystified, but determined, Chester enlists the help of fellow academy man, Frank Andino, and is soon presented with a second mystery: his attraction to the loyal, but bawdy young Greek. Together, they unearth sinister family secrets that could destroy Clearwater’s reputation and the academy, but the truth must be known. Faced with a double dilemma, Chester is forced to confront the past, even if it means Clearwater’s downfall and a broken heart. It’s a risk, but, as Fleet says, ‘Risk is the spark that ignites adventure, and love is the greatest adventure of them all.’ ★★★★★ ‘Seeing Through Shadows’ is the fourth book in The Larkspur Mystery series. A combination of mystery, male love and adventure set in England in 1890 and 1891, the Larkspur Mysteries blend historical fact with fiction. Rescued from destitution, young gay men are invited to Lord Clearwater’s Larkspur Academy. There, they explore their talents as they encounter romance, bromance and a variety of intriguing mysteries. The Larkspur series follows on from the popular Clearwater Mysteries and is set in the same world, but you don’t have to have read the Clearwater series to enjoy this collection of full-length historical novels.
Word Count: 105000
Character Identities: Gay
Summary:
Word Count: 103000
Character Identities: Gay
Summary: Forgive when there is nothing to forgive, and forget when there is. Barbary Fleet, September 1890 Bodmin Moor, Cornwall, September 1890 Deaf since birth, Joe Tanner is destined for a life of misery in the workhouse until Lord Clearwater offers him a place at the curious Larkspur Academy in Cornwall. There, while adjusting to his new life, His Lordship challenges Joe to unlock the mystery of the Colvannick stone row. As Joe sets about his task, he suspects a connection between the standing stones and a series of unsolved murders. The problem is convincing others, and his obsession soon threatens his relationship with his lover, Dalston Blaze. Joe's determination to unearth the truth also jeopardises his place at the academy, but a man's life is at stake, and the only one who believes in the mysteries of the past is Joe — and the killer who is prepared to murder anyone who interferes. The second of The Larkspur Mysteries continues from book one, 'The Guardians of the Poor.' The Larkspur Mysteries are inspired by existing locations and newspaper reports from the time, and combine fact, fiction, adventure and bromance. If you have not yet read the preceding series, ‘The Clearwater Mysteries’, you might like to start with book one, ‘Deviant Desire.’ There are 11 books in the ongoing series including a prequel, ‘Banyak and Fecks’ which can be read first although it is not a mystery. To get the most out of it, you should read it just before you read book nine, ‘Negative Exposure.’
Word Count: 104000
Character Identities: Gay
Summary: “The greatest gift one man may give another is his trust.” Barbary Fleet, 1890. Standing stones, messages written in symbols, and the language of the deaf. It falls to Lord Clearwater to unlock the mystery of Dalston Blaze and his deaf friend, Joe Tanner, two young men arrested for committing ‘unnatural offences’ at the Hackney workhouse. Dalston hopes for a prison sentence. It’s the only way to save his life. Instead, he is bailed to the Larkspur Academy on Lord Clearwater’s Cornish estate, where there is only one rule: honesty above all else. For Dalston, this means confronting his past, learning to trust, and admitting his secrets. Joe is the key, but Joe is missing, and his location is locked deep inside a memory seen in sign language, and clouded by eighteen years of workhouse life. If Dalston remains silent, the immoral workhouse master and his sadistic schoolteacher will continue to inflict pain and suffering on all inmates of the Hackney workhouse. If he tells the truth, he and Joe will die. The Guardians of the Poor is a combination of mystery, adventure and male romance, set in 1890. It draws on first-hand accounts of workhouse life at the time and is the first of a new series of mysteries set in the Clearwater world. The Larkspur Mysteries Beginning in 1890, The Larkspur Mysteries follow on from The Clearwater Mysteries series of 11 novels. It’s not necessary to have read the Clearwater books before you embark on the Larkspur series. However, if you enjoy mystery, romance, adventure and a mix of historical fact and fiction, then begin the journey with ‘Deviant Desire.’ (Or the non-mystery prequel, ‘Banyak & Fecks.’) Lord Clearwater has created a unique academy for disadvantaged young men. The Larkspur Academy is, ‘A non-academic institution with the aim to provide deserving men the opportunity to expand talent, horizons and knowledge for the betterment of the underprivileged and general society.’ It’s not a school. There are no lessons, no teachers, no schoolboys and no rules. The series exists in the established Clearwater world of the late 1800’s where homosexuality is a crime everywhere but on Clearwater’s country estate in Cornwall. The series is ongoing. Each story involves male bonding, bromance, friendship and love. Mystery, adventure and a little comedy play their parts, and every story is inspired by true events from the past.
Word Count: 150000
Character Identities: Gay
Summary: ‘No one can take away your name.’ Clearwater will lose his entire fortune unless he cracks a musical code. If Archer’s insane brother dies, their distant cousin, the evil Count Movileşti, will inherit everything, and with the influenza pandemic threatening the brother’s asylum, the outlook is grave. The only thing that can ensure Archer’s future is a legal document left behind by his grandfather, but the clue to its location is hidden within two pieces of music. Archer has one; the other is in Movileşti’s collection at Castle Rasnov. Archer dispatches two of his team to the Transylvanian castle, and two to the Clearwater Archives in London, leaving the rest to search every inch of his country house. The men face their pasts and decide their futures as loyalties are tested, and death stalks the corridors of Larkspur Hall. With Movileşti on his way to claim the inheritance, everyone has a vital part to play and everything to lose as they race against time. Set during the 1890 Russian influenza pandemic, The Clearwater Inheritance is a mystery thriller that takes us from Cornwall to Transylvania, and from the cellars of Larkspur Hall to the Orient Express. A mashup of romance, mystery and adventure, the tenth book ties up previous threads, answers questions, and sets the scene for the Clearwater future. The series is best read in order, starting with ‘Deviant Desire.’ The non-mystery prequel, ‘Banyak & Fecks’ should be read before books nine and ten.
Word Count: 93000
Character Identities: Gay
Summary: December 1889. Silas Hawkins, once a trickster from the slums, is now the public face of the Clearwater Foundation. As London society gathers to celebrate its success, and Prince Albert Victor considers becoming its new patron, life for Archer, Silas and the crew could not be better. But everyone has a past, especially Silas, a man ripe for blackmail. Photographs, demands, a dead photographer and a mystery amid the influenza pandemic of 1889, it falls to James, Silas and Fecker to find the blackmailer before Silas’ sordid past leads to public downfall. But then Silas disappears, and all James has is a burnt letter, a missing railway timetable and a man with two names. He also has Fecker, and together, they must race to solve the riddle and find Silas before he kills either the blackmailer or himself. Negative Exposure is the ninth Clearwater Mystery. The series blends fact with fiction, mystery with adventure, love with lust, and is best read in order.
Word Count: 92000
Character Identities: Gay, Straight
Summary: Banyak & Fecks is a prequel to The Clearwater Mystery series of romantic gay novels. However, it is not a mystery. It is a story of how a Ukrainian refugee and the son of an Irish immigrant come to meet in the East End of London in 1884. It is a story about friendship. 1881. Andrej’s family are dead or missing, and his village in Ukraine decimated. Aged thirteen, he walks west to find a boat to take him to London. Three years later, homeless, starving and having resorted to prostitution, he finds safe passage and arrives in London alone but determined. 1884. Silas’ mother has died, leaving him to fend for his twin sisters in the hellish world of the Westerpool slums. Silas only knows the work of a thief and trickster and at sixteen, heads to London to make his money. What he finds is poverty, starvation and the Greychurch workhouse. About to give up, he encounters a giant Ukrainian, proud, handsome, and renting his body in the alleys of the East End. Silas (Banyak) and Andrej (Fecks) make an unlikely pair, but their friendship is all they need to survive life in London’s notorious East End. When disaster robs them of their home, they have no choice but to live rough and work the streets. Lodging houses, rope houses, arrest, violence and prostitution, they face it together. But when the Ripper starts slaughtering Greychurch rent boys, Banyak and Fecks have only their friendship to ensure their survival.
"A colourful and enchanting tale. Beautifully written. Marsh does an excellent job of evoking the look and feel of a different age."
Olivier Bosman author of the DS Billings Victorian Mysteries
‘Banyak & Fecks’ ends the day before the first Clearwater Mystery, ‘Deviant Desire’ begins. It is a story of friendship and platonic love set in Greychurch, the imaginary Whitechapel of the Clearwater world. Extensively researched, readers are taken from the Russian steppe and the Wirral slums to the squalor of the East End in the late 1880s. [Genre: Historical Bromance] [‘The Clearwater Mysteries.’ Historical MM Romance, mystery and adventure.]
Word Count: 90000
Character Identities: Gay
Summary: Home From Nowhere The Clearwater Mysteries Book Seven After their wild and dangerous adventures, Archer and his crew are happy to take on a cosy mystery. Two new staff join Clearwater House. One of them, Jasper Blackwood, comes with an enigmatic, limited edition songbook that suggests he is no ordinary lad from the workhouse. When Archer investigates Jasper's past, he soon realises that his origins, if known, will cause a scandal for one of his closest friends. The question is, how to reunite father and son without disrupting their lives? In the space of one week, Jasper's life changes in ways he never expected, and when he meets Billy Barnett, what was once a shameful longing for the companionship of another man, quickly becomes his reason for living. 'Home From Nowhere' begins on the day Artful Deception ends. This is a comfortable, low-heat mystery set against a young man's coming of age in 1889 London. It can be read as a standalone novel, but it's best to have read the previous books in the series first. As with the other Clearwater Mysteries, you will find a mix of fact and fiction, alternating between upstairs and downstairs in a Victorian household.
Word Count: 98000
Character Identities: Gay
Summary: "Deception. The lie that tells the truth." A damaged painting tempts Lord Clearwater to a final battle with his arch-enemy, and it's not a summons he can ignore. Archer must free his homicidal brother from incarceration and reinstate him to the title. He will be left humiliated and penniless, but free to live his life with Silas with no threat of exposure. The alternative is death. Drawing inspiration from a work of art, Clearwater manipulates a series of illusions to stay one step ahead of the endgame. While James, Tom and Silas race to solve clues and reach Archer before the fatal deadline, the assassin, Dorjan, remains hot on his heels ready to kill. The sixth book in The Clearwater Mysteries series brings back popular characters from previous adventures in a fast-paced, twisting mystery that can have only one of two possible endings. Or perhaps one of three. After all, deception is the lie that tells the truth. (There will be more stories in this series.)
Word Count: 85000
Character Identities: Gay
Summary: Book two in 'The Barrenmoor Series' of MM romance stories with a mountain rescue theme. Liam has set himself a goal. To come out to his best friend, Casper, before his 18th birthday while hiking at Fellborough in the Yorkshire Dales. Things don't go according to plan, and when a violent storm hits, the camping trip takes a potentially fatal turn. Local mountaineers, John Hamilton and his husband Gary are called to help, but it soon becomes apparent that the rescue is more than physical. Liam and Casper both have secrets that when known, have the potential break or mend their hearts. A mix of YA, romance and adventure, 'The Students of Barrenmoor Ridge' brings back popular characters from the first Barrenmoor book in a familiar setting with love, mountaineering and the dangers of both. 'The Mentor of Barrenmoor Ridge' is the first book in the Barrenmoor Series of MM romances with a mountain rescue theme. 'The Students' takes place two years later, and it is better, but not vital, to read the stories in order. From the series reviews: "No usual tried tropes here. Great story, natural dialogue, well-developed characters, and unpredictable plot." "I loved reading the entire “mentor” series. Such great escapism. I Love the Pacing of the story, the twist and turns, the suspense, conflict, romance. The whole series is wonderful to read."
Word Count: 93,000
Character Identities: Gay
Summary: Following an accident, a schoolboy and a tattooed Romanian find themselves unexpected guests at Clearwater's country house, Larkspur Hall. But what if their presence is no accident? What if Mr Smith is Protectori, a member of an ancient order of assassins bent on destroying anyone who sullies the name of the Szekely people of Transylvania? And what do a runaway boy and an assassin have to do with Clearwater's famed Easter dinner party and its guest of honour, the actor, Henry Irving? Ancestral feuds, a pocket watch and a rare Romanian wine are seemingly random connections until Silas breaks into a London theatre, and James rescues a boy from drowning. Then, it's a race against time to prevent a hideous murder and Archer's ruin. Bitter Bloodline is a no-heat mystery that sees Archer's loyal servants become their own band of Protectori. The Clearwater Mysteries are best read in order.
Word Count: 95,000
Character Identities: Gay
Summary: "We have his sisters. Involve your catamite, and they will die before the shortest day." A kidnapping, a threat and a deadly showdown force Lord Clearwater and his coachman, Andrej, on a secret mission to save two innocent girls. But where are they? The clue to the location is wrapped up in a Tennyson poem, and time is fast running out. Left at Clearwater House to crack the code, James finds himself with another ominous responsibility when Inspector Adelaide makes an arrest. With his master missing, it falls to the footman to crack the code, fight a court case, and save Archer's reputation. With only three days to find the answers, all evidence points to a location known only to Tennyson himself, and an enemy thought dead. But what if James is wrong? An interconnected double mystery, Fallen Splendour is the fourth in the Clearwater Mysteries series. The books are best read in order.
Word Count: 95,000
Character Identities: Gay
Summary: "Death will come da capo, suddenly silent, and you will not hear your final applause. Fail us, and you die." Blackmail, a death threat and an opera. The Clearwater Foundation is to be launched with a charity gala at the City Opera House where Archer's old friend, Cadwell Roxton, is to star. But Roxton has a dark secret. He will be murdered during his performance unless he exposes Lord Clearwater's homosexuality. Archer's lover, Silas enlists the help of the new footman, James to unlock the mystery and save Roxton, the performance and the viscount's reputation — without raising suspicion. With only three days to go before the gala, it's a race against time that takes us from the notorious Cleaver Street brothel to the Royal Opera House and a thrilling climax with love, liberty and lives at stake. While in the background, enemies old and new plot Clearwater's ultimate downfall. Part three of the Clearwater Mysteries, 'Unspeakable Acts' follows on from 'Twisted Tracks.' The series is best read in order. "Another entertaining, well plotted, action-packed, triple mystery set in the imaginary, Victorian era of England 1888. Jackson Marsh has got me hooked!" Amazon review.
Word Count: 88000
Character Identities: Gay
Summary: Part two of The Clearwater Mysteries, this story continues directly from 'Deviant Desire.' An intercepted telegram, a coded invitation and the threat of exposure. Viscount Clearwater must once again put his life on the line to defend his reputation. The mystery is complicated by the arrival of a new servant experiencing the confusion of first gay love, and Archer's feelings towards his recently fired footman. Deviant forces are at work as Archer's enemies plot to expose his homosexuality and bring him down. Only the bonds of loyalty and friendship can protect him and those he loves as he struggles to protect his young lover, Silas, and his alliance of devoted servants. A mashup of mystery, adventure and romance, Twisted Tracks takes place in an imaginary England of 1888.
Word Count: 104000
Character Identities: Gay
Summary: The Victorian East End lives in fear of the Ripper and his mission to kill rent boys. Silas Hawkins, nineteen and forging a life on the streets could well be the next victim, but when he meets Archer, his life changes forever. Young, attractive and rich, Archer is The Viscount Clearwater, a philanthropist, adventurer and homosexual. When Archer suspects the Ripper is killing to lure him to a confrontation, he risks his reputation and his life to stop the madman's murders. Every man must play his part, including Silas. A mashup of mystery, romance and adventure, Deviant Desire is set in an imaginary London of 1888. The first in an on-going series, it takes the theme of loyalty and friendship in a world where homosexuality is a crime. Secrets must be kept, lovers must be protected, and for Archer and Silas, it marks the start of their biggest adventure - love.
Word Count: 84000
Character Identities: Gay, Questioning
Summary: "He's back. He's angry, and I am fleeing for my life." Escaping bad choices, Luke Grey arrives in the Cornish fishing village of Madenly determined never to fall in love with a straight man again. But then he meets Peran Box. Peran's passion for investigating historical mysteries is his only escape from a loveless relationship. But then he meets Luke. Attracted to each other's differences, the two embark on an intense friendship which sparks hope for Luke and ignites Peran's gay-curious feelings. But then they meet Billy, dead for three-hundred years and determined to keep them apart until the mystery of his murder is solved. Curious Moonlight is a romantic, low-heat, gay paranormal mystery. Jackson Marsh is the author of 'The Mentor' series and an award-winning author of gay fiction.
Word Count: 97000
Character Identities: Gay
Summary: What if you could prove that the greatest Gothic horror novel of all time was a true story? Dexter and Morgan meet on their eighteenth birthday. The attraction is instant but confusing. As they deal with coming out, they are bound together by more than first love. Both keep diaries, and each has the same goal - to prove that Stoker didn't write 'Dracula'. They are convinced that Harker, Van Helsing and the others existed and wrote the novel's journals themselves. If Dex and Morgan can prove it, they will blow the lid off the vampire myth: Dracula existed. As the two teenagers fall in love, so they fall into an adventure as thrilling as it is dangerous. They are being watched, and someone is willing to kill to stop them from making 'The Stoker Connection.' The Stoker Connection is an MM Romance treasure hunt thriller. It draws on the original text of 'Dracula', but it is not a story about vampires. It is a story of first love and the power of friendship. Sometimes funny, it is an intriguing and honest account compiled from Dex and Morgan's original diaries.
