THE FACE DOWN SERIES
featuring Susanna, Lady Appleton
sixteenth-century
gentlewoman, herbalist, and sleuth
NEW PRINT EDITIONS
Coming Soon
new
trade paperback and e-book editions will be available in early 2025
THE MISTRESS JAFFREY MYSTERIES
set in England in the 1580s
a spin-off from the Face Down Mysteries
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Available Now
ISBN 979-8-227-97855-4
$18.99
ebook
ISBN 979-8-227-88201-1
$5.99
Lady Appleton's World: The
Complete Short Stories is a collection of sixteen short stories first
published between 1999 and 2015 and newly edited by the author. They feature
the adventures of Susanna, Lady Appleton, sixteenth-century gentlewoman,
herbalist, and sleuth, and other characters from Kathy Lynn Emerson's ten-book
Face Down Mystery Series. This is the first time all sixteen have appeared in a
single volume. Illustrated with eight pen and ink drawings by Linda Weatherly S
and accompanied by author notes, the stories included are: "The Body in
the Dovecote," "Much Ado about Murder," "The Rubaiyat of
Nicholas Baldwin," "Lady Appleton and the London Man,"
"Lady Appleton and the Cautionary Herbal," "The Riddle of the
Woolsack," "Lady Appleton and the Cripplegate Chrisoms,"
"Lady Appleton and the Bristol Crystals," "Encore for a Neck
Verse," "Confusions Most Monstrous," "Death by Devil's
Turnips," "Any Means Short of Murder," "A Wondrous Violent
Motion," "Lady Appleton and the Creature of the Night,"
"The Curse of the Figure Flinger," and "Lady Appleton and the
Yuletide Hogglers."
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Long out of print in hardcover and mass
market paperback, trade paperback editions of all ten books in the Face Down
series have been newly edited and published by the author in trade paperback format.
Since these books are published by print-on-demand, they are not likely to be
on brick-and-mortar bookstore shelves, but any bookstore or library can order
copies. Autographed copies may be purchased direct from the author. Click here to inquire about
shipping and handling charges. At present (February 2025) the single-title
e-books listed at online booksellers are the older versions. The new texts are
contained in the e-book omnibus editions. Scroll down to find more information
about these collections.
ISBN 979-8-224-04118-3
$15.99
Face Down in the Marrow-Bone Pie is the first of ten historical mystery novels featuring Susanna, Lady Appleton, gentlewoman, herbalist, and sleuth. She's an expert on poisonous herbs, just what's needed to solve the crime when the steward on her husband's estate in Lancashire is found face down in a dish of marrow-bone pie. Lady Appleton is aided in her sleuthing by her faithful servants, Jennet and Mark, and hampered by the political ambitions of her duplicitous husband, Sir Robert. The story is set in England at the beginning of the reign of Elizabeth Tudor.
"Emerson takes us on a wonderful
jaunt through Elizabethan England." The
Purloined Letter
"A nice rural flavor,
complete with authentic rustics, living conditions, and social customs, blend
with family secrets
and a slightly twisted
plot to make this an enticing first historical for all collections." Library Journal
ISBN
979-8-224-45012-1
$15.99
Face Down upon an Herbal is
the second book in the Face Down mystery series. Susanna, Lady Appleton, an
expert on poisonous herbs, has written a book to warn people about them,
although it had to be published anonymously because her husband, Sir Robert
Appleton, doesn't approve of women authors. Unbeknownst to Susanna, he's taken
credit for it himself. In this adventure, set in 1561, he's sent to Scotland on
a mission for Queen Elizabeth. While he's gone, the queen gives Susanna a task
as well. She's asked to assist a noblewoman, Lady Madderly, with the herbal
she's writing. Accompanied by her young kinswoman, Catherine, Susanna travels
to Madderly Castle, where the Yuletide season is just getting under way. When a
Scots lord is found dead, face down upon a copy of the cautionary herbal
Susanna wrote two years earlier, she feels a personal obligation to solve the
crime.
"Highly recommended for readers
who appreciate suspenseful historical mysteries." Booklist
ISBN
979-8-223-88799-7
$15.99
Face Down Among the Winchester Geese is Book Three of the Face Down series. When Susanna's husband, Sir Robert, is one of the suspects in the murders of several Southwark prostitutes (known as "Winchester Geese"), Susanna resolves to uncover the identity of the real killer. Her goal is to prove Robert innocent, but as so often happens in an investigation, other secrets also come to light. Is it possible that Susanna's spouse has committed an even more heinous crime than murder? The year is 1563.
"A solid bet for historical mystery fans." Publishers Weekly
ISBN 979-8-224-44723-7
$15.99
Face Down Beneath the Eleanor Cross is Book Four in the Face Down series featuring Susanna, Lady Appleton, sixteenth-century gentlewoman, herbalist, and sleuth. In this entry, the victim is Susanna's husband, Sir Robert. Since he was poisoned and Susanna is an expert on poisonous herbs, she is arrested for his murder. To find the real killer, she seeks out others with a motive—starting with four of Robert's former mistresses.
"An intriguing plot and a strong
sense of time and place make this page turner an immensely satisfying
read." I Love a Mystery
"Emerson grows more
confident in each of these stories, enriching them with details of daily life,
the miseries of travel,
the uses of herbs, and the horrors of the English penal and justice systems as they existed in 1565." Booklist
ISBN 979-8-224-59446-7
$15.99
Face Down Under the Wych Elm is the fifth entry in the Face Down Mystery Series. Widowed Elizabethan gentlewoman, herbalist, and sleuth, Susanna, Lady Appleton, feels an obligation to help an old acquaintance accused of being a witch, even though doing so means she may risk facing the same accusation herself.
Starred
review in Kirkus:
"Exploiting the chaos for its criminal possibilities,
Emerson poses enduringly hard questions about women
and worth in this exemplary historical mystery."
ISBN 979-8-227-21411-9
$15.99
Face Down Before Rebel Hooves is the sixth book in the Face Down Mystery series featuring sixteenth-century gentlewoman, herbalist, and sleuth, Susanna, Lady Appleton. It is 1569 and in the north of England two Catholic earls and their countesses are plotting rebellion. In an attempt to stop what became known as the Rising of the Northern Earls, spymaster Walter Pendennis asks for Lady Appleton's help. Embedded in the countess of Northumberland's household under an assumed identity, she has a front row seat as history unfolds.
"The most satisfying book in the series." Bangor Daily News
ISBN 979-8-227-04593-7
$15.99
Face Down Across the Western Sea is book seven in the Face Down series featuring sixteenth-century gentlewoman, herbalist, and sleuth, Susanna, Lady Appleton. When Queen Elizabeth wants to prove England has an ancient claim to the New World on the far side of what was then known as "the Western Sea," she orders a group of scholars to find evidence of early settlements. Susanna is drawn into intrigue and danger through her friendship with Sir Walter Pendennis, who is hosting the summit at his Cornwall manor house. When one of the learned gentlemen is murdered, everyone is a suspect.
"Original, beguiling, and
eminently readable." Kirkus
"Emerson does a crackling good
job." Booklist
ISBN 979-8-227-25279-1
$15.99
Face Down Below the Banqueting House is book eight in the Face Down mystery series featuring Elizabethan gentlewoman, herbalist, and sleuth, Susanna, Lady Appleton. In 1573, Queen Elizabeth is on a royal progress in Kent and plans to visit Susanna's manor house, Leigh Abbey—an expensive and nerve wracking prospect for any householder. In preparation, a banqueting house is constructed in the branches of an ancient oak tree, but when a man is killed in a fall from that structure, it may be murder. Will that be enough to make the queen change her mind?
"Spirited and studded with wry
humor." Kirkus
"Emerson's plot is deft
and complex; she is at the top of her form here
and
leaves us with a breathless ending and lovely possibilities for future
installments." Booklist
ISBN 979-8-227-25116-9
$15.99
Face Down Beside St. Anne's Well is book nine in the Face Down series featuring Susanna, Lady Appleton as a sixteenth-century herbalist who has a knack for solving murders. This time it's Susanna's twelve-year-old foster daughter, Rosamond, who leads her into danger. The story is set at the baths in Buxton, Derbyshire in 1575. Several real historical figures, including the infamous Bess of Hardwick, make appearances in the story.
"One of her best." Bangor Daily News
"An enjoyable,
tightly plotted gem of a novel which will keep
the reader guessing until the very last page." I Love A Mystery
ISBN 979-8-227-37835-4
$15.99
Face Down O'er the Border is the tenth and last historical mystery in the Face Down series featuring Susanna, Lady Appleton, Elizabethan gentlewoman, herbalist, and sleuth. The border of the title is the one between England and Scotland. It's 1577 when Susanna gets word that her dear friend Catherine, Lady Glenelg, has gone missing after being accused of murdering her mother-in-law. Susanna must travel o'er the border to discover who really committed the crime.
This latest in a
consistently rewarding series has the usual strengths in pace, plot, prose, and
background detail."
Jon Breen in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine
"An engaging read with
well-loved characters you'll enjoy meeting again." Mystery Scene
"Historical
mystery fans should find this a pleasurable read." Historical Novels Review
*************************
Coming Soon
new
trade paperback and e-book editions will be available in early 2025
THE MISTRESS JAFFREY MYSTERIES
set in England in the 1580s
a spin-off from the Face Down Mysteries
Mistress Jaffrey is Rosamond Appleton, illegitimate
daughter of Lady Appleton's late, unlamented husband, Sir Robert. Now she's all
grown up, married, and ready to solve crimes on her own. She was raised by
Susanna Appleton, but she inherited some of the worst traits of both her
parents. At sixteen, she made an impulsive runaway marriage, wedding her
childhood playmate, Rob Jaffrey, once known as "Mole" and the son of
Lady Appleton's steward and housekeeper, Mark and Jennet Jaffrey. Rosamond got
what she wanted, control of her fortune, but now she's wed to Rob for life.
There is no divorce in Elizabeth Tudor's England.
In Murder in the
Queen's Wardrobe, Rosamond is shocked to learn her husband, from whom she
has been estranged for some time, may be in danger. To help keep him safe, she
is willing to go undercover as an intelligence gatherer for the Crown. Why not,
when both her father and her stepfather did their share of spying when they
were young? But when another agent is murdered, Rosamond must add crime-solving
to her other responsibilities. With action that moves from the English court of
Queen Elizabeth the First to the Russia of Tsar Ivan the Terrible, Mistress
Jaffrey's first outing is a unique combination of spy thriller and cozy
historical mystery.
Kirkus Reviews calls this "a diverting
series . . . with lots of twists and turns and Tudor tidbits."
Publisher's Weekly describes Rosamond as
"high-spirited, educated, and independent" and praises the way I draw
on my "solid knowledge of the period to evoke vividly daily life in late
16th-century England."
Booklist praises "first-rate
storytelling, eye-opening details of the politics and customs of the time, a
taut and riveting plot, unexpected humor, and a charming and admirable
heroine."
Library
Journal
calls Rosamond "a feisty, fiercely independent, and very likeable
protagonist."
Historical Novels Review says Rosamond is "brave
yet vulnerable" and "portrayed as a genuine woman of the era."
For the real story behind the fictional one in Murder in the Queen's Wardrobe, click here
Murder in the
Merchant's Hall continues Rosamond and Rob's story and
adds a murder mystery involving Rosamond's old friend Godlina Walkenden.
Booklist says "This fine new
addition to Emerson's popular historical series offers a genuinely gripping
mystery, an appealing protagonist, and an eye-opening look at London life
during the Renaissance."
Publisher's Weekly says "evocative period
detail and the warmth of Rosamond's byplay with Rob make for a satisfying
read."
Historical Novels Review says "The mystery
surrounding Hugo's death is intricate, well-plotted, and full of twists."
Murder in a
Cornish Alehouse takes place in 1584, when Rosamond and
Rob travel to Cornwall following the death of her stepfather in suspicious
circumstances. There they once again encounter a treasonous plot, as well as a
murder or two, but this time there are pirates.
Booklist says "This meticulously
researched, cleverly plotted story has plenty of twists and wonderfully
colorful characters and will appeal to all historical-mystery fans."
Publisher's Weekly says readers will find
"a lot to like."
Kirkus says Rosamond "has an
almighty difficult puzzle to untangle" and also finds the novel
"enjoyable for its historical insights and detailed descriptions of
everyday life in Tudor England."
For a bibliography of sources used in
writing all the books in the series, click here
*******
Face Down Collections
available as e-books only
All three volumes of collected novels and short
stories
are now available as e-books
from all the usual online stores
Some minor edits have been made and
notes from the author have been added
Volume One: ISBN 979-8-201-17638-9
Volume Two: ISBN 979-8-201-34325-5
Volume Three: ISBN 979-8-201-84683-1
$9.99 each
Titles in Volume One of The Face Down Collection are:
"The Body in the Dovecote"
"Much Ado about Murder"
Face Down in the
Marrow-Bone Pie
"The Rubaiyat of Nicholas Baldwin"
Face Down Upon an
Herbal
"Lady Appleton and the London Man"
Face Down Among the Winchester Geese
"Lady Appleton and the Cautionary Herbal"
Titles in Volume Two of The Face Down Collection are:
Face Down Beneath
the Eleanor Cross
Face Down Under
the Wych Elm
"The Riddle of the Woolsack"
Face Down Before Rebel Hooves
Face Down Across the Western Sea
"The Reiving of Bonville Keep"
"Lady Appleton and the Cripplegate Chrisoms"
Titles in Volume Three of The Face Down Collection are:
"Lady Appleton and the Bristol Crystals:
Face Down Below
the Banqueting House
Face Down Beside
St. Anne's Well
"Encore for a Neck Verse"
"Confusions Most Monstrous"
"Death by Devil's Turnips"
Face Down O'er the
Border
"Any Means Short of Murder"
"A Wondrous Violent Motion"
"Lady Appleton and the Creature of the Night"
"The Curse of the Figure Flinger"
"Lady Appleton and the Yuletide Hogglers"
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Links
to Buy
For Volume One:
For Volume Two:
For Volume Three:
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A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR ABOUT WHAT
HAPPENED "AFTER"
I can remember quite clearly my reaction to
learning that St. Martin's Press had decided, after seven books, not to
continue publishing my Face Down series featuring Susanna, Lady Appleton,
sixteenth-century gentlewoman, expert on poisonous herbs, and amateur sleuth. I
had a lot more I wanted to do with that character and was determined not to
abandon her. I ended up writing three more Face Down novels and numerous short
stories featuring Susanna and her friends and she also appears in the second
book of my spin-off Mistress Jaffrey Mysteries. What happened to her after1586
("Lady Appleton and the Yuletide Hogglers," included in Volume Three
of The Face Down Collection and Lady Appleton's World). As I imagine
it, she's living comfortably at Leigh Abbey, her home in Kent, devoting herself
to local concerns and taking care of her long-time companion, Jennet, who has a
dicey heart. She's been reconciled with her adopted daughter, Rosamond, and there's
a prospect of grandchildren in her future by way of Rosamond and her
no-longer-estranged husband, Rob, Jennet's son.
Will I ever write more Lady Appleton stories?
Probably not. I've already done prequels (included in Volume One of The Face
Down Collection and Lady Appleton's World), and frankly,
by sixteenth-century standards, now in her mid-fifties, she's getting a little
long in the tooth to gad about solving crimes. Mid-fifties in those days would
be equivalent to mid-eighties today. As for Rosamond and Rob, the third of
their adventures (Murder in a Cornish Alehouse) left them happily
returning home to London and responsible for Rosamond's young half brother's
well-being. I didn't actually say so, but in my mind, Rosamond was already
pregnant. Raising a family should keep her too busy to meddle in more murders.
How do I know Rosamond had children? Because my
other historical mystery series, the Diana Spaulding 1888 Quartet, mentions
that she's descended from a famous sixteenth-century herbalist. Given the
passage of several centuries, her knowledge of her own ancestry isn't precisely
accurate. Since Susanna had no children of her own, it's her adopted daughter,
Rosamond, from whom Diana is descended. Rosamond and Rob's first child, Andrew,
is Diana's ancestor.