The Treacherous Dead: A gripping historical mystery

Margaret Demeray #3

by Paula Harmon

A fiercely determined woman and a haunted intelligence agent must navigate betrayal, danger, and shifting loyalties to expose a conspiracy that threatens the very heart of the nation …

Summer 1912. Busy with the pressures of work and new motherhood, Dr. Margaret Demeray wonders if she will ever be free to help Fox again. When she hears of an unlikely spy plot, she expects Fox to be incredulous, but something reminds him of a case from 1902, and he decides to investigate. Just as they decide the allegation is nonsense, a young woman is found dead and evidence at the scene links Fox to her murder.

If he has any hope of avoiding arrest, he and Margaret must work out the links to that earlier investigation, when a traitor in the Boer War drowned on Fox’s watch. Is there someone now seeking revenge? Or is someone using knowledge of it to cover up the selling of military secrets?

With London crippled by a series of strikes, Margaret and Fox struggle to try and discover the truth, but as the net closes in on Fox, Margaret finds herself fighting not just for her family’s safety but for his reputation … and ultimately his life. But how far is Margaret prepared to go to protect him?

Genres: Historical Mystery, Mystery, Historical

289 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 3, 2025

About the author

Paula Harmon was born in north London but her life as a country girl began at eighteen months when the family started moving westwards from small town to village before settling in South Wales when she was eight.

Graduating from Chichester University (Bishop Otter College) with a BA in English Literature and despite a determination not to, she ended up with a career in the civil service.

She wrote prolifically until adult life and children, got in the way. It was not until 2015 that she started writing seriously again.

Writing is probably the best therapy she could have had and believes it’s never too late to follow your dream.

Her short stories may be contemporary and real or include dragons, angst ridden teenagers, portals and civil servants (though not all in the same story - yet).

She lives in Dorset with her husband and two teenage children.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this to be a gripping read. The more I read of this series, the more I get involved with the Iives of the characters. Dr. Margaret Demeray doesn’t conform to the excepted behaviour of women of the day. This seems to have drawn Fox, initially, to her. Fox’s occupation was also a mystery at first and it leads him into many dangerous situations. I liked that apart from the mystery we also have their domestic scene, the worries about the children and the guilt of being a working mother, as well as finding time for themselves. The murder mystery is quite complex and dangerous, the tension was palpable at times. There is also the political situation and what life was like for the working class. Finding the perpetrator kept me guessing until the end. This could be read as a stand-alone but I think you would get more from it by reading the other two books in the series. I’m looking forward to reading the next in the series. I received a copy via Booksprout and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Elodie’s Reading Corner · Rating 5 out of 5]

🩺 The Treacherous Dead 🪦
Historical mystery set in the lead up to World War 1
Dr Margaret Demeray #3
✒️ Paula Harmon
https://www.facebook.com/paulaharmonw...
Release Date 12/29/2022
Publisher January Press
➪ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BMQJ1TYY?...

𝗕𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗯

I had no idea that anyone was carrying on the same dirty little tricks after all this time. Now I do. But if I don’t move faster, they’ll get me, before I can get them.
How can a long dead traitor destroy the man who uncovered his crimes?
London Summer 1912. Busy with the pressures of work and new motherhood, Margaret Demeray wonders if she will ever be free to help Fox again. When she hears of an unlikely spy plot, she expects Fox to be incredulous, but something reminds him of a case from 1902, and he decides to investigate.
Just as they decide the allegation is nonsense, a young woman is found dead and evidence at the scene links Fox to her murder. If he has any hope of avoiding arrest, he and Margaret must work out the links to that earlier investigation, when a traitor in the Boer War drowned on Fox’s watch.
Is there someone now seeking revenge? Or is someone using knowledge of it to cover up the selling of military secrets? With London crippled by a series of strikes, Margaret and Fox struggle to try discover the truth, but as the net closes in on Fox, Margaret finds herself fighting not just for her family’s safety but for his reputation… and ultimately his life.
Exactly how far is Margaret prepared to go to protect him?

𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄

This story stands alone but I would recommend to better understand the characters’ dynamic to read the previous books.
Like the other books, the story is told from the heroine’s point of view, she shared her fears, doubts, some vignettes of her daily life and how she has settled in her married state, how she compares it with her first marriage.
Fox is still the unknown entity of their couple.
And this time, the body count is linked to his past.

This investigation is complex, muddled with revenge, betrayal, people’s own agenda and Margaret’s inner fears and uncertainties.
Be very attentive as hints are distilled along the pages, yet the whole scheme becomes clear only at the far end.

Margaret is on all fronts, running from one place to another, trying to settle between her married state, her new motherhood and her work as a doctor.
It was interesting to follow her, assisting Fox, frustrated at time, still looking for a way out, having to rethink her own beliefs when circumstances put her in difficult positions.
She is a flawed heroine who’s past and ancient wounds make her question her decisions and present life all the while untangling the threads of Fox present predicament.

The author offers us a compelling investigation following her heroine’s steps as she unravels part of her husband’s past.
5 stars

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 kisses

I have been granted an advance copy by the author, here is my true and unbiased opinion.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CmuJvT...

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?stor...

#bookstagram #historicalromance #romance #romancebookblog #romancebookblogger #bookblog #romanceauthor #bookblogger #2022read #bookstagrammer #bookreview #romancebookreviewer #arcreader #paulaharmon #romancestagram #readersofinstagram

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, this series is still going strong.

This book was even better than the previous ones, probably because of the main characters' personal involvement which brings a different sense of urgency to the story.

I found the plot fascinating and very complex. How the current mystery is linked to one of the darkest moments of Fox's past, his doubts and Margaret's, and how they work them out it's great.

Meanwhile, Margaret is still trying to find where she stands when so many things have changed in her life while her beliefs haven't.

And the times are riffled with violence: strikes, the war looming on the horizon, the women's fight for suffrage... all of which exacerbates an atmosphere full of tension and danger.

The accuracy in the portrait of the historical era is remarkable and I found myself, more than once, enraged on behalf of the characters. Gripping and very involving, this is a great addition to the series.

[Carmen Radtke · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Treacherous Dead is one of those books that suck you in (it’s also a book that should be read in only a few sittings, to keep up with the pace and intricate plot). Paula Harmon has woven a rich tapestry, combining a heroine ahead of her time with a career as a pathologist and fervent fighter for the women’s vote in the run-up to WW1, with the politics of the era, including strikes, war rumours, the question of Home Rule for Ireland and the lingering consequences of the Boer War. It takes a skilful writer to untangle so many strands without losing the reader. Luckily, Harmon is one of them. Even better, she keeps it all entertaining for both those steeped in historical knowledge and those who aren’t. I can’t wait for Dr Margaret Demeray and her husband Fox, whose work for the intelligence service frequently involves both of them, to return.

[PAR · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a gripping tale that kept me up all night, trying to finish the book! Be prepared don't start this novel at 11PM thinking you will drift off to sleep! Nope! I was absolutely hooked from the very first paragraph until the very last page. I just had to know what was going to happen next! This is the first novel that I have read by Paula Harmon. If the rest of her work is like this novel she will have a reader for life. I received this novel from BookFunnel. This is my true and honest review.

[Dominique Englebert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who is dead and who isn’t?
Dr Demeray is back to work at St J after having given birth to twin girls.
In a climate of unrest, strikes and violence leading up to WWI, she tries to unravel a series of murders related to a ten year old case in South Africa; the facts having taken place when Fox was a military police during the Boer War.
She has to work against the clock because someone is trying to frame Fox for the murders.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Gemma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably my favourite one yet. Strong anti-war message set against the backdrop of the struggles of the suffrage and union movements. Lots of interesting characters and themes that were historical, but obviously relevant to today.

[Constance M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book in the series, still at the approach of the first World War.
In this book, Margaret gets more and more involved and in danger as the clues mesh between her job and her husband's.

As a result of her husband's past in the Boer War, he is being targeted, and puts their family and friends in danger.
I think I needed a notebook to sort out all the characters and their relationship/involvement. It was a very involved story, and kept me on the edge, wondering what would happen next.

If there are other stories following, I anticipate reading them, also.

[Bryngel · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's fast-paced with an intricate plot that I enjoyed thoroughly. I think this series gets better by the book! What a pleasure.