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Margaret Demeray #5
A Justified Death
A thrilling mystery set in Edwardian London, where a fearless doctor and a cunning spy must uncover a deadly trafficking ring before an innocent girl is lost—and a secret arms deal turns deadly …
When fourteen year old Rosie is knocked down one foggy evening, Dr Margaret Demeray suspects she had been escaping procurers masquerading as an employment agency.
But the police are more interested in the cold blooded murder of a respectable man than the procurement of naive, impoverished girls, and Rosie won’t talk, other than to beg Margaret to stop her friend Violet being caught by the same people. When Violet goes missing, digging deeper reveals more than Margaret and Fox bargained for.
If they can’t find Violet soon, she may find herself sold to the highest bidder as part of an arms deal. And if they can’t work out who is behind the enterprise and who the arms are intended for, then many more lives may be lost.
When fourteen year old Rosie is knocked down one foggy evening, Dr Margaret Demeray suspects she had been escaping procurers masquerading as an employment agency.
But the police are more interested in the cold blooded murder of a respectable man than the procurement of naive, impoverished girls, and Rosie won’t talk, other than to beg Margaret to stop her friend Violet being caught by the same people. When Violet goes missing, digging deeper reveals more than Margaret and Fox bargained for.
If they can’t find Violet soon, she may find herself sold to the highest bidder as part of an arms deal. And if they can’t work out who is behind the enterprise and who the arms are intended for, then many more lives may be lost.
355 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 15, 2025
About the author
Paula Harmon
46 books73 followersPaula 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 3, 2024
Another excellent book in the Margaret Demeray series. This one I found a little more complicated that previous stories but nonetheless very stirring. People trafficking is not a new thing but I think we tend to forget or just not understand how it could happen in Edwardian times. Intermingled with arms dealing the author spins a web of intrigue and had me gripped in the feeling of horror the girls must have felt when things did not work out as they thought. To lighten the atmosphere we read about the antics of Margaret’s twins and more of her home life bringing a smile to my face.
I did a dangerous thing and took my ARC away on holiday with me. This is not something I should have done. Being swept up in the story I think I missed aspects of my holiday that should have been noted (and were too boring) but I was enjoying the book too much to put it down. A compliment to the author whose books are always a pleasure to read and I look forward to the next in series.
I did a dangerous thing and took my ARC away on holiday with me. This is not something I should have done. Being swept up in the story I think I missed aspects of my holiday that should have been noted (and were too boring) but I was enjoying the book too much to put it down. A compliment to the author whose books are always a pleasure to read and I look forward to the next in series.
October 21, 2024
I’m really enjoying this series and look forward to reading the next book. Margaret is still having to endure lack of respect to her being a doctor because she is a female. She just can’t help herself getting involved in an investigation, even though it might be dangerous. Margaret sometimes works alongside her husband, Fox, who is also involved in secret work for the government. This is a complex case which kept me guessing until the end. I also enjoy the descriptions of their family life, especially with their twins getting older and developing their own personalities. There is also the problem of her father, who is getting older, but I did love the poignant moment that Margaret shared with him. I received a copy via Booksprout and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own. However I did preorder my own copy.
October 26, 2024
Dr Margaret Demeray is thrust into the dark world of procurement when she encounters a fourteen year old girl who has been knocked down.
Just how does Margaret's case cross over with the arms dealings being investigated by her husband?
As the bodies start to mount up, Margaret and Fox are determined to solve the case before time runs out.
The Margaret Demeray stories are a delightful interweaving of excellently plotted mysteries with the entirely real feel of the time in which they take place.
The historical details really help the characters come to life.
Just how does Margaret's case cross over with the arms dealings being investigated by her husband?
As the bodies start to mount up, Margaret and Fox are determined to solve the case before time runs out.
The Margaret Demeray stories are a delightful interweaving of excellently plotted mysteries with the entirely real feel of the time in which they take place.
The historical details really help the characters come to life.
November 3, 2024
Victim of murder or villain?
Coming to the help of a young girl on a foggy night, Dr. Demeray suspects that she escaped captivity of a ring of human traffickers. When the police request her to autopsy the victim of a cold-blooded murder, she has a lot of questions. When Fox discovers the body of a young boy during one of his missions, they begin to think that all these elements are part of a same whole. Digging deeper will lead them into danger and resurrect some ghosts of their past.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Coming to the help of a young girl on a foggy night, Dr. Demeray suspects that she escaped captivity of a ring of human traffickers. When the police request her to autopsy the victim of a cold-blooded murder, she has a lot of questions. When Fox discovers the body of a young boy during one of his missions, they begin to think that all these elements are part of a same whole. Digging deeper will lead them into danger and resurrect some ghosts of their past.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
November 3, 2024
Margaret is investigating the procurement of minors after encountering one girl who was nearly taken. She discovers that one of the girl's friends is still a victim and needs her help. Fox is looking into arms dealers and it looks like their cases could be intertwined. This is an engaging, historical mystery with multiple plots interwoven throughout.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
October 11, 2024
Dr Margaret Demeray and Fox are drawn into a multitude of sinister dealings which dealt with the snatching of girls, and murder. This all happened with the murder of Hector Radden . A race against time was called for in this intriguing read. I received this ARC copy and leave a honest review. I recommend this book to other readers.
June 9, 2025
The book didn't hold my interest very well. I think I may be done with this series.
June 28, 2025
I look forward to the adventures. Not only are they very entertaining, but to me the reflect the moral and social times leading up to the war.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews