Striking Similarities With Popular PBS Series Beecham House Abound In Victorian True Crime Novel, A Lethal Spectre, By Award Winning Author Donna Fletcher Crow

    BOISE, ID, August 07, 2020 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The immensely popular PBS series 'Beecham House' gives viewers an inside look at the lives of a group of people who live in a Delhi mansion during the late 18th century. Starring Tom Bateman, Lesley Nicol, Leo Suter and Dakota Blue Richards, the series embodies the elements that make for great entertainment - political intrigue, mysteries from the past, the clash of strong, well defined characters - all set in exotic locales during a fascinating time in history.

Award winning author Donna Fletcher Crow finds uncanny similarities in the PBS series to her Victorian true crime novel, 'A Lethal Spectre,' Book 5 of the Lord Danvers Investigates series. Fans of the series will likely find 'A Lethal Spectre' also satisfies their desire for captivating entertainment, with an added bonus - the stunningly detailed research that is embodied in all of Crow's stories.

"India, land of mystery, endless fascination, and contrasts. How ironic that as the Coronavirus continues to spike in India with a record number of cases and a complete lockdown newly ordered in the Bengal region, viewers in the US are being treated to scenes of opulence, intrigue, and violence in that same area on the popular PBS series 'Beecham House.'

"As my husband and I have watched it (compulsively), I have repeatedly interrupted to say, 'That's in my book!' Although the TV series is set half a century earlier than 'A Lethal Spectre,' the East India company, the British army, the Raj, political intrigue, the opium trade, and so many of the cities are also portrayed in my Victorian true-crime novel.

"And, I can't help seeing similarities to today's lockdown in the necessity for sheltering portrayed in the TV series as well as with the circumstances of the English men, women and children in my book who were locked inside the military enclosure while constantly under fire for three weeks.

"Yet again, I experience the value and delight of viewing, writing and reading history: Getting to know faraway, exotic places; experiencing distant events through people real and fictional; and gaining knowledge and understanding—even while locked down oneself."

Summer 1857: A vivid study in contrasts as Antonia, Lady Danvers presents Sophia, an old friend's daughter, to London society; while in India Sophia's mother is caught in the brutalities of the second Indian Mutiny. The events in India are all true, taken from historic accounts; those in London are based on newspaper stories of the day. This engrossing story comes to life with all the vivid historical detail readers expect from Donna Fletcher Crow.

Readers say: "A stunning contrast between the dramas and machinations of fashionable London life and the unfurling of an unthinkable tragedy. A story of lights and shadows, all impeccably well researched and realised." Linda Stratmann, The Frances Doughty Mysteries

"As somewhat of an expert on Colonial British India, 'A Lethal Spectre' swept me away with mystery set in beautifully detailed Victorian England and in India, showcasing an integral piece of history that changed Anglo-Indian relationships." Christine Lindsay, The Twilight of the Raj series

Donna Fletcher Crow is the author of 50 books, mostly novels of British history. She has taken a number of high-level industry awards for her work. 'Glastonbury' is her best-known book, which received the prestigious First Place, Historical Novel, award from the National Federation of Press Women. Readers and reviewers have raved about 'Glastonbury', calling it "The best of its kind," "richly fascinating," "beautifully researched," "gloriously evocative," and "panoramic." One Amazon reader said, "WHAT a work! Every reader can be enveloped in the sheer scope and quality, every historian be constantly nodding at the precise detail and accuracy, and every Christian can rejoice in the fullness of scripture. For me it is simply beyond descriptive praise. I would urge all who value truth to treat themselves to a feast."

The Lord Danvers Victorian true-crime series is an Amazon bestseller in the British Detectives category. Books in the series include 'A Lethal Spectre', 'A Most Inconvenient Death', 'Grave Matters', 'To Dust You Shall Return' and 'A Tincture of Murder'.

The Daughters of Courage, 'Kathryn', 'Elizabeth' and 'Stephanie' is a pioneer family saga based on the stories of Crow's own family and other Idaho pioneers in the Kuna, Nampa and Boise area. A short story on her blog entitled "A Nostalgic Fourth of July" is based on a scene from 'Kathryn: Days of Struggle and Triumph'.

The Monastery Murders Series features atmospheric contemporary crimes with their roots buried deep in the middle ages. Books in the series include 'A Very Private Grave', 'A Darkly Hidden Truth', 'An Unholy Communion', 'A Newly Crimsoned Reliquary' and 'An All-Consuming Fire' and the upcoming 'Against All Fierce Hostility.'

The Elizabeth & Richard Mysteries is a literary suspense series using literary figures as background: Rudyard Kipling in 'The Flame Ignites', Dorothy L Sayers in 'The Shadow of Reality', Shakespeare in 'A Midsummer Eve's Nightmare', and Jane Austen in both 'A Jane Austen Encounter' and 'A Most Singular Venture'. Watch for 'A Prodigious Sum of Corpses: Seeking Sanditon at Jane Austen's Seashore', which will take readers to all of Austen's favorite seashore resorts. Accounts of Crow's visits to these sites are available on her blog under the heading "Jane Austen Seashore Tour."

Donna provides a no-charge download of 'A Tincture of Murder' from the Lord Danvers Investigates series for those who sign up for her newsletter. More information is available at her website.

Donna Fletcher Crow's awards include:

Where Love Begins, Best Historical Romance, Pinnacle Awards 2019
A Lethal Spectre, Best Mystery, Pinnacle Awards, 2019
Glastonbury, First Place, Historical Fiction, National Federation of Press Women Award of Merit
The Banks of the Boyne, Silver Angel; First Place Historical Fiction, National Federation Press Women
The Fields of Bannockburn, First Place Historical Fiction, National Federation Press Women
Professional Achievement Award, Northwest Nazarene College
Juvenile Books Award of Merit, Idaho Press Women
Top Idaho Author
Pacesetter Award, Mt. Hermon Writers Conference
Outstanding Historical Fiction, Idaho Press Women, National Federation of Press Women,
Idaho Writer of the Year
Best Inspirational Novel, Finalist Romance Writers of America
Writer of the Year, Mt. Hermon Writers Conference

Donna is available for media interviews and can be reached by email at [email protected]. All of her books are available at online book retailers. More information, including a no-charge download of 'A Tincture of Murder', is available at her website at https://www.donnafletchercrow.com.

Donna and her husband live in Boise, Idaho. They have 4 adult children and 15 grandchildren living on 3 continents. Donna is a former English literature teacher and lifelong Anglophile. Idahoans with long memories will remember her as a former Queen of the Snake River Stampede, Miss Rodeo Idaho and runner-up for Miss Rodeo America. She is an enthusiastic gardener.

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