Death on the Island

Malta, 1880. A quarantine island. A killer among them.

When British civil servant Laurence Buchanan is found floating in Quarantine Harbour, Malta, it is first thought to be an accident. But new evidence quickly reveals a much darker story and Detective Inspector McQueen, an Edinburgh policeman on loan to the Maltese force, is called to investigate.

After a steamship docks in Malta, its first-class travellers are confined in quarantine on Manoel Island, near Valletta, as cholera sweeps the island. Suspicion festers behind locked doors: from a Sikh prince accused of rebellion to a mysterious American heiress, and passengers hiding diamonds, debts and worse… Everyone has something to hide.

As political unrest simmers and the killer’s confidence grows, McQueen must navigate corruption, colonial tensions and betrayal. But on an island where secrets run deep and loyalties shift, can he expose the truth before the murderer strikes again?

Death on the Island is a gripping historical murder mystery, perfect for fans of Abir Mukherjee and Anne Perry.

“An excellent follow up to Death in Valletta with dour Scottish detective DI Sam McQueen once again reluctantly cast into the fray in 1880s Malta, prevailed upon to investigate a murder in the midst of a possible outbreak of cholera. A cracking historical mystery.” Bestselling author Vaseem Khan