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This page lists novels by Margaret Storey.

All the novels in the list were co-authored with Jill Staynes.

The novels were published using the pen names 'Staynes & Storey', Susannah Stacey and Elizabeth Eyre.

Margaret Storey also wrote a number of novels for children and young adults. These fall outside the scope of this site.

Cover images are, when possible, of the UK first edition and a more recent edition.

Goodbye Nanny Gray

Staynes & Storey

1987

An Inspector Bone novel. The first UK edition was credited to Staynes & Storey, some subsequent editions credited to Susannah Stacey

"Miss Phoebe Gray was the model of a proper English nanny until she inherits a fortune. Then she is the model of a proper dead English nanny, and Superintendent Bone must discover if she was murdered for money - or something else."

A Knife at the Opera

Staynes & Storey

1988

An Inspector Bone novel. The first UK edition was credited to Staynes & Storey, some subsequent editions credited to Susannah Stacey

"When Superintendent Bone goes to his daughter's school performance of The Beggar's Opera, a young teacher, Miss Fairlie, is found stabbed backstage. There is more to Miss Fairlie than meets the eye and several potential murderers emerge including a teenager and the deputy head."

Body of Opinion

Staynes & Storey

1988

An Inspector Bone novel. The first UK edition was credited to Staynes & Storey, some subsequent editions credited to Susannah Stacey

"When rock star Ken Cryer discovers the dead body of one of his guests propped in gruesome mock seduction on his bed, Superintendent Bone returns to sift through the myriad of potential murderers."

Grave Responsibility

Staynes & Storey

1990

An Inspector Bone novel. The first UK edition was credited to Staynes & Storey, some subsequent editions credited to Susannah Stacey

"In the course of 24 hours, the eccentric Mrs. Clare, her son, and her brother are all found dead. Murder suspects seem to be everywhere, with the late Mrs. Clare's other son and bitter ex-husband leading the list. Now Inspector Bone is up to his professional neck in adventure trying to sort out the clues."

Death of the Duchess

Elizabeth Eyre

1991

A Sigismondo novel.

"When a bride disappears and her handmaid is murdered hours before a marriage ceremony that is to heal the rift between the noble houses of de Torre and Bandini, Sigismondo and his sidekick, Benno, spring into action."

Curtains for the Cardinal

Elizabeth Eyre

1992

A Sigismondo novel.

"Prince Livio of Montenero, in a fit of insane rage following the death of his wife, lops off the head of his son, whom he suspects of being a bastard, and attempts to do the same to his daughter, the beautiful young Minerva. Sigismondo, who is fortunately present, saves her and transports her to a remote villa, where she is protected by a blind lord - who might be her real father - and his household of strange characters. Meanwhile, in the Duchy of Nemorra, Cardinal Petrucci arrives to officiate at the long-scheduled wedding of Nemorra's Lord Astorre to Minerva, now missing. Before anyone learns she is gone, the cardinal is murdered in a particularly gruesome manner, and Sigismondo steps forward to sort matters out and to find the murderer."

The Late Lady

Staynes & Storey

1992

An Inspector Bone novel. The first UK edition was credited to Staynes & Storey, some subsequent editions credited to Susannah Stacey

"Fourteen years after her mysterious disappearance, archaeologist Kingsley Marsh turns up dead, and Superintendent Bone must sift through the suspects, who include Kingsley's husband and his new wife."

Bone Idle

Staynes & Storey

1993

An Inspector Bone novel. The first UK edition was credited to Staynes & Storey, some subsequent editions credited to Susannah Stacey

"Superintendent Robert Bone and his new bride are visiting friends Lord Benet Paisley Roke and his wife, when an unpopular tour guest takes a fatal tumble at Roke Castle, and Roke himself is brutally murdered. In the explosive aftermath of the reading of Lord Roke's will, Bone races to stop a killer who is poised to strike again."

Poison for the Prince

Elizabeth Eyre

1993

A Sigismondo novel.

"Prince Scipione of Viverra is in danger: his vassal Carlotti has claimed the city of Mascia for his own, and the Pope is ready to give the Papal state to another if the Prince proves weak. Not only does the Prince need a victory, but he also needs to discover the Philosopher's Stone to make gold for his empty treasury. When Sigismondo arrives from Mascia he brings news of triumph - the Prince's condottiere, Ridolfo Ridolfi, has taken the city - but finds the Prince still in peril. Is it from those closest to him? Is his wife Isotta concealing an affair that threatens the Prince and his state? Does the hostage Donato Landucci want vengeance for his father's defeat? Has Ridolfi turned fickle? What about the mysterious alchemist, Doctor Vergilio or the celebrated holy friar Brother Ambrogio, who is using the people's fear of encroaching plague to preach sedition? Foul murder finally strikes, but who is poisoned and where will it lead?"

Bravo for the Bride

Elizabeth Eyre

1994

A Sigismondo novel.

"The wedding of Prince Galeotto and Princess Ariana of Altamura is to be a joyous occasion for the citizens of Borgo. Their wedding procession is a magnificent celebration, until a statue falls from the matrimonial arch and nearly kills the bride and groom - and suspicious minds believe they've witnessed an assassination attempt. Enter Sigismondo, a tough and enigmatic solver-of-crimes, accompanied as always by the scrappy half-wit Benno and his dog Biondello. The shrewd sleuth has been tapped by the bride's father to investigate the incident, which the Prince refuses to see as more than an accident. Then the bride is found strangled in a garden pavilion. Set amid the colorful, romantic world of Renaissance Italy and peopled with dukes and dwarves, philosophers and philanderers, nurses and noble villains, Bravo for the Bride is a vivid historical tale in which murder, kidnapping, and mayhem are pitted against a vigilant quest for the truth."

Axe for an Abbot

Elizabeth Eyre

1995

A Sigismondo novel.

"Tricked into a murder, Sigismondo finds himself in the middle of a no-holds-barred political melee for the possession of La Feconda, the fabled and jewel-encrusted cross said to bring fertility to its owner. When an important abbot is found dead - with Sigismondo's axe sticking out of his back - the cover-up sweeps into the highest offices of Renaissance Italy. Dukes, cardinals, and even the Pope jealously put their forces in motion to recover the missing relic and to keep an eye on a raving monk whose visions may he more meaningful than they seem. The tough and honorable Sigismondo will do whatever it takes to set things right and return La Feconda to its proper place in the shrine of Sheggia, but this means crossing swords with the most vicious and powerful families of the land."

Dead Serious

Staynes & Storey

1995

An Inspector Bone novel. The first UK edition was credited to Staynes & Storey, some subsequent editions credited to Susannah Stacey

"Biddinghurst, a reputedly haunted village in Kent, seems to be home to a serial killer. Superintendent Robert Bone steps in to investigate, and instinctively tosses out the obvious - suggesting instead an unlikely, but disturbingly plausible, scenario for the crimes."

Dirge for a Doge

Elizabeth Eyre

1996

A Sigismondo novel.

"When aristocrat Niccolo Ermolin is stabbed to death in the study of his own resplendent palazzo, even the resourceful Sigismondo wonders if Venice will sink beneath the weight of its Machiavellian backstabbing before he can solve the dastardly crime and escape with his life and purse intact. The list of suspects is, unfortunately, not short; Ermolin was connected to the notorious Council of Ten and widely rumored in court circles to keep a secret book of his transactions - shady and otherwise. Our detective, along with his more-faithful-than-clever sidekick, Benno, finds his life may just depend on his finding the right answers in a city with enough disguises to rival even Sigismondo himself."

Quarry

Susannah Stacey

1998

An Inspector Bone novel. Subsequently published as Hunter's Quarry.

The first UK edition was credited to Staynes & Storey, some subsequent editions credited to Susannah Stacey

"Zephyr West is the only one looking forward to her wedding. Her fiance Ken is having second thoughts, and his son has joined forces with Zephyr''s daughter to sabotage the ceremony. Then Ken receives death threats, and disappears."