The Shadows of Kensington Gore

Knives Out meets Sherlock in the must-read new historical murder mystery from the bestselling author of The Murder at World's End, for fans of Anthony Horowitz, Tom Hindle and Janice Hallett. 
 
London, 1911. Coronation fever. Suffragette unrest. A city crackling with tension. 
 
When a policeman is found brutally murdered on the streets of Kensington, blame falls on the three women seen fleeing the scene. 
 
Their sole witness? Stephen Pike: ex-borstal boy, under-butler extraordinaire and assistant to the most unconventional detective in London, Miss Decima Stockingham. Sharp-tongued, fearless and bored of behaving herself, she’s the only one able to see that this case is not what it seems. 
 
Aided by an invisible network of maids – their eyes and ears in every house in London – this unlikely duo must catch the killer before time runs out. But in a city dazzled by ceremony and divided by change, you never know what might be lurking in the shadows… 
 
READERS CANNOT WAIT FOR THE SHADOWS OF KENSINGTON GORE 
 
'I can't wait for the next book in this stunning new series' Janice Hallett, bestselling author of The Appeal 
 
'This is going to be a great series. Do yourself a favour - get in on the ground floor' Abir Mukherjee, bestselling author of the Wyndham &amp; Banerjee series 
 
'A slice of undiluted joy. I'm agog for book 2!' Alex Hay, author of The Housekeepers 
 
'This series promises to be a lot of fun' Guardian

Ross Montgomery is an award-winning and internationally bestselling author of books for children and, now, for adults. He won the Waterstones' Children's Book of the Year in 2024 and the Barnes and Noble Children's Book of the Year in 2025, and has been shortlisted for the Costa Children’s Book of the Year and the British Book Awards. The Murder at World's End is his first adult novel and was an instant Times bestseller. 
 
He lives in London with his wife, their baby and a cat named Fun Bobby.

London, 1911. 
 
Coronation fever. Suffragette unrest. A city crackling with tension. 
 
When a policeman is found brutally murdered on the streets of Kensington, blame falls on the three women seen fleeing the scene. 
 
Their sole witness? Stephen Pike: ex-borstal boy, under-butler extraordinaire and assistant to the most unconventional detective in London, Miss Decima Stockingham. Sharp-tongued, fearless and bored of behaving herself, she’s the only one able to see that this case is not what it seems. 
 
Aided by an invisible network of maids – their eyes and ears in every house in London – this unlikely duo must catch the killer before time runs out. But in a city dazzled by ceremony and divided by change, you never know what might be lurking in the shadows… 
 
Your favourite duo return in this witty and gripping historical mystery, for fans of Anthony Horowitz, Richard Osman and Janice Hallett.

Ross Montgomery

With a killer on the loose, new footman Stephen and the Viscount's hilariously vile-tempered aunt form an unlikely detective duo. A fine start to a promising new series

Riotous and deeply enjoyable . . . even I didn’t crack the clever solution to the locked-room puzzle

Get ready to add this to your Book of the Year list. This is impeccable writing, with a plot as sharp as cut glass and characters that jump right out of the pages.

A hugely enjoyable book, which takes all the traditional locked-room mystery conventions and puts them through the mangle

A witty, fleet-footed historical mystery, The Murder at World's End is a slice of undiluted joy

A wonderfully clever take on the classic locked-room mystery. I’ll happily follow foul-mouthed Miss Decima and steadfast Stephen Pike through many more mysteries

Devilishly plotted and beautifully executed, Ross Montgomery’s debut historical crime fiction novel is an utter joy from start to finish

Ingeniously plotted and highly addictive. Fans of P G Wodehouse will enjoy this!

A tantalising whodunnit with some of the funniest dialogue I’ve read in a while. I enjoyed it immensely

Get ready to add this to your Book of the Year list. This is impeccable writing, with a plot as sharp as cut glass and characters that jump right out of the pages. A joy from start to finish

A hugely enjoyable book which takes all the traditional locked-room mystery conventions and puts them through the mangle.

A witty, fleet-footed historical mystery. The plotting is delicious and the sleuths are irresistible.

Great fun. Packed with period detail and edge of the seat jeopardy.

Downton Abbey meets Knives Out in the gripping new crime series from the bestselling author where an unlikely sleuthing duo - an under-butler and a foul-mouthed octogerian - hunt a killer in a manor sealed against the end of the world. 
 
Cornwall, 1910. On a remote tidal island, the Viscount of Tithe Hall is absorbed in feverish preparations for the apocalypse that he believes will accompany the passing of Halley's Comet. The Hall must be sealed from top to bottom - every window, chimney and keyhole closed off before night falls. But what the pompous, dishonest Viscount has failed to take into account is the danger that lies within... By morning, he will be dead in his sealed study, murdered by his own ancestral crossbow. 
 
All eyes turn to Stephen Pike, Tithe Hall's newest under-butler. Fresh out of Borstal for a crime he didn't commit, he is the wrong man in the wrong place at the wrong time. His unlikely ally? Miss Decima Stockingham, the foul-mouthed, sharp as a tack, 80-year-old family matriarch. Fearless and unconventional, she relishes chaos and puzzles alike, and a murder is just the thrill she's been waiting for. 
 
Together, this mismatched duo must navigate secret passages, buried grudges and rising terror to unmask the killer before it's too late...

Ross Montgomery

Praise for The Murder at World’s End

With a killer on the loose, new footman Stephen and the Viscount's hilariously vile-tempered aunt form an unlikely detective duo. A fine start to a promising new series

Riotous and deeply enjoyable . . . even I didn’t crack the clever solution to the locked-room puzzle

An absolute cracker!

With a killer on the loose, new footman Stephen and the Viscount's hilariously vile-tempered aunt form an unlikely detective duo. A fine start to a promising new series

Riotous and deeply enjoyable . . . even I didn’t crack the clever solution to the locked-room puzzle

An absolute cracker!

With a killer on the loose, new footman Stephen and the Viscount's hilariously vile-tempered aunt form an unlikely detective duo. A fine start to a promising new series

Riotous and deeply enjoyable . . . even I didn’t crack the clever solution to the locked-room puzzle

An absolute cracker!

Books by Ross Montgomery

Series by Ross Montgomery

The Stockingham & Pike Detective Series

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