Endellion Palmer Books in Order

Endellion Palmer is the pen name of Susannah Stubbs, a Scottish-born writer of historical mysteries. Her published fiction centers on the Alistair Carr books, a series built around period settings, close-knit communities, and crimes that unsettle the routines of family life.

Palmer began writing when she was young, mostly working on fiction, short stories, and descriptive pieces. She later tried other genres before returning to the kind of mysteries she had loved as a reader: classic Golden Age puzzles set in the years between the world wars.

For her, mystery was the right fit.

She has spoken candidly about the work behind a book. Starting can be the stubborn part, particularly the opening line, while an ending can arrive much more easily. That attention to a story's first and last moments suits mysteries that depend on a carefully placed question and an answer readers can follow.

History is a large part of the appeal. Palmer has drawn on interests in twentieth-century social history, clothing, culture, and the changing lives of women in education, nursing, and wartime work. Film, music, travel, and ballet are among her other interests, and they help explain the period detail and sense of place that shape her fiction.

Her debut, The Dead Woman Who Lived, takes readers to Cornwall in 1925. Juliana Creed comes home after being presumed dead, but has no memory of the life she left behind or of the accident that put her in danger. She turns to Alistair Carr, an old family friend with a talent for sorting out difficult questions, when it becomes clear that a murder may be tied to her past.

The past never stays buried for long.

In Which to Cross and Which to Burn, Carr heads to the Scottish Highlands for a family reunion at Mennan Castle. The discovery of an unidentified dead man changes the mood quickly. Carr and his friend David Grant try to learn who the victim was and why someone concealed the body, while the case puts pressure on Carr's own family.

The third book, To The Sound of Trumpets, arrived in 2026, bringing Carr back for another historical mystery. Together, the novels show Palmer's preference for secrets with personal stakes, whether the danger starts in a home, a family gathering, or a familiar small community. The settings are not just scenery, because they also shape what people can hide and whom they can trust.

Palmer has also discussed the practical side of being an independent writer, including self-publishing and the slow, patient job of getting a story onto the page. Her books offer a good starting point for readers who like traditional mysteries, strong settings, and clues that build steadily toward an answer.