Author Spotlight: Geoffrey Quaife, author of the Luke Tremayne adventure series
Geoffrey Quaife is the author of a dozen novels spanning several genres including action and adventure, crime, and suspense thriller.
Quaife has been a University teacher, historian, and administrator. In addition to his novels, he has also written a couple of non-fiction books such as an overview of the witchcraft craze of the 16th and 17th centuries, and the sexual mores and practices of the English peasantry.
He is the renowned author of the Luke Tremayne adventure series encompassing 12 books, published under the Author Reputation Press brand. For the most part, these novels revolve around crime and politics in old England, with the protagonist mostly facing the challenges of solving murders, uncovering conspiracies, and stopping invasions, among other cases.
The following books constitute Quaife’s whole body of fictional works:
A Queen Besieged: A Portuguese Liaison
This book tells the story of Queen Luisa who faces trouble as her son, the young king Afonso, for whom she rules, is both mentally and physically weak. Unscrupulous politicians are determined to take advantage of the King’s weakness in order to turn him against his mother. Of immediate concern to the Queen is evidence that one or more members of her government sitting as a council of war is a traitor. Anxious to assist the Portuguese Queen against her many enemies, England and France join forces to send Luke Tremayne to assess the situation.
Chesapeake Chaos: Malevolence And Betrayal In Colonial Maryland
In 1650, Luke examines the political situation in Maryland in behalf of Cromwell, and the colony’s proprietor Lord Baltimore. He becomes involved with a dysfunctional planter family and confronts several murder cases. However, his mission is complicated by planter rivalry, Indian wars, a Jesuit mission, a Puritan settlement and the incursion of a foreign power.
Lady Mary’s Revenge: Deaths On The Medway
In 1657, the government prepares for a foreign invasion expected on the Medway. Luke is sent to uncover the local Royalists suspected of supporting the incursion. He is appalled at the dysfunctional nature of the household of the government’s strongest supporter where he is confronted with several attempts on his life and a series of murders. He must find the murderers, identify the traitors— and a mysterious agent exacting Lady Mary’s revenge.
Murder In The Maghreb: An Islamic Interlude
Determined to stop Islamic attacks on its shipping, the English government sends Luke as ambassador to the Maghreb states to negotiate a treaty. His mission is complicated by a dysfunctional English community, the volatile nature of local politics, the need to find a missing golden madonna, free an abducted English heiress, and identify a vicious war criminal.
The Angelic Assassin: Criminals And Conspirators
In 1652, politicians secretly plan to disband the army. Its commander, Oliver Cromwell, sends Luke to foil these plotters, and find the murderers of three excise officers who stumbled across illegal ammunition that could be used against the army and its supporters. Luke uncovers a combination of corrupt politicians, powerful criminals, a bevy of would-be beautiful assassins, foreign agents, and an unhinged religious leader whose various interests endanger Luke’s life, and threaten the army’s existence.
The Black Thistle: A Scottish Conspiracy
In 1651, a fatally wounded Scottish trooper is found by an English patrol. Before he takes his last breath, he reveals a major plot being hatched against Scottish leaders and English generals within Clarke Castle, the same castle where many kidnapped Scots are being held.
The Dale Of Despair: A North Yorkshire Mystery
Luke adjusts to life changing events. Cromwell is dead, and the army which kept England united is disintegrating. Luke resigns from government service, marries a vivacious widow, takes up a vast estate in Yorkshire, and takes on a new role as a local magistrate. He is immediately confronted with the disappearance of his steward and becomes obsessed with two cold cases – a child murder and arson. Other murders follow and the activities of a charismatic criminal, a pagan cult, a powerful witch, and the possibility of a royalist uprising complicate his magisterial investigations.
The Dark Corners: Malice And Fanaticism
Cromwells government continues to face conspiracies and uprisings from royalists, republicans, Catholics, religious extremists, and senior army officers. Luke is sent into Wales to assess the level of anti-government activities and to solve the murder of a local magistrate. Several more murders follow, and in solving them, Luke confronts devious Welsh gentry, seductive women, a band of highwaymen, smugglers, an evil witch, and a major insurrection against the government.
The Frown Of Fortune: A French Affair
In 1653, Luke and his deputy Harry are sent to Paris to negotiate secretly with the exiled king. They are separated, but this does not stop them from pursuing independent investigations. Harry, who reaches the royal court, attempts to solve the murders of two ladies-in-waiting, while a disabled Luke investigates the death of an aristocrat’s wife. Their investigations are challenged by a feisty abbess, hysterical nuns, an unscrupulous courtier, a Canadian adventurer, and a rampaging bear. The search for English Catholic treasure draws everybody’s attention.
The Garden Of Deceit: A Daughter Sacrificed
In early 1657, Cromwell, after surviving three assassination attempts, turns to his top investigator, Luke Tremayne, to hunt the would-be killer. Elements in the army fear that Cromwell will become king and his government fall increasingly into the hands of civilians. Royalist agents play on this fear and plan to take over a strategic military unit in an attempt to overthrow the government. Luke must uncover the leaders of this plan before they achieve their aim. Luke’s mission becomes more urgent as he has to solve the murders of his initial suspects who are battered, stabbed, blown apart, or brutally decapitated. The murders may be related to sexual dalliances and not related to the royalist takeover. Homosexual attraction complicates the situation. Lonely matriarchs, an adulterous wife, a predatory femme fatale, a mentally disturbed young woman, and several besotted wenches may or may not complicate his investigation. Luke is nearly blown apart, bashed by an assailant, shot twice, almost poisoned on several occasions, drugged, and in danger of having his throat cut. Confronted with these pressures and the increasing unpopularity of Cromwell’s government, his chance at fulfilling his mission and capturing the assassin, finding the murderer, and uncovering the royalist plotters becomes more elusive.
The Spanish Relation: Murder In Cromwellian England
Agent Luke spends the late 1654 and much of 1655 in Somerset inquiring into the murder of an obscure squire. The victim’s family and village are deeply divided revealing a multitude of suspects—feuding relatives, corrupt politicians, Royalist supporters, Spanish agents, religious fanatics, a wanton witch, and a mysterious man in a golden cape.
The Irish Fiasco
Luke’s murder investigation and search for stolen silver is complicated by intriguing Royalists, Irish rebels, influential women, treacherous comrades, a loveable witch, maladjusted siblings, murderous charcoal burners, and devious priests.
Quaife is born and educated in Melbourne, Australia, where he has spent most of his working life in Armidale in regional New South Wales.
