It's only by chance that Ernie Bisquets picked the pocket of Lord Patterson Coats, current president of the East London Adventurers Club. But it was by design that he was then introduced into a world where his talents could be used for a greater good. This was the opportunity placed before Ernie. By the time he realized what was happening, the attempted theft of a Manet from the Musee d'Orsay, and the subsequent investigation, was unfolding around him. Villainy is afoot! The French police are satisfied the attempt failed, even with the mysterious disappearance of the thief, but Patterson Coats is not convinced. He senses a more sinister crime rests just beneath the surface. Murder and villainy are seldom far from the center of the inquiries of the East London Adventurers Club. It's an ugly but acceptable byproduct of their business, but not something to which Ernie Bisquets is accustomed...yet. In ALONG CAME A FIFER, Ernie Bisquets, Patterson Coats and the East London Adventurers Club are led on a dangerous adventure through the streets of London and Paris, exposing the darker side of the art world.
R. Michael Phillips is an author, classically trained artist and avid antique collector. Over the past 25 years he has illustrated children's books, designed and illustrated book jackets, and his artwork has been featured on holiday and consumer products. By combining his creative talents with his passion for art and antiquities, he conceived the fictional world of the East London Adventurers Club. His traditional English cozies follow Ernie Bisquets, a reformed London pickpocket, who joins forces with a rather unusual group of amateur sleuths in contemporary London. Murder, mayhem and villainy are never far from the doorstep of 81 Conduit Street, and the stories have introduced an odd assortment of memorable characters to the literary world.
"Along Came A Fifer" is the first book in the Ernie Bisquets Mystery Series, published by Asylett Press in July 2009. Book 2 in the series, "Rook, Rhyme & Sinker," was released January 2011.
Look for both on-line, ask for it at your local bookshop, or stop by one of the events for a signed copy!
Michael lives in an historic community in southeastern Pennsylvania with his family. He's busy working on the next mystery in the Ernie Bisquets Mystery series, "Quarter Past Death."
