M.M. Kaye Books In Order

Publication Order of Death In... Books

Publication Order of Share of Summer Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

M.M. Kaye was a bestselling British author of Mystery &Thrillers, Children’s Books and Literature & Fiction books. She was born on August 21st, 1908 in India to Margaret Sarah Bryson and her husband, Sir Cecil Kaye. The author’s father was an intelligence officer serving in the Indian Army and at the age of 10 Kaye was sent to England to study in a boarding school and later studied children’s book illustration and earned some money through designing Christmas cards. She returned to India to live with her family in 1926 but after the death of their father and angered by her mother’s pressure to find a junior officer in the military to marry she returned to England.

Kaye became a published author in 1940 when Six Bars at Seven her first adult novel was published. The book earned her £64 which allowed Kaye to relocate to Simla where she lived in with her sister Dorothy Pardey. The author met her husband, Godfrey John Hamilton serving in the British Indian Army in June 1941. Kaye wrote her first historical novel Shadow of the Moon which was published in 1957, and her second book in the same category Trade Wind was published in 1963 and was inspired by the authors visit in India. Widowed in 1985, Kaye lived together with her sister in a room of her daughter’s house in 1987. In 2001 she moved to Suffolk in year 2001 and lived in Lavenham until the time of her death in 2004 aged 95 years.

Death in Kashmir

Death in Kashmir is the first novel in Death in… series. The book was initially published as Death Walked in Kashmir and it takes place in an area now under Indian jurisdiction with other parts of the Kashmir are controlled by China and Pakistan. The year is 1947, and the Britain is about to leave India and lose some of her empires. Amongst the few British subjects taking their last chance to visit the skiing playground is Sarah Parrish. However what she doesn’t know is that amongst her companions are spies and counter-spies all with the intention of getting vital information about the fate of India post-empire and that of Kashmir as well.

During the skiing event, a middle aged lady dies in what is assumed to be an accident and during the night Sarah witnesses a person trying to break into Janet Rushton (the niece) house, and in response, Sarah rushes to alert her. Janet ends up sharing something shocking with Sarah and as a result of the shared secret and murder; Sarah becomes the focal point of unwanted attention. Everyone around her thinks that Sarah knows more than she should and there is someone determined to kill her for she knows too much. There is also a handsome young man in the offing; can Sarah trust Charles Mallory and if not Charles then who?
Despite all the heavy shadow of espionage in this narrative, Death in Kashmir is a light and a brilliant mystery. The main character, Sarah is a great heroine, she is smart, beautiful and even though she finds herself in danger most of them, she is capable of surviving any imminent danger. The author did a brilliant job in describing the time and place the novel is set. This was mostly achieved given the fact that she wrote from her own experience, making use of the actual places where she visited and also making use of her own life real experiences. The tension in this story is high such that you will keep on guessing on the real identity of the culprit until the point when they are revealed.

Death in Berlin

Death in Berlin is the second installment in Death in… Series by Kaye. The story introduces Miranda Brand who is in German for a one month’s vacation. But then Brigadier Brindley narrates the story regarding a fortune of lost precious stones-diamonds, and Miranda unusually figures this story and her holiday atmosphere changes into something more threatening.

One night on a train to Berlin, a killer strikes leaving one dead and soon Miranda finds herself caught in a complex chain of events that will soon toss her life in turmoil. Set in Berlin few years after the end of the Second World War, Death in Berlin is an intriguing mystery written by one of the best finest storytellers of all time.

The author did a brilliant job regarding characterization and setting description. The characters are well crafted, and each plays their role well. The secondary characters are kind of interesting, engaging and serve to help the main characters develop and also enable the readers to under get a more detailed understanding of the lead characters. Kaye does a good job of describing the scarred post war Berlin; she describes the bombed building in such a way that you will form an image of Berlin a few years after the war.

The number of suspects in this story keeps on rising, and there is more than just one mystery which is to be solved.

Death in Cyprus

In the third series installment, we meet the young, beautiful 20-year old Amanda Derrington aboard the S.S. Orantares. It is on this ship that she expects to meet key people who play a crucial role in her life in a way she never imagined. But before she leaves the ship a murder occurs, one which will echo all the way to the white walled houses of Cyprus. Only Stephen, Amanda and Howard, the painter knows that it was murder and not suicide as it is assumed.

Only the coincidence of last minute cabin switch gave Amanda the chance to find the poison that ended Julia, and her knowledge of the murder places her in more danger as the killer is now aware of what she knows. After a second murder occurs and an attempt is made on Amanda’s life, it becomes apparently clear that the killer is determined to eliminating those who are “threat.” Death in Cyprus is a story full of adventure, romance and the suspense & tension in the book will keep you guessing about the killer’s identity and their next motive all through.