Peter Maughan Book order

Set in a nostalgic post-war era, the story follows a group of theatrical misfits embarking on a transatlantic tour. Their journey is filled with humor and charm, reminiscent of P. G. Wodehouse's style, as they navigate the challenges and eccentricities of life on the road. The characters' interactions and misadventures highlight themes of camaraderie and resilience in the face of adversity, making it a delightful read for fans of witty and whimsical storytelling.

A collection of theatrical misfits go on tour in this nostalgic trip back in time – sure to delight fans of H.E. Bates or PG Wodehouse

When old steam boat the Batch Castle starts plying successfully as the Cluny Steamboat Company to Shrewsbury and back, it takes profit away from a taxi firm in a local border town. The firm's owner, Sidney Acton, plots against the new venture, and only time will tell if his sabotage attempts will bear fruit or blow up in his face...

Humph, a Brooklyn short-order cook who inherited the crumbling estate of Batch Hall, has married his true love and the future looks bright. But when badger baiters are discovered in Cutterbach Wood, they face the awful decision to sell up. And then Miss Wyndham, village spinster and amateur sleuth, rides to the rescue on the 49 bus...

When Sir Humphrey Strange, squire of Batch Magna, departs this world, his estate passes to distant relative Humph, a short-order cook from the Bronx. Humph is persuaded to make a killing by turning the sleepy backwater into a theme-park image of rural England. Will the long-time residents of Batch Magna manage to put a stop to his plans?

Welcome to Batch Magna, a place where anything might happen. And often does... Sir Humphrey has offered to play Father Christmas at the local hospital, but disaster strikes when a boiler breakdown at Batch Hall means he won't be able to buy the sack of toys he'd promised the children. Rupert, a gentleman of the road, is found asleep in an old car in the Hall's coach house. He is scrubbed up and given a room at the Hall, where two guests are already staying: a businessman and his rather young female companion. When money goes missing from their bedroom, Rupert is accused, and Miss Wyndham, the village's amateur sleuth, decides to investigate the matter. Meanwhile, local author Phineas Cook has come up with the idea of a resident ghost at the Hall to attract paying guests. All goes smoothly until the ghostly actors spend too long in the pub one evening and their performance descends into sword-wielding chaos