Counting the Bodies

Mary, on her voyage to Australia in 1842, solves a complex murder on board ship. She does this with support from her best friend Younee who just happens to be a fl eet footed gremlin who communicates with Mary, telepathically. Their son Stanley, a gremlin, is born on the ship. Well not really her son genetically but adoption is a wonderful thing. (Book 1)Th e ship's captain lauds her abilities to the constabulary in Sydney who now regularly ask her to solve murders the constabulary are unable to, or in some cases unwilling to solve. Audrey seeks Mary's expert skills to solve her father's murder. Th eir journey has them fi nding three killers paid to extract information about a gold find thus sending them to the goldfields to solve his murder. In their quest they are supported by Annie, a witch, though she says she doesn't talk to ghosts they talk to her. (Apparently in Annie's mind there is a diff erence.) On the way to fi nd the gold they gather an entourage of killers, would be killers and men desperate to find gold to make their own troubles go away. As it must never be divulged that gremlins exist, Younee and Stanley fi nd remarkable ways to avoid their own detection whilst keeping Mary and Audrey safe.