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Scotland has a way of getting under your skin. One rain-soaked weekend in Glasgow was all it took to spark a new case in my detective series—a story that begins beneath the university tower, where the stone remembers more than it should.
Beneath the grand Gothic spires of the University of Glasgow lies a history steeped in whispers. Corridors run dark and narrow, stairwells twist into shadow, and the air tastes of dust, ink, and secrets long buried.
Designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott, the Main Building looms over the city like a watchful witness. Its sandstone arches, vaulted ceilings, and cloistered quads make the perfect stage for a mystery that doesn’t want to be solved.
Glasgow, 1920s. A student vanishes after claiming to have uncovered something hidden beneath the university. No body. No witnesses. Just a trail of cryptic notes, each one stranger than the last.
Leila, Josh, and Pete pick up the trail, chasing those notes down through forgotten stairwells and locked doors, until the campus gives way to the old vaults—a maze of stone, silence, and stale, unmoving air.
Down there, the dark presses in. Footsteps echo where no one walks. The handwriting on the final note looks fresh, as if someone had been waiting for them to arrive.
What secrets lie beneath the tower? What did that missing student really find in the vaults? And when Leila, Josh, and Pete finally reach the heart of the maze, will they uncover the truth—or simply join the list of names that never came back?
The Vaults of Glasgow — a new 1920s detective mystery, coming soon.
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Character Reference Sheet: Leila Voss & Associates
Key supporting operatives in the 1920s London detective agency Leila Voss & Associates, profiled for internal reference and story continuity.
Age 28. American-born operative who relocated to Britain at the age of ten. Now a long-term resident of London, he moves easily between American and English sensibilities, making him a natural bridge between cultures in the cosmopolitan city of the 1920s.
Voice: Speaks with an English accent softened by a smooth, subtle American lilt.
Born in the United States to a military father, Josh moved to the United Kingdom with his parents and younger sisters when he was ten. Five years prior to the events of the series, his parents returned to America, but Josh chose to remain in Britain. His decision to stay reflects both his independence and his attachment to London, which he now regards as home.
Tall, handsome, and muscular, Josh has the build of a soldier or boxer, which immediately signals that he is capable of handling himself in dangerous situations. His presence is quietly imposing rather than showy, giving him a grounded, reassuring air when walking the fogbound streets.
Steady, loyal, and deeply protective of his colleagues. Josh prefers careful observation over rash action and has a calm temperament that helps to defuse tension. He is reliable to a fault and often places the safety of others above his own comfort or recognition.
Physically strong and resilient, Josh functions as the team’s shield when investigations turn dangerous. His military family background gives him a working understanding of discipline, tactics, and chain of command. He has good street awareness, excellent stamina, and a talent for remaining calm under pressure, making him effective in surveillance, escort, and extraction work.
Josh is the loyal protector of Leila Voss & Associates, serving as physical backup on field operations and a stabilising influence within the team. When cases lead into the darker corners of 1920s London, he is the one colleagues trust to walk beside them, steady and vigilant, ensuring they make it back to the agency in one piece.
English-born operative working out of London in the 1920s. Pete is quick, clever, and effortlessly charming, moving through the city’s social layers with ease. His easy manner and quick wit often disarm suspicion before questions are even asked.
Pete grew up in a disciplined but intellectually engaged household: his father is a Member of Parliament, his mother a teacher. He has two older brothers, both in the military, one a year older and the other five years his senior. Their example, combined with his parents’ expectations, gave Pete an insider’s understanding of politics, protocol, and social performance.
Educated at a private school, he is well-read and articulate, able to pass easily among the upper and middle classes while still understanding the concerns of those below stairs.
Pete is slim, with floppy blond hair and an open, engaging face. His build and features allow him to shift from unassuming bystander to polished gentleman or street urchin with a change of posture, clothing, and expression.
Cheeky, charming, and irreverent on the surface, Pete is nonetheless sharply observant. He enjoys verbal sparring, improvisation, and misdirection, and he rarely shows the full extent of what he knows. He is restless, quick-thinking, and difficult to pin down—socially or geographically.
A master of disguises, Pete can alter his voice, bearing, and appearance to inhabit a wide range of personas. His strong education supports this talent: he understands how different social groups speak, dress, and behave, and he mimics these details with precision. He excels at infiltration, impersonation, and gathering information in places where the agency would otherwise have no access.
Within Leila Voss & Associates, Pete is the chameleon and social scout. While others provide muscle or strategic oversight, he slips through parties, clubs, and back alleys in borrowed faces, returning with crucial details that move cases forward. In the shifting shadows of 1920s London, he is the operative no one quite manages to catch—or forget.
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Leila Voss Profile and background
Leila Voss: Quick Profile
1920s London Detective
CHARACTER SNEAK PEEK: LEILA VOSS
Here’s your exclusive sneak peek before anyone else!
Thanks for reading this quick sneak peek of Leila Voss!This is only a taster — coming soon there’ll be a full detailed profile page diving deeper into Leila’s story, background and secrets.
After that, we’ll meet her fellow detectives:
â—ŹNext up: the loyal, protective Josh Thorne
â—ŹThen: charming master of disguise Pete Smith
Watch this space — more characters, foggy London mysteries and 1920s atmosphere are on the way!
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