A dead husband. A ticking clock. A widow who swears the gears still whisper his name… In a fog-drenched corner of Grimwicke, a grieving widow seeks the help of Rupert Ashcroft—psychic detective and reluctant celebrity—to solve a mystery no one believes. Her husband, a brilliant but reclusive clockmaker, died under suspicious circumstances. But it’s not his death that chills her… it’s the eerie ticking that continues behind the workshop walls. As if his finest creation refuses to stop. Ashcroft, a man haunted by visions and shadowed by secrets of his own, reluctantly takes the case. Alongside his sharp-tongued young assistant, Thatcher Quill, he soon uncovers a trail of mechanical madness, twisted grief, and a machine that should never have been built. The deeper they dig, the more they realize: this isn’t just a case of murder. It’s a reckoning of time itself. Perfect for fans of gaslamp fantasy, Victorian mysteries, and steampunk thrillers, The Ashcroft and the case of the Broken Timepiece, launches a series filled with chilling twists, snarky banter, eerie inventions, and unforgettable characters. Welcome to The Casebooks of Rupert Ashcroft—where secrets tick louder than any clock.