For some reason I've just remembered two books by the same author that I read about ten years ago, and I want to find out if they've written more because I liked the writing style. But I can't remember the writer's name or the titles of either of the books. I've tried googling things I remember from them but can't find anything.
The first one was about a woman living in Oxford, I think she's a PhD student. She's researching Charles Dickens and discovers something that suggests he was involved in a murder. She's also tutoring an American student, who is studying in Oxford not at Oxford.
The other was about a woman who walks with a stick (might be because of arthritis?) and has an abusive husband. For some reason I'm thinking of staircases. Maybe a pivotal scene on a staircase or a picture of a staircase on the cover? (But that could be a red herring.)
Any ideas?
Thank you!