Detective Sergeant Joe Galbraith starts what seems like one more depressing investigation of the untimely death of a poor unfortunate who was in the wrong place, at the wrong time. As the investigation spreads across Scotland it reaches into a past that Joe has tried to forget, and takes him back to the Hebridean island of Harris, where he spent his childhood. Among the mountains and the stunning landscape of religiously conservative Harris, in the shadow of Ceapabhal, long buried events and a tragic story are slowly uncovered, and the investigation takes on an altogether more sinister aspect. In The Shadow Of The Hill skilfully captures the intricacies and malevolence of the underbelly of Highland and Island life, bringing tragedy and vengeance to the magical beauty of the Outer Hebrides.

    

    A suspect is soon identified, to DS Ian Mann’s delight, but Kathy has her doubts. And she’s far from sure about her sister’s new boyfriend, either, although she’d be sacked if she used police resources to investigate him. Owen Irvine is reluctant to get involved, but his unofficial enquiries suggest that Kathy is right, and that Darren Capstick is mixed up with something sinister. But how can visiting endless Lakeland hotels possibly be connected with the most depraved criminality?

    

     Lying and Dying The body of an attractive young woman is found strangled by the side of the road. There are no obvious clues to what happened, apart from the discovery of a large amount of cash concealed on her person. The brilliant, but incredibly lazy, Lieutenant Josef Slonský is put in charge of the case. When fingers start to point inwards to someone involved with police operations, Slonský is put in a difficult position. If what he suspects is true, how deep does the police corruption run? Is he willing to risk his career in his pursuit of the truth? Slaughter and Forgetting Thirty years ago a young woman was brutally slaughtered in her home. The police charged and eventually hanged a suspect in what appeared to be an open and shut case. But when a retired police officer, Edvard Holoubek comes to Lieutenant Josef Slonský with memories that have haunted him for decades, it becomes clear that everything is not as it seemed… Before Slonský can delve any further Holoubek is deliberately targeted in a hit and run. It seems someone doesn’t want the truth to come out… With memories failing and leads running cold Slonsky finds himself in a race against time to find the real killer. Death on Duty The Bosnian government has sent an alert out to the criminal division in Prague that some of their ‘most wanted’ men may have escaped into the Czech Republic. Lieutenant Josef Slonský, along with his dynamic officers, Kristýna Peiperová and Navrátil are sent to comb the backstreets and search for informers. But just as they appear to find one of the men, an undercover police officer is stabbed outside the flat they are watching, in broad daylight. Will Slonský discover how the murder was committed with no witnesses in the middle of the day? Or will his investigations lead to a Death On Duty…? THE JOSEF SLONSKÝ INVESTIGATIONS BOXSET includes the first three international crime thrillers in this detective series set in the Czech Republic: action-packed police procedurals full of suspense.

    Who is the demon stalking the streets of London? Lady Agatha takes matters in hand, ably supported by golf fanatic friend, Betty Stevens, former school hockey captain, ‘Sausage’ Gossage and Talleyrand, her unlucky-in-love Basset hound.

    

     Yet a dark shadow casts its presence over each trip – 28 years ago Annabel’s Aunt Hilary was brutally murdered on a similar holiday when Annabel was just a toddler. With no one found guilty, the subject has been hushed away and is now taboo on their trips. When an over-zealous journalist starts digging around the murder, the suspicion and guilt in Annabel’s family comes back to the surface. Annabel starts researching into the truth, and the discovery of her much-maligned French mother Monique’s diary reveals some alarming details. With the added pressure of her marriage struggling and a series of anonymous phone calls, Annabel is drawn into the middle of a dark family secret. ‘Past Shadows’ is another absorbing murder mystery from crime thriller author Anthea Fraser. Praise for Anthea Fraser: “A superbly crafted, riveting, page-turner of a read" - Booklist “Ms Fraser is her dependable elegant, guileful self withholding the killer's identity till a dying fall" - Sunday Times “A well-mannered, well-plotted and well-told story” - Birmingham Post “Sympathetic, well-executed book, in which full attention is paid to human feelings and failings” - Yorkshire Post “Anthea Fraser is a worthy follower of the traditional whodunit system...The plot is sustained throughout, and her artistic detective who literally "draws conclusions" is an original character.” - Sunderland Echo Anthea Fraser has written all her life but did not begin to take it seriously until after marriage, when she found herself at home with two small daughters and embarked on a correspondence course with the London School of Journalism. She wrote short stories before turning to novels of the supernatural, and then to crime. Her novels include ‘The Seven Stars’, ‘The Ten Commandments’, ‘Death Speaks Softly’ and ‘Pretty Maids All in a Row’.

    Now, a detective in the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department, Jackie has dedicated her life to helping those who can’t help themselves.The Becker family is just one in a long-line of cases Jackie is working. She fears that history will repeat itself, and sees herself in their young daughter who is witness to her parents constant fighting. But more important to Jackie is her own sister, Melissa. Jackie fears that Melissa’s “perfect” husband is hiding a dark side. Melissa denies she’s being abused, and resents Jackie for causing friction in her family, but Jackie sees the signs and will not stop until she finds the truth.But Jackie doesn’t see what’s coming next, and she fears her own dark impulses. Everyone has a breaking point …. has she reached hers?* * *Mirror Mirror was originally published in a charity anthology. This revised version also includes an expanded ending and author letter.

    

    

    In this first book in a new series, Mrs Montgomery is retained by an archaic well heeled family when its patriarch fails to arrive home at the expected hour. As with all of her writing, Thurbin demonstrates that a book need not contain gratuitous violence, graphic sex or coarse language in order to keep the reader entertained. Set in London and the Home Counties, Thurbin's attention to detail and meticulous research, coupled with an interesting conundrum and a sprinking of quirky characters, are bound to please even the most discerning of readers.

    For one thing she didn't knit and for the other...well being single probably discounted her from the love category too. But a free holiday is a free holiday and it's the perfect escape from her lacklustre life.Michela didn't think she'd be returning home to Italy so soon, a new job at her cousin's restaurant on the harbour of Positano was a dream gig, miles away from the grey London clouds. This time though, she vowed not to fall into old habits, Stefano was the past and now her future in her old hometown beckoned.But under the Italian skies a whole host of possibilities await and maybe happy-ever-after is just a plane-ride away...

     Londoner Larry Dunne divides his time between writing bad avant-garde poetry, working in a Bloomsbury bookshop, arguing with his upper-class girlfriend Pamela and putting the world to rights in a dive off the Strand named Joe’s Club in honour of Stalin. Until one day he applies for a job in Hungary, where he imagines he will at last breathe the purer air of an ideal Socialist State and enjoy universal fellowship and equality. Off he goes to Budapest, to find that the State runs on envy, paranoia and two-stroke. And soon, despite the attractions of an elegant Hungarian ballerina, Larry wants nothing more than to get back to cosy Bohemian London. Not so easy, when a neighbour is stabbed to death with a fencing sabre. On the run from ultra-clever investigator Major Nagy, Larry realises he might be in Budapest for a very, very long time. Unless the murderer is caught. A man in a long grey coat stood there. At the sight of Larry he clicked his heels together, extended a hand, announced that he was Major Nagy and strode past Larry into his apartment. Larry was rooted to the spot. ‘What is it? Has something happened?’ ‘Indeed you may say it has, Mr Dunne. A body has been found in an apartment in this block, and it is necessary to ask you some questions.’ ‘A body? What kind of body?’ ‘A dead body, Mr Dunne. This is the only kind I am interested in.’ ‘No, I mean, whose body? And how, has someone had a heart attack?’ ‘Not at all, Mr Dunne. Please sit down. This is a case of murder.’ Originally published as LOSING LARRY by Elizabeth Pewsey

    But with their Daimler stuck in traffic, and only one of the targets inside, the bomb explodes causing carnage which sets every police force in the country after him. A debut novel introducing DCI Henry Christie.