Watch Her Die


Deborah Lucy - 2018
     Please note this book was originally published as “Death Watch.” HE WATCHED HER DIE Who murdered Greta Ashton-Jones? This beautiful married woman is found naked, strangled and tied to her bed. Who’s been watching her and taking pictures of her? Who needed to kill her — and why? Detective Inspector Temple investigates. It’s not the straightforward ‘domestic murder’ he’s been told. Written off by a boss who’s relegated him to the back office, he knows he has to find her killer and fast, but he soon has trouble of his own. DISCOVER A MURDER MYSTERY YOU WON’T WANT TO PUT DOWN TILL THE STUNNING CONCLUSION He’s on the wrong side of the law trying to protect himself and his family when a dangerous criminal with a vendetta is released from prison. As things go wrong, losing his job is the least of his problems. Temple uncovers a tangled web of deceit, betrayal and blackmail which leads him to a depraved undercover world. CAN DETECTIVE TEMPLE CATCH THE KILLER BEFORE HIS OWN LIFE FALLS APART? Perfect for fans of Kimberley Chambers, Damien Boyd, Rachel Abbott, Patricia Gibney or Mark Billingham. What readers are saying about WATCH HER DIE “Could not put it down.” SP “Well written and plotted, an excellent and complex crime novel.” MP ‘Loved this book, gripping story, kept me guessing till the end.’ DW “Compulsive read!” GC THE DETECTIVE As a small boy, DI Temple found his mother dead. She had been brutally murdered, with the crime unresolved. Temple is a man on a mission to find her killer, it’s why he joined the police. With the past throwing a long shadow over his life, as a detective, this makes him even more determined to seek justice for other victims as he hunts their killers. His personal quest makes him difficult to live with and difficult to work with and his relationships suffer. But he’ll stop at nothing to protect his family, even though they are estranged and if it means breaking the law. THE SETTING The DI Temple novels are set in Wiltshire, a largely rural county. Its landscape of beautiful rolling hills, downs and valleys gives no immunity to the crime that infects its scattered towns and villages. Steeped in ancient history, the tourist guides make no mention of the organised crime groups, the murders and turf wars, or the drugs that saturate the streets, lanes and school playgrounds. The M4 artery across the top of the county pumps its poison from London and Bristol, linking east and west coasts, providing criminal gangs and networks with an easy route to ply their deadly trade. THE AUTHOR Deborah Lucy worked for 25 years in Wiltshire Police, alongside a number of senior investigating officers as they investigated major crimes, including murders, missing persons, abduction and kidnaps. For three years she worked in the missing adults and children arena, with police, government policy advisers and charities. Latterly, she conducted lifestyle inquiries for international blue chip companies into the lives of billionaires, millionaires and politically exposed people around the world.

The Past We Run From: A Yorkshire Murder Mystery


Meg Jolly - 2021
    A child killer on the loose. Time is running out.When a toddler goes missing in the middle of a bustling Bradford park in broad daylight, Detective Daniel Ward is put on the case. It ought to be an open and shut investigation; but the hours tick by, and Millie Thompson is nowhere to be found.There’s only one conclusion DI Ward can come to: she was taken.When a known child-killer is spotted in the vicinity, Ward fears the worst. Has this infamous monster struck again, right under his nose?He has to catch up with the only lead he has, before the infamous Hunters - merciless, vigilante, justice seekers who will seek retribution at any cost - catch up with his suspect first.If they do, DI Ward may never find Millie alive again.‘I raced through this book in one sitting. A compelling and intriguing plot that kept me turning the pages with a cast of complex and diverse characters and a gritty Northern setting. Highly recommended.’ — Imogen Clark, #1 Amazon Bestselling AuthorSet in the diverse, beautiful, and historical city of Bradford, The Past We Run From is the first in the DI Ward crime thriller series from debut crime novelist Meg Jolly. Perfect for fans of JD Kirk, Dave Gatward, and JE Mayhew, join DI Ward today on a twisting race to solve the case.

The Rope


Stephen Leather - 2015
    The short story also appears in the collection Spider Shepherd: SAS Volume 2.

Jealousy Junction


Cathryn Grant - 2021
    My organic grocery store was thriving; I had a charming and tender new guy in my life who was looking like he might be the real deal. And then my estranged sister reappeared in my life. I couldn’t have been happier.Until I wasn’t. Someone was stalking me. My sister was flirting with my boyfriend, and I was pretty sure he was flirting back.Someone was dead, and everyone might be lying.Welcome to Liar’s Island… a stand-alone series of interconnected, novella-length domestic thrillers set in the picture-perfect community of Liars Island. Here, nothing is quite as it seems.On this island, families and friendships are more than meets the eye … secrets, deceptions, and jealousies threaten to ruin everything these influential people have built. But it isn’t only the rich that live here … and power comes in all shapes and sizes.Everyone here is a liar … just how far would you go to get what you want?

Skinner's Elves: A Bob Skinner Christmas Story


Quintin Jardine - 2017
    Two pillars made them and supported them through their lives; now one is gone and the other is near to collapse. Can he be renewed, or has he been conquered at last? Major James Andrew Skinner, AKA Jazz Morgan, takes up the story. Quintin Jardine's 6,000 word short story is a glance into the future that was born from a joke, when he used its title as a throwaway line to a friend. 'A great title for a children's book,' she observed. This isn't a children's book, but in a real sense it's a take about children and the power they have to help us overcome, and emerge from, the deepest despair.

Walk in the Park


Jay Gill - 2019
    Followed quickly, by a second terrifying, vicious attack on a young woman who’s a family friend of Hardy and his daughters.Shaken and heartbroken, Hardy assists the team leading the investigation into a killer dubbed, the Regent's Park Ripper.Knowing that in all likelihood the killer will soon strike again, the investigating team must put aside their differences, and work day and night to prevent more loss of life.In a nail-biting, fast-paced investigation, Hardy will challenge his own, very personal need for revenge, when he finds himself face-to-face with the suspect in a deadly confrontation.What choices will the heartbroken detective make, when he finds himself alone with the man who so savagely ended the life of a family friend?Buy Walk in the Park today to discover whether Hardy takes justice into his own hands.

The Complete Detective Nikki Galena Mystery Series


Joy Ellis - 2020
    

Detectives Calladine & Bayliss #1-3


Helen H. Durrant - 2019
    Calladine and D.S. Ruth Bayliss race against time to track down a killer before the whole area erupts in violence. Their boss thinks it’s all down to drug lord Ray Fallon, but Calladine’s instincts say something far nastier is happening on the Hobfield housing estate. Can this duo track down the murderer before anyone else dies and before the press publicize the gruesome crimes? Detectives Calladine and Bayliss are led on a trail which gets dangerously close to home. In a thrilling finale they race against time to rescue someone very close to Calladine’s heart. BOOK 2: DEAD SILENT A body is found in a car crash, but the victim was already dead . . . D.I. Calladine and D.S. Ruth Bayliss race against time to catch a vicious serial killer. The first two victims are American university students and both have livestock tags fixed to their earlobes. Who wanted them dead and what’s the connection? The detectives piece together the forensic evidence and track down the witnesses, to reach a shocking conclusion. BOOK 3: DEAD LIST An unlikely serial killer with a bucket list of victims . . . Calladine and Bayliss battle a murderer who is working their way through a list of victims. Each murder is meticulously planned and unique, and a tarot card is left at the scene of the crime. When two children disappear in the local area, the stakes are raised and the team are baffled by the link between the crimes. Calladine and Bayliss race against time to prevent any more carnage. IF YOU LIKE ANGELA MARSONS, RACHEL ABBOTT, MEL SHERRATT, RUTH RENDELL, OR MARK BILLINGHAM you will be gripped by this exciting new crime fiction writer. THE DETECTIVES Tom Calladine is a single, fifty-something detective inspector who is devoted to his job. His personal life, however, is not so successful. Having been married and divorced before the age of twenty-one has set a pattern that he finds difficult to escape. Ruth Bayliss is in her mid-thirties, plain-speaking but loyal. She wishes she had more time for the gym and a love life. She uses her demanding workload as an excuse not to try too hard with the men she meets. Her hobby is birdwatching. What readers are saying about Helen H. Durrant’s books “Would highly recommend you read the whole series.” Tracy “I thought this was a really exciting thriller with some great characters.” Angie “Wow. Absolutely fantastic read.” Sue “The story is yet again so addictive page after page such interesting twists and turns.” Nessa “I was desperate to get to the end and now I’m desperate to read the next book in the series.” Granjan “Brilliant book just couldn't put it down. Part of a series needless to say I've ordered the other books.” Ellen ALSO BY HELEN H.

Whispers Beneath the Pines


Carla Kovach - 2014
    The group plan to have one last adventure before they have to finally succumb to adulthood. What they think will be a week of sun, parties and romance soon becomes more sinister when they take a trip to the mountainous province of Mügla for the day. Eve soon realises that things are not what they seem. She sees that something isn’t right but her friends are oblivious. Can she convince them all before it’s too late? Suitable for adults only.

Man Found Dead in Park


Margaret Coel - 2017
    I love Margaret Coel’s writing because there’s never a misplaced step. She balances two opposing cultures with little room for compromise, which is good because this chick works without a safety net. It’s human nature, or certainly the nature of writers, to analyze another’s work when reading it, in an attempt to take the story apart like an acrobatic trick—kick off your shoes and try it out. Every once in a while you second guess them and follow them out onto that tightrope just to find where they might’ve slipped up, but Margaret never does and just when you think she has she’ll turn and wink, so keep reading. Like Catherine McLeod, the reporter protagonist of Man Found Dead in Park, Margaret embraces both the mainstream and native cultures, all the while maintaining the aspect of her writing that transcends the genre with a deep understanding of human nature. When a man is found dead in an Indian section of Denver where no one is talking, McLeod finds herself in conflict with Mexican drug cartels and an investigation that leads north into Wyoming's Wind River Reservation and what turns out to be her roots. Transformative for both McLeod and the reader, the width and breath of the story is easy to miss, because Coel’s writing has a heady narrative that holds a sense of wonder and romance—a place that a lot of other writers fear to tread. I sometimes wonder if she knows how good she is, but I think probably not. The humility of a few artists is what keeps them grounded, and even when she’s out there flying high, I’m pretty sure she has her head up but is feeling every twitch of the story through the soles of her feet. Navigating with the finesse of a Flying Wallenda, Coel never misses a thing, because the devil is in the details, and like her character, Detective Nick Bustamante, Margaret knows that these indiscernible little slights of hand are the thing that makes for great drama under the Big Top. So join Margaret Coel out onto that high wire where she works without a safety net. Just when you think you’ve got it all figured out there will be moments of insecurity, thoughts that will disconcert, and you might be tempted to look down, but don’t. If things get too hairy just reach out and take this daredevil performer’s hand, and she’ll grin that signature smile and make sure you make it back to safety. --Craig Johnson

The Consortium: Crime fiction from the heart of Wales (The Welsh crime mysteries Book 2)


Nicola Clifford - 2021
    

Teesside Steal


John Nicholson - 2013
    His dad has just died, he’s being made bankrupt, he’s getting evicted, his girlfriend has left him and Middlesbrough are 2-0 down in the UEFA Cup. But there’s a way out. His father has bequeathed him a huge inheritance, if only he can find out where it is. As he tries to repair his relationship with Julie and deal with the ghosts of his dysfunctional upbringing, he discovers his dad isn’t the man he thought he was. Soon it becomes obvious something very strange has happened and Nick begins to doubt that his dad is even dead at all. As he searches for the truth, he is plunged into a world of theft, greed and brutal murder. Soon, as the Boro play a huge European game, he will have to fight for his and Julie’s life on the windswept sand dunes of Saltburn. Teesside Steal is set in Teesside and North Yorkshire and is the first in the Nick Guymer series of mysteries. It is a story of upbringing, inheritance and UEFA Cup football.

The Passing of Morse


Susan Masters - 2012
    Its purpose is one of certitude with a little dash of homage thrown in for good measure. For some, it may just be seen as an extended or alternate ending. For others, it may be taken as Chief Inspector Endeavour Morse's final will and testament. Your choice...

The New Friend


Alex Kane - 2021
    Growing up surrounded by drugs and alcohol, getting into trouble as a teen, she’s now in her late-twenties and has turned her life around.Until the fateful night that sees her imprisoned for 10 months.She’s hit rock bottom … but unexpectedly forges a bond with cellmate Roxanne McPhail that lasts beyond the prison walls.Now both women are free, and Arabella is excited about the future with boyfriend Eddie, with Roxanne at her side.But Arabella doesn’t know the truth about her new best friend; about Roxanne’s reputation as the head of Glasgow gangland, about the violence in Roxanne’s past.She doesn’t know that Roxanne has plans for Arabella that might lead her into some very dangerous places.In this dirty game, Arabella is going to have to learn you can’t always trust those closest to you…A gritty, utterly addictive thriller set in Scottish gangland - fans of Roberta Kray and Jacqui Rose won't be able to put it down.Readers can't get enough of Alex Kane's gritty gangster thrillers:‘I read this book in one night and all I have is 3 words. Oh my god.’ ☆☆☆☆☆ Reader Review‘What a fantastic book! Such an intense, fast paced read from the first page’ ☆☆☆☆☆ Reader Review‘What a rollercoaster ride…it grips you and you can't put it down. I loved it.’ ☆☆☆☆☆ Reader Review‘What a page turner this is… you never want it to end… A great, gritty, UK gangland thriller’ ☆☆☆☆☆ Reader Review‘A dark and gritty crime thriller that kept me hooked from the first page.' Casey Kelleher, author of No Fear and Mine'A gripping read that got under my skin. Alex Kane writes one hell of a villain.’ Gemma Rogers, author of Stalker and Reckless

Black Crossing


C.K. Crigger - 2007
     Isaac Gilpatrick witnesses the killing of old Marshall Blodgett, and when his mother Ione is threatened with death - or worse - he is intimidated into remaining silent. But the guilt he carries wears at Isaac's nerves, until he can bear it no longer and vows to put the information into the new marshal's hands. Unfortunately, Marshal TJ Osgood arrives in town too late. He finds Isaac silenced for good after a crooked judge ordered him hanged. Now, with an under-aged deputy and a hound dog as his only allies, Osgood must sort out the truth, protect the bereaved Ione Gilpatrick, and bring a rough bunch of backwoods timber thieves to justice. That is, if Ione doesn't beat him to it....