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K is for Killer by Sue Grafton
In her 11th outing in the series, Kinsey Millhone is asked to investigate the death of Lorna Kepler by her mother. While a thorough police investigation was carried out at the time, the mother believes Lorna was murdered. After a few initial inquiries to find her bearings, Kinsey is intrigued enough to take on the case. Slowly, she learns that Lorna was a feisty loner with quite a few secrets. Smart, intelligent and beautiful, she kept to herself, chose her few friends carefully and enjoyed life to the full. The trail takes Kinsey to San Francisco, a water treatment plant where she worked and various clubs and hotels as she…
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The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith
A model falls to her death, but her brother refuses to believe she took her own life. He employs private detective Cormoran Strike to investigate further to seek out the truth. But Strike has troubles of his own, including a physical disability, debts and nowhere to live since he split with his long-term partner. But Strike is resourceful, teaming up with temp Robin, who soon has his office and affairs organised. She’s tactful, smart and eager to learn, proving to be a useful and imaginative assistant. Strike is soon interviewing the main players and witnesses, picking apart their testimony and recollections. Little by little, he starts to piece together what…
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How Not to Murder your Ex by Katie Marsh
Drunk and disorientated, you arrive back at your mobile home to find your ex lying on the steps. Then you notice the blood and realise someone’s killed him. Earlier that day, you confronted him a café and said you would kill him for what he’d done. Did you do it? For Clio, this is a birthday she won’t forget in a hurry. She’s soon the prime suspect in the eyes of the police. But her friends since school, Amber and Jeanie, have no intention of seeing her go to gaol for a crime she didn’t commit. They resolve to track down the real killer of her ex, Gary, who made…
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Guilty as Sin by Bill Kitson
Another baffling and complex investigation awaits Mike Nash and the team when skeletal remains are discovered by accident in a remote location in the Yorkshire Dales. When another body is discovered close by, Nash wants the whole area scanned for more remains. When more bodies are discovered, it looks like there’s a serial killer on the loose. Attention falls on Demetra Sinclair, who went missing 16 years ago. Has her body been found? Her husband, Nicholas is serving life for her murder, and that of her alleged lover, but protests his innocence. It also looks like he could have killed the others until tests reveal some of the remains were…
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The Chalk Pit by Elly Griffiths
In the ninth novel in the series, archaeologist Dr Ruth Galloway, is called to examine some buried bones in a chalk tunnel beneath the Guildhall in Norwich. Are they old bones or more recent? What about the indications that the bones were boiled before being buried? Tests reveal the bones were recently buried, which means a murder investigation for the police. DCI Harry Nelson already has his hands full with two murders, which targeted rough sleepers. When another goes missing, rumours suggest she’s gone underground. But with little to go on, DCI Harry Nelson and his team struggle to make much progress on any of the investigations. Then more bones…
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The Millionaire Murders by Rachel McLean
DCI Lesley Clarke is beginning to question whether she should stay in Dorset as her temporary posting draws to an end. While she enjoys her work and the team around her, there’s the ghost of her predecessor, DCI Mackie, forcing her to confront some unpleasant possibilities. Persistent journalist, Sadie Lawes, is also on the trail, searching for the truth about Mackie’s death. When she disappears, events look like they’re taking a sinister turn. Then there’s a wealthy woman, found dead in her luxury apartment. An unidentified companion is also found dead beside her. With little to go on, the team must dig deep for any leads that could lead them…
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Dead Souls by Angela Marsons
Hold on tight for another nerve-shredding, emotionally draining roller coaster of a story in this original and exciting series. When human bones are unearthed during an archaeological dig, DI Kim Stone has no idea of the horrors that await her. As the site lies on the boundary between two police forces, she’s forced to work with a former colleague and his team. It’s soon clear that these two officers have unresolved issues from the past. While working away, her team begin to investigate a series of hate crimes, encountering prejudices that repel them. Innocent people are being harassed, attacked and killed. Determined to uncover those controlling the violence, one of…
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The Damage Done by James Oswald
There’s much to commend this book, the sixth in a series I’ve found original and intriguing. The writing is good, there’s a real depth to the many characters involved and the mystery is mystifying to say the least. Perhaps best of all, the story highlights the struggles of a conscientious detective, struggling to cope with increasing workloads, management that don’t share his determination or desire to solve a case, and an increasingly complicated private life that invariably suffers. Things get off to a bad start for DI Tony McLean. Following a tip off, a raid goes horribly wrong. Was there a leak from within the police ranks? Or are there…
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A Knock at the Door by Peter Rowlands
What do you do when a bedraggled woman arrives on your doorstep during a storm, claiming she’s lost her memory? Rory Cavenham lets her into his house to dry off and soon discovers she believes it’s 1972. Is Rebecca making it up, or is she genuine? This is the question at the heart of this mystery as Rory makes it his personal mission to find the answer. Though logic says he should go to the police, he wants to help her regain her memory and find out who she is, even though there seem to be people with their own secret agenda in pursuit. While Rory makes connections and progress,…
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A funny thing happened on the way to publication
You’ll never believe what happened when I wrote my first murder mystery novel. That’s right, I couldn’t solve the murder. Now, I don’t want you to think I’m jinxed or far too clever for my own good. All I did was set out to create a different kind of detective. That’s what all crime writers want to do, isn’t it? The trouble is, my detective wasn’t a detective or a police officer. I couldn’t have someone walk into his office and hire him to investigate. As he wasn’t a police officer, he couldn’t go out and investigate a murder. Equally, he wasn’t some older woman in a village who solves…
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Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie
Poirot is on holiday at Burgh Island off the Devon coast. When beautiful actress, Arlena Stuart enters the hotel, she makes a grand entrance, catching the attention of everyone there. It isn’t long before she’s spending time with another man on the beach. Her husband watches, silently and without comment. The wife of the man on the beach looks angry. Poirot watches, sensing there will be trouble. When Arlena is found strangled in a nearby cove, an investigation begins, dividing the disparate group of holiday makers into those with alibis and those without. But as the police and Poirot delve into the lives of these people, the solution is far…
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Murder on the Marshes by Clare Chase
This is an enjoyable opening book to the series, featuring reporter Tara Thorpe and DI Garstin Blake. The pace allows you to get to know the characters while you follow the investigation into the murder of Professor Samantha Seabrook within the private garden of a Cambridge college. While the professor has the kind of lifestyle and attitude that could make enemies, Tara has also received similar threats to her life, which brings her to the heart of the police investigation. With a murder to solve and Tara to protect, DI Blake feels stretched as he searches for motives and clues among a growing list of suspects. Tara too has to…