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Dead Level by Damien Boyd
This complex and engaging story begins with the brutal murder of Lizzie Perry, the wife of a leading candidate in a by-election. Is the murder a burglary that went wrong, or is there a political motive? This is the dilemma facing Somerset police. Deprived of the services of DI Boyd, who’s suspended, the team makes little progress. With rivers bursting their banks in a flood, the crime scene is compromised, along with vital evidence that points to a known villain. Forced to release him, he winds up dead within hours, prompting the return of DI Boyd, who offers a fresh perspective on the case. It’s an absorbing story, filled with…
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A Snowball’s Chance in Hell by JD Kirk
In another fast-moving, banter-filled story, DCI Jack Logan and the team are on the hunt for a killer who targets the villains that escape justice. Nicknamed the Iceman, he has his own distinctive ways of torturing and killing. Only he killed himself five years ago. Or did he? This is the problem facing Jack, especially when he discovers the Iceman has a list of targets, which includes several police officers. It becomes a race to identify the killer before he kills again. It’s another thrilling ride, laden with humour and familiar characters, leading to a thrilling climax and a couple of neat surprises. It’s dramatic, tense and exciting, with a…
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The Monument Murders by Rachel McLean
DCI Lesley Clarke finds herself juggling two investigations in the fourth story in this enjoyable series set in Dorset. Thanks to a persistent and prying journalist, Lesley’s struggling to keep the lid on an investigation into the death of her predecessor. Then there’s the man who was killed and hauled onto a local monument. While the victim is soon identified, his work with a controversial new development along the coast raises concerns about racism. Or is he simply an outsider who wasn’t liked? They’re complications Lesley could do without, particularly when progress is slow and your partner is the solicitor representing one of your prime suspects. But just when it…
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The Langstone Harbour Murders by Pauline Rowson
30th August 2023. The second DI Horton novel, set in Portsmouth, is another complex murder mystery that starts with the murder of the headmistress of a local school. Inquiries reveal a progressive, ambitious woman who was not universally liked or appreciated. Invariably, this means plenty of suspects and motives, touching upon other prominent locals. For Andy Horton it’s a race against time. The promotion he thought was his is heading elsewhere. If he can’t solve the murder by the end of the week, he’ll have to pass the investigation over. Then there’s his dissolving marriage and access to his daughter, to add to his challenges. When the deputy headmaster is…
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Swansong by Damien Boyd
25th August 2023. The murder of boarding school girl, Isobel Owen, brings back unhappy memories for DI Dixon, who many years before attended a nearby school. The love of his life at the time disappeared without trace. Now he’s back, sent to work undercover when the Isobel Owen investigation stalls. Not only is he reminded of his schooldays, there are teachers and staff who were also at his old school. Will any of them recognise him and blow his cover? It’s not long before there’s a second murder, this time of a caretaker who worked at Dixon’s former school. It’s too much of a coincidence to be a random killing.…
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The Island Murders by Rachel MacLean
16th August 2023. The body of a National Trust worker washes up on the shores of Brownlea Island, a nature reserve in Poole Harbour. Suddenly, the closed community of workers and volunteers is faced with an awful truth – there could be a killer in their midst. For DCI Lesley Clarke, the problems are quite different – she and her team have to get to and from the island during their investigation. The victim is a well-liked member of the main team on the island. No one can understand why she was killed. But someone knows more and it’s up to the detectives to discover these secrets. Lesley also has…
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Don’t Turn Back by DS Butler
14th August 2023. In the third book of the DS Karen Hart series, she’s investigating the death of a man found beaten to death in woodland. Buried nearby is a notebook with some curious entries that suggest police officers may be involved in some unidentified activities. Of course, it could be no more than speculation by Karen, who’s struggling to come to terms with the death of her husband and daughter. Investigations lead the team into the world of people trafficking, which brings in officers from the adjoining Thames Valley force, leading to tension between officers as the investigation progresses. As more details are uncovered, Karen’s suspicions increase. Is she…
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Skeletons in the Closet by Bill Kitson
8th August 2023. When several skeletons are found in a remote, derelict cottage, it poses another complex murder investigation for Mike Nash and the team. The investigation has barely started when a local solicitor, linked to the property, is murdered. When his business partner and lover is also found dead, the team struggle to keep up, making little headway. Like all the previous novels, this involves another complex and gruelling investigation. The banter and humour among the team, along with Nash’s irreverent take on proceedings, help to keep the story moving along as a series of burglaries take up more of the team’s time. But it isn’t long before Nash…
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A Knot of Sparrows by Cheryl Rees-Price
3rd August 2023. In the latest intriguing story in the series, DI Winter Meadows investigates the death of a promiscuous young woman, who had antagonised plenty of people in the village. A strange word or code was left on the body to add to the mystery. As the investigation progresses, more murders follow, all linked by the codes left on the bodies or nearby. It appears someone in the area is on a mission. But it’s not clear what. Most of the suspects have alibis, especially when Winters himself is attacked. He believes it’s a warning rather than a death threat and steps up the inquiry until he finally gets…
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Blood Lines by Angela Marsons
30th July 2023. In another tense and riveting murder enquiry, DI Kim Stone is once again facing her nemesis, Dr Alex Thorne in another epic battle of wills. It starts with the murder of a top level manager in Social Services. A single stab wound was all it took. A second murder of a drug addict, again involving a single stab wound, leaves Stone and her team with no links between the victims and few leads. Enter chilling sociopath Alex Thorne, plotting and scheming from her prison cell, determined to engage and defeat Stone. Playing dark, dirty and dangerous, Thorne manages to manipulate both wardens and fellow inmate to do…
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The Heron’s Cry by Ann Cleeves
9th July 2023. This is another beautifully crafted investigation that draws you in from the opening chapters with engaging characters and a shocking murder. Dr Yeo is stabbed in the neck with a glass shard that comes from one of the vases his daughter crafted. The impact ripples through the local community, affecting the families of those connected with the doctor, his daughter, and DI Matthew Venn. A second murder with another glass shard has detectives investigating on several fronts, straining local relationships further. It’s a complex story that moves at a sure and steady pace. The affect on the local community and families is at the core of the…
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Play Dead by Angela Marsons
6th May 2023. This has to be on the most original, enjoyable and distinctive crime series I’ve had the pleasure to read. From the opening pages to the last, this is another original, hard-hitting, uncompromising, breath taking investigation by DI Kim Stone and her team. The pace and intensity never let up as Kim investigates another bizarre set of murders. The killer dumps the bodies at a forensic research facility, where they study dead bodies. The irony’s not lost on Kim Stone, who pursues the case with the vigour and unorthodox approach she’s displayed in the previous novels. It soon becomes clear that the answers lie in the past, meaning…