Mystery

THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S DAUGHTER HAS JUST BEEN MURDERED.

Audrey Spencer has landed her dream job as a Deputy District Attorney and is settling into the career change when the daughter of District Attorney Gregory Pope is found stabbed to death in a nearby park.

THE NEWEST DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY IS ASSIGNED TO THE CASE.

Nobody could have been more surprised than Audrey when Pope assigns her to handle the case. Uncertain about Pope’s motivation and assuming he hopes to influence how the case proceeds, Audrey jumps in with both feet to the most high-profile case of her career.

It isn’t long before Audrey realizes this case comes with more obstacles than she initially realized. The list of potential suspects is pages long. She must deal with office politics, something she hates. Her boss Gregory Pope–good intentions notwithstanding–is doing more harm than good.

CAN SHE BRING THE KILLER TO JUSTICE?

Armed with only her wits, experience, and determination to find justice, Audrey will see this through to the end, whatever the cost.

Just when she thinks she has the case figured out, the murderer strikes again, throwing cold water on her theory.

Can she catch the killer before he murders a third time?

Pick up your copy today to find out!

Sneak Peek

Based on what little she saw poking out from underneath the plastic sheet, Audrey deduced Rachel had been jogging through the park when she was attacked.

A knife was five feet away in the dirt with the point down. The handle made her think of a medieval dagger. It was possible the perp had dropped it, but more likely, he’d stabbed it into the ground before fleeing.

Why?

Audrey’s eyes narrowed as she looked from the body to the knife’s position.

Accidental or intentional? She forced herself to remain open to both possibilities, even though she naturally gravitated toward one.

Did the perp want the knife to be found? Was he concerned it might be missed? She refrained from glancing at Gregory Pope. Or was it a message to the venerable District Attorney?

That was probably going too far, but she made a mental note of it still the same.

She took in a deep breath as she tried to soak it all in. It was now just after 2:45 PM. It was fifty-five, maybe sixty degrees. Jacket weather for some, but not coat. It had been half an hour since Walzer had found Audrey in the prison parking lot. She pegged the time of death between 12:30 PM and 1:45 PM.

But it’s the middle of the day, Audrey thought, looking around. It’s busy here. It was more likely from 1:00 PM to 1:45 PM. She doubted Rachel could have been here longer than forty-five minutes without being discovered.

There was blood on the trail, a smear on the ground to where Rachel lay. The river hawthorn tree itself looked unharmed.

Did the perp drag her body over there? If so, why? The tree was ten feet high and thick, but it didn’t hide the body, not even close.

Rachel was on her back with her hands at her side. She probably would have been on her belly if she’d moved herself.

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September, 1925. After their recent adventures in Transylvania, Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes look forward to spending time with Holmes’ son, the famous artist Damian Adler, and his family. But when they arrive at Damian’s house in the French countryside, they discover that the Adlers have fled from a mysterious threat.

In the ominously empty house, Russell discovers four crates packed with memorabilia related to the artist Horace Vernet, including an old journal written in a nearly impenetrable code. Intrigued, Russell sets about deciphering the intricate cryptograph.

The secrets of the past appear to be reaching into the present. Could there be things about Holmes’ own history that even the master detective does not perceive?

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September, 1925. After their recent adventures in Transylvania, Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes look forward to spending time with Holmes’ son, the famous artist Damian Adler, and his family. But when they arrive at Damian’s house in the French countryside, they discover that the Adlers have fled from a mysterious threat.

In the ominously empty house, Russell discovers four crates packed with memorabilia related to the artist Horace Vernet, including an old journal written in a nearly impenetrable code. Intrigued, Russell sets about deciphering the intricate cryptograph.

The secrets of the past appear to be reaching into the present. Could there be things about Holmes’ own history that even the master detective does not perceive?

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The first in a stunning new series introducing the Marlow Murder Club!

‘A hugely enjoyable murder mystery written with wonderful verve, humour and compassion. Utterly delightful’ Robert Webb

‘I love Robert Thorogood’s writing’ Peter James

From the creator of the BBC One hit TV series, Death in Paradise

To solve an impossible murder, you need an impossible hero…

Seventy-seven-year-old Judith Potts is blissfully happy. She lives alone in a faded mansion in Marlow, sets crosswords for The Times, and there’s no man in her life to tell her what to do or how much whisky to drink.

One evening, while out swimming in the Thames, Judith witnesses a brutal murder. When the local police don’t believe her story, Judith and two unlikely friends decide to investigate for themselves. Together, they are the Marlow Murder Club.

But soon another body turns up, and it seems they have a real-life serial killer on their hands. Now the puzzle they set out to solve has become a trap from which they might never escape…

READERS LOVE THE MARLOW MURDER CLUB

‘Miss Marple with attitude’ 5* Amazon Review

‘I want to be Judith Potts when I grow up’ 5* Amazon Review

’Wonderful escapism!’ 5* Amazon Review

’Absolutely loved it!’ 5* Amazon Review

’My favourite book of the year!’ 5* Amazon Review

’I had an absolute blast reading this book’ 5* Amazon Review

‘So enjoyable, I laughed out loud !’ 5* Amazon Review

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In her non-writer life, J. Traveler is a clinically Licensed Independent Social worker with a private practice dealing with helping people overcome their problems, pain and inner hurts. Over the years, she has met and worked with many individuals to help them achieve the coping skills needed to succeed in society. She brings that expertise to this mystery series hoping to both entertain you and to help you understand people who may be living close by unnoticed.

Of other mysteries Traveler has writing, reviewers have said:

“I loved this book! It’s well written and has quite a mystery, that had me guessing until I read through to the end…There’s a darkness in among the small town, well hidden. I really enjoyed reading this book and am looking forward to the next one.”

“The tone and atmosphere that the author created really reminded me of the old Nancy Drew and Hardy Boy books of another era. The mystery and seriousness of the building crimes and the thirst for the truth mesh well with the adorable cast of characters and the cozy mystery genre that the author has found in this book.

A shocking, fun, and engaging mystery read, author J. Pelton Traveler’s “Ascot and the Stolen Shrubs” is the perfect start to this brand new mystery series. A shocking series of twists and turns that elevates the mystery to heights that will take readers by surprise, the thought-provoking story and balance of characters between the humans of the small town and the pets that shadow them make this such an entertaining read.”

If you love mysteries, female protagonists, and odd characters, You are going to love this book. Get your copy today!

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Detective Matthew Venn returns in The Raging Storm, the next captivating novel in the Two Rivers series from Ann Cleeves, the number one bestselling author and creator of Vera and Shetland.

When Jem Rosco – sailor, adventurer and local legend – blows into town in the middle of an autumn gale, the residents of Greystone, Devon, are delighted to have a celebrity in their midst. The residents think nothing of it when Rosco disappears again; that’s the sort of man he is.

Until the lifeboat is launched to a hoax call-out during a raging storm and his body is found in a dinghy, anchored off Scully Cove, a place with legends of its own.

This is an uncomfortable case for DI Matthew Venn. He came to the remote village as a child, its community populated by the Barum Brethren that he parted ways with, so when superstition and rumour mix and another body is found in the cove, Matthew soon finds his judgement clouded.

As the stormy winds howl and the village is cut off, Venn and his team start their investigation, little realizing their own lives might be in danger. . .

Praise for the Matthew Venn series:

‘Matthew Venn is a keeper’ – David Baldacci

‘Had me hooked . . . a promising beginning to another fine chapter in the Ann Cleeves story’ – The Times

‘A triumph that cements Cleeves’ status as one of Britain’s best crime writers’ – Daily Express

‘Clever, compassionate and atmospheric’ – Elly Griffiths

‘Cleeves combines a flair for evoking sense of place with a thoughtful, complex plot’ – Mail on Sunday

‘A traditional mystery of the best sort’ – Guardian

What readers are saying about The Raging Storm:

‘Absolutely brilliant, Ann Cleeves at her best’

‘The twists and turns, challenging relationships within the community, mixed with a huge dose of superstitions surrounding routines around the sea, makes for a brilliant novel’

‘In my opinion, Ann Cleeves ranks among the top crime writers. She consistently delivers classic murder mysteries by balancing diverse characters and rich settings to create unique stories every time’

‘The setting in this is so integral to the plot that it could almost be a character in its own right’

‘Cleeves creates a strong sense of tension which pushes you on. The plot is a true mystery, littered with clues and red herrings, and the end is a brilliant revelation’

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A murdered crime writer. An idyllic Yorkshire town. Can DCI Oldroyd separate fact from fiction?

A famous writer is found murdered at the Victorian baths in the Yorkshire town of Harrogate. In a crime worthy of one of his novels, Damian Penrose, who was appearing at the town’s crime writing festival, has been ruthlessly strangled. But with no trace of the murderer and no apparent means of escape, how did the killer simply vanish from the scene of the crime?

There’s only one mind capable of unlocking this mystery: DCI Jim Oldroyd. But as he and his team quickly discover, while Penrose was popular with the reading public, he had made plenty of enemies. Feuds over money, accusations of plagiarism, a string of affairs…His route to the top left a trail of embittered rivals—and suspects. But which of them was willing to commit murder?

When Penrose’s shocking death proves to be just the first of many, it becomes clear to Oldroyd that he is dealing with a calculating criminal hell-bent on revenge. He must find and bring them to justice. Before the truth becomes more chilling than fiction…

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THE BRAND NEW BLOCKBUSTER NOVEL WITH THE HIGH-STAKES THRILLS OF SLOW HORSES AND THE ADRENALINE-SOAKED EXCITEMENT OF BOX 88

**SUNDAY TIMES THRILLER OF THE MONTH**

‘A breathtaking thriller. A classic in the making’ PETER JAMES
‘A shot in the arm for thriller fans’ THE TIMES
‘Hugely impressive and compelling’ WILLIAM BOYD
‘Look out for The Scarlet Papers . . . Engrossing’ STEVE CAVANAGH
‘The most impressive espionage debut since Mick Herron’s Slow Horses’ DAILY MAIL
‘Magnificent’ LITERARY REVIEW
‘Superbly constructed and written with flair. This might be the best spy novel of the year’ SUNDAY TIMES
‘The Cold War is given a new twist … Impressive, superior spy stuff’ SHOTS MAGAZINE
___________

VIENNA, 1946: A brilliant German scientist snatched from the ruins of Nazi Europe.

MOSCOW, 1964: A US diplomat caught in a clandestine love affair as the Cold War rages.

RIGA, 1992: A Russian archivist selling secrets that will change the twentieth century forever.

LONDON, THE PRESENT DAY: A British academic on the run with the chance to solve one of history’s greatest mysteries.

Their stories, their lives, and the fate of the world are bound by a single manuscript. A document feared and whispered about in capitals across the globe. In its pages, history will be rewritten. It is only ever known as . . .

THE SCARLET PAPERS

The devastating secrets contained within teased by a brief invitation:

Tomorrow 11AM. Take a cab and pay in cash. Tell no one.
___________

‘Smart, slick and totally gripping . . . The Scarlet Papers is always credible, always startling and almost painfully human. A total triumph’ TONY PARSONS

‘A masterpiece’ TIM GLISTER

‘Grand in scope and packed with fascinating insights’ MICK HERRON

‘An extraordinary novel’ HOLLY WATT

‘Addictive, original and outrageously entertaining . . . Matthew Richardson proves himself a writer of huge talent and skill’ CHARLOTTE PHILBY

‘An epic read!’ JEREMY DUNS

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*An Instant Sunday Times Bestseller and a gripping standalone thriller with a riveting reveal about a disastrous MI5 mission in Cold War Berlin. A dazzling entry-point to Mick Herron’s writing and an unmissable read for Slough House fans*

‘Pure class’ Ian Rankin

‘I doubt I’ll read a more enjoyable novel all year’ Paula Hawkins

‘Pitch-perfect’ Lee Child

‘Terrific’ The Times

‘Never has a work of popular fiction delighted me more’ The Spectator

‘A thriller of immense brilliance’ Sunday Times

Two years ago, the Monochrome inquiry was set up to investigate the British secret service. Monochrome’s mission was to ferret out misconduct, allowing the civil servants seconded to the inquiry, Griselda Fleet and Malcolm Kyle, unfettered access to confidential information in the service archives.

But with progress blocked at every turn, Monochrome is circling the drain . . . Until the OTIS file appears out of nowhere.

What classified secrets does OTIS hold that see a long-redundant spy being chased through Devon’s green lanes in the dark? What happened in a newly reunified Berlin that someone is desperate to keep under wraps? And who will win the battle for the soul of the secret service – or was that decided a long time ago?

Spies and pen-pushers, politicians and PAs, high-flyers, time-servers and burn-outs . . . They all have jobs to do in the daylight. But what they do in the secret hours reveals who they really are.

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When it comes to saving yourself, who will you betray?

Louise has a shadowy past that she wants to break free from and when she develops an unlikely friendship with Isabelle, her neighbour, she finally finds the family she’s always yearned for.

But Louise knows more about Isabelle than her new friend realises, more specifically about her imprisoned husband – and the circumstances behind his arrest.

Louise is faced with a choice: to continue lying to her only friend or tell the truth and ruin any chance she has of starting over…

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Kyiv, 1919. The Soviets control the city, but White armies menace them from the West. No man trusts his neighbour and any spark of resistance may ignite into open rebellion.

When Samson Kolechko’s father is murdered, his last act is to save his son from a falling Cossack sabre. Deprived of his right ear instead of his head, Samson is left an orphan, with only his father’s collection of abacuses for company.

Until, that is, his flat is requisitioned by two Red Army soldiers, whose secret plans Samson is somehow able to overhear with uncanny clarity. Eager to thwart them, he stumbles into a world of murder and intrigue that will either be the making of him – or finish what the Cossack started.

Inflected with Kurkov’s signature humour and magical realism, The Silver Bone takes inspiration from the real life archives of crime enforcement agencies in Kyiv, crafting a propulsive narrative that bursts to life with rich historical detail.

Translated from the Russian by Boris Dralyuk

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A teenage suicide. A murdered pharmacist. A missing girl. Is the obvious connection the right one?

When a boy leaps to his death from a bridge in the northern town of Umeå, Sweden, police discover drugs scattered in the snow near his body. The town has seen a dramatic increase in narcotic use among its youth, but nobody knows where the pills are coming from.

Relocating from Stockholm with her teenage daughter, Detective Charlotte von Klint expected Umeå to be a quiet backwater, a snow-covered change of pace from fighting the criminal underworld of the capital. But when a pharmacist is found brutally murdered in her apartment, and a young girl and her dealer boyfriend vanish without a trace after a party, suddenly Umeå doesn’t seem so benign. And the boy on the bridge doesn’t feel like an isolated incident.

Is the dealer the perpetrator? Or just another victim? And can it be a coincidence that a shadow from Charlotte’s past, Syndicates boss Tony Israelsson, has recently been released from prison and is reportedly headed for Umeå?

As the snow deepens and the body count rises, Charlotte and her boss, local cop Per Berg, find themselves in a deadly pursuit, with time rapidly running out.

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When young widow Éilis Lawlor disappears in the middle of the night, with her two little children asleep in their beds, it is a chilling case for Detective Lottie Parker. Since her husband’s tragic death, Éilis is all her children have, and when Lottie sees Éilis’s house keys and phone still lying on the kitchen counter, she is terrified for the vulnerable mother’s safety.

Then Éilis’s broken body is found by a nearby lake, wrapped in an unfamiliar yellow dress, her mouth sealed with duct tape – and Lottie’s worst fears are confirmed. Someone wanted this beautiful widow dead.

Desperate to find the person behind this brutal crime, Lottie discovers that Éilis was a member of a support group for widows. And when Jennifer, a close friend of Éilis’s from the group, is found on a rubbish heap, wrapped in a yellow dress, Lottie vows to get justice.

Lottie dives into Jennifer’s past, and learns that she had lived a reclusive life since her husband died. She hadn’t been seen at work for months and had sheltered inside her immaculate home, only emerging for meetings with the group. But when Lottie questions the other women about Jennifer’s isolation, they claim to know nothing.

Lottie is certain that the remaining widows are hiding something. Can she uncover the truth before another innocent life is lost?

An absolutely gripping and totally addictive thriller that will keep you racing through the pages all night long. Fans of Robert Dugoni, Rachel Caine and Karin Slaughter will devour Three Widows in one sitting!

What everyone is saying about Three Widows:

‘Holy crap, Batman, the twists and turns will get you.’ Honeydukesbooks

‘Patricia Gibney has never let me down. If you want a thrilling no holds barred read then this is for you.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘A compelling and fast paced read that had me gripped right from the very start and unable to put it down. It was twisty and unpredictable and kept me guessing.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘From page one I was hooked and couldn’t put the book down. As long as she keeps producing work like this I’ll keep on reading.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Another excellent book by Patricia Gibney. She never fails to deliver a gripping novel. So many twists and turns that your head reels!’ Goodreads reviewer,⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Had me gripped from the first page, plenty of twists and I couldn’t read it fast enough. Can’t wait for the next instalment. I 100% recommend this book/series and author’
Goodreads reviewer

‘A real treat – I highly recommend!’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Fantastic mystery as always. I am never disappointed by any Patricia Gibney has written and am so glad I discovered her this year. This one was a real treat and I highly recommend it if you are a fan of the series.’ Reading Robs, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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From New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Nicole Edwards comes the eleventh installment in her Brantley Walker: Off the Books series.

The moment everyone’s been waiting for!

Brantley Walker and Reese Tavoularis are counting down until their wedding day. Only seven more days to go, with plenty to do, they are enjoying some downtime with friends and family while checking off the remaining boxes on JJ’s checklist.

While everyone is preparing for the big day, Atticus James returns to Coyote Ridge to find he has options. Not only does he get to choose which address he wants to call home, but there are two men looking to make him more than merely a roommate. The hardest part is figuring out which one to choose. Or whether he has to choose at all.

Provided everyone survives the bachelor party, makes it through the rehearsal dinner unscathed, and works through their wedding day jitters, they’re home-free.

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Quick Note: The characters in this book are comics. Comics swear. But they have good hearts. (Mostly.)

When up-and-coming comic, Kasey McCormick, attends a highly anticipated “business of comedy” seminar in Southern California, she expects to learn, network, and showcase her comedic talents. However, her excitement quickly turns to rueful disappointment when she discovers that a private audition session, limited to only ten handpicked performers, has excluded her.

Jealousy and resentment sweep through the ranks of the excluded comics, and the event’s organizer, Juliet Hartwell, does her best to quell the discontent. But Juliet has bigger problems: Kasey soon discovers that Juliet is harboring a dark secret—she’s being blackmailed and the blackmailer has just begun to stir up trouble.

Kasey’s growing reputation for solving crimes puts her at the center of the investigation. With the help of Luke Hallidade and some new comedy pals, Kasey reluctantly embarks on an increasingly dangerous journey to expose the blackmailer and release Juliet from her guilt-ridden past.

Top Hats and Treachery takes you inside the world of comedy, where everyone has at least one secret, very few people are as they seem, and the stakes take a deadly turn. Join Kasey McCormick in this fun and funny mystery as she combines her comedic talents with her investigative skills, proving that laughter and deduction can be a winning combination.

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THE BREATHTAKING NEW KAY SCARPETTA THRILLER FROM THE 120-MILLION-COPY BESTSELLER

Two mauled bodies in the woods. Two top secret autopsies. The most chilling case of Scarpetta’s career . . .

In this thrilling new instalment of the #1 bestselling series, chief medical examiner Dr Kay Scarpetta finds herself in a Northern Virginia wilderness examining the remains of two campers wanted by federal law enforcement.

The victims have been savaged beyond recognition, and other evidence is terrifying and baffling, including a larger-than-life footprint.

After one of the most frightening body retrievals of her career, Scarpetta must discover who would commit murders this brutal, and why.

‘A chilling, thrilling, macabre masterpiece. Unnatural Death is Patricia Cornwell at her mesmerising finest. The best just got better’
CHRIS WHITAKER, author of WE BEGIN AT THE END

‘Sinister, surprising and utterly unputdownable. Cornwell at her brilliant best’
M. J. ARLIDGE, author of EYE FOR AN EYE

‘Classic Cornwell with an up-to-the-minute twenty-first-century plot. An intoxicating blend that proves Scarpetta is still queen of the autopsy and Cornwell is still queen of crime fiction’
ANDREA MARA, author of NO ONE SAW A THING

‘One of the best crime writers writing today’
GUARDIAN

‘Thirty years on, there’s still no other crime writer like her’
SUNDAY TIMES

‘The top gun in this field’
DAILY TELEGRAPH

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Hotel Beresford: a grand old building, just outside the city, where any soul is welcome, and strange goings-on mask explosive, deadly secrets. A chilling, darkly funny sequel to Will Carver’s bestselling The Beresford…

`Superbly paced and remarkably inventive, a book that demands to be read in a single sitting´ M.W. Craven

`Delightfully dark and wickedly inventive … with characters that stick around long after the final page is turned, whether you want them to or not´ S J Watson

`From the wondrous mind of Will Carver … a tour de force that covers life, death and everything beyond´ David Jackson

______________

There are worse places than hell…

Hotel Beresford is a grand, old building, just outside the city. And any soul is welcome.

Danielle Ortega works nights, singing at whatever dive bar will offer her a gig. She gets by, keeping to herself. Sam Walker gambles and drinks, and can’t keep his hands to himself. Now he’s tied up in a shoe closet with a dent in his head that matches Danielle’s broken ashtray.

The man in 731 has been dead for two days and his dog has not stopped barking. Two doors down, the couple who always smokes on the window ledge will mysteriously fall.

Upstairs, in the penthouse, Mr Balliol sees it all. He can peer into every crevice of every floor of the hotel from his screen-filled suite. He witnesses humanity and inhumanity in all its forms: loneliness, passion and desperation in equal measure. All the ingredients he needs to make a deal.

When Danielle returns home one night to find Sam gone, a series of sinister events begins to unfold. But strange things often occur at Hotel Beresford, and many are only a distraction to hide something much, much darker…

__________________

Praise for Will Carver

`One of the most exciting authors in Britain’ Daily Express

`A smart, stylish writer´ Daily Mail

`Incredibly dark and very funny´ Harriet Tyce

`Unlike anything you’ll read this year´ Heat

`Impossibly original, stylish, sinister and heartfelt´ Chris Whitaker

`Weirdly page-turning´ Sunday Times

`Ambitious, dark and funny´ Mike Gayle

`A highly original state-of-the-nation novel´ Literary Review

`Oozes malevolence from every page´ Victoria Selman

`Arguably the most original crime novel published this year´ Independent

`Mesmeric´ Guardian

`Memorable for its unrepentant darkness…’ Telegraph

`Perceptive and twisted in equal measure´ CultureFly

`Pitch-dark, intelligent and utterly addictive´ Michael Wood

`Unflinching, blunt and brutal´ Sam Holland

`Equally enthralling and appalling´ James Oswald

`One of the most compelling and original voices in crime fiction´ Alex North

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When a defense attorney is torn between vengeance and justice, everything he holds dear is put on the line.

After a sexual assault case lands on his desk, Brad Madison tackles it with typical zeal.

His client Eddie Mawson is a nerdy, self-made rich kid. He has a high IQ when it comes to making video games, but when it comes to women his IQ pretty much matches his age.

Brad didn’t expect this case to get to him, but it does. He didn’t think Mawson’s guilt or innocence should matter to him, but it does.

As a father to a young daughter, how can he in good conscience defend a predator?

As Brad digs deeper to find the truth, a Pandora’s box is opened, putting the lives of people he loves in danger and his own life at risk.

Meanwhile, Brad’s nursing a visceral rage over what he believes was a deliberate attack on his ex-wife Claire, a woman he cared for more than he was willing to admit.

On two fronts, Brad finds himself not just fighting to get to the truth but to get past his own demons.

Tapping into his reserves of character and instinct, he reaches breaking point.

Can he survive to win justice for his client… and to put those demons to rest?

Get your copy and start reading this full-throttle ride of action, drama, intrigue and mystery today.

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A scorching summer. A melancholic merchant. A mysterious murder.
The date is 1208.

Sir Aumary Belvoir, Lord of Durley and a king’s constable and the warden of Savernake Forest, receives the strangest request. The self-important and vituperative vintner, Aldous of Pitchcott, needs protection, claiming he is about to be murdered.

Aumary is sceptical but moves Pitchcott to Marlborough Castle, where he is locked in a room in the castle wall. No one can possibly reach him, but within the day, Aldous Pitchcott is dead.
Aumary discovers that many in the town wished Pitchcott harm, but how did the killer reach him? Aumary and his friends are baffled! Can Aumary reveal the guilty party before the murderer strikes again?

Worldes Blis, a strange thirteenth-century song, provides the backdrop to the fourteenth novel in Susanna M. Newstead’s Savernake Medieval Murder Mystery Novel series.

Author Interview

1) How difficult is it to research settings for a Medieval Murder Mystery?

I’ve been doing it so long, I don’t really know. When I first started there was no web. Much of the history was a bit of a mystery even to experts. The manuscripts one might have needed were difficult to access but with the help of many people and institutions like libraries, I managed the investigation I needed. I’m still researching – it never ends. One has to play detective oneself never mind write about secrets and intrigue.

2) This is the fourteenth novel in your series. How do you keep the stories so fresh and exciting?

Ah, this is just practice I think. Clues have to be eked out and red herrings buried deep in the mystery. Pacing is very important and the investigation has to go on at the right speed, with little moments of humour to lift the intrigue.

3) Did you discover anything fascinating when researching this book?

Yes. All about Medieval scaffolding! Who knew exactly how the builders put together a castle? And the fact that some of that Medieval work is sometimes still there! I’ve seen it with my own eyes.

SAVERNAKE FOREST BOOK ORDER

1. Belvoir’s Promise
2. She Moved Through the Fair
3. Down By the Salley Gardens
4. I Will Give My Love an Apple
5. Black is the Colour of My True Love’s Hair
6. Long Lankyn
7. One Misty Moisty Morning
8. The Unquiet Grave
9. The Lark in the Morning
10. A Parcel of Rogues
11. Bushes & Briars
12. Though I Live Not Where I Love
13. Wynter Wakeneth
14. Worldes Blis
15. Alysoun

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** NOW SHORTLISTED FOR THE CWA INTERNATIONAL DAGGER**

“Gripping” Tatler

The first in a thrilling new crime series set in Germany – the Black Forest Investigations

Louise Boni, maverick chief inspector with the Black Forest crime squad, is struggling with her demons. Divorced at forty-two, she is haunted by the shadows of the past.

Dreading yet another a dreary winter weekend alone, she receives a call from the departmental chief which signals the strangest assignment of her career – to trail a Japanese monk wandering through the snowy wasteland to the east of Freiburg, dressed only in sandals and a cowl. She sets off reluctantly, and by the time she catches up with him, she discovers that he is injured, and fearfully fleeing some unknown evil. When her own team comes under fire, the investigation takes on a terrifying dimension, uncovering a hideous ring of child traffickers. The repercussions of their crimes will change the course of her own life.

Oliver Bottini is a fresh and exciting voice in the world of crime fiction in translation; the Rhine borderlands of the Black Forest are a perfect setting for his beautifully crafted mysteries.

Translated from the German by Jamie Bulloch

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