British Crime

'A fantastic writer.' Donald Ray Pollock 'Nigel Bird is fast becoming one of the top writers in his genre.' Luca Veste DIRTY OLD TOWN is the debut collection from the prize-winning writer Nigel Bird. His brilliantly observed slices of life allow us to visit places we may not normally choose to enter and to walk a few miles in the shoes of others. Though his tales have darkness at their core, they are also full of a heart and spirit that one rarely finds in the world or ‘noir’ or ‘crime-writing’. There are 9 stories here: Drinking Wine (Spo-Dee-Oh-Dee); Dirty Old Town; Sea Minor; ...

Charlotte Lockwood and Angus Darrow, private investigators based in Exeter, Devon, are approached by a convicted murderer who insists that he's innocent. The case is a cold one, and all evidence points towards his guilt. With their investigative skills put to the test, Lockwood and Darrow must delve deep into the past to uncover new leads and evidence. But the more they dig, the more confusing the case becomes. As they unravel the mystery, they begin to question whether the convicted murderer is telling the truth or simply trying to manipulate them. Can they uncover the truth behind the ...

'In the gritty streets of '90s Bristol, a former SAS soldier drowns his sorrows in alcohol, haunted by a past he can't escape. But when a cryptic message leads him to a chance at redemption, he must navigate a dangerous web of deceit and violence to find a missing girl and start over as a private investigator. With echoes of Bukowski and Chandler, John Bowie's Untethered is a dark and moody crime noir that will leave you breathless. Buy now before the price changes and get lost in this twisted, intoxicating world. If you enjoyed this book, you will also love James Ellroy's L.A. Confidential...

The Magician Vanishes! Benjamin Vickery, alias The Great Vicari, attends a meeting with a shadowy secret service official - and then disappears. His assistant Malloy and housekeeper Betty become increasingly concerned for his safety and set out to find him. But where should they look? His Majesty’s government won’t admit that the ex-magician was working for them, so the intrepid duo must investigate without their help. When Malloy is attacked by foreign spies, he knows he must be getting close to something - but what conspiracy are they hatching in the heart of the English countryside? ...

He’s trying to forget all about crime. But now targeted as a suspect, can he keep from going down for murder? England, 1964. Retired inspector Tom Ramsay wants to leave the past behind. Hoping to get on with his plans to hike the beauty spots of his homeland, a vacation to North Yorkshire strikes him as just the ticket. Yet while exploring the beach with his young border collie, he’s shocked to discover a decomposing body hidden in a cave. Happy to put the case in the hands of local police, he’s relieved not to be involved in the ugly matter. But as the small-town rumor mill churns ...

They Kidnapped His Sister. He’ll Get Her Back. FINN’S QUEST is a fast-paced military action fiction thriller featuring Captain Kirkland Finn of the British Army 22nd Special Air Service Regiment (SAS). Follow Finn on a high-octane adventure journey from Afghanistan to the USA and back as he battles to free his kidnapped sister from American ex-special forces mercenaries and a vengeful Afghan drug lord. A 390-page action-packed covert-ops fiction thriller with twists and turns that will keep you guessing to the end, including FBI investigation, undercover CIA black-ops, espionage, DEA ...

DCI Croft returns from a family holiday to find his house has been burgled. An armed raid at a jeweller has ended in tragedy, with the owner shot dead. Was it a robbery gone wrong or revenge? Kidnap, suicide pacts, murder, and theft – can DCI Croft stop the crime wave before he finds himself in the chief superintendent’s firing line, literally! Reader's Favorite Review: Deadly Envy by Sarah Stuart is one of the best thrillers I have ever read. Each chapter tells the story of a different character, drip-feeding their backstories throughout the book. All the characters are well-developed ...

A new assignment for Penny Küfer! Has Niní Delight, the head of a luxury lingerie chain, really taken her own life with arsenic? The young woman had everything one could wish for: the villa of her dreams, professional success, a famous burlesque diva for a sister and, on top of that, a mysterious new lover. Who’d want to end such a life in this way? The police have ruled out foul play. But—as Penny will soon discover—nothing is what it seems in the world of silk, French lace, and glamour...

In appearance Hercule Poirot hardly resembled an ancient Greek hero. Yet, reasoned the detective, like Hercules, he had been responsible for ridding society of some of its most unpleasant monsters. So, in the period leading up to his retirement, Poirot makes up his mind to accept just 12 more cases: his self-imposed "Labors". Each would go down in the annals of crime as a heroic feat of deduction.

Smoke hides many truths … and many sins … After a case of industrial espionage leads to a manic pursuit gone fatally wrong, private investigator Thomas Blume is forced to face the agonizing pain of his role in a seemingly innocent bystander’s death. But when the victim’s wife shows up the next day suggesting a mysterious deeper conspiracy with much more going on beneath the surface, Blume is drawn into a case involving dangerous organized criminals, a seedy London underworld, and gangsters with nothing to lose. Now, with police closing in and a mob boss hunting him, can Blume ...

The Metropole Hotel, Brighton. After a heady New Year's Eve ball, a woman is attacked as she returns to her room. A week later, another woman is assaulted. Both victims' shoes are taken by the offender . . . Roy Grace soon realizes that these new cases bear remarkable similarities to an unsolved series of crimes in the city back in 1997. Dubbed 'Shoe Man', the perpetrator was believed to have attacked five women before murdering his sixth victim and vanishing. Could this be a copycat, or has Shoe Man resurfaced?

A young girl is murdered on the beach, a beach just like the famous Bondi Beach in Sydney Australia. Detective Bigfoot wants to stop for Breakfast but Sargent Elizabeth West is impatient to find out who and why then Elizabeth is abducted by the killer. A comic whodunit.

A family outing to Tattershall Castle comes to a chilling end when eleven-year-old Tommy Burton disappears without a trace in broad daylight. All that remains in his place is a small blue teddy bear. DS Karen Hart and her team are called in to investigate the unusual circumstances—but for DI Morgan the crime scene is eerily familiar.

A dead man on the beach. A detective with everything to prove. And a secret that won't stay buried. When a man’s body washes up on the North Yorkshire coast with a gunshot wound to the chest, DCI Tom Raven is handed the case. The only clue to the victim’s identity? A ring engraved with two names. Raven hasn’t set foot in Scarborough for over thirty years. Now he’s back – leading a murder investigation and facing ghosts from his past.

Soon after Gwenda moved into her new home, odd things started to happen. Despite her best efforts to modernize the house, she only succeeded in dredging up its past. Worse, she felt an irrational sense of terror every time she climbed the stairs. In fear, Gwenda turned to Miss Marple to exorcise her ghosts. Between them, they were to solve a “perfect” crime committed many years before.

What happens if you fall in love with the wrong person? Two friends, two artists, two men that love the same woman - a tragedy, an unforgivable deception and a chance to begin again. Killing a Friend is a book of love, longing and lust.T.S. O'Rourke's writing has been declared powerful and beautiful by both readers and critics alike.

Hayley was destined to be something she never wanted. Stuck in a relationship that undermines her very sense of self, she runs. Hiding however, comes at a price. A price she pays daily. Getting close to people isn't easy, and maintaining friendships is impossible when you have secrets to keep. But just as Hayley's life begins to take shape, her past comes back to haunt her. Can she remain in the shadows when its the very place the darkness resides? Jesse is a newly promoted Detective Inspector with a lot to prove. With two cases causing him headaches, he decides to do a little undercover ...

How would you cope if someone who despised you was in control of your well-being? Suppose that person was about to oversee all the essential parts of your life, money included. Will a twisted conscience allow you to do whatever is needed to stop the inevitable? Chloe lives a deceitful life. Every personality she has ever portrayed has led her to betrayal. The daughter, the friend, the carer, and the thief. Where will her skills of deception take her next? Certain that she’s doing the right thing, DI Heather allows herself to be controlled by her emotions. A seed of doubt appears when she ...

FROM THE AUTHOR OF RATCATCHER AND OMEGA DOG ***** "Masterful nonstop actioner... superb, intelligent and filled with energy." - O. Barnack, Amazon reviewer ***** "...Knocks the ball right over the deepest part of the left field fence... an old-fashioned page turner filled with chills, thrills and suspense..." - William Wallace, Goodreads reviewer ***** "What a fantastic read!" - Leevora, Amazon reviewer ***** "Awesome book... This is one book you don't want to miss out on!" - Adam Stairs, Amazon reviewer ***** "Excellent spy novel... If you love Tom Clancy and Ludlum, I think you'll really ...

Bounder: n. Old-fashioned British slang a morally reprehensible person, unscrupulous, a cad. In this latest volume of Murder Tales, H. N. Lloyd turns his attention to those killers who used charm and good manners to ensnare their victims in intricate webs of lies, deceit, broken promises, bigamous marriages all eventually leading to some of the most bloody murders in the annals of crime. Murder Tales: The Bounders, examines ten chilling true tales of murder, including: George Joseph Smith: The infamous brides in the bath murderer, whose mesmeric charm led to his drowning three wives on ...