British Detective Mysteries

A quirky, dark-edged mystery full of twists, turns and playful surprises Max Black, retired stock broker and single parent, is facing a crisis. His daughter has left for university, and despite the companionship of his faithful Cairn terrier Monty, he feels panicked, untethered and not very well. His doctor tells him to get out more, change his lifestyle and find himself a job. Could Duntisbourne Hall, a rundown stately home recruiting tour guides, be the answer to his empty-nest syndrome? Joining the team of eccentric retired professionals who shuffle the general public around on tour, he ...

A missing informant. A dead woman. And a secret worth killing for... Detective Joe Hogarth’s most trusted informant vanishes without a trace, leaving behind whispers of an impending gang war. Then, a young woman is found dead by the railway tracks—a suspected suicide that feels all wrong. Hogarth doesn’t buy it. The deeper he digs, the darker it gets. A terrified criminal is on the run. A former Met officer makes a cryptic phone call—hinting at unfinished business from a 2012 London operation—and disappears before revealing more. Someone is cleaning house, eliminating anyone who ...

STAND-ALONE MURDER MYSTERY, #3 IN THE SERIES. MEET MAVERICK BRITISH DETECTIVE DI SKELGILL... "MAD, BAD AND JUST A LITTLE BIT COZY."WHEN A MAN IS FOUND STRANGLED by a climbing rope beneath the Lake District's notorious Sharp Edge, it is assumed he is the victim of a tragic accident. But Detective Inspector Skelgill suspects otherwise, and his fears are borne out when a second corpse is discovered close to Striding Edge. Soon it appears that a ritualistic serial killer stalks Cumbria's fells. As the body count increases, Skelgill must determine the connection between the seemingly randomly ...

When murder is served at a Scottish Burns supper, it’s not the haggis that hides the deadliest secret. Can an amateur sleuth catch the killer before they toast another victim? Antiques expert, Dotty Sayers, is thrilled to return to the Cotswolds to reconnect with old friends and run the auction house where her career began. She and her friend, Sergeant Keya Varma, organise a traditional Burns Night celebration, but things go awry when one of their guests meets his end before the first whisky is poured.When the new police inspector is pushed aside by headquarters before she can crack the ...

Suspicious Death is a murder mystery set in the quaint village of Ricketts in Hampshire during the 1920s. Dive into the world of Michael Harlow, an internationally renowned novelist and amateur detective, as he navigates the intricate web of secrets, lies, and hidden motives behind a shocking death. When the popular and wealthy Mrs. Weathers is found dead at the bottom of a cliff, the initial verdict of an accidental fall is quickly cast into doubt. Michael Harlow, called away from his holiday to cover the story for the Daily Courier, teams up with his cousin James Walton to uncover the ...

When an estate agent goes missing, her husband, a security consultant, is the chief suspect. But when DCI Tyler and DS Mills are involved, things rarely prove to be so straightforward. Estate agent Paula Lyons has it all. Young and beautiful, living in a dream house, in a desirable part of town, married to a successful hunk of a man, a recent promotion and plans to start a family. But leaving for work one morning, she never arrives. Her husband, John, a security consultant, reports her missing, and DCI Tyler and DS Mills investigate. Paula and John appear to have perfect lives, and everyone...

Late at night on a deserted Chester ring road, a man is run down and killed. But is it an accident, suicide, or murder? First thing next day Inspector Walter Darriteau is on the case. The dead man was a lay preacher up for promotion. Surely that couldn’t be relevant, but they are zealous and jealous in that game. Or could it be something more sinister? Why didn’t the driver stop? And the wife doesn’t seem too upset about it. Her main concern is the insurance policy that should pay off their mortgage. Where was she when it happened? “The Murder Diaries – Seven Times Over” is the ...

This four-book series of short murder mysteries, follows the adventures and lives of four detectives. Set in in the mid-1970s a small Norfolk seaside town provides the setting. Each book provides a complete story and each story focuses on the detection of at least one crime. Great for readers who like a short story with a satisfactory conclusion. The characters in this four-book series also provide a thread which links the books together.

STAND-ALONE, #18 IN THE SERIES. MEET MAVERICK DETECTIVE DI SKELGILL... "A COMPELLING BRITISH CRIME MYSTERY." A BLIND EYE TURNED, AN INJUSTICE DONE. High in lonely Swinesdale, notorious burglars Jake and Boris Baddun perish in a burnt-out stolen Mercedes. Known associate Dale Spooner leaves his biological signature and the predatory DI Alec Smart moves in for the kill. Spooner is convicted, and now languishes in jail. A rumour reaches Skelgill: Spooner is innocent and can prove it – a cast-iron alibi, a video on a hidden mobile phone. But Spooner will not talk. At stake is the safety of ...

STAND-ALONE MURDER MYSTERY, #5 IN THE SERIES. MEET MAVERICK BRITISH DETECTIVE DI SKELGILL... "MAD, BAD AND JUST A LITTLE BIT COZY."A SPATE OF VICIOUS ATTACKS upon valuable Herdwick sheep, the sudden disappearance of a foreign hiker, and the unexplained drowning of a woodland hermit – a series of apparently unconnected events – draw Detective Inspector Daniel Skelgill to the white-knuckle passes and isolated dales of deepest Lakeland. s straws in the wind suggest there is sorcery afoot – and a connection to an equally sinister trade in human traffic – Skelgill and his team risk dire ...

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...

A stand-alone mystery featuring DCI Peter Hatherall. It's hard to defend yourself when you have memory lapses, and everyone thinks you are crazy. Journalist, Megan Roach, is given a story by an old man in a nursing home that could make her famous. When her carefully constructed life starts to unravel, she is forced to confront her childhood demons and the possibility she could be a murderer. DCI Peter Hatherall uncovers a conspiracy that confronts his own beliefs and goes far deeper than Megan Roach imagined. But can he believe anything she says?

All chess games end in a murder... It's 1920, the murders of a trade unionist, a knight and a bishop shock Britain. The finger of blame seems to point to Russia. As the body count rises, Kit Aston plays a deadly game of chess with a Russian grandmaster where checkmate is a matter of life or death. The latest Kit Aston whodunnit is a gripping historical crime thriller, full of twists and hilarious one liners which fuses classic murder mystery with a spy novel. The Kit Aston mysteries mix real life historical characters and events with crime thrillers full of red herrings. No books are the ...

The Phantom is back... It's 1920 and a series of daring diamond robberies take place in London's fashionable West End by a thief who leaves a calling card. Kit Aston investigates, and this time he's brought his aunt... What seems a straightforward case spirals out of control as London gangland's 'Elephant Boys' become involved. Can Kit, his fiancee Mary, Aunt Agatha and a film-making chauffeur called Alfred succeed where Scotland Yard have failed? 'The Phantom' is a fast-paced whodunnit, sparkling with romance and humour. The Kit Aston mysteries mix real life historical characters and ...

A burglar is found shot dead in the home of Viscount Tallis, a wealthy industrialist. The man was equipped with a stethoscope, and appears to have been attempting to open a safe in the study. Tallis himself is in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, on his way to America on Government business. Although various members of his family are present in the house, together with guests, nobody has access to the safe – nobody even knows what it might contain. It isn't even clear if the safebreaker succeeded in opening it. Detective Inspector Tommy Rees is given the case. Rees is approaching ...

A crucified priest. A detective haunted by the past. A day of reckoning. When a priest is found crucified, following the desecration of local churches, hysterical media coverage focuses on terrorism, and a satanic cult operating out in the wilds of North Staffordshire. Panic grips the city. DCI Tyler and DS Mills are under pressure as the toxic atmosphere deepens. One line of enquiry, involving historic allegations against the murdered priest, is close to home for Tyler and threatens to tip him over the edge. But Mills has a hunch that could lead the investigation in a different direction, ...

In July 1939, three men are shot dead within a few days of each other. The incidents are all in Lancashire but in different police force areas. When it is eventually realised that the cases are linked, the various constabularies agree to call in the expertise of Scotland Yard. Detective Chief Inspector Adair, who has been holidaying with his wife and daughter in the same county, is tasked with investigating the crimes. These do not appear to be random shootings. It seems that the gunman has a motive for killing each of the victims. But what could that be? And is the grudge against each one ...

When a top Hollywood Agent is found poisoned in the bathtub of her home, suspicion quickly turns to one of her two nieces. But Carol Childs, a reporter for a local talk radio station, doesn’t believe it. The suspect is her neighbor and friend, and also her primary source for insider industry news. After a media frenzy pits one niece against the other—and the body count starts to rise—Carol knows she must save her friend from being tried in the court of public opinion. Even the most seasoned reporter can be surprised, and when a Hollywood psychic shows up in Carol’s studio one night ...

A Young Body. A Sinister Mark. A Mystery That Won’t Stay Buried. When a young woman’s body washes ashore on North Cornwall’s Summerleaze Beach, DI Verity Zennor discovers a haunting link to two other unsolved murders. All bear a cryptic mark, but its sinister meaning—and the motive behind the killings—remains a mystery. As Zennor races to uncover the truth, another gruesome discovery shatters the investigation. On a remote farm, Susan Quant’s body is found exposed to the elements. Well-loved but burdened by a shadowy past, Quant’s death unearths a tangled web of betrayal, ...

A missing child. A half-baked ransom demand. Can a community cop sift through the clues and rescue the tot before teatime? Sergeant Keya Varma’s culinary dreams come true as she joyfully opens her own café. And attending her sister’s wedding is the cherry on the cake. But her excitement sinks like a souffle when a customer’s little boy disappears. Shaken as well as stirred into action, the part-time police officer joins the search, but she’s shattered when even a ransom payment doesn’t bring the rug rat back home. For Keya, justice is served with a side of scones, but can she ...