Books to Look Forward to from Pan MacMillian

August 2020

Mary McIntyre's disappearance tore the local community apart, inflicting wounds that still prove raw for those who knew her.  So when the present-day discovery of a child's remains are found in a peat bog south of Glasgow, it seems the decades-old mystery may finally be solved.  Called in to excavate the body, forensic scientist Rhona MacLeod uses the advances made in forensic science since Mary's vanishing to determine what really happened all those years ago . . . and who was responsible. One key person had been Karen Marshall who was devastated by her best friend's abduction. Questioned by the police at the time had led to a dead end and the case soon went cold.  Now the news of the discovered body brings the nightmares back. But added to that, memories long-buried by Karen are returning, memories that begin to reveal her role in her friend's disappearance and perhaps even the identity of the killer . . . The Innocent Dead is by Lin Anderson.

When I was Ten is by Fiona Cummins.  Twenty-one years ago, Dr Richard Carter and his wife Pamela were murdered in what has become the most infamous double murder of the modern age.  Ten-year-old Sara Carter - nicknamed the Angel of Death - spent eight years in a children's secure unit and is living quietly under an assumed name with a family of her own.  Now, on the anniversary of the trial, a documentary team has tracked down her older sister Shannon Carter, compelling her to break two decades of silence.  Her explosive interview sparks national headlines and journalist Brinley Booth, a childhood friend of the Carter sisters, is tasked with covering the news story.  For the first time, the three women are forced to confront what really happened on that blood-soaked night - with devastating consequences for them all.

Witness is by Mandasue Heller.  Holly Evans and her over-protective mother, Josie, are living a hand-to-mouth existence, moving constantly from one squalid dump to the next. When they move into an illegally sub-let council flat in Manchester's rough Lansdowne Estate, Holly finally feels settled for the first time in her life - even if she is forbidden to go out, or even open the front door to callers when her mum's at work due to fear of eviction. Increasingly cut off from friends at school, she soon feels isolated and alone in the world.  But Holly is about to make a new friend in Suzie - the glamorous woman who lives directly across the road who Holly witnesses being beaten up by her violent boyfriend. When it happens a second time, it's Holly that Suzie turns to for help. A bond is quickly formed between the pair, but there are things about Suzie that don't quite add up and Holly begins to suspect that there is more to this woman than meets the eye. Then Holly makes a shocking discovery about her past, which turns her entire world upside down, and she no longer knows who she can trust . . .

September 2020

The Darkest Evening is by Ann Cleeves.  Driving home during a swirling blizzard, Vera Stanhope's only thought is to get there quickly.  But the snow is so heavy; she becomes disoriented and loses her way. Ploughing on, she sees a car slewed off the road ahead of her. With the driver's door open, Vera assumes the driver has sought shelter but when she inspects the car she is shocked to find a young toddler strapped in the back seat.  Afraid they will freeze, Vera takes the child and drives on, arriving at Brockburn, a run-down stately home she immediately recognizes as the house her father Hector grew up in.  Inside Brockburn a party is in full swing, with music and laughter to herald the coming Christmas. But outside in the snow, a young woman lies dead and Vera knows immediately she has a new case. Could this woman be the child's mother, and if so, what happened to her?

Savage Kiss is by Roberto Saviano.  Nicolas Fiorilla and his gang of children - his paranza - control the squares of Forcella after their rapid rise to power. But it isn't easy being at the top.  Now that the Piranhas have power in the city, Nicolas must undermine the old families of the Camorra and remain united among themselves. Every paranzino has his own vendettas and dreams to pursue-dreams that might go beyond the laws of the gang. A new war may be about to break out in this city of cutthroat bargaining, ruthless betrayal, and brutal revenge. 

October 2020

Hidden in Plain Sight is by Jeffery Archer.  William Warwick has been promoted to Detective Sergeant, but his promotion means that he, along with the rest of his team, have been reassigned to the Drugs Squad. They are immediately tasked with apprehending Ahmed Rashedi, a notorious drug dealer, who operates his extensive network out of South London.  As the investigation progresses, William runs into enemies old and new: Adrian Heath, from his school days, now a street dealer who he convinces to turn informer; and financier Miles Faulkner, who makes a mistake that could finally see him put behind bars. Meanwhile, William and his fiancée Beth enjoy making preparations for their upcoming wedding, though an unpleasant surprise awaits them at the altar.  As William's team closes the net around a criminal network like none they have ever faced before, he devises a trap they would never expect, one that is hidden in plain sight . . .

To the outside world, suave, charming and confident doctor Marcus Valentine has it all.  A loving wife, three kids, a great job.  But there is something missing, there always has been… or, rather someone…  Driving to work one morning, his mind elsewhere and it on the road, he almost mows down a female jogger on a crossing.  AS she runs on, Marcus is transfixed.  Infatuated.  She is the splitting image of a girl he was crazy about in his teens.  A girl he has never been able to get out of his head.  Lynette had dumped him harshly. For years he has fantasised about seeing her again and rekindling their flame.  Might that jogger be her after all this time?  Could this be the most incredible coincidence?  Despite all his attempts to resist, his thoughts are consumed by this woman.  And when events take a tragically unexpected turn his obsession threatens to destroy both their worlds.  But still he won’t stop.  Can’t stop.   I Follow You is by Peter James. 

Mimi Augello is visiting his lover when the woman’s husband unexpectedly returns to the apartment; he climbs out the window and into the downstairs apartment, but one danger leads to another. In the dark he sees a body lying on the bed. Shortly after, another body is found, and the victim is Carmelo Catalanotti, a director of bourgeois dramas with a harsh reputation for the acting method he developed for his actors.   Are the two deaths connected? Catalanotti scrupulously kept notes and comments on all the actors he worked with, as well as strange notebooks full of figures and dates and names. Inspector Montalbano finds all of Catalanotti’s dossiers and plays, the notes on the characters, and the notes on his last drama, Dangerous Turn–the theater is where he’ll find the answer.  The Sicilian Method is by Andrea Camilleri.

The Secret Life of Mr Roos is by Hakan Nesser.  At fifty-nine years old Valdemar Roos is tired of life.  Working a job that he hates, married to a wife he barely talks to. He doesn’t have a lot to look forward to.  Then, one day, a winning lottery ticket gives him an opportunity to start afresh.  Without telling a soul he quits his job and buys a hut in a remote Swedish countryside.  Everyday he travels to this man made oasis, returning each evening to his unsuspecting wife.  Life couldn’t be better, until a young woman arrives…. Anna Gambowska is a twenty-two year old recovering drug addict.  On the run from the rehab centre she hated and an abusive relationship, Anna’s prayers are answered when she comes across a seemingly vacant hut in the Swedish woodland.  But it’s not long before Anna’s ex discovers her location, and an incident occurs that mars the life of Anna and Valdemar forever.  Inspector Barbarotti doesn’t take much interest when a woman reports her husband missing.  That is until a dead body is found near the missing man’s newly bought hut, and Mr Roos becomes the number one suspect.  

November 2020

Defend or Die is by Tom Marcus.  When no one knows you exist, you don’t have to play by the rules… Meet former MI5 officer Matt Logan. Now part of a totally deniable Government organisation known as “Blindeye”, with full licence to do whatever it takes to neutralise threats to the UK’s National Security.  When intelligence comes through that the Kremlin plans to launch a terror attack in London, Logan and the team set in motion surveillance on a billionaire Russian oligarch who may be connected with the oncoming threat.  As they dig into the man’s life, they soon discover a network of incredibly dangerous individuals whose plans could tear the nation apart.  Battling personal demons of his own, Logan must defend his country from a terrifying enemy or die trying …

Also published in November currently untitled Agent Atlee Pine novel by David Baldacci

Books to Look Forward to from Pan Macmillan

January 2019

With a mind sharper than a razor blade it was only a matter of time before Ruby Darke fought her way to the top. From humble beginnings she became the queen of London's retail, but she didn't get there by obeying the law.  Now with her son Kit and daughter Daisy finally by her side she's ready to start a new chapter in her life, but, unknown to all of them, enemies are circling.  There aren't many who threaten Ruby Darke and live to tell the tale. But this time, she may just have met her match.  If you live on the edge, you may just die on it . . .  The Edge is by Jessie Keane.

It Should Have Been Me is by Susan Wilkins.  She thought she knew everything about her sister. It seems she was wrong . . .  DC Jo Boden was eleven years old when her older sister, Sarah, was brutally murdered during her first year at University. Her boyfriend, Nathan Wade, was convicted of the killing.  Now, sixteen years later, Wade is being released on licence and documentary film-maker, Briony Rowe, says she can prove his innocence.  The Boden family has never recovered from the tragedy, and they have always been certain that Wade is guilty. But Jo, who grew up believing her sister was perfect in every way, starts to question the evidence which put Wade behind bars. And perhaps Sarah harboured some very dark secrets of her own . . .

Blood & Sugar is the debut historical crime novel from Laura Shepherd-Robinson.  June, 1781. An unidentified body hangs upon a hook at Deptford Dock - horribly tortured and branded with a slaver's mark.  Some days later, Captain Harry Corsham - a war hero embarking upon a promising parliamentary career - is visited by the sister of an old friend. Her brother, passionate abolitionist Tad Archer, had been about to expose a secret that he believed could cause irreparable damage to the British slaving industry. He'd said people were trying to kill him, and now he is missing . . .  To discover what happened to Tad, Harry is forced to pick up the threads of his friend's investigation, delving into the heart of the conspiracy Tad had unearthed. His investigation will threaten his political prospects, his family's happiness, and force a reckoning with his past, risking the revelation of secrets that have the power to destroy him.  And that is only if he can survive the mortal dangers awaiting him in Deptford . . .

February 2019

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Seeking women ages 18-32 to participate in a study on ethics and morality. Generous compensation. Anonymity guaranteed.  When Jessica Farris signs up for a psychology study conducted by the mysterious Dr Shields, she thinks all she'll have to do is answer a few questions, collect her money and leave. But as the questions grow more and more intense and invasive, and the sessions become outings where Jess is told what to wear and how to act, she begins to feel as though Dr Shields may know what she's thinking . . . and what she's hiding. As Jess's paranoia grows, it becomes clear that she can no longer trust what is real in her life, and what is one of Dr Shields's manipulative experiments. Caught in a web of deceit and jealousy, Jess quickly learns that some obsessions can be deadly.  An Anonymous Girl is by Greer Hendricks and Susan Pekkamen.

After a hectic morning involving two rather irritating cases of mistaken identity, Inspector Montalbano finally arrives in his office ready find out what's troubling Vigata this week. What he discovers is unnerving. A woman on her way home from work has been held up at gunpoint, chloroformed and kidnapped, but then released just hours later - unharmed and with all her possessions - into the open countryside.  Later that day, Montalbano hears from Enzo, the owner of his favourite restaurant, that his niece has recently been the victim of the exact same crime. Before long, a third instance of this baffling overnight kidnapping has been reported.  As far as Montalbano can tell, there is no link between the attacker and the victims. So what exactly is this mystery assailant gaining from these fleeting kidnappings? And what can he do to stop them? Montalbano must use all his logic and intuition if he is to answer these pressing questions before the kidnapper finds his next victim . . .  The Overnight Kidnapper is by Andrea Camilleri.

March 2019

When Frank Peter's wife Maureen dies, he feels that his once-idyllic life on the Yorkshire Moors is over. And with a daughter emigrating to Australia and a son who has his own marital problems, Frank feels resigned to a life of loneliness. Then one night he finds a frightened young woman hiding at the back of his farmhouse. She explains that her name is Irena and was brought to this country by a man who promised her the world and then forced her into prostitution.  Frank offers her a bed for the night but it's the middle of winter, and when heavy snowfall prevents her from leaving the next day, he's forced to extend the invitation. But the longer Irena stays, the easier it gets for the men she's trying to escape from to find her.  People-trafficking could just be the tip of the iceberg, and Frank has no idea what these people are really capable of.  Brutal is by Mandasue Heller.

On a routine anti-poaching patrol, Sean and his tracker dog Benny watch in horror as over-eager rookie Tumi Mabasa is almost killed and her dog gravely injured in the explosion.  Along with Tumi and best mate Craig Hoddy, Sean is determined to hunt down the elusive bombmaker who has introduced this destructive weapon to the war on poaching.  But Sean is his own worst enemy. Haunted by nightmares of the war and wracked with guilt from driving away his ex-wife, Christine, he soon discovers she and Craig are in the midst of an intense affair.  And there's another enemy at play . . .  As bombs target Sean's team, can he get himself back on track and win the fight for Africa's wildlife - and Christine - before it's too late?  Scent of Fear is by Tony Park.

I Thought I knew You is by Penny Hancock.  Who do you know better? Your oldest friend? Or your child?  And who should you believe when one accuses the other of an abhorrent crime?  Jules and Holly have been best friends since university. They tell each other everything, trading revelations and confessions, and sharing both the big moments and the small details of their lives: Holly is the only person who knows about Jules's affair; Jules was there for Holly when her husband died. And their two children - just three years apart - have grown up together.  So when Jules's daughter Saffie makes a rape allegation against Holly's son Saul, neither woman is prepared for the devastating impact this will have on their friendship or their families.  Especially as Holly, in spite of her principles, refuses to believe her son is guilty.

Ray Celestin heads to New York City, for the third book in his award-winning City Blues quartet, The Mobster's Lament.  Fall, 1947. New York City.  Private Investigator Ida Davis has been called to New York by her old partner, Michael Talbot, to investigate a brutal killing spree in a Harlem flophouse that has left four people dead. But as they delve deeper into the case, Ida and Michael realize the murders are part of a larger conspiracy that stretches further than they ever could have imagined.  Meanwhile, Ida's childhood friend, Louis Armstrong, is at his lowest ebb. His big band is bankrupt, he's playing to empty venues, and he's in danger of becoming a has-been, until a promoter approaches him with a strange offer to reignite his career . . .  And across the city, nightclub manager and mob fixer Gabriel Leveson's plans to flee New York are upset when he's called in for a meeting with the `boss of all bosses', Frank Costello. Tasked with tracking down stolen mob money, Gabriel must embark on a journey through New York's seedy underbelly, forcing him to confront demons from his own past, all while the clock is ticking on his evermore precarious escape plans.

April 2019

FOR SALE: A lovely family home with good-sized garden and treehouse occupying a plot close to woodland. Perfect for kids, fitness enthusiasts, dog walkers . . .  And, it seems, the perfect hunting ground for a serial killer.  On a hot July day, Garrick and Olivia Lockwood and their two children move into 25 The Avenue looking for a fresh start. They arrive in the midst of a media frenzy: they'd heard about the local murders in the press, but Garrick was certain the killer would be caught and it would all be over in no time. Besides, they'd got the house at a steal and he was convinced he could flip it for a fortune.  The neighbours seemed to be the very picture of community spirit. But everyone has secrets, and the residents in The Avenue are no exception.  After six months on the case with no real leads, the most recent murder has turned DC Wildeve Stanton's life upside down, and now she has her own motive for hunting down the killer - quickly.  The Neighbour is by Fiona Cummins.

FBI Special Agent Amos Decker discovers that a mistake he made as a rookie detective may have led to deadly consequences.  Amos Decker and his FBI partner Alex Jamison are visiting his hometown of Burlington, Ohio, when he's approached by an unfamiliar man. But he instantly recognizes the man's name: Meryl Hawkins. He's the first person Decker ever arrested for murder back when he was a young detective. Though a dozen years in prison have left Hawkins unrecognizably aged and terminally ill, one thing hasn't changed: He maintains he never committed the murders. Could it be possible that Decker made a mistake all those years ago? As he starts digging into the old case, Decker finds a startling connection to a new crime that he may be able to prevent, if only he can put the pieces together quickly enough . .   This new book in David Baldacci’s Amos Decker series is currently untitled.

  

`My wife! I think she's dead!' Matt frantically calls to park rangers, explaining that he and his wife, Marie, were out hiking when she stumbled on a cliff edge and fell into the raging river below. They start a search but aren't hopeful: no one could have survived that fall.  It's a tragic accident.  But when police discover Matt's first wife also died in suspicious circumstances - a fire in their family home - they have a lot more questions for him.  Is Matt a grieving husband, or has he just killed his second wife? Detectives Loren and Spengler dig into the couple's lives to see what they can unearth. And they find that love's got teeth, it's got claws, and once it hitches you to a person, it's tough to rip yourself free.  So what happens when you're done making it work?  As Long as We Both Shall Live is by JoAnn Chaney

May 2019

Dead at First Sight is by Peter James.  You don't know me, but I thought I knew you . . .   A man waits at a London airport for Ingrid Ostermann, the love of his life, to arrive. Across the Atlantic, a retired NYPD cop waits in a bar in Florida's Key West for his first date with the lady who is, without question, his soulmate. The two men are about to discover they've been scammed out of almost every penny they have in the world - and that neither women exist.  Meanwhile, a wealthy divorcee plunges, in suspicious circumstances, from an apartment block in Munich. In the same week, Detective Superintendent Roy Grace is called to investigate the suicide of a woman in Brighton, that is clearly not what it seems. As his investigations continue, a handsome Brighton motivational speaker comes forward. He's discovered his identity is being used to scam eleven different women, online. The first he knew of it was a phone call from one of them, out of the blue, saying, `You don't know me, but I thought I knew you'.  That woman is now dead.  Roy Grace realises he is looking at the tip of an iceberg. A global empire built on clever, cruel internet scams and the murder of anyone who threatens to expose them.

June 2019

The Adventures of Maud West, Lady Detective is by Susannah Stapleton. Once famed as ‘the woman Sherlock Holmes’, Maud West opened her London detective agency in 1905 and sleuthed on behalf of society’s finest for more than thirty years. She had a keen eye for PR and her exploits grabbed headlines throughout the world. Beneath the public persona, however, was a woman forced to hide vital aspects of her own identity in order to thrive in a class-obsessed and male dominated world. As such, she was an extremely unreliable, if entertaining, witness to her own life. Interweaving tales from Maud West’s own ‘casebook’ with social history and extensive original research, the author investigates the stories Maud West told about herself and her work to uncover the reality of life as a female private detective in the Golden Age of Crime while, at the same time, peeling back the layers of Maud West’s glamorous public persona to reveal her true identity and the numerous hurdles she overcame in her ‘rags to riches’ rise to the top of a male profession. With walk-on parts by Dr Crippen and Dorothy L Sayers, Bolshevik blackmailers and Parisian gangsters – and a heroine as likely to be found eavesdropping in a suburban laundry cupboard as exposing police brutality in America – the result is a portrait of a woman ahead of her time and a deliciously salacious glimpse into the underbelly of ‘good society’ during the first half of the twentieth century.

At their wedding Mia and Roy Kapoor promised to love and cherish each other.  Whilst not perfect, their marriage is sacred and their commitment absolute.  But a knock at the door changes everything when Roy is questioned in the disappearance of a young woman.  As Roy and Mia's life unravels, they must question everything they know about each other if their marriage is to survive.  But what if the real truth is not what they, or you, think?  Your Truth or Mine is by Trisha Sakhlecha

What if someone could rewrite your entire life?  "My son has been erased." Those are the last words the woman tells Barry Sutton, before she leaps from the Manhattan rooftop.  Deeply unnerved, Barry begins to investigate her death, only to learn that this wasn't an isolated case. All across the country, people are waking up to lives different from the ones they fell asleep to. Are they suffering from False Memory Syndrome, a mysterious new disease that afflicts people with vivid memories of a life they never lived? Or is something far more sinister behind the fracturing of reality all around him?  Miles away, neuroscientist Helena Smith is developing a technology that allows us to preserve our most intense memories and relive them. If she succeeds, anyone will be able to re-experience a first kiss, the birth of a child, the final moment with a dying parent.  Barry's search for the truth leads him on an impossible, astonishing journey as he discovers that Helena's work has yielded a terrifying gift--the ability not just to preserve memories but to remake them . . . at the risk of destroying what it means to be human.  Recursion is by Blake Crouch.

Books to look Forward to from PanMacmillian

January 2018

Who are you when no one is watching?  When beloved high school student Lucinda Hayes is found murdered, no one in her sleepy Colorado suburb is untouched - not the boy who loved her too much; not the girl who wanted her perfect life; not the police officer assigned to investigate. In the aftermath of the tragedy, these three unforgettable characters - Cameron, Jade, and Russ - must each confront their darkest secrets in an effort to find solace, the truth, or both.  Girl in Snow is by Danya Kukafka

Eye for an Eye is by Kerry Wilkinson.  DI Jessica Daniel is tasked with multiple investigations while facing demons from her past.  Seventeen years ago, Damian Walker abducted five women because the voices in his head told him to. Now he has been declared sane and is about to be released back onto Manchester's streets with a new identity.  But within hours, there is another attack similar to his previous ones. Walker has proof it's not him - but is he reliable, and, if so, who is trying to frame him?  DI Jessica Daniel and her chief are given a parallel task to the main investigation: keep an eye on Walker - but that's not all Jessica has to do.  Rock star Blaine Banner is playing a series of homecoming gigs but is convinced someone's trying to kill him, while a bride-to-be is picketing the police station, demanding someone finds her missing fiance.  All the while, faces from Jessica's past are watching and waiting. Someone wants a word . . .

The Missing Girl is by Jenny Quintana.  When Anna Flores' adored older sister goes missing   Thirty years later, the death of her mother finally forces Anna to return home. Tasked with sorting through her mother's possessions, she begins to confront not just her mother's death, but also the huge hole Gabriella's disappearance left in her life - and finds herself asking a question she's not allowed herself to ask for years: what really happened to her sister?  With that question comes the revelation that her biggest fear isn't discovering the worst; it's never knowing the answer. But is it too late for Anna to uncover the truth about Gabriella's disappearance?

It's been raining for days in Vigata, and the persistent downpours have led to violent floods overtaking the Inspector's beloved hometown, sweeping across the land and leaving only a sea of mud behind. It is on one of these endless grey days that a man - a Mr Giuglu Nicotra - is found dead. His body discovered in a large sewage tunnel, half naked and with a bullet in his back.  The investigation is slow and slippery to start with, but when Montalbano realizes that every clue he uncovers and every person he interviews is leading to the same place: the world of public spending - and with it, the Mafia - the case begins to pick up pace.  But there's one question that keeps playing on Montalbano's mind: in his strange and untimely death, was Giuglu Nicotra trying to tell him something?  The Pyramid of Mud is by Andrea Camileri.

Save Me is by Mandassue Heller.  When Ellie Fisher misses her train home one night, she has no idea that being in the right place at the wrong time will change her life forever. That night she comes across Gareth, a young man about to take his own life, because as far as he's concerned there is nothing left to live for. Putting her own life in danger Ellie convinces Gareth that there is always something left. Her own life is no bed of roses, she explains, but she always pushes on.  However, good deeds aren't always repaid the way we want. Has Ellie unwittingly put her life in danger, or is the real danger a lot closer to home?

February 2018

Jakey escaped with his life and moved to a new town. His rescue was a miracle but his parents know that the Collector is still out there, watching, waiting . . .Clara, the girl he left behind, dreams of being found.  Her mother is falling apart but she will not give up hope.  The Collector has found an apprentice to take over his family's legacy. But he can't forget the one who got away and the detective who destroyed his dreams.  DS Etta Fitzroy must hunt him down before his obsession destroys them all.  The Collector is by Fiona Cummins.

  

March 2018

Fearless is by Jessie Keane.  Play dirty, play to win.  Josh Flynn is the king of the bare-knuckle gypsy fighters. His reputation is un-blemished; his fist a deadly weapon.  Claire Milo has always loved Josh, they were destined to be together from the day they met. Two gypsy lovers with their whole lives ahead of them. If only Josh would find a different way of earning a living instead of knocking the living daylights out of another man in the boxing ring. One day, she knew something really bad was going to happen. She could feel it . . .  Shauna Everett always wanted what she couldn't have, and nobody, especially Claire Milo was going to stand in her way. She's had her eye on Josh Flynn for years and she knew just how to get him. If it meant playing dirty, then so be it. What had she got to lose?

The war to save Africa's wildlife is fought on many fronts.  For former mercenary Sonja Kurtz the opportunity to head up an elite squad tasked with taking down the continent's poaching kingpins is a chance to strike at the heart of the enemy. Financed by British billionaire Julianne Clyde-Smith, the pair hope to bring about real change.  But as their operation progresses, the new unit's activities soon draws them into the firing line of The Scorpions. A ruthless underworld syndicate willing to do anything to protect their bloodthirsty trade.  When Sonja's love interest, safari guide and private detective Hudson Brand, is employed to investigate the death of an alleged poacher at the hands of the team, their mission comes under intense scrutiny. As darker forces come into play and the body count rises, Sonja is forced to consider if Julianne's crusade has gone too far and what she could lose if she continues with the increasingly bloody campaign . . .  The Cull is by Tony Park.

The Dales Detective Agency's latest assignment appears to be an open and shut case. Hired by a local solicitor to find a death certificate for a young woman who died over twenty years ago, Samson O'Brien is about to find out that things in Bruncliffe are rarely that straightforward. Particularly when the solicitor insists that Delilah Metcalfe, with her wealth of local knowledge, works alongside Samson on this sensitive investigation.  Delilah is eager to help. At the very least, the case will take her mind off the looming custody battle for her precious dog, Tolpuddle, and the threat of the bank foreclosing on her struggling Dales Dating Agency.  As Samson and Delilah begin their inquiries they soon become embroiled in a mystery that has lain at the heart of the town for decades. But in uncovering the truth have they exposed secrets that some would prefer remained buried? Date with Mystery is by Julia Chapman.

April 2018

The Fallen is by David Baldacci.  Amos Decker and his journalist friend Alex Jamison are visiting the home of Alex's sister in Barronville, a small town in western Pennsylvania that has been hit hard economically. When Decker is out on the rear deck of the house talking with Alex's niece, a precocious eight-year-old, he notices flickering lights and then a spark of flame in the window of the house across the way. When he goes to investigate he finds two dead bodies inside and it's not clear how either man died. But this is only the tip of the iceberg. There's something going on in Barronville that might be the canary in the coal mine for the rest of the country.  Faced with a stonewalling local police force, and roadblocks put up by unseen forces, Decker and Jamison must pull out all the stops to solve the case. And even Decker's infallible memory may not be enough to save them.

May 2018

When her best friend Billie is found murdered, eleven-year-old Thera - fearless and forthright - considers it her duty to find the killer.  Aided by a Ouija board, Billie's ghost, and the spirits of four other dead girls, she's determined to succeed. The trouble with Thera, though, is that she doesn't always know when to stop - and sometimes there's a fine line between doing the right thing and doing something very, very bad indeed.  Dead Girls is by Abigail Tarttelin.

The Favourite Sister is by Jessica Knoll.  Brett and Kelly Courtney are the shining jewels in a New York-based reality TV show called Goal Diggers. One of the most popular shows on American national television, its fiercely competitive cast of five self-made women are defined by their success, beauty and ruthless drive to reach the top by whatever means necessary.  The Courtney sisters' rivalry goes skin deep despite the blossoming business they have built together that helps disadvantaged women in Morocco. Harbouring bitter jealousies and dark secrets about their manufactured screen lives they're joined by three other hyper-competitive women who all have their own agendas. And the latest season promises sparks to fly in the quest for even higher ratings.  Vicious backstabbing, scathing social media attacks and finely-tuned scripting draw in the viewing public every week, all orchestrated by the show's omnipotent producers. But even they don't know that season 4 will end in murder . . .

A parent’s worst nightmare is Grace’s deadliest case. Shortly after Kipp Brown and his teenage son, Mungo, arrive at the Amex stadium for their team's biggest-ever football game, Mungo disappears. A short while later Kipp receives a text with a ransom demand and a warning not to go to the police if he and his wife want to see their son alive again. But as a massive, covert manhunt for the boy and his kidnappers begins, Detective Superintendent Roy Grace starts to realize that not all is what it seems . . .  Dead if You Don’t is by Peter James.

Matt Logan is an MI5 agent for the British government. Working on the frontline of counter-terrorism in the UK he's trained to protect its citizens against all threats.  When two brothers known operationally as `Iron Sword' and `Stone Fist' are suspected of plotting a major terrorist event, Logan and his team work undercover to track them down. If they fail, an attack will be unleashed that will rock the country to its very core.  Frustrated by always needing to obey the rules, Logan yearns for a way to break through the red tape that hinders their progress. His wishes seem to come true when he is offered the chance to join a new, deniable outfit known as `Blindeye'.  Then devastating news reaches Logan, throwing his world into turmoil. But one thing remains certain, he will join the team and become their fiercest, most ruthless operative . . . Capture or Kill is by Tom Marcus.

June 2018

The End of Sunset Grove is by Minna Lindgren.  Best friends Irma and Siiri are relieved when they can finally return home, but things have changed in the retirement home . . .  Sunset Grove is under new management, a sinister new organisation that promises spiritual enlightenment in return for donations from its residents. And the staff seem to have disappeared, replaced by new technology that remotely takes care of all of their needs, if only they could work out how to use it . . . The Lavender Ladies are increasingly suspicious of the new order and plan an elaborate act of sabotage. But their last hurrah has some drastic consequences - will the Lavender Ladies get more than they bargained for?