Showing results by author "Rachel McLean" in All Categories

With a long-term target finally in custody and the appearance of a key witness, DI Zoe Finch might have expected everything else to fall into place. But when the body of a man she knows is found inside the Port of Workington, the investigation takes her team in some unexpected directions, and working with unlikely allies. Why was he killed? Is there a connection with the missing mother of a local businessman? Can Zoe’s team even keep the case in the face of a bitter territorial spat?

Meet DCI Lesley Clarke. She’s a straight-talking city copper who doesn’t suffer fools gladly… and she’s been transferred to rural Dorset. After being injured in a bomb attack, Lesley is presented with a choice — early retirement, or a period of respite in a calmer location. But things don’t stay calm for long. Before she’s even started her new job, Lesley is dragged into investigating a murder at one of England’s most iconic landmarks, the imposing Corfe Castle.

DI Zoe Finch has a lot on her plate. New job, new team, new county. And on day one, she’s plunged straight into a murder investigation. Zoe has to hit the ground running. She needs to manage a new team with its fair share of challenges, get to grips with a new boss who might not be all she seems, and worry about her reputation following her north to Cumbria. Can she settle in quickly enough to solve the murder and quell local tensions, as well as coping with an unfamiliar environment? The Harbour is book 1 in an exciting new series for the star of the bestselling DI Zoe Finch series.

Christmas in Birmingham means the Frankfurt Christmas Market. Loved and hated by brummies in equal measure, it certainly makes life interesting for West Midlands Police. But when the body of a homeless man is found behind a market stall early one Sunday morning, it looks like Christmas might be cancelled for DI Zoe Finch and her team. And when they discover that the victim has a history that makes his death politically sensitive, things get even more complicated.

When a young man is found dead at Birmingham University, the police initially think it's a drug overdose. But when DI Zoe Finch learns that the victim was accused of raping a fellow student, she starts to suspect this might not be so straightforward. Suspicion falls on the rape victim, but when she provides an alibi, Zoe's team. must look elsewhere. And then another man dies in the same way... Does someone want to teach these men a lesson? And if so, who?

Who killed DCI Mackie? DCI Lesley Clarke thinks she’s close to solving her predecessor’s murder. But when the body of a police officer connected to the crime turns up in the abandoned village of Tyneham, the case steps up a gear. And when someone she's close to is threatened by the killer, Lesley’s quest for the truth becomes even more urgent. Can Lesley convince her senior officers of the truth, keep her team on track and protect her family?

It's summer and Lyme Regis is rammed with tourists. DC Tina Abbott is hoping her kids can have some fun on the beach with their granny Annie, who in turn is enjoying time with her swimming club. But then Annie and her friends’ morning swim is disturbed when they spot the body of local artist Clifford Muldoon, floating near the Cobb. Tina has things under control. But Annie, emboldened by her involvement in Lyme Regis’s last murder case, wants to get involved. And could the swimmers have information that might help solve the crime?

Diana Bakewell and Zaf Williams are cementing their reputations as London's best tour guides. They've also learned that they're not bad at solving mysteries. But when Kamran Dadashov, the father of Zaf's new boyfriend, hires them for a tour, they know they need to pull out all the stops. The group consists of three wealthy men, old friends and occasional rivals. They aren't just seeing London's sights: there's a challenge, involving a race, postcards, and an egg sandwich.

The Susannah Ramsay and Sadie Dawes cases are solved and DCI Lesley Clarke's team is back together. But there are tensions. Is Dennis hiding more than just mental health problems? Did Superintendent Carpenter cover up the details of DCI Mackie's death? And does Lesley's girlfriend Elsa know more about Mackie than she's letting on? Just as Lesley feels she is getting closer to answers, she's forced to work on the other side of Dorset after a body is uncovered by a landslide at Lyme Regis's beach. Who is the body and is there a connection to DCI Mackie, Arthur Kelvin, and Elsa's law firm?

DI Jade Tanner is finally allowing herself to be happy. She’s got a new relationship and is balancing being a single mum and heading up the Complex Crimes Unit. But her team aren’t doing so well. Petra has made yet another relationship misstep and DS Mo Uddin is teetering on the brink of depression. Then a body is found at Lochranza Castle on the Isle of Arran. Somehow the killer has placed a boat inside the castle and the body inside the boat, in a way that suggests ritual. The victim is a member of an eco encampment a mile away, a group with secrets and tensions brewing.

DI Zoe Finch is settling into her new role in Cumbria CID. She’s solved her first murder with the help of her new team, averted a potential riot, and is starting to learn who she can trust inside Cumbria Police – and who she can’t. But when a businessman and former miner is found dead at a new mine that’s the focus of local protest, Zoe is presented with a new challenge. Her boss is trying to play the death down, and she’s being encouraged to ignore leads by colleagues whose motives seem increasingly suspicious. Zoe’s sure they’re wrong.

DCI Lesley Clarke is a busy woman. She's dealing with the reopened investigation into DCI Mackie's death, supporting DS Dennis Frampton through recurring mental health problems, and making plans for her own future. And then prominent crime boss Arthur Kelvin is found dead at a local beauty spot. Who killed him? Could it have been a member of his own gang? A rival, from within Dorset or further afield? Or maybe one of Kelvin's many victims? When Lesley starts to suspect that someone close to her might be involved, her world turns on its head.

When a body is found draped over Swanage’s iconic Globe monument, DCI Lesley Clarke is called in. A message points to the motive: Go Home. Is this a hate crime? Or something closer to home? Lesley must find the killer before he or she strikes again, all while dealing with a mutiny in her team and political pressure from her boss. At the same time, a local journalist has been investigating the death of Lesley's predecessor — and claims to have key information. Wary of involving her team, Lesley brings in her old colleague Zoe Finch to help.

DCI Lesley Clarke has promised her new wife that their Scottish honeymoon won’t be spoiled by murder investigations. But when she’s out for a walk on the first day and finds a body, she can’t help but be dragged into a case. The investigation is taken on by DI Jade Tanner and Dr Petra McBride of the Complex Crimes Unit, along with Lesley’s old colleague DS Mo Uddin. Can the team discover who killed the woman floating in the loch? And will Lesley’s marriage be jeopardised by her obsession with the job before it’s even begun?

Fresh from solving not one but two murders at London landmarks, tour guide Diana Bakewell is apprehensive when a typo forces her to take two groups on two very different tours. The first group are bridge afficionados, in London to cram in as many bridges as they can cross in Chartwell and Crouch’s vintage Routemaster bus. The second is a group of Bridget Jones fans keen to explore the locations from the book and films. But then as they’re crossing the iconic Tower Bridge, a mysterious death plunges both groups into chaos. How did the victim get onto the top deck of the bus?

DI Jade Tanner's new Complex Crimes Unit is finding its feet. DS Mo Uddin is settling into his new Scottish home, Dr Petra McBride has stopped receiving anonymous calls, and Jade is working to support her son over the loss of his dad. But then a mysterious crime is added to their workload. The body of a young man is discovered at the top of Dunsinane Hill, with soil from Birnam Wood in his pockets. The two sites are sixteen miles apart, so this is no fluke. Petra and Jade immediately spot the Macbeth reference.

Abbey Road. Site of the iconic studio where The Beatles recorded, plus THAT zebra crossing. Without access to their beloved Routemaster buses, Diana and Zaf are hopeful that they can attract business to Chartwell and Crouch tours by hosting tours of the studio. And Diana has the connections to make it happen... But then on a tour of the studio, they hear disturbing noises from a recording booth. And moments later, an old friend of Diana's is found dead.

When Alison Osman takes her children on a trip to Cadbury World, she thinks their squabbling is her worst problem. But when she turns to find them gone, she's plunged into every mother's worst nightmare. And then the message arrives, telling Alison she has three days to choose one of her children. Detective Inspector Zoe Finch and her team need to find answers, and fast. Why is Alison's police officer husband behaving suspiciously? If the children's father died in a climbing accident, why was there no body?

DCI Lesley Clarke has promised her new wife that their Scottish honeymoon won’t be spoiled by murder investigations. But when she’s out for a walk on the first day and finds a body, she can’t help but be dragged into a case.

It's Christmas in Lyme Regis, and DC Tina Abbott is looking forward to some well-earned time with her family. But then her mum Annie, true to form, reports a crime. The pottery shop has been broken into and the owner Peg, Annie's friend, attacked. The evidence is scant. A solitary fingerprint in blood, but nothing stolen, at least as far as the police can tell. But when Annie discovers a gaudy pottery reindeer that was left at the scene of the crime, she and her swimming club friends get drawn into the mystery.