LONDON SERIES
BRITISH MURDER MYSTERY
There can be little doubt about the level of premeditation involved in blocking up a boiler flue, or the collateral damage if the intended victim doesn’t live alone. When Rory Hamilton and Hailey Wilson are found dead at home, DCI Lawrence Forrester wonders which of them was the focus of the attack.
Rory was a wealthy man, and, with Hailey having died alongside him, his grown-up children stand to inherit everything. Did his money – and the knowledge that he was set to alter his will – motivate one of them to kill? Or does the explanation lie in Hailey’s past, and the ties she attempted to sever when she moved in with Rory after a whirlwind romance?
Not everyone can let go, as Lawrence knows all too well. Someone is convinced that he failed to secure justice for a young woman who died in an apparent accident a year ago, and is desperate to see him revisit the case.
And, in an effort to force his hand, they’re going after his thirteen-year-old daughter.
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When archaeologist Hannah Keane disappeared seventeen years ago, the police had only one suspect: the man she had been living with. Unfortunately, with no body and little physical evidence, they never succeeded in charging him.
Now bones have been unearthed at a site where he worked. But after all this time, will any clues remain? Or will a re-examination of the case simply reopen old wounds?
DCI Lawrence Forrester and DS Rebecca Palmer’s task is hindered by mistakes made during the original investigation, the difficulty of verifying events that happened almost two decades ago and interference from an unexpected source. Can they separate the lies from the false memories and finally secure justice for Hannah?
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The death of a fun-loving young jeweller seems to come as a shock to all who knew her. Family and friends can name nobody she was at odds with and nothing that was troubling her. Physical evidence also proves hard to come by, thanks to a fire that tore through the building shortly after her death.
As the days pass, it becomes clear to DS Rebecca Palmer and DCI Lawrence Forrester that the woman was not living the charmed life that those close to her would have them believe. Her estranged father has previously been charged with murder, the man whose photograph stood at her bedside denies knowing her and a recent social-media spat culminated in an alarmingly prescient threat.
Most incredibly, despite the fact one of her sisters hasn’t been seen in years, nobody has ever reported her missing.
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When DCI Lawrence Forrester receives the unwelcome news that a serial killer who previously eluded capture is active again, he is determined to focus all his energies on bringing the man to justice. But his efforts are hampered by a dispute over an unexplained death and the consequences of a co-worker’s ill-advised involvement with a suspect.
Meanwhile, a request to re-examine a seemingly unremarkable case introduces DS Rebecca Palmer to the clandestine world of dog fighting, where life is cheap and cruelty a watchword. And while motives for murder abound, people who are prepared to talk are few and far between.
Then, as the threads of that investigation come together, a colleague’s unauthorised investigation into a high-profile cold case leads to disaster – and a shocking discovery about one of their own.
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After a promising young journalist’s suicide is called into question, DCI Lawrence Forrester and DS Rebecca Palmer must investigate who else might have had a hand in his death.
Among those close to him, there seems to be no shortage of possibilities, from the stepfather he clashed with over money to the women he mistreated, and the friend whose secret he was threatening to share. But there is also evidence to suggest he had uncovered a much bigger story than those he reported for his local paper.
And what of the quirky artist who was, by all accounts, the last person to see him alive?
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When a gifted but troubled musician is found cradling his girlfriend’s battered body, opinion is divided over whether the prime suspect is the right one.
If he wasn’t responsible, who might have had reason to kill the young woman? And, given where she died, might she merely have been a pawn in a bid to incriminate him?
DCI Lawrence Forrester’s investigation is frustrated by the effects of drugs and alcohol on memories and attitudes, and by circumstances that make it all too easy for others to point the finger at the volatile musician. Then again, perhaps the obvious scapegoat isn’t a scapegoat at all…
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When the body of a teenage rugby star is found in the grounds of an exclusive private school, life at the privileged institution comes under scrutiny.
Who might have wanted the seventeen-year-old pupil dead? How did he get out of a secure boarding house in the middle of the night? And what was he doing in the woods around the playing fields at that hour?
DCI Lawrence Forrester and DS Rebecca Palmer’s initial enquiries reveal little more than the perennial schoolyard problems of bullying and less-than-friendly rivalries, but, digging deeper, they begin to suspect some of the six formers’ extracurricular activities involve more than the usual high jinks.
And, as the week wears on and the victim’s friends spin one version of events after another, evidence mounts to suggest that the boy’s murder is only one of several shocking crimes committed on school grounds.
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Beautiful and confident, Zoe Mitchell was on the verge of a successful modelling career – until, one night, someone strangled and mutilated the young woman in her bed.
During the early days of their investigation, DCI Lawrence Forrester and DS Rebecca Palmer uncover a string of disloyalties and a family divided by betrayal and cruelty. As more facts filter in, it seems likely that Zoe’s killer is chillingly close to home.
Then, as events take a startling turn, Rebecca finds herself more involved than she could ever have imagined.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sadie Gordon Richmond works as a subeditor – possibly the only job where you can find yourself legitimately consulting a map of Middle-earth or watching videos of armadillos during the working day. She lives in London with her partner and their cats, but dreams of one day setting up home in north east Scotland. You can follow Sadie on Instagram @sadiegordonrichmond_author
