Actress Caroline Fawley is enjoying life in her new role as 'the mistress of Alderley'. Her TV work made her popular and wealthy and she laps up the attention she receives from her new neighbours in the Yorkshire village, Alderley. And the romantic weekend visits from her boyfriend, supermarket heir Marius Fleetwood, provide the locals with something to gossip about.
But Caroline's idyllic life is shattered when a young man looking remarkably like Marius unexpectedly turns up on her doorstep. Within a few weeks Marius has gone missing and it isn't much longer before a body turns up...

Robert Barnard was born in Essex. He was educated at Balliol College Oxford and after completing his degree he taught English at universities in Australia and Norway. He currently lives in Leeds, Yorkshire.

Monsieur Pamplemousse is looking forward to a well earned break in the South of France courtesy of his employer - all he has to do is collect an artwork for Le Guide's Director. But when his contact falls to show and a dismembered body is washed up outside the hotel the holiday mood evaporates.

Monsieur Pamplemousse on Vacation is packed full of the charming blend of comedy, crime and cuisine that Michael Bond's creations have become famed for. It is something to be savoured.

'Monsieur Pamplemousse and his faithful dog Pommes Frites are true and original comic inventions.' The Guardian

Liverpool DJ and Private Eye is currently working on two cases: the first is to find out who is leaking information from the research department of a major pharmaceutical company, while the second involves a middle aged woman who claims to be being stalked. Then the woman is found dead, killed by a single shot wound - and there are clues suggesting that her death is linked to the death of a local singer. As the tension builds the action moves from Merseyside towards a breathtaking climax in the Costa Blanca.

Ron Ellis lives in Liverpool where he works as a broadcaster and lecturer. He is married with two grown up daughters. In his spare time he enjoys songwriting, photography and football. He is the author of twelve books; Single Shot is the sixth novel to feature Johnny Ace.

The latest in the series featuring Dr Clare Burtonall and male escort Bonn. Tile death of one of the syndicate's street girls arouses Clare's suspicions and tile disappearance of a young boy from a local children's home puts Martina on edge. Plus Clare's way of life is under threat - will Bonn provide her with the support she needs?

'A smashing new crime novel' New York Times Book Review
'Gash is on top form ... promises further entertainment to come' Publishers Weekly
'Brilliantly successful... reminds you of Brighton Rock' The Sunday Times
A smooth sexy suspenser... the promised series is cause for rejoicing' Kirkus Review
'Light years away from the Jovial roguery which has made his own but just as distinctive' Literary Review

The May Anderson hospital is the most controversial establishment in Bradfield. One of the few local clinics to offer abortions, it provokes strong reactions in the community. But when a young girl is gunned down as she walks out of the clinic, almost everyone is outraged. Who could do such a thing?
Reporter Laura Ackroyd and her policeman boyfriend, DCI Michael Thackeray, are both soon immersed in the case. It quickly becomes clear that the maverick surgeon who runs the abortion unit, is not a popular man - could the bullet have been intended for him? Is it something to do with the flamboyant American evangelist who has just swung into town with his rather intimidating entourage?
Ackroyd and Thackeray are convinced that there is more to the case than meets the eye. And with very different attitudes towards the subject of abortion, it is not long before the issues raised threaten to destroy their own relationship...

`A Patricia Hall novel combines the best elements of mystery detection and thriller in one novel ... They entertain with good detection, people to care about and a heroine of great courage and intellect.' Deadly Pleasures
`Hall's style is refreshingly clean and uncluttered, and her narrative achieves a powerful momentum as the layers of deception are stripped away. Her journalist protagonist is an intelligently realized character.' Times Literary Supplement
`Hall's characters have the smack-in-the-face quality of real life, are well-developed and, most importantly, co-exist with some very fine plotting indeed.' Crime Time

After a night out clubbing, the son of a wealthy local business man is knocked down and left in a coma. His father wants to know who supplied him with ecstasy and Michael Thackery is put on the case.
Meanwhile his girlfriend, Laura Ackroyd, is conducting her own investigation into the local drugs problem. The Wuthering Heights estate is controlled by the dealers and they undermine any attempts to improve life in the area. So it is no surprise when the local youth training project is targeted by vandals - but when heroin is found on site and the staff arrested, it seems as though things have started to get serious...

Newcastle based lawyer Eric Ward is surprised when an important local shipping firm, Goldsteins, pay him a large retainer to do some work for them. One of their ships, the Sierra Nova, has been 'arrested' and is unable to leave the port. The reason given for the arrest is that one of the crew, Edwards, has been caught smuggling drugs - but now he's been removed from the ship, why can't the voyage go ahead? Things get even more complicated when Edwards is killed on his way into the courtroom. Just what has been going on aboard the Sierra Nova?

Roy Lewis is a Welshman who now lives in the north of England, the setting for many of his novels. He has written over forty novels, including the acclaimed Arthur Landon series of mysteries.

Gillian Linscott's The Garden
A compelling and beautiful tale of the history of a garden. In the early C20th a landscape gardener falls in love with a wealthy married woman and sets about creating a stunning garden for her. Many years later a couple move into the Edwardian property on the Welsh borders and start restoring its dilapidated garden. During their work they make a macabre discovery and the true history of their garden is revealed.

When salesman Tony Silkstone confesses to murder the top brass of the Heckley police are keen to convict and close the lurid case. But Detective Inspector Charlie Priest is not convinced that things are as simple as they seem.
A hitman turns up in town, a juvenile car thief wreaks havoc and Charlie complicates matters further when he starts dating one of his colleagues. As links between his case and another murder emerge, Charlie pursues the trail and finds himself faced with questions about his own friends and his feelings towards them.

Praise for Stuart Pawson:
`Pawson is very much an author to keep one's eye on in future.' Birmingham Post
`An intellectual and earthy detective, Charlie Priest could well become for Yorkshire what Wycliffe is for Cornwall.' Publishing News `One of Yorkshire's best-kept secrets. Highly recommended.' Crime Time
`The story far outranks the usual police procedural.' Yorkshire Post

When Colinette Jones fails to return home and a body turns up half a mile from her house, DI Charlie Priest knows he has got to make the house call that every mother dreads.
Elswehere, Laura Heeley is found dead in a country lane, a single stab wound the only sign of violence. What could connect these two women, apart from their untimely deaths? And what is the link with a tragic sixties rock star? In a town constricted by the foot and mouth outbreak, Priest must find the killer before he strikes again.

Stuart Pawson had a career as a mining engineer, followed by a spell working for the probation service, before he became a full-time writer. He lives in Fairburn, Yorkshire, and when not hunched over the word processor likes nothing more than tramping across the moors which often feature in his stories.

Drew Slocombe's reputation for unravelling mysteries is widespread - so when Karen Slocombe's cousin Penn pays the family a visit he isn't just catching up with long lost relatives. Penn wants Drew's help to find another of his cousins, Justine. Justine and her mother, Roma, have not spoken for five years and Roma is unconcerned about her daughter's disappearance. Drew undertakes the investigation unenthusiastically but after an encounter with Detective Sergeant Den Cooper and the realisation that a small child is missing the case becomes a matter of urgency for all involved.
Set in the rural community of North-East Devon, The Sting of Death is a gripping tale that brings together the protagonists from Rebecca Tope's previous crime novels.

Previous Publications:
A Death to Record (Piatkus, 2001)
Grave Concerns (Piatkus, 2000)
Death of a Friend (Piatkus, 2000)

As part of a two-week staff exchange scheme, Peter 'Mad Max' Maxwell is swapping the delights of Leighford High for the altogether more sophisticated charms of local private school, Grimmonds. This is a school where the teachers wear gowns, a school with interhouse rugby, debating societies and fencing lessons. It's a far cry from his familiar comprehensive - Grimmods is steeped in tradition and dripping with money. But within a day of stepping through the imposing school gates, Maxwell has yet again stumbled upon an unnatural death.
One of the Housemasters has fallen from the school roof - but did he jump or was he pushed? Two days later another teacher is found floating in the lake and this time it's definitely murder. As the pack of journalists at the gates grows and parents start removing their children from the school, the Headmaster has his work cut out to protect Grimmonds' reputation. And when DS Jacquie Carpenter, Maxwell's girlfriend, gets assigned to the case he finds himself caught up in a complex police investigation and a tangled web of secrets.

Previous Publications:
Maxwell's Reunion (Hodder & Stoughton, 2001)
Maxwell's Curse (Hodder & Stoughton, 2000)
Maxwell's Ride (Hodder & Stoughton, 2000)