Anne Cleeves
Another Man's Poison
Pbk published September 2000 by Allison Busby at £5.99
ISBN: 0749004363
A widow, Ursula Ottoway lives in a cottage, high up on the Cumbrian fells overlooking idyllic countryside.
But life is far from peaceful as her landlord, ambitious politician Marcus Grenville, wants his property back. Following months of harassment, one morning Ursula discovers that a rare bird and her two beloved cats have been killed by the illegal use of poisoned bait on Grenville's land and she threatens revenge ...
When Ursula's niece, Molly, arrives at the cottage the next morning, she finds her aunt's lifeless body slumped on the sofa. With her husband George, Molly decides to piece together a picture of her aunt's last days. Nothing can prepare them for the lifetime's worth of secrets they uncover before Ursula's killer is brought to justice ...
'A quietly entertaining mystery. The Sunday Telegraph
'Excellent' Spectator
Ann Cleaves took a variety of temporary jobs before qualifying as a probation officer for the Merseyside Probation Service. In 1987 she and her family moved to Northumberland; the area and its people providing the inspiration for her popular Inspector Ramsay novels. In the summer of 1999 the family moved to Huddersfield.
Paul Magrs
Modern Love
Pbk published September 2000 by Allison Busby at £9.99
ISBN: 0749004843
Modern Love follows the fortunes of a family through a 25 year period - it is a story
that encompasses family secrets, mysterious death, betrayal and brutal murder. A
powerful piece of writing, Paul Magrs asks many probing questions:
Has a child who commits murder inherited evil?
Why does someone take the blame for someone else's actions?
Where within the family should the blame for this evil lie?
This is a dazzling piece of fiction takes a fascinating look at the psychology of
murder and the position of violent crime within the modem world.
'Brazen, poignant, always entertaining ... Paul Magrs is endlessly inventive and often very moving' Patricia Duncker
Praise for Does it Show?:
'Magrs has a fine feel for the accidental rhythms and casual encounters of
modern urban life ... Magrs characters have the courage to make themselves
over to believe there is still magic in the world.' Erica Wagner, The Times
'Magrs has an eye for the absurd: but if his characters are eccentric, they are
also hearteningly human.' Sam Leith, Literary Review
Paul Magrs is a lecturer in English Literature and Creative Writing at UEA. He is the author of three highly acclaimed previous novels, Marked for Life, Does it Show?, and Could it be Magic, as well as a collection of short stories, Playing out, (all published by Chatto/Vintage).
Frank A. Smith
Stone Dead
Pbk published September 2000 by Allison Busby at £6.99
ISBN: 0749004312
Peter Foster's model girlfriend, Lisa Remington, has disappeared. 'Off working in
France,' he tells anyone who asks. But as time goes by, with no word from Lisa, it
becomes increasingly difficult to maintain the lie - especially when a body is found
buried beneath a pile of stones on Foster's property.
The dead man, Foster tells Chief Inspector Paget, is Sean Merrick, Lisa's estranged
husband, who has been trying to force her to return to him. Yet Foster swears he had
nothing to do with Merrick's death. As for Lisa, he still insists she is in France, but he
can't say where she is or how long she will be gone.
In search of answers, Sergeant John Tregalles goes to London, but what he finds there
turns everything they know about the case upside down . .
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Charles Spencer
Under the Influence
Published September 2000 by Allison Busby at £16.99
ISBN: 0749004835
Showbiz hack Will Benson's life is at its lowest ebb as he recalls wistfully his halcyon days as a cub reporter on the Esher Herald when the world was his for the taking. And the past comes flooding back as he learns that Henry - his hero at the Herald - has a hot Vermeer painting on his hands and is on the run. Determined to track down his friend and retrieve the priceless painting, Will braves a heavy metal gig and the worst dentist in the world to bring Henry to book. But Henry is a slippery customer and although drama is a fact of life for Will, the Machiavellian plot Henry has woven takes even his breath away...
Praise for Charles Spencer
'Scruffy, chubby, disorganised Benson is a shrewd and amiable
operator ... altogether highly entertaining.'
Marcel Berlins, The Times
'Hugely sympathetic and funny enough to make you laugh out loud.'
Philip Oakes, The Literary Review
'He crams in some delightfully nasty stuff.'
Gerald Kaufman, Daily Telegraph
'Excessively funny, extremely entertaining.'
T J Binyon, Evening Standard
Charles Spencer was born in 1955 and educated at Charterhouse and Balliol. After spells on The Surrey Daily Advertiser, London Evening Standard, The Stage and Television Today, he became theatre critic of the Daily Telegraph and was named Critic of the Year in the 1999 British Press Awards. His previou Will Benson novels are I Nearly Died and Full Personal Service.
Christopher West
Red Mandarin
Pbk published September 2000 by Allison Busby at £6.99
ISBN: 0749004320
When a senior Beijing official, posted to Hong Kong to oversee the handover of the colony to Chinese rule, is found floating in the harbour, battered and with his wrists manacled, Wang Anzhuang of China's Public Security Bureau is sent to make discreet inquiries. Are the Triads involved? Are the British Imperialists deliberately embarrassing the Chinese Hong Kong government-in waiting? Or is it something in the victim's past? As he battles towards finding an answer to the enigma, Wang comes up against powerful enemies and it becomes apparent that his superiors in the People's Republic of China would prefer the truth to remain hidden.
'Rich in research which West has the sense and skill to invest in a
splendidly paced and structured narrative.' Philip Oakes, Litertry Review
'Wang is, I think, destined to be one of the great fictional detectives, and
his gifted creator to be honoured as a wry, observant writer of sensitive cultural
insight.' James Melville, Ham & High
'One of the few decent works of fiction about Hong Kong.' Steve Vines, Hong
Kong Correspondent, The Independent
'if you can't get to Hong Kong, buy this book instead. If you can, take it with
you.' Alex Auswaks, Jerusalem post, Weekend Magazine
'A smoothly told tale with an exotic background and a subtle political edge
this has to be one of the more entertaining takes on the last few days of a UK run
HK.'
Calum Macleod, A Shot in the Dark
Christopher West was born in Germany in 1954. He did a variety of jobs
before going to the LSE as a mature student where he obtained a First in
philosophy. He then travelled to China: on returning, he wrote Journey to the
Middle Kingdom. This was followed by Death of a Blue Lantern, his first
mystery featuring Wang Anzhuang. Death on Black Dragon River and Red
Mandarin followed, and he has just completed a fourth novel featuring the
traditionalist Wang and his young, western-minded wife Rosina.
