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There's something decidedly sinister about the winner of Bath's best window display . . . Is it the hangman's noose or the dead body? Honey Driver is reluctant about judging Bath's best window display. But even she can see that the exquisite highwayman scene in the window of gentleman tailor Pauling and Tern, complete with hangman's noose, is the outright winner. Then just hours after accepting his prize, owner Nigel Tern is found hanging dead in his own display. Murdered. A popular ladies' man and savvy business owner, there's no shortage of angry ex-lovers and jealous shopkeepers with a grudge against Nigel - including his own father. Mr Tern Senior seems to have a solid alibi, but his lack of emotion over his son's death is puzzling. But before Honey and her detective fiancé Steve can investigate further, Steve's daughter announces she's engaged to her brand-new boyfriend, Andrew. Honey can't shake the feeling that Andrew's not who he says he is . . . Can Honey figure out the truth behind Andrew, and crack the case of Nigel Tern's murder?

Residents of Oldminster are horrified by the arrival of the city's first lady vicar, Reverend Stacey Williams. No sooner does she step foot in the ancient church that trouble begins . . . First there are violent protests. Next are several threatening letters. Then the font where Williams is meant to hold her first baptism is discovered filled with blood. Finally, a few weeks later, whilst performing Holy Communion, Reverend Williams keels over after taking a sip of the holy wine. The chalice clangs onto the altar steps as she lands, like a rag doll, onto the sanctuary floor. Oldminster's first female vicar is dead, most likely poisoned by her own wine! Suspicion immediately falls onto the many townsfolk who were so outraged by Williams' arrival. But could one of them really be capable of cold-blooded murder? The devil is at play, and it's up to Detectives French and Edwards to uncover the truth.

Former Detective Hillary Greene and her cold case team are handed an impossible case.Thirty years ago, two days before Christmas, the much-loved Reverend Keith Coltrane was hit over the head and left to die inside his own church. The killer was never caught.This shocking crime took place in the pretty Oxfordshire village of Lower Barton. Everyone knows everyone else in this peaceful little community. Who would have wanted to harm the young Reverend, who was handsome and popular - especially with the ladies of the village? No one has a bad word to say about him - apart from his younger sister.Now, Hillary and her team of misfits are ready to find out the truth. They uncover old secrets, jealousies and long-standing feuds in the village. Secrets someone will kill to keep hidden.Hillary is also hiding something - but she's finding it harder and harder to keep her own secret.It's up to Hillary to uncover the shocking truth in this coldest of cold cases - before old crimes turn to new murder.

A twisted killer. A deadly game. A detective who must break the rules to win.Detective Kate is sunning herself on the beach at an exclusive Mexican resort, feeling emboldened enough to shed her bikini top. Then she gets an anonymous text. Hi Kate, Are your detective skills as good as your boobs?Later that night, someone breaks into her hotel room and rifles through her belongings. And a woman plunges to her death from the balcony above.Is it all connected? Kate is relieved to escape the unwelcome attention and return home. But back in Somerset, she reaches into her coat pocket and finds a scrawled message: See You Soon, Kate.Has her stalker followed her home?Someone is watching Kate. They know where she lives, where she works. They seem to know her every move. But what is it they want?Then the local vicar plunges to his death from the top of the bell tower. Just like the woman in Mexico.The next day, someone calls the local paper: "I killed him."And Kate finds that she's an unwilling participant in a deadly game. She must enter the mind of a twisted killer and stay one step ahead of him.Because if he catches her up . . . she's dead.

An absolutely heartbreaking and uplifting First World War story of hardship and hope. 1912. Fifteen-year-old Kate Truscott waves goodbye to her family and leaves her small Hampshire village to become a nursemaid to five children she's never met. Her heart full of hope, she's looking forward to a new adventure. Life in town with the wealthy Winton family is very different to anything this simple country girl has known before. Mr Winton is strict but his wife is kindly, and Kate soon settles in. She enjoys looking after her mischievous young charges, and becomes firm friends with Clara, the eldest daughter. At the same time, she can't help but notice that eighteen-year-old Philip, the eldest son, is so very handsome. Kate knows that society would never accept a match between a wealthy banker's son and a lowly nursemaid. So when local gardener Archie asks her to walk out with him, Kate agrees - even though her heart belongs to Philip. Then war breaks out. Both Philip and Archie enlist in the army and head to France, leaving Kate bereft. When Kate discovers she's pregnant, she has no one to turn to. Facing the horrors of the workhouse, Kate's future looks bleak. What will happen to Kate as a penniless unmarried mother at a time when women are judged harshly and the men are away at war? The Country Girl is Sally Tarpey's debut novel, and is inspired by the true story of her grandfather's first wife.

A CAPTIVATING WW1 SAGA OF UNWAVERING STRENGTH. My cousin has been killed in action. We grew up together. He was like a brother to me. His poor mother, my aunt Eloise, will need me now more than ever. July 1916, Clifton Park. Soft-hearted Dorothea Kaufmann returns to her family home for the memorial service of her beloved cousin, Roderick, following his untimely death in France.She yearns to be reunited with her husband Johann, who she has not seen since the war began. Dorothea must stay strong for Roderick's heavily pregnant widow, Rosa, whose unborn baby will never know its father. She fears her dear Aunt Eloise will never recover from the death of her son. Soon, tensions mount as a dark secret arises. Rosa flees Clifton, leaving Dorothea to care for her two young children. The only thing keeping Dorothea together is the thought of once again being by her darling Johann's side. But then a letter arrives. And Dorothea's life will never be the same. How much more will be taken from her? Dorothea has always worn her heart on her sleeve, but one tragedy too many may just harden that heart beyond repair. ONE FAMILY'S STRUGGLE TO REMAIN UNITED IN THE FACE OF UNIMAGINABLE LOSS AND HEARTBREAK.

Meet Rina Martin, a retired actress with a taste for tea, gardening and crime solving.She played a TV sleuth for years, but now she has to do it for real.There's something strange about the scene . . . Famous artist Jean appears to have passed peacefully in her sleep as she rested against an old tree in the garden of her home, the Willows. Her legs are outstretched, hands tenderly clutching a small blue flower.But upon closer inspection, things don't add up. Where is Jean's trusty walking stick? She can't move anywhere without it. Why did she choose to slumber on the ground when there is a comfortable lounge chair nearby? Where did that blue flower come from . . . not from her garden, that's for sure.The clues soon point to murder. But dear Jean was beloved by the community, who would do such a thing . . . ? Her grandson is determined to uncover the truth and hires Rina to investigate.The trail leads Rina to a series of shocking secrets, stretching back over twenty years. And a murderer who still has unfinished business . . . Can our favourite amateur sleuth catch this killer before it's too late?

Honey and her detective fiancé Steve are visiting a pretty church in an idyllic English village, scouting out possible wedding venues. Trees, songbirds and the scent of flowers envelop them. But as usual when Honey is around, things are not quite as they seem . . . On arrival, Honey and Steve discover the vicar unconscious on the floor. When she finally comes around, the vicar tells a strange tale of a woman seen floating across the village green at twilight, in a pure white bridal dress. Honey and Steve are unsure what to make of it. The following day, Steve is called back to the village. An elderly woman has been found dead - sitting in the front pew of the church, dressed in a lavish wedding gown. Honey and Steve are about to tackle their strangest case yet.

The early hours of a freezing January night. Special Constable Jane Bell is at the end of a busy late shift when she's called out to investigate strange noises in a local park. She finds a wailing new-born baby girl dumped in a plastic storage box. That same night Detective Steph Warwick attends the murder of coach driver Bernie Gore, whose battered body is found in a narrow alleyway. The last thing Jane wants is to lock horns with Steph Warwick once again. Then vital evidence emerges linking Bernie Gore's murder to the abandoned baby. And Jane has no choice but to alert the sharp-tongued detective inspector. To solve Bernie's murder and track down Baby Elsa's mother, the two women must bury the hatchet and learn to work together. Matters become even more complicated when a prime suspect emerges - with close links to Jane's family.

A body swinging in the trees. A mysterious hit and run. Detective Cassie Rowan tackles the most disturbing case of her career.Just before dawn on a clear October morning. Detective Cassie Rowan is driving home, exhausted, after a gruelling night on duty. Her headlights catch a sudden flash of movement by the side of the road, a streak of bright, metallic blue. Cassie pulls over to take a look. For a moment, she thinks she imagined it: a body swaying among the trees - hanging from a branch.Cassie scrambles up the slope, already dialling emergency services. And stops short. The macabre sight that greets her is not what she expected at all . . .A week later, there's a fatal accident on the same stretch of road. Seventeen-year-old Damian Novak mown down in a hit-and-run. No witnesses.Something about Damian's death doesn't add up. Cassie is convinced that the hit-and-run and her mysterious swinging body are connected.Cassie discovers that Damian isn't the first local teenager to have died in strange circumstances . . . and he won't be the last.In each case, a sinister effigy of the victim appears a week before their death.Cassie is in a race against time to track down a brutal killer before they kill again.

In the midst of war-torn Belgium, an unlikely friendship is formed between four women as they struggle to survive the horrors of World War One.Belgium, August 1914.Modest in status but happy in love, Thérèse Aubel waits for her husband of 15 years to return from war.But he never comes home.Alone on her farm one Saturday afternoon, Thérèse hears the sound of distant thunder. But this is no storm, this is an invasion.Dinant is burning in the distance. For a while Thérèse stands motionless, watching the billowing smoke and the shells exploding like brief yellow stars. Then she turns towards home. Thérèse knows what she must do.Thérèse sets fire to everything she has ever known and leaves her home in ashes, with only her wedding photograph for company.To escape the German invaders, Thérèse embarks on a journey to safety where she meets three local women: dressmaker Clothilde, pregnant teenager Yvette, and elderly and confused Grand'mère. Together they seek refuge in an abandoned convent and attempt to build a new life out of the chaos that surrounds them.Different in character but united in their will to survive, the four women's courage and strength is pushed to the limits as they battle to overcome each treacherous obstacle in their path. But will it be enough to survive?

A mother lies brutally murdered in her ransacked, two-bedroomed flat. Beside her are the bloodstained bodies of the two police officers who were first on the scene. In the bedroom are the victim's two children, a six-year-old boy and a baby, slaughtered as they slept.And the killer is still in the flat.Paterson sets off in hot pursuit. But after a desperate rooftop chase, the killer escapes.The following day, another woman is found dead in her own home, her decapitated body carefully posed in her living room, her wrists pierced by crucifixes.Why were these women targeted?Paterson and Clocks have never had to deal with a killer like this. A killer who shows no mercy. A killer who can't be reasoned with. A killer who covers their tracks with super-human efficiency.If they are to get their man, the two detectives must break every rule in the book.At the same time, married life is not turning out as Clocks had hoped, and his newly-discovered son has just given him some very bad news . . .

I've always known Jack was different. Ever since he was eight years old and he killed his father. He was protecting me, just like I've always protected him. But now he's eighteen and this time he's gone too far. Steve is dead. He was a good man, and god, we could have been really great together - but now he's bleeding out on our kitchen table. I must keep my boy safe. No one can ever know what he's done. What he's capable of. But Jack's got a taste for killing. And I won't let him get caught. I'll do whatever it takes to keep him safe, keep him with me. Even if it means becoming a monster myself. What would you do if your only son was a killer? How far would you go?

Detectives Harry Lennox and Jess Wilde have never seen anything like it. The dead woman is dressed up like a Victorian doll. She's wearing a long, white dress, a bloodstained blonde wig, and a mask with red, cupid-bow lips. Beneath the mask, her face is beaten so badly it's unrecognisable. DNA identifies the victim as Lori Lansing, who was kidnapped three weeks ago. Her wealthy husband paid half a million pounds to secure her release - but he never saw his wife again. Then another young woman is reported missing. Could Harry and Jess be hunting a serial killer? Will Harry's past finally catch up with him? And will Jess find happiness with her new man?

It's Jemima's first day back at work after maternity leave. It was always going to be heart-wrenching leaving baby Finlay, but this is about to be one of the longest days of her life. Cardiff, early morning.Two men are abducted - not even ten miles apart. The first, high court judge Rory Lawson, is kidnapped on a quiet country road. From the blood in his car, it's clear he was taken by force. The second man isn't so lucky. His bound and gagged body is found in the middle of the motorway. In a case where nothing is as it seems, the one thing Jemima knows is that she must find the link between the two men. But the clock is ticking. Because time is about to run out for the missing judge . . .

Polly Pressman just got fired from her hectic 9-5 job in London. She's pulling pints in a dingy pub to pay the rent when she gets a phone call that changes everything. Her mum begs her to help an old family friend, John, with his struggling farm down in Kent. Polly's business skills might be just the thing to turn the place around. Polly arrives at Nightingale Farm trying to make a good impression in her best pair of heels, when she hears a furious shout. A very angry but not entirely unattractive man strides forcefully towards her, demanding to know why she left the gate open. John's gruff-but-hunky son Mark thinks Polly clearly has no business being on a farm. She's a city girl - what can she possibly know about mucking out animals? But Polly comes up with some great ideas to get the farm back on its feet. Then, one night after too much of John's homemade cider, Polly and Mark find themselves alone and unable to deny their attraction . . . The next morning Polly is embarrassed to realise she has no idea how Mark really feels. Was it just the cider talking? Then she discovers a shocking secret. If she speaks up, she risks ruining everything with Mark, but keeping quiet would mean John could lose everything. Polly must own up to the truth - and her feelings - if she has any chance of making things right and finding true happiness at Nightingale Farm.

August 1914, Clifton Park. Mrs Eloise Brannan refuses to believe there will be a war. For she knows what troubles and hardship it will bring upon her now grown-up children: headstrong Roderick and sweet Elizabeth, and their ever-patient cousin Dorothea. But war does indeed come, and Roderick is determined to fight. He secures a commission in France, leaving behind his pregnant wife, whose unhappiness at Clifton Park is no secret . . . Elizabeth remains at home with her mother, their once bustling house now almost empty. Even Dorothea has left for London to serve King and Country as a frontline nurse. A little over a year later. Looking through the windows at the beautiful September gardens, Eloise spots the Post Master's boy coming up the path. He's holding a telegram. What Eloise cannot know is that the contents of this message will irrevocably change her family's life for ever. But whatever happens, she knows the Brannans must stick together to survive.

Saturday morning. A rare day off for Detective Maddie Ives. She's about to have a relaxing shower with her boyfriend Vince when she gets the call: There's been another one . . . Ron and Sandy Blackman's brutalised bodies are found in the hallway of their isolated rural home. They've been stabbed multiple times; Ron's hands are tied tightly behind his back; Sandy has several fingernails ripped out. The safe has been forced open. This is the second house of horrors that Maddie and her team have been called out to in a matter of days. Four days earlier, single mother Maria was also stabbed to death in her own home - with the same murder weapon. Maddie's partner Vince was first on the scene. He finds Maria's traumatised daughter trapped under the floorboards. Jade saw everything - but can remember nothing. Maddie is convinced these aren't robberies gone wrong. These two families were specifically targeted, tortured for information. But what secrets was the killer so desperate to find out? The key to the mystery lies with eleven-year-old Jade. Maddie and her team are in a race against time to find out the truth before Jade's memories come back . . . and the killer returns to silence her forever.

From her home office in rural Connecticut, self-published thriller author Jillian Samuels dreams of writing a bestseller. Her tall, dark and handsome chef husband Teddy, and her BFF, Natalie, a glamorous PR woman always in six-inch heels, cheer Jillian on when her new book, The Soul Collector, is accepted by a New York agent. By night, she writes about serial killers. But then her stories begin to come true. Not long afterwards, crimes from her old thrillers start to really happen - two bodies are found covered in silver paint - one unconscious, the other dead. Some people on Twitter notice the eerie similarities to Jillian's previous books. Jillian's book sales are rising - but the police are asking questions . . .

A brutal killer who strangles young women and leaves their bodies strewn across London's parks. A killer who leaves his next victim's shoe beside the body of his last one. Detective Jack MacIntosh has seven days to find the truth. A young woman's body is discovered in Hyde Park. Wearing only one shoe. Close to the body, Detective Jack MacIntosh finds a black stiletto, diamante buckle glinting in the early morning sun. But it doesn't belong to the victim. Two days later, another young woman is found strangled to death in nearby Green Park. Wearing just one shoe - the matching stiletto. Hidden in the long grass beside the body, the police uncover a low-heeled court shoe. Detective Jack and his team are in a race against time to find the owner of the court shoe before it's far, far too late. At the same time, Jack is fighting demons of his own. Demons which rise up from the past and threaten to cloud his judgement just when he needs it most. Detective Jack is hunting a brutal killer. A killer who delights in playing cat-and-mouse games. Who will win this deadly battle of wits?