British Crime Fiction

All chess games end in a murder... It's 1920, the murders of a trade unionist, a knight and a bishop shock Britain. The finger of blame seems to point to Russia. As the body count rises, Kit Aston plays a deadly game of chess with a Russian grandmaster where checkmate is a matter of life or death. The latest Kit Aston whodunnit is a gripping historical crime thriller, full of twists and hilarious one liners which fuses classic murder mystery with a spy novel. The Kit Aston mysteries mix real life historical characters and events with crime thrillers full of red herrings. No books are the ...

When a body is discovered during the building of the new Govan-Partick Bridge, it forces the reopening of a case that DCI Lomond would rather forget.

London, 1930. The five greatest women crime writers have banded together to form a secret society with a single goal: to show they are no longer willing to be treated as second class citizens by their male counterparts in the legendary Detection Club. Led by the formidable Dorothy L. Sayers, the group includes Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham and Baroness Emma Orczy. They call themselves the Queens of Crime. Their plan? Solve an actual murder, that of a young woman found strangled in a park in France.

In July 1949, an unpopular and deeply unpleasant man is stabbed to death in the courthouse of an English city. As the murder has been committed in a room to which the general public doesn’t have access, it seems probable that the culprit is someone involved with the business of the courts. Suspects include a number of lawyers, police officers, and magistrates. For various reasons, the local Chief Constable decides to ask Scotland Yard to investigate the murder. Chief Inspector Philip Bryce and Sergeant Alex Haig are assigned to the case. Theirs is a recent partnership, but the two men ...

There's a new man in charge at Bow Street Magistrates' Court and all is not well. His ambition is to split up Lavender and Woods—and to add to Lavender's woes, someone is leaking exaggerated stories about his investigations to The Times. Lavender is tasked with solving the theft of an aristocrat's precious jewels, while Woods is instructed to track down a libeler. But after a series of vicious murders and surprising coincidences, they discover that these apparently unconnected crimes have more in common than they could ever have imagined.

How long can you live in fear, always peering over your shoulder? The gruesome murder of Lizzie Rice, the mother of one of Belfast's most notorious crime kingpins, threatens to unleash a powder keg of violence on the city's streets. With riots erupting and a growing body count, each victim meeting a similarly brutal end, it becomes abundantly clear that DCI Ian Wilson and his dedicated Murder Squad are facing a chilling and cunning serial killer. To outsmart this ruthless murderer, Wilson must navigate both the labyrinthine corridors of the past and the shadows of his own present. "Death to...

Judgement is in the eye of the beholder Adrian Harvey, London wine merchant, has lost the Christmas spirit. Someone is stalking him, stealing his post and vandalising his shop. When the police question him after an anonymous tip-off, he's more than anxious. He's scared. And who is that nun? Long time neighbour and friend DI Beatrice Stubbs is dispatched to Germany to investigate a series of apparently related art thefts, so Adrian seizes the chance to flee the city. He follows her to Hamburg to do some Christmas shopping and visit his ex. Yet the stalker is still on his heels. While ...

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "A well-written, gripping story. Great characters, great location and plenty of drama." ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "A stunning crime and mystery debut with twists and turns to keep you turning the pages." Exe Marks the Spot is perfect for fans of crime, mystery and detective stories by authors like Richard Osman, Ian Moore, Sarah Yarwood-Lovett, Fiona Leitch and Robert Thorogood. A disappearance. A murder. Two mysteries connected. Meet Angus Darrow, straight-laced, ex-police detective, turned private investigator. He’s hired to find a missing vulnerable ...

SPIDER MOUTHDI FRED FAIRSERVICE has just returned from holiday when he’s confronted with several mysterious deaths; the mutilated dead body of a junkie, the apparent suicide of a housewife, and the murder of a cannibal, kicks off the strangest investigation of his dark and brutal career. But the strangest element of the case is the connection to the deaths of several old men and women who are found with spiders placed in their mouths.

The best-kept secrets are the deadliest. When a private boarding school pupil drowns in a lake on the grounds, DI Fiona Williams is called in to investigate. Security around the school grounds is tight, making it a closed community. Fiona thinks the death was due to a secret society initiation rite that went wrong, but the school denies the societies exist, and her investigation hits a wall of silence. A second pupil dies, but the silence continues. The school is concerned with its reputation and upholding traditions, the influential parents care only about protecting their children, and ...

FROM THE AUTHOR OF RATCATCHER AND OMEGA DOG ***** "Masterful nonstop actioner... superb, intelligent and filled with energy." - O. Barnack, Amazon reviewer ***** "...Knocks the ball right over the deepest part of the left field fence... an old-fashioned page turner filled with chills, thrills and suspense..." - William Wallace, Goodreads reviewer ***** "What a fantastic read!" - Leevora, Amazon reviewer ***** "Awesome book... This is one book you don't want to miss out on!" - Adam Stairs, Amazon reviewer ***** "Excellent spy novel... If you love Tom Clancy and Ludlum, I think you'll really ...

Set within the mysterious beauty of coastal Norfolk, this fast-paced British detective novel is a dark murder mystery with a little humor and a touch of romance, one that will keep you guessing until the very end when the final shocking twist is revealed. The Dead Call is the sixth novel in the Hidden Norfolk series of thrillers from Amazon number one best-selling crime writer JM Dalgliesh, the author of the Dark Yorkshire books.

Carrie Singleton is just about done with Clover Ridge, Connecticut until she is offered a job as the head of programs and events at the spooky local library, complete with its own librarian ghost. Her first major event is a program presented by a retired homicide detective, Al Buckley, who claims he knows who murdered Laura Foster, a much-loved part-time library aide who was bludgeoned to death 15 years earlier. As he invites members of the audience to share stories about Laura, he suddenly keels over and dies.

In the heart of the Staffordshire Peak District, a sinister secret lurks beneath the tranquil surface… When nineteen-year-old Tilley McCleave disappears without a trace, the historic market town of Leek is in shock. Detective Jessica Ryan is assigned the case, but things take a chilling turn when she discovers a horrifying connection to five women who were abducted. Four remain lost, their fates unknown, while one survivor’s harrowing tale is etched into her traumatised soul. Haunted by her ordeal, lone escapee Heidi Dawson has spent years confined to a psychiatric hospital. Could her ...

London’s Commissioner of Metropolitan Police, Sir John Appleby, is invited on a break to the Scottish Highlands for a trout-fishing weekend but his detective skills are soon put to the test when he discovers the body of their host, and all the guests seem to have a motive for murder....

Charlotte Lockwood and Angus Darrow, private investigators based in Exeter, Devon, are approached by a convicted murderer who insists that he's innocent. The case is a cold one, and all evidence points towards his guilt. With their investigative skills put to the test, Lockwood and Darrow must delve deep into the past to uncover new leads and evidence. But the more they dig, the more confusing the case becomes. As they unravel the mystery, they begin to question whether the convicted murderer is telling the truth or simply trying to manipulate them. Can they uncover the truth behind the ...

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.

When Miss Violet Montgomery, daughter of late Hatton Garden Jeweller Harry Montgomery, writes to Sherlock Holmes asking for his help in solving a theft from her family home, the famous detective takes little persuading to agree to the case. Unbeknownst to Miss Violet, two years previously – and a few weeks before her father’s death – Harry Montgomery had written a similar letter to Holmes, who was abroad at the time and unable to assist. Harry and Violet’s pleas share a common thread, as each refer to the loss of a curious red pin...

Smoke hides many truths … and many sins … After a case of industrial espionage leads to a manic pursuit gone fatally wrong, private investigator Thomas Blume is forced to face the agonizing pain of his role in a seemingly innocent bystander’s death. But when the victim’s wife shows up the next day suggesting a mysterious deeper conspiracy with much more going on beneath the surface, Blume is drawn into a case involving dangerous organized criminals, a seedy London underworld, and gangsters with nothing to lose. Now, with police closing in and a mob boss hunting him, can Blume ...

Claire Barclay is enthusiastic about her British Mystery Book Tour business. She enjoys taking her guests, usually from America, to the settings of mystery novels where bodies are long dead. Her neighbor's plea for help to deal with a recently murdered well-known author unsettles her. She leaves the body to the police and takes her guests to Cornwall, including a British tourist who far is too interested in the dead author.