When controversial artist Nick Bassington-Hope is found dead, the police believe it is an open and shut case and his death from a fall is recorded as ?accidental?. But his sister is not convinced, so she turns to Maisie Dobbs for help, drawn by the investigator?s growing reputation for her unique methods of solving crimes. Moving from the desolate beaches of the English coast to the dark underbelly of post-war London, and full of intriguing characters,...

DI Vera Stanhope is not one to make friends easily, but her hippy neighbours keep her well-supplied in homebrew and conversation so she has more tolerance for them than most. When one of them goes missing she feels duty-bound to find out what happened. But her path leads her to more than just a missing friend. Originally published: London: Macmilla

Hand-picked by bestselling author Robert Crais, they showcase the best of contemporary crime-writing, from masters of suspense and stars of the future alike. Whether ingenious detective story or hardboiled noir, action-packed thriller or stylish historical mystery, these twenty stand-out stories should form the cornerstone of any crime reader's library. Stories from: Tom Andes, Peter Beagle, K.L. Cook, Jason De Young, Joe Donnelly & Harry Shannon,...

Fifty years ago, a group of teenagers spent a weekend on Holy Island, forging a bond that has lasted a lifetime. Now, they still return every five years to celebrate their friendship, and remember the friend they lost to the rising waters of the causeway at the first reunion. Now, when one of them is found hanged, Vera is called in. Learning that the dead man had recently been fired after misconduct allegations, Vera knows she must discover what the...

'The Child in Time' won the 1987 Whitbread Novel of the Year Award. In it, a young couple have their child snatched from them and are driven apart by despair.

Jan Hardy is 33, widowed and short of money, but determined to make a success of her life for her children's sake. She has managed, against the odds, to acquire a Jockey Club licence to train horses and sets out to carve a career for herself.

Leo Stanhope. Avid chess player; assistant to a London coroner; in love with Maria; and hiding a very big secret. For Leo was born Charlotte, the daughter of a respectable reverend. But knowing he was meant to be a man - despite the evidence of his body - and unable to cope with living a lie any longer, he fled his family home at just fifteen and has been living as Leo: his secret known to only a few trusted people. But then Maria is found dead and...

The privately-owned island of Gillibry off the North Devon coast is the perfect site for murder. A routine weekend visit by the Gillibry Bird Observatory Trust is made memorable by the owner?s announcement that he is going to sell the island. A sale would mean the end of the Observatory...and of all that, for some of them, made life worth living. A fire in Charlie Todd's cottage added to their distress. And when, next morning, after a fierce storm,...