Showing results by publisher "Bookouture" in Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Little Lorna Bell is from a notorious family on a rundown estate. Everyone thinks she's a nasty piece of work. The schoolchildren call her a thief. But Lorna's hair is matted, her shoes pinch her feet, and school teacher Claire Penny can't help herself; some kids just need a bit more support, a bit more love, than the rest. As the bond between teacher and pupil grows stronger, Claire sees Lorna's bruises, and digs to uncover the disturbing tale behind them. Heartbroken, Claire knows she has to act. She must make Lorna safe.

The flood waters are rising. And so is the body count… Police officer Fiona MacLeish has been ordered to step back from her role in Police Scotland. Haunted by the murder of her parents, she’s dangerously close to breaking point: and is back in her remote childhood home nestled in a valley on the Scottish border. But there’s a terrifying storm coming…

Her dark skin looks almost grey; the effect of the elements and death’s touch. Her limp body left pressed against a wire fence like trash. I make a silent promise that I will do everything I can to catch the person who did this to her. Exactly a year ago, Amy, a young detective on Detective Kate Matthews’ team, was killed when she was sent undercover to catch a serial killer targeting young girls. Kate never forgave herself for letting the killer slip through her fingers. As the case is reopened and the campaign to find the culprit begins again, Kate is told to stay well away, and for good reason: another girl’s body has been found.

It has been a week since anyone last saw 15-year-old Daisy, after she left her best friend’s house and started her short walk home. Detective Kate Matthews and her team have been looking for her ever since. When a tip-off leads Kate to a disused gymnasium building at Daisy’s school, she is devastated to find no sign of the missing girl, but, as she investigates further, what she does find among the dusty benches and broken lockers shakes her to the core: a side room covered in plastic and a small severed foot.

Tara has it all. Married and about to move into her dream home, she can't explain why she is tempted by one last fling with her ex before she settles down. David would do anything for Tara. So when he finds her with another man, his world starts to crumble around him. Ryan isn't prepared for the punch David throws at him. Stumbling, he slips over the balcony and falls three stories to the patio below. In one split second a man will be killed. In one split second David and Tara's life will change forever.

How do you catch a killer who knows your every move? She drew the curtains and returned to the kitchen where she removed the bottle of vodka from the freezer and reached for the large kitchen knife. If he dared to come back, she'd be ready for him. When a body is found hanging in the remains of a dock-side warehouse, detective Kate Matthews is called to the scene.

Mary has everything. Beautiful and rich, she lives on an exclusive street in the heart of the city, in a house with gorgeous views and an immaculately maintained garden. Her life looks perfect. But behind closed doors the truth is very different. Her husband, Andrew, barely speaks to her, spending his days down in the basement alone. Her teenage nephew is full of rage, lashing out with no warning. Her carefully constructed life is beginning to fall apart.

Three young girls are missing, all of them cold cases and all of them forgotten. When Detective Jess Bishop identifies a disturbing link between them, she’s determined to find out what happened to the girls as she fights to reopen their cases. Then a fourth child is taken. Eight-year-old Ava is snatched from her hospital bed, and Jess suspects right away that it’s linked to the other cases. As Ava’s illness worsens, Jess is in a race against time to save the girl before it’s too late. But is she missing something right in front of her, something that could put other lives in danger? 

When Lana and Todd win a trip to Blue Crest Adventure Park, their four-year-old Cooper is ecstatic, but when Lana goes to meet them, Todd is out cold, and Cooper is missing. No one stopped the man carrying the sleeping boy. The cameras don't show where he went. Then Lana receives an anonymous message, telling her to visit a local school with a horrifying history. Whoever took Cooper is playing a twisted game, and if Lana wants to find him, she must participate.

Three young women are dead. Thousands of miles between them and nothing except the marks on their bodies to link them. Detective Jess Bishop sees something that strikes fear into her heart: the similarities between this case and the one she's spent her entire career trying to forget. Brilliant and methodical, Jess always plays by the rules. But she's not the person anyone thinks she is. And she'll do whatever she can to keep her secrets hidden. As more bodies are found, it seems Jess' past is coming back to haunt her. And with her partner, Jamison, back from two years undercover, she doesn't know if she can still trust him.

Emma thought she had the perfect life: a beautiful home, a loving husband, and a gorgeous son. She was wrong. When she wakes up to find herself in hospital, Emma has no memory of how she got there or why her husband and son won’t come to see her. What happened to Emma’s family? Emma is desperate to find out what happened - and that her loved ones are safe - but remembering the truth could be the most dangerous thing of all....

When eight-year-old Cait Yorke goes missing on a remote island off the coast of the wild Scottish Highlands, PC Fiona MacLeish is quickly sent to investigate. But a gale is gathering force, and Fiona becomes increasingly concerned for a little girl braving the strong winds alone. As Fiona questions the locals, she soon realizes that they are hiding many secrets. What is this island, and who really lives here? Then a boat violently crashes off the coast of the island. On board, Fiona discovers the body of a man who has clearly been murdered. 

When police officer Fiona MacLeish stumbles upon a group of fellow hikers in dire trouble in the dramatic peaks of the Scottish Highlands, she has no choice but to help. One of the party has fallen off the path, lying below with the crisp white snow around his head starting to turn scarlet. Fiona soon learns the potential accident is actually a deliberate murder. But who would want to hurt this man and why? With visibility worsening and the snowstorm getting worse, Fiona and the group of hikers make it just in time to a nearby shelter.

Trust me if you dare.... One freezing winter’s night, Jenny Holloway’s mother falls to her death in a terrible accident. Grief-stricken, Jenny leans on new friend David Crane, as the police hint at murder. Handsome, clever, and always calm, David knows just how to handle the police, how to protect Jenny and make her smile again. But then, David seems to have answers for just about everything. Soon, Jenny begins to question what really happened that night.

When a social worker is brutally murdered, Detectives Mike Nelson and Lena Overton are straight on the scene. But with a long list of potential suspects, can they work out who’s next before the killer strikes again? It’s Lake Haven’s first murder in 18 years, and the community is terrified - especially Bobbi, who was not only supposed to be on duty that night, but also has the same long dark hair as Harriet and drives the same blue car. Now, Bobbi lives in constant fear that the murderer will be back for her....

You only let her go for a second… Now she’s gone. Erika Rice is in an elevator with her four-year-old daughter Alice when all the lights go out. It jerks to a stop on a deserted floor of apartments and the little girl runs out into the corridor. But before Erika can follow her the doors slam shut again. Now her daughter is nowhere to be seen. Erika was about to take Alice away for a fresh start, far from her troubled past, when the child vanished. How could a four-year-old disappear into thin air? And with no one to help her, will Erika ever find her daughter?

Noah Kendall loves his family but hates his teaching job. Mortgage, bills, and mouths to be fed: He’s stuck in a rut. And with more debts piling up each day, he knows that something has to change. As he opens yet another red letter, he has to get out and clear his head, despite the heavy snow outside. His legs ache as he runs deeper into the forest, until he notices something in the distance - a crashed car, sitting dead still. Inside, a girl sits slumped in the driver’s seat, eyes closed, mouth open, skin gray beneath the winter frost. And then beside her he sees it: a bag of money.

It was a normal day. Then they took her. Katie Calumet is on her usual morning run when she hears a baby crying. Fearing a child may be in danger, she stops to investigate - but to her horror the cries are a trap, and a sudden strike to the head knocks her unconscious. When Katie wakes up, blindfolded and with her hands and feet bound, she has no idea where she is.... Investigator Justin Cross takes on the case, but with the trail leading into six million acres of dense forest, and a failing marriage weighing on his mind, finding Katie is his most challenging case yet - not least because the Calumet family are keeping secrets of their own.

When an online prank goes viral and triggers a spate of gruesome murders, documentary maker Hazel Salter watches in horror. But then Hazel's childhood friend, Meredith Hickman, is the next victim, Hazel knows she has to find out what happened to her. Is it one killer or more? Random acts of violence or part of a bigger plan? The police have no leads, but Hazel has a theory - one she'll stop at nothing to prove - and she also has a film crew. She'll make a documentary, catch the killer, and give Meredith justice.

On a wet road in the black of night, Karl Seabury is driving home to his pregnant wife. Suddenly, caught in his headlights in the middle of the road is a woman shaking with fright. The woman says her name is Liz Smith, that her home was attacked, and that she was the only one to escape. In a split-second decision, Karl decides to help her to safety. But Liz is hiding a dark secret, and now, his good deed has put his family in terrible danger....