Showing results by author "Helen Durrant" in All Categories

A girl’s body is found in a dustbin. 'Dead Meat' is written on a note found with her. The girl was part of a group of bullies from the local school. But DI Calladine recognises the MO of Craig Donnelly, a killer he thought he’d put away forever. And coincidentally Donnelly has just been released from prison. But when Detective Calladine charges in, he finds out that Donnelly has a watertight alibi and is under the protection of the local vicar, who thinks Donnelly is a changed man. When another girl goes missing from the same group of friends, Calladine must look elsewhere....

A murdered woman found on a building site. Executed by a single gun shot. But worse is to come. Another body is found buried in the same place. Detective Rachel King has two victims to deal with. The first woman was local nurse, Agnes Moore. One of the victim’s friends makes contact but then disappears. Does Rachel have a serial killer on her hands? And what was Agnes really helping local girls with? Will Rachel’s former lover, well-known villain Jed McAteer, come back to haunt her with his connections to the victims? Who will pay the ultimate price next?

A body is found in a car crash, but the victim was already dead.... Police partners, D.I. Calladine and D.S. Ruth Bayliss race against time to catch a vicious serial killer. The first two victims are American university students and both have livestock tags fixed to their earlobes. Who wanted them dead and what's the connection? The detectives piece together the forensic evidence and track down the witnesses, to reach a shocking conclusion.

A sweltering summer day on the Hobfield housing estate. New tenant Lisa Woodley is horrified when her cat comes home with a human foot in its mouth. The foot belongs to 16-year-old Noah Crosby, whose decomposing remains are found in a rubbish-strewn alleyway. It’s not a robbery, as the teen has an expensive gold watch, high-end trainers and a top-of-the-range mobile phone on him. Where did he get such expensive gear? A letter X is carved into Noah’s flesh. Twenty years ago this was the hallmark of a serial killer who was never caught.

A two-month-old baby is missing. James’s parents left him with a babysitter while they went out for dinner. But when they get home, there’s no sign of baby or sitter. This is the last thing DCI Rachel King wants to hear on her last night of maternity leave. But worse is to come. The missing infant belongs to Scott Agnew, alleged member of Manchester drug-dealing ring, the Trio. Then the elderly mother of another Trio boss disappears. Rachel knows that if these are retaliation kidnappings, things will only go from bad to terrible. And guess who everyone thinks is behind all of this?

First a shooting, then a grisly discovery on the common.... Police partners, D.I. Calladine and D.S. Ruth Bayliss race against time to track down a killer before the whole area erupts in violence. Their boss thinks it's all down to drug lord Ray Fallon, but Calladine's instincts say something far nastier is happening on the Hobfield housing estate. Can this duo track down the murderer before anyone else dies and before the press publicise the gruesome crimes?

Ronald Potter is found dead on the kitchen floor of a house he was about to show a client around. Ronald led a blameless life, and Detective Matt Brindle and the team cannot find any motive for his murder. But an intensive search of the property leads to a very disturbing discovery in the cellar. Meanwhile, a young mother is being held captive by someone who will stop at nothing to get the information they want. DI Matt Brindle discovers connections to organised crime and a sleazy nightclub. Can he expose the villains before any more people die?

When the decomposed remains of a body are found entombed in the depths of a disused Manchester cotton mill, Detective Chief Inspector Rachel King is called in to investigate the grisly discovery. With gunshot wounds to the knees, this was no accident. This was murder. But the question is: was this a gangland killing or a murder motivated by a deadly secret closer to home? With the help of DS Elwyn Price, Rachel must follow the trail evidence where it takes her. But who can she trust? And who in this notorious area knows more than they’re admitting to?

An unlikely serial killer with a bucket list of victims.... Police partners, D.I. Calladine and D.S. Ruth Bayliss battle a murderer who is working their way through a list of victims. Each murder is meticulously planned and unique, and a tarot card is left at the scene of the crime. When two children disappear in the local area, the stakes are raised and the team are baffled by the link between the crimes. Calladine and Bayliss race against time to prevent any more carnage.

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.

After three months off, a gruesome murder throws Detective Rachel King back into the thick of it. But can she cope? The body of an elderly woman is carefully posed on the altar. The victim is identified as Mary Dunn, whose turn it was to arrange the church flowers. Everyone loved Mary. Who would want to kill her? Then forensic evidence produces a shocking result: a link to the Slasher, a serial killer who stalked the streets of Manchester fifteen years before. But the Slasher was murdered in prison. Does Detective Rachel King have a serial killer on her patch? One who’s back from the dead.