Michael drew away from the man, not wishing to be properly seen. He had learned not to approach others at night. People sometimes thought him strange, especially when they saw his eyes. And his dark unruly hair and beard, often still spattered with plaster. People had bad ideas about him. Until they saw his work. The smooth, perfect finish, not the merest ripple, product of a steady swing of the forearm. Michael could make a ceiling flatter than the Thames, a straight horizon in any dimension. Wet, it was the colour of mocha, a day later it was the hue of his own skin. An unconscious skill, honed over years. People had bad ideas about him. But then he had bad ideas about people.

Bad ideas. Someone jumping in the water. And then not swimming a stroke. Not calling for help. Just ripples, disturbing the surface. Finally smoothed over by the flow of the Thames. Leaving one world and entering another. As the great man said: There are no beautiful surfaces without a terrible depth.

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Lost Cause

Rachel Lynch

DI Kelly Porter has solved some of the Lake District’s most gruesome murders but nothing has prepared her for the monster she’s about to meet. The answers may lie with a local oddball – is he a victim, or a killer?

Lies to Tell

Marion Todd

Since she joined the St Andrews force, DI Clare Mackay has uncovered many secrets lurking in the picturesque Scottish town. When there is a critical security breach inside Police Scotland, she realises she may have put her faith in the wrong person – will it be a deadly mistake?

The Body Under the Bridge

Nick Louth

DCI Craig Gillard has spent his career hunting criminals. When a missing person case reveals itself to be far more than a routine disappearance, it isn’t long before the perpetrator has another target: DCI Gillard himself. Suddenly the detective isn’t just running the case – he’s part of it.

A Front Page Affair

Radha Vastal

Capability ‘Kitty’ Weeks is determined to prove her worth as a journalist. Headlines about the Great War are splashed across the front pages, but Kitty is stuck writing about society gossip – until a man is murdered on her beat and she is plunged into a story that threatens the life she has always known.

When the Past Kills

M J Lee

The Beast of Manchester was the case that defined DI Thomas Ridpath’s career, but the wrong person was convicted and only later was the true culprit put away. Now, those connected to the case are being targeted. Someone is desperate for revenge, and Ridpath risks losing more than he can stand.