The Matthew Chance Legacy

The Matthew Chance Legacy is the gripping, split-storyline sequel to Maria's Papers.

In 2006, historical researcher Naomi Wilkes and her intrepid friends and allies uncover new documentation dating back to the early 1800's, and are thrown back into a dangerous pursuit of the truth surrounding ownership of the Whitewall Estate in Lancashire.

In 1871, Harland Chance believes that he should be the one living at Whitewall. As his resentment plumbs to ever-deeper levels, he recruits two fearful and murderous psychopaths to help him eliminate his Aunt Maria, her husband Silas, and their notorious monster dog, Sugg...

Tunnel Vision

Three men gathered in an up-class night club bar. Each has a chequered past that they can’t escape from. They agreed to meet when released from prison. The plan was in front of them. A plan to steal millions from a holding bank, one of the largest bank robberies in history. At first, it seemed impossible. After a week, it all came together. This is a gripping intelligent thriller, based on true facts of a master plan to rob this holding centre bank.

A Fairway Affair

Golf clubs are home to a diverse cast of characters united by their love for the game, but that’s where the similarities end. Among the members, you’ll find crooks and cops, accountants and bank managers, plumbers, pensioners, paupers, and multi-millionaires alike. Some are quiet, others are loud, and it’s often hard to tell who’s who. Beneath the surface, a few are cheats or adulterers – rarely murderers, though it’s not impossible, even in the most prestigious clubs. This is the story of some of those members. Despite their best-laid plans, life has a way of surprising them, and sometimes, even the bad guys get a lucky break.

The Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Squad

In his quest for truth and answers concerning the suspicious death of his son and his family, retired career soldier, Jesse Hunter, finds himself in a sedate retirement village in New Zealand’s South Island where he reunites with a former Special Air Services buddy.

After making friends with some of the village’s retirees, who themselves have past military backgrounds, they find out that a young man who visits them regularly has a mysterious and out-of-character disappearance.

Are Jesse’s son and the young man’s demise somehow connected?

As suspicions are also raised about the integrity of the local police, the ‘boys’ decided to take matters into their own hands with a little bit of homegrown detective work. Their investigations take them from a peaceful retirement and a life of fun and humour into a world of intrigue, danger, kidnappings, Russian mobsters, murder, a biker gang and a terrorist cell group.

Who can they trust?

As they all draw on their past wartime experiences, they realise they can only trust each other and embark on rescue missions using their old age smarts and unconventional weapons to take on the bad guys.

There is humour, action and drama as The Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Squad have one last battle to fight.

South Island Slaughter

When Detective Superintendent Cully returns to South Island for a long-awaited school reunion, little does he know that the event will swiftly turn into a nightmare. A devastating mass shooting unfolds, and Cully is thrust into the role of leading the investigation. However, amidst the chaos, he battles his own demons, fearing that past abusive behavior will resurface with deadly consequences.

The victims, all connected to Cully’s school days, include Sophie Cairns, a former classmate and his ex-girlfriend, who miraculously survives the tragedy. In her book, a trauma therapist boldly suggests that fatal violence is the only solution to unbearable agony.

As the relentless police team hunts down the shooter, Cully’s path intertwines with that of DC Indah Kasali, forging a close bond. Sophie and Indah find themselves entangled in a battle to win Cully’s affections.

South Island Slaughter is a gripping thriller that explores the harrowing aftermath of tragedy, the complexities of human relationships, and the haunting effects of a troubled past.

Suicide or Murder

Mina, a Lufthansa flight attendant, and Adam, a trainee police detective, establish a loving relationship formed around an astounding story (purported to be true) that boggled police investigators and medical examiners in LA. The story investigates the legal ramifications associated with a bizarre death that was chosen as the most unusual case on record for presentation at the 25^th Anniversary dinner of the American Association of Forensic Scientists.

It may be difficult to envisage a growing romance within the confines of a murder mystery; however, the unusually volatile pressures and emotions that surround this case are, in fact, the perfect vehicle to exhibit the unique personalities of the involved characters. This story is sometimes bizarre and sometimes amusing and it becomes quite difficult to keep in mind that a large part of it is claimed to have really happened.

The Heir... Apparently, and Ashes to Ashes, a Short Story

The Heir … Apparently tells the story of the rise of a simple fishmonger who unexpectedly inherits a dukedom. His family then face the many trials and tribulations of restoring and running an extravagant but dilapidated mansion. Can they succeed against the odds? In Ashes to Ashes, a short story exploring some of the characters in The Heir ... Apparently, after the skeletal remains of a body are found in the cathedral. The hunt is on for the murderer, but can he or she be found after so many years?

The Lonely Man

The action begins with a safe blowing at a large publishing house.

Conspiracy and murder scenes are just as compelling, along with intelligence and mastermind criminals.

All the characters race against time and are determined not to be murdered, delivering all the storytelling twists that readers will want more of.

May You Burn

In the Italian province of Naples, Natalia Monte, known as Captain Monte, is called to investigate the theft of a painting from San Domenico Maggiore, a gothic church. No sooner has the investigation gotten underway when the city is rocked by a much graver crime; the murder of a talented and much-loved female violinist, known across the city and beyond. As Monte and her fellow carabiniers interview close friends and family of the victim, they do so against the dark forces of the criminal underworld being operated by the Camorra Mafia. It seems that anyone could be a suspect and as Monte struggles to keep her professional and her personal dealings from becoming dangerously intertwined, the plot reaches a dramatic conclusion. This book provides a thrilling read and evokes powerful imagery to contrast Italy's serene beauty with its gruesome and violent underworld.

The Shadow of the Raven

A young girl’s lifeless body lies beneath the Owl’s Head Mountain walking bridge, her violet eyes closed forever. Eight-year-old Anna Saulstice, an autistic child who found solace in nature’s embrace, has met an untimely end, her death sending shockwaves through the close-knit community. Inspector Gabriel Duforêt and Lieutenant Maxine Leblanc suspect foul play and embark on a relentless pursuit of justice.

Anna, an optimistic and adventurous spirit, cherished the whimsical treehouses built for the local children by two enigmatic men from overseas. She possessed an uncanny knowledge of medicinal plants, even concocting her own herbal remedies.

The investigation leads Duforêt and Leblanc on a breathtaking journey through Quebec’s picturesque landscapes. They encounter Anna’s eccentric mother, her neglectful father, the mysterious triplet women residing across the lake, and a cast of characters who may hold the key to unravelling the truth. But as the detectives close in on a suspect, a startling revelation emerges: Anna’s death wasn’t an accident. And one of the ravens who watched over her is missing.

To solve this perplexing puzzle, Duforêt and Leblanc must not only uncover Anna’s true cause of death but also locate the missing raven, a silent witness to the tragedy. The clock is ticking as they race to bring Anna’s killer to justice and ensure the missing raven’s safe return.

Finding Alfie: A Sandringham Mystery

Sandringham, 1933. The idyllic royal estate is rocked by a chilling discovery: a lifeless body in a gamekeeper’s cottage. A desperate father and son vanish, sparking a frantic manhunt. Yet, the trail fades, leaving behind a haunting mystery that echoes through the decades.

Eighty years later, an elderly woman’s fading memories ignite a spark of hope. With her grandson listening by her side, he embarks on a quest to unravel the truth, breathing new life into a long-forgotten case.

The Silver Necklace

“A fascinating glimpse into complex characters on both right and wrong sides of the law, by author and retired judge Jack Billings, who undoubtedly has seen both up-close.”

                Randi Bjornstad, career journalist, founder, Eugene Scene, e-magazine

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Police always encounter people they never forget. For Megan O’Brian, one was Chad Mitchell, a scared, mistreated little boy she encountered while working as a juvenile corrections officer. She always wondered what happened to him. Then they met again.

By then a sheriff’s detective, O’Brian was lead investigator for the disappearance of talented Cassie Edwards, who failed to return home from her regular bus trip to and from a piano lesson after her 15th birthday party. She wore as always her favorite gift, a beautiful and unusual necklace, given to her by her grandmother.

The trail goes frustratingly cold as O’Brian and fellow investigators, Cal Underwood and Herman Jackson, search in vain for clues to her whereabouts and her fate, until a deer poacher finds Cassie’s body in a remote area.

But finding her killer eludes them, until O’Brian has a sudden, middle-of-the-night realization: a photograph Jackson had taken of recovered stolen property in another case. One of those photos shows an unusual necklace, identical to the one Cassie wore in a picture from her birthday party.

Did Cassie’s killer take the necklace as a trophy? How did it get into a trove of stolen property? Did the killer try to get rid of it? Or was it stolen from the killer? And who were they looking for?

                                                ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

         “Well-developed characters, engaging story, professional police work. A good read.”

                                Kurt Wuest, Lane County Sheriff’s Detective (ret.)

“Untreated autism, methamphetamine addiction, interstate fencing of stolen property propel this story of murder and apprehension to a conclusion.”

                                Chuck Tilby, Captain, Eugene Police Department (ret.)

“Billings’ writing evokes Michael Connelly. A bus system’s operation is cleverly woven into the plot.”

                Mark Pangborn, General Manager, Lane Transit District (ret.)