Three Times a Killer

A virus is in circulation in sub-Saharan Africa that has the potential to become a pandemic wreaking havoc on healthcare systems and economies worldwide. Millions will die.

The scientific community and governments work at speed to find a vaccine, but progress is slow. Research labs around the world turn their attention to this latest viral strain in an attempt to find a formula that can be manufactured in volume for global distribution. It’s a race against time.

Dr Dan Thomas was a research scientist working in such a lab to find such a vaccine, but unlike his peers, he was not content to use his talent and intellect to better the world. He had witnessed friends fast-track their careers and accumulate wealth, and he was envious. He was highly intelligent, but a flawed individual addicted to hard drugs and alcohol which affected his judgement. 

Dan’s role in the lab was pivotal. He had responsibility for workflow, monitoring and managing the progress of the lab’s research. A chance encounter with a venture capitalist at a party gave him the idea that he could prosper from stealing the intellectual rights of his employer’s vaccine research, making him a wealthy man, only to encounter challenges he hadn’t anticipated.

This tense and exciting story of one man’s quest for wealth and power reveals the lengths some are prepared to go to in an attempt to achieve their misguided ambitions. Lives are destroyed and people die.

Through the Gate of Horns

Having picked up her friend, Josie, at the station, Lorne hopes for an uneventful drive to Waydon where they will link up with five friends for a reunion weekend. While living in Brasilia, they had become a close group.

During a stop on their journey, a chance meeting with a smart young woman almost makes Josie faint from shock. This leads the woman to introduce herself as Arina Aubel and she insists that Josie and Lorne join her for tea to allow Josie to recover.

Back in the car, Josie tells Lorne that the woman’s face was identical to that of a woman she saw in a recurring dream, though its scene was some two hundred years before. Could the dream be a prophecy and if so, was Arina in danger? When later they see Arina accosted by an angry man, Josie becomes convinced that her dream has a purpose. This belief strengthens as a result of a local rumour heard about the premises Arina is directed to and the man’s quick exit after guiding her there.

As a result of all they have witnessed, Josie persuades Lorne that they have to become amateur sleuths. They stumbled upon organised criminal activity, but had those involved murdered Arina? How close the events will prove to be a re-enactment of the dream? Was it a prophecy?

Following Digital Footprints

Following digital footprints is a detective story with a difference. Different sections of a police force are investigating cases of hire car theft, credit card fraud and identity theft using traditional methods supported by ever more sophisticated IT systems. The criminals, meanwhile, become increasingly greedy but appear to be committing their crimes under the radar. The suspense builds, as the police build their case methodically and with the occasional element of luck. There are several twists and turns as the plot races towards a conclusion, and the reader can only wait and see whether the police or the criminals will succeed.David McCaddon has written an enthralling whodunnit by drawing on his many years of experience in law enforcement systems development working with police forces worldwide. The technical details are described with a light touch and this adds to the enjoyment of the novel. A satisfying read.

Settling Accounts

Two daughters of a prominent Swedish politician head to Alanya on the Turkish Riviera for a holiday, accompanied by the elder daughter’s boyfriend. In the picturesque resort, they befriend a charming young man who takes a special interest in the younger sister. But idyllic vacations never last. The elder sister and her boyfriend mysteriously vanish, and days later, their bodies are discovered.

The murder of a politician’s daughter and her partner shocks the nation, but the crime goes unsolved for years. That is, until the younger sister comes face-to-face with the killer. Meanwhile, their father – a well-known Swedish figure – refuses to wait for justice. Investigators Klaudia Jassem and Erik Lindberg are drawn into a complex case that unfolds into not just a double, but a quadruple murder.

Blending political intrigue, social commentary on contemporary Sweden, and a gripping romantic subplot, this thriller will captivate readers from start to finish. How far would you go to protect your family? With twists that linger long after the final page, this novel promises to ignite discussion and leave a lasting impression.

Psychopath in Town!

Skeletal remains are found under the town’s sports ground goalpost. Young Wallis Brown, who is the daughter of a police sergeant now deceased, meets Sergeant Sam Watson. He tells Wallis of a psychopath in town. Her long-time friend Cherie Winters is bashed by her husband Neil Winters, who blames Wallis for his job loss and marriage break-down. Wallis discovers a man’s body: Sam says “Stay home at night!” Police hunt to arrest Neil for murder. Wallis, now fearful for her life, runs the short way home through the dimly lit laneway. A man wearing a cap is running after her with a knife! She screams and then falls into oblivion.

Redemption

When cyber security expert Jack Neild goes missing in London it appears to be a straightforward missing person’s case. As the situation unfolds, Justin Kell’s sighting of an adversary from his past makes it clear that kidnap and organised crime are involved. 

With the authorities struggling to make progress in finding Neild and suspicion of a critical event with a global implication increasing, Kell puts his relationship with his longstanding girlfriend on the line as he becomes central to the investigation. 

When information from an unexpected source changes the dynamic of the operation, and with the body count increasing, the security services make their move, but will it be too late?

Secrets in the Attic

Dame Henrietta Copeland in her new role as private investigator finds herself outsmarted by thieves at the local garage sale, when she attends incognito, is wrapped up in a curtain and delivered to a cliff edge, left to perish.

And while it seems like a wild goose chase, she is stalked by an associate of a suspected murdered/suicide victim, who seems to be getting hot under the collar with Henrietta’s enquiries.

She is constantly reprimanded by the magistrate for overstepping the boundaries of the law, while solving cases.

Her devoted family are appalled to find she is befriending an ex-prisoner, the very person who forced her to sell her beloved paddle wheeler after being disgraced for wildlife poaching on the Mighty River Murray.

Undeterred by adversity Henrietta travels to Perth in Western Australia, to assist her prisoned nephew and unwittingly discovers a diamond heist and to Mount Gambier in the Southeast of South Australia seeking a stolen herbal rose formula and inadvertently while sipping tea on her way back to Goolwa, through the Coorong, uncovers a love nest, the cause of an infidelity which she had refused to uncover at the beginning of her new career. There is personal tragedy when news breaks out of the sinking of the paddle wheeler Beatrice Lonsdale, formerly Laurel Wreath which had been moored at Pier 15 on the Goolwa wharf.

There are surprises and disappointments as Henrietta strives to make a living keeping secrets in the attic.

The Devil’s Ferryman

Detective Inspector Jimmy Nicholls is an outstanding young police officer in the Met who is leading the investigation into the brutal murder of four drug-addicted lowlifes, killed on the doorstep of one of the most notorious crime bosses in London. As he begins his investigation, he finds himself being warned off investigating the crime boss by the Met Commissioner, who also happens to be the father of his girlfriend, and a man he has known most of his life.

With no leads and little in the way of forensic evidence, the case doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. That is until the killer gets in touch with Nicholls in a completely unexpected way and warns him not to speak to anyone else, or his life will be in danger.

Nicholls initially has no choice but to comply with the killer’s demands but as more details are revealed, Nicholls learns some grisly details about his own family’s past that leads him to question who the real criminals are.

Nicholls and the killer begin to form an uneasy alliance as they work together to uncover some shocking truths about the relationship between organised crime and corruption in London. As the machinations of power are slowly revealed, Nicholls learns of a nefarious plot by the criminals to take control of the government. It is down to him and the killer to stop it.

The Honorary Male

Amanda has disappeared. For over a year there has been no news of the English teenager with a passion for dance. Has she followed her dream to join an international ballet company or is there another reason for her silence? Is it possible that a sighting in a far-off country could be her?

A missing person charity entrusts Jude Francis, a former nurse, to verify a young woman's identity and potentially bring her home to her family.

The year is 1994. Former Soviet states are undergoing extensive modernisation. Two British reconstruction workers in Central Asia help Jude's quest for the dancer. Will the outcome be what Amanda's family and friends hope? And what will be the consequences for the people involved if they succeed?

The Late Developer

Matthew Rawlings is back.

The ex-superintendent of CID cannot leave it alone and this time he is in very real danger – not just likely to get his fingers burnt, but a whole lot more. Unwittingly, he ventures into relationships which carry memories and confrontations equally in dangerous measure.

On a hill, a wild young man, jolted from his enjoyment and pleasure of first sex, comes face to face with shotguns which are loaded with death and menace. Matthew, his home town about to be savaged by a contentious major redevelopment, once again weakens to a cry for help.

As he is embroiled in a world of intrigue and danger, old colleagues wary of his motives question his involvement. Surviving the mystery until the bitter end takes courage and guile, which nearly fail him.

The Long Shot

High stakes gambling, murder and cricket. An unlikely mix? Perhaps in the genteel days of games on the village green, but not so now. The introduction of sports betting has changed the game for players and fans alike. 

Millions change hands with every match. As the financial incentive grows, so too does the temptation to cheat. 

Perhaps even to commit murder?

A brilliant young South African batsman, Winston Olonga, is assassinated in a Test match at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Enter Lucas Fox, commentator and private eye, who witnesses the killing and sets out to find the culprit.

The Retreat

Rhia’s life changed forever when she was 14; now happily married, the past is catching up with her.

A move to run a B&B in a house whose former inhabitants are loath to leave reveals to Rhia that the past cannot be changed, nor can it be outrun.

Someone is watching and knows the truth of what happened on that fateful day.

A truth they intend to keep buried at all costs.

Is anyone going to be safe when they check in to The Retreat?