Detective Constable Johnny Chile is suspected of providing information to Arthur which he uses to play others in his community. The case opens to Simone who works at the National Trust, being discovered dead in the Poole Harbor nature reserve. In fact, she always found jobs where she had to do anything to do with putting together training documents, briefing notes and press releases among other writings. Investigations soon indicate that the law firm may have links with the local mafia. Further investigations indicate that Lesley’s girlfriend Elsa was the legal representative in the many cases handled by the organization. She works with detective sergeant Dennis Frampton, detective constable Michael Legg, detective constable Johnny Chiles, and police constables Mullins and Tinna Abbot. She also gets the support and skills of crime scene manager Gail Hansford. Poor Lesley is having to manage multiple assignments without her right-hand man. The latest murder involves a body draped over the bulb in a lighthouse at Portland Bill. Even more surprising is that the body turns out to be that of a criminal who Zoe Finch put away for child grooming and other offences. He was recently being moved from the local prison when the convoy was ambushed and he was spirited away, only to be found dead.

Things get interesting when some senior partner is discovered murdered in a hut on the beach, making things even more complicated as he was the prime suspect in the first killing.SAMUEL WILLIAMSON: Samuel Williamson was killed and his body set alight in Cotlands Road, Bournemouth, in August 1988. A man was charged and faced trial 18 years later but was acquitted by a jury at Winchester Crown Court. It only took the seven women and five men one hour to clear Francis MacDonald, then 55, of strangling Samuel Williamson - and an alternative count of manslaughter - following the three-week trial. Mr MacDonald was also charged with the murder in 1988 but released because the case against him was not deemed strong enough to bring before a jury. The Corfe Castle Murders” opens to the murder of Archie Weatherton, an archeologuist found killed in a tent while out at work. Note: It’s best to read these after the Dorset and Zoe books, especially the Zoe books because of Mo moving to Scotland. But, as always, I’m writing them in a way that means there are no major spoilers if you do read this series first. It is not surprising that Rachel would become a very prolific author as writing is something she always loved ever since she was a child. Deadly Christmas – not part of the Freya series (it’s a Zoe book) but this is where she first appears.

The Division Bell trilogy consists of three political thrillers taking place in an imagined dystopian near future. If you liked House of Cards or Bodyguard you’ll enjoy these. The novella The Lochside Murder (you don’t have to read this to follow the series but this is where it fits) What is surprising for Lesley the detective crime inspector is that her law firm is not cooperating as well as she would have expected. What is even worse for Lesley is that one of the senior partners she has been dating seems defensive when questioned.

After reading many novels over the years, she thought there was a gap in the genre waiting to be filled and this is just what she intends to do with her writing. Rachel This series will also feature DC Connie Williams from the Zoe Finch books and her partner Rav, who move in down the road from Freya. Freya can’t resist haranguing poor Connie for information about local crimes.

DI Zoe Finch moves to Cumbria and finds herself heading up a new team, with new villains and new challenges. Carl has moved with her (and Yoda the cat) – will Zoe find herself getting embroiled in a Professional Standards case? The prequel novella, The Ballard Down Murder, takes place before these books begin. It focuses on DS Dennis Frampton and Lesley doesn’t appear until late in the book. You can read this at any point while reading the rest of the series – you don’t have to read it first. BEATRICE WILSON: In July 2000, 74-year-old grandmother Beatrice Wilson was stabbed at least 10 times as she lay defenceless on her bed in sheltered accommodation at Millfield, Creekmoor. A 17-year-old boy was charged with her murder but was found not guilty. No one else has been charged. Her family have since urged police to reopen the case. The Dorset Crime series takes place after the first six Zoe Finch books, when DCI Lesley Clarke is transferred to Dorset. You can read this series before the Zoe Finch series if you want. I’ve made sure there are no major spoilers in the series.Four: there should be specific complaints to corroborate or dismiss; about her delegation capacity, not her health. I recommend reading the DI Zoe Finch books in Birmingham (up to Book 6) before starting this series. Lesley has to resolve a murder mystery before a killer strieks again, even as she has to deal with teh politics of a smaller team in which she a less welcome even if bigger fish. Even though some people in her team do not like her or the way she talks, nobody can dispute the fact that her methods work.

If you want to read more of my books, there are two series and one standalone novel to choose from. These aren’t crime books. The “Dorset Crime” series of novels are compelling character driven mystery novels about the life and times of Lesley Clarke, a Detective Crime Inspector.Sandra Court’s body was found dumped in a shallow river at Avon Causeway, Hurn in May 1986, just months before one of Britain’s most high-profile cases, the disappearance of estate agent Suzy Lamplugh in London. The charity novella The Riverside Murder (a shorter book written to support Ukraine, you don’t need to read this to follow the series but this is where it fits)