Showing results by author "Helen H. Durrant" in All Categories

Callum is lured to an isolated boathouse by an attractive older woman. When she gets him alone, she knocks him out with a single blow. Surrounded by hills and lakes, Still Waters is home to a close-knit community of wealthy retirees. It's an unlikely setting for violence. The police don't take Callum's disappearance seriously: he's 24-years-old, after all. But Callum's mother, a Still Waters resident, knows that something is very wrong. Then a body is discovered floating in the lake. Head bashed in. But it's not Callum. And someone tweets: Come out to play one last time, Alice.

Twenty-five years ago, a schoolgirl was attacked. Ambushed by three bullies at her home where she lived alone with her granny. Now, the mother of one of those bullies is found murdered on the Hobfield housing estate. Written on the wall in the victim’s blood is the word “sorry”. Detective Tom Calladine and his partner DS Ruth Bayliss discover a link to some bones found at an old house up in the hills. It was the home of the teenage girl who was attacked. The detectives have more than this puzzling case on their hands.

A woman is found dead by a canal. Her eyes have been poked out. Detective Stephen Greco has just started his job at Oldston CID and is faced with several murders with no obvious connection except for the murderer's penchant for disfigurement. His team are crumbling under the pressure; he doesn't know whom he can trust. Can Greco regain composure and control in order to stop the murders?

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 little girl, presumed dead, turns up playing happily in the park. She is barefoot but otherwise unharmed. The child’s mother who lives on a notorious local estate doesn’t seem bothered that her daughter has returned alive. Meanwhile, a man is tortured by a ruthless criminal. The victim’s severed hand is left on his wife’s doorstep.

A man is shot dead, and his body is dumped on the moors. His arm is stamped with the Chinese symbol for 'sorry'. There have been five unsolved murders with the same hallmark. The police can’t find any motive or connection between the victims. Bella Richards was close to the murdered man. She lives with her five-year-old son and has begun a new life in the local area. But although clearly grief-stricken, she is not telling the police everything she knows.

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?

A teenage boy is found murdered in a local park, stabbed to death and set alight to destroy the evidence. Detectives Harry Lennox and Jess Wilde soon learn his identity and find his bedroom wall decorated with photographs of the victims of unsolved murders. There are images of three people who appear to be the next victims. One of them is the faceless man, a blank cut-out with no features. Jess and Harry must find the killer before the next target dies, and Harry is guarding a secret that could destroy everything he’s built.

Annie Naden and her husband buy a remote country cottage at auction. It’s the home of their own that they always wanted, but as they begin renovations, Annie discovers a satchel in a dusty old hidden cupboard. Inside are the usual schoolbooks, now over 40 years old, and a girl’s diary. Among the record of day-to-day crushes and pop concerts is a secret whose terrible consequences are still resonating to this day.

An abandoned cotton mill holds horrific secrets. Police partners DI Calladine and DS Ruth Bayliss face one of their toughest challenges yet. A group of homeless people have set up camp in the grounds of a disused cotton mill belonging to local businessman Damien Chase. But one of the men is not what he seems. He has a secret he will do anything to cover up. And once Calladine and Bayliss investigate, they find the crimes go much further than they could have ever imagined.

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?

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?

Detectives Calladine and Bayliss hunt for a vicious killer. The first victim is found on waste ground. His tongue has been cut out and stuffed down his throat. Then another body is found dumped in a lake up in the hills. The same gruesome murder method is used. And guess who the detectives’ new boss is? The incredibly difficult Stephen Greco. A twisted killer...and a wicked twist.

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?

Detectives Calladine and Bayliss face a vicious serial killer in a mystery with a shocking ending. A woman’s body is found in a disused church, a homemade stuffed toy by her side. The victim had been dumped there months ago. The crime has the hallmarks of 20-year-old case whose alleged perpetrator is in prison. Detective Ruth Bayliss must work out whether a serial killer has returned, or if a new killer is just taunting the police. Her partner DI Tom Calladine faces the fight of his life to clear his name of corruption accusations. And then things go from bad to worse for Calladine.

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.

A teenage girl’s body is found in the back of a car on the notorious Hobfield housing estate. No one had reported her missing, but she’s been dead for a week. Meanwhile, an old jar is brought into the station. It was found carefully wrapped in a blanket, with a child’s pink hairclip. The jar contains ashes and bone fragments. Seventeen years ago, Detective Tom Calladine had been part of a team investigating the disappearance of Jessica Wilkins. Her mother had taken her to Leesdon Park one summer afternoon. She went to get the child an ice cream, and when she returned her daughter was gone.

Day 1. A young woman's body is found in a shallow grave in the woods, buried in a white shroud. She's been dead for a week. Her teeth are smashed in, her lips stitched together. Her hands are missing. She's the fourth young woman found like this. With no witnesses, no clues and no leads to follow, the investigation is going nowhere. That's when Detective Alice Rossi is called in.

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?

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....