It was one of those late spring afternoons that seemed to stretch out indefinitely. But, despite having a day off work, Lockhart wasn’t enjoying the sunshine. He didn’t mind, though. The long daylight hours gave him more time to search. This was his seventh trip to Whitstable since the end of Operations Thorncross and Braddock. He’d shown Jess’s photo to a hundred more people in that time, but no one here had recognised her.
Of course, it was possible that the woman from the missing persons website who thought she’d seen Jess had been mistaken. But Lockhart reckoned he’d have to speak to every single person here before he seriously entertained that possibility.
Up ahead, he saw a fishing boat moored in the harbour. A man was on deck, stacking plastic crates, his boat bobbing gently in the water. Lockhart approached the quayside and unfolded the photo of Jess.
‘Excuse me,’ he said, ‘I’m looking for this woman.’
The fisherman shunted the stack of crates to one side and crossed the deck.
‘She’s my wife.’ Lockhart stooped to pass the picture over the sea wall. The man wiped his hands on his cargo shorts before reaching up and taking the sheet of paper. He studied the image in silence.
This was the moment Lockhart had experienced dozens, maybe hundreds of times. The tiny flutter of hope before the shake of the head.
‘Have you seen her?’
The fisherman looked up at Lockhart, as if appraising him, and back to the photograph. Then he nodded slowly.
‘Yeah, I might’ve done.’
He closed his eyes a moment.
Lockhart could feel his palms getting sweaty. The guy seemed lost in thought.
‘Couple a years ago,’ he said, eventually. ‘She was down here. I didn’t speak to her. But I remember, cos she’s pretty, for one – if you don’t mind me saying – and second, she wasn’t dressed for the weather.’
There were about a thousand follow-up questions that popped into Lockhart’s head. But he settled on the most obvious one.
‘What did she do?’
‘She was hanging around for a bit, like she was waiting for someone. Then some fella arrived, and they got on a boat together.’
‘What did the guy look like?’
The fisherman wiped sweat from his forehead and nodded at the picture of Jess.
‘He looked so much like her, they could’ve been brother and sister.’
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Books by Chris Merritt
Detectives Zac Boateng and Kat Jones series
Bring Her Back
Last Witness
Life or Death
Detectives Lockhart and Green series
Knock Knock
A Letter From Chris
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoyed Who’s Next?, the second book in the Lockhart and Green series. If you did, please do give it a rating, and leave a review if you have time.
If you’d like to know more about my books, please join my mailing list. Your email address will never be shared, and you can unsubscribe from the updates at any time.
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This book is, first and foremost, a work of fiction and entertainment. But there are a number of real-world issues which inspired the subject matter – spoiler alert if you are reading this first! Most notably, gender stereotyping around violence. The psychological research on this is fascinating, and the theories and examples that Green gives are all genuine. Despite the growing culture of strong women in literature, film and TV, as well as in sports, many people still tend not to believe that women can be capable of physical feats they associate with men. And, yet, the evidence to the contrary is compelling.
In addition to this, several sources inspired me to include the ‘Operation Braddock’ sexual assault sub-plot. The Netflix series Unbelievable, which Lexi watches in the book, is an exceptional dramatisation of a real-life serial rape investigation in the US. There have been cases of serial sex attackers in the UK recently, too, which remind us how vulnerable many of us are to this kind of predator. Sadly, the statistics quoted on prosecutions for these crimes are real, and must improve. I feel great admiration for anyone who could report the experience of being assaulted, or stand up to an attacker any other way.
Thanks again for your support. If you’d like to get in touch, please drop me a line on Twitter, Facebook, or via my website. The next book in the series, also featuring Dan Lockhart and Lexi Green, is scheduled for release in early 2021 – so keep an eye out for that!
Best wishes,
Chris
www.cjmerritt.co.uk
Knock Knock
Detectives Lockhart and Green Book 1
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Natasha Mayston wasn’t expecting anyone to knock on her door so late at night. And she has no idea that the face staring back at her is the last one she’ll ever see…
As Detective Dan Lockhart is called to a wealthy London street to investigate Natasha’s death, he’s startled by the similarity to a previous case. Noticing the cable-tie restraints and the tiny scratches on Natasha’s wedding finger, Dan already knows what he will find if he looks in her mouth – the metal ball which choked her to death. He knows Natasha isn’t the killer’s first victim and is certain that he will strike again.
Months earlier, Kim Hardy was found in the same position in a run-down hotel across the city – an identical silver ball in her throat. But Kim’s murderer was caught and sent to prison – did they arrest the wrong man? And what connects the two victims? Fearing that he’s dealing with a psychopathic serial killer, Dan calls in psychologist Dr Lexi Green to help him to get into the perpetrator’s mind. Tough and smart, Lexi will stop at nothing to hunt down the man responsible for the deaths.
Then, another body is discovered, just as Lexi finds a clue online leading to the killer. Dan’s team aren’t convinced, but in pushing Lexi away from the investigation, they force her to dig further into the case on her own. Convinced that she’s on to something, she puts herself in unthinkable danger… but can Dan piece together the clues and identify the killer before it’s too late?
Fans of Angela Marsons, Robert Dugoni and Cara Hunter will love this thrilling new series from Chris Merritt. From an explosive start to a heart-stopping finale, you will not want to put this book down!
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Bring Her Back
Detectives Zac Boateng and Kat Jones Book 1
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As he watches his daughter turn the corner and out of sight, he hears the shots. He’d know that sound anywhere. He shouts her name. Silence. All he can do is run.
It’s been five years since Detective Zac Boateng’s daughter was murdered. Her killer was never found. Now Zac is back working for the Metropolitan Police, more determined than ever to bring the city’s killers to justice.
When a man is found brutally murdered in a rundown south London shop, all fingers point to the highly intelligent and manipulative Darian Wallace. He’s just been released, and two years ago the victim helped send him to prison.
Still grieving, Zac knows it will take everything he’s got to catch this dangerously clever killer. But just as he feels he’s getting closer, he realises all is not quite as it seems and makes a devastating personal discovery.
Zac has a choice to make – risk letting this killer escape or watch his daughter’s murderer get away again…
An absolutely gripping thriller for fans of Mark Billingham, Peter James and Lee Child. Bring Her Back is one fast-paced thriller you won’t be able to put down.
Last Witness
Detectives Zac Boateng and Kat Jones Book 2
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What if you made one mistake and it came back to kill you?
Detective Zac Boateng’s old friend, Troy McEwen, is found dead in his home. The official verdict is suicide. But Boateng believes it was murder. And he thinks he might be next on the killer’s list.
If Troy didn’t take his own life, then who did? As he investigates, Boateng discovers a link to an incident from decades earlier. Mistakes were made that day. Lives were lost and secrets kept. Until now…
As more people who were there on that fateful day are found dead, Boateng knows that the killer is closing in on him…
A tense crime thriller for fans of Lee Child, Mark Billingham and Mark Dawson. Last Witness is a gripping, fast-paced thriller that will have you hooked from the first page.
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Life or Death
Detectives Zac Boateng and Kat Jones Book 3
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Never forget. Never forgive.
As a detective in the Metropolitan police, Zac is no stranger to murder cases, but this one is different. This is his daughter’s murder.
Years after Amelia died, Zac is still trying to trace the police officer involved in his daughter’s death.
And whilst Zac is prepared to break every rule to find the man responsible, his young and ambitious deputy, Kat, is working on a high-profile case of her own. But she knows Zac is keeping secrets from his team so she’s following his every move.
When one of Zac’s informants is killed, he knows he’s close to catching his man, but before he can act, he receives a call about his son which blows his world apart… And this time, he knows he’ll stop at nothing to save his family.
A gripping and addictive crime thriller for fans of Lee Child, Mark Billingham and Mark Dawson. Life or Death is a unputdownable thriller that will have you reading into the night.
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Acknowledgments
I’d like to give a huge thanks to the Bookouture team for continuing to do such an incredible job turning my novels from rough manuscripts into the finished product you’ve just read. They’ve given unrelenting support and inspiration, despite simultaneously coping with an office move, significant growth, and the impact of a certain pandemic. Particular thanks go to my editor Helen Jenner for making this book so much better, Kathryn Taussig and Jenny Geras for their strategic input, Kim Nash and Noelle Holten for their fantastic publicity work, Alex Crow for turning masses of data into great marketing, Alex Holmes for overseeing audiobook production, and Kelsie Marsden and Martina Arzu for making sure that everything from proof copies to printing happened on time. I also want to thank my agent, Charlie Viney, for his constant guidance and morale-boosting, even if he has now moved to the wrong side of the river.
In terms of content, this book couldn’t have been written without the contributions of several experts in their fields. Though many of them have chosen to remain anonymous for professional reasons, they know who they are and will spot their influence on the story. The stunt performers I spoke to were kind enough to give me a glimpse into their extraordinary world of daredevil action, with all its highs and lows. This helped provide the background to Blaze Logan’s character. The Major, once again, was generous with his time, explaining the finer points of military culture and operations to me, which enabled Dan Lockhart to have a more authentic personal history. DC Ellie Lawrence kindly answered my strange and seemingly random questions about detective work, while former police analyst Amy Gorman and another two contacts in the Met provided answers about how things are done there. Dr Becky Dudill was, again, on call as my consultant for medical details and procedures. Any mistakes are mine entirely.
Finally, I want to thank everyone who has helped to promote my books, especially the bloggers, reviewers and festival and event curators. It’s a wonderful community and over the past year you’ve all made me feel a part of it. There are too many folk to mention, but I would just like to give a shout to Zoé O’Farrell, Sarah Hardy, Vic Watson and Simon Bewick, Tom Fisher and Ben Cooper-Muir, Bob McDevitt and Lizzie Curle.
We – both author and publisher – hope you enjoyed this book. We believe that you can become a reader at any time in your life, but we’d love your help to give the next generation a head start.
Did you know that 9% of children don’t have a book of their own in their home, rising to 13% in disadvantaged families*? We’d like to try to change that by asking you to consider the role you could play in helping to build readers of the future.
We’d love you to get involved by sharing, borrowing, reading, buying or talking about a book with a child in your life and spreading the love of reading. We want to make sure the next generation continues to have access to books, wherever they come from.
Click HERE for a list of brilliant books to share with a child – as voted by Goodreads readers.
Thank you.
*As reported by the National Literacy Trust
Published by Bookouture in 2020
An imprint of Storyfire Ltd.
Carmelite House
50 Victoria Embankment
London EC4Y 0DZ
www.bookouture.com
Copyright © Chris Merritt, 2020
Chris Merritt has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this work.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers.
eBook ISBN: 978-1-83888-021-7
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places and events other than those clearly in the public domain, are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Who's Next?: A completely gripping and unputdownable crime thriller (Detective Lockhart and Green Book 2) Page 34
