Detective Chief Inspector Sophie Allen is Dorset’s acknowledged expert on murder and violent crime, newly appointed to run the county’s Serious and Violent Crime Unit. She is 42 years old as the series starts, and lives with her family in Wareham. Sophie has a law degree and a master’s in criminal psychology. Sophie may appear at first to be somewhat of a ‘cold fish,’ over-intellectual and too clever by half, but conceals a dark past.
Detective Sergeant Barry Marsh is in his early thirties and in Dark Crimes, the first novel, is based at Swanage police station. He’s quiet, methodical and dedicated, the perfect foil for Sophie’s hidden fragility.
Detective Constable Rae (Rachel) Gregson joined the team in book 3, to replace Lydia Pillay. She is astute and hard-working. Rae is transgender with a troubled past.
Detective Constable Jimmy Melsom worked with Barry Marsh in Swanage but transferred to Bournemouth CID at the end of book3. He is a little gung-ho in his attitude to crime investigation.
Detective Constable Lydia Pillay is a talented young officer based who worked with DCI Allen at Dorset County police HQ but transferred to Somerset Police at the end of book 2. Sophie wants to get her back
Detective Inspector Kevin McGreedie is attached to the Bournemouth and Poole division of Dorset police. His assistant is DS Bob Thomson.
Detective Chief Superintendent Matt Silver is Sophie’s immediate boss. He helped to appoint her to lead the Violent Crime Unit but, to his regret, has a largely administrative role in the county police hierarchy.
Martin Allen is Sophie’s husband. He is head of the mathematics department at a large secondary school in Dorchester. Martin has a minor, but very supportive, role in the novels. He and Sophie met while at university. He has a more prominent role in later novels in the series.
Sophie and Martin have two daughters. Jade is fifteen in the first novel, and appears in all the subsequent stories. She has a lively and very quirky personality. Hannah, the elder daughter, is a drama student in London. She is quieter in her approach to life. She appears as a minor character in the first novel, but has a more important role in later books.
Sergeant Rose Simons is a uniformed officer based at Blandford Forum. Rose is rather cynical about her work but is a reliable, hard-working and scrupulously honest officer. She lives alone with her young son and has a wacky sense of humour.
Constable George Warrander is a rookie officer in his first year with the police, working under Rose Simons. George appeared in novel 1, interviewed by Sophie Allen and Barry Marsh when they were investigating the death of Donna Goodenough. During that interview he indicated his wish to join the police.
Thank you for reading this book. If you enjoyed it please leave feedback on Amazon, and if there is anything we missed or you have a question about then please get in touch. The author and publishing team appreciate your feedback and time reading this book.
Our email is [email protected]
http://joffebooks.com
Follow us on facebook www.facebook.com/joffebooks for news on Michael Hambling’s next book arriving in 2017.
More about Michael Hambling
www.michaelhambling.co.uk
We hate typos but sometimes they slip through. Please send any errors you find to [email protected]
We’ll get them fixed ASAP. We’re very grateful to eagle-eyed readers who take the time to contact us.
A SELECTION OF OUR OTHER TITLES YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY
A victim who charmed women from the local church . . . A savage police officer on the case. Is private detective Doug Mullen out of his depth?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/WATER-gripping-detective-thriller-suspense-ebook/dp/B013RUFWLQ
http://www.amazon.com/WATER-gripping-detective-thriller-suspense-ebook/dp/B013RUFWLQ
A BODY FOUND IN THE WATER EXPOSES DARK FAMILY SECRETS AND INFIDELITY
Private detective Doug Mullen discovers a body floating in the River Thames. He doesn't tell the police that he knows who it is, and when he is hired to investigate the dead man, matters get very complicated. Mullen is used to tracking down cheating husbands, not ruthless killers. The victim turns out to have been playing a complex game of deception with more than one woman.
As Mullen gets closer to tracking down the killer, he finds himself in grave danger. Unless he can crack the case, Detective Inspector Dorkin may pin the crime on him, or those with secrets to hide may put him out of circulation.
Mullen fights for his life as this fast-moving mystery reaches its stunning conclusion.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/SECRET-gripping-detective-thriller-suspense-ebook/dp/B00XYMC5GI/
http://www.amazon.com/SECRET-gripping-detective-thriller-suspense-ebook/dp/B00XYMC5GI/
Shocking family secrets come to light when a young woman is murdered
Amy Hill, a nineteen-year-old student, is strangled and her body dumped on open ground in the city. New police partners, D.I. Jim Neal and D.S. Ava Merry are called in to investigate this brutal crime. The last person to see Amy alive was Simon, the son of a family friend, but before he can be properly questioned he disappears.
Detectives Neal and Merry are led on a trail of shocking family secrets and crimes. Can this duo track down the murderer before anyone else dies? Stopping this tragic cycle of violence will put D.S. Merry’s life at risk in a thrilling and heart-stopping finale.
If you like Angela Marsons, Rachel Abbott, Ruth Rendell, or Mark Billingham you will be gripped by this exciting new crime fiction writer.
DEAD SECRET is the first in a new series of detective thrillers featuring D.S. Ava Merry and D.I. Jim Neal. Ava Merry is a young policewoman, recently promoted to detective sergeant. She is a fitness fanatic with a taste for dangerous relationships. Jim Neal is a single dad who juggles his devotion to his job with caring for his son.
Set in the fictional Northern city of Stromford, this detective mystery will have you gripped from start to shocking conclusion.
THE LADY VANISHED
http://www.amazon.com/LADY-VANISHED-gripping-detective-mystery-ebook/dp/B0170HJAMY/
http://www.amazon.co.uk/LADY-VANISHED-gripping-detective-mystery-ebook/dp/B0170HJAMY/
How can someone vanish without a trace?
Carmen Langborne is a woman who no one seems to like very much, and now she's gone missing. But there is no body, no leads and no real suspects. And the police have stopped investigating her disappearance.
Carmen's stepdaughter Florence hires private detective Tyrone Swift to find the missing woman. If the body is found, Florence will inherit half of a very valuable house. As Swift delves deeper into the family’s affairs, he discovers dark family secrets that threaten the reputations of powerful people. Will Swift get to the truth before those with much to hide stop
TWISTED CRIMES a gripping detective mystery full of suspense Page 25
