Books by Adrian Magson

Who said nothing ever happens in the French countryside?Picardie, 1964. On a deserted country road, three Moroccan nationals are shot dead with precision, a cold-blooded execution, one bullet each. To Inspector Lucas Rocco, it's a mystery. Why them and why here?A short time later, he happens upon two police officers who have been assaulted by an enraged motorist, one of them seriously. The unapologetic assailant, found to have an unregistered gun in his possession, claims to be the secretary of a high-profile and influential Parisian lawyer, Guy De Lancourt. The two cases seemingly have nothing in common. But on closer examination Rocco feels something isn't quite right. Just what lies beneath De Lancourt's carefully-cultivated public persona? And what secrets are hidden at Les Cypres, the heavily-guarded former mental asylum De Lancourt has made his home?A scintillating French historical crime thriller, perfect for fans of Martin Walker, Donna Leon and Maigret.

A government conspiracy that goes to the very top...Murder by suicide? Three senior government officials - a judge, a politician, and an ex-police chief - are all dead by their own hands. Inspector Lucas Rocco finds himself once more working for the Interior Ministry: undertaking an investigation meant to avoid a government scandal and ignoring unpalatable truths. He's soon convinced that a common denominator must be at play... Rocco uncovers top-level fraud, theft and deception. And when he narrowly survives an attempt on his life, he realises that he has nothing to lose by bringing the truth out in to the open - whatever the risks. The sixth gripping instalment in the Inspector Rocco crime thrillers, perfect for fans of Stuart MacBride, Jean-Luc Bannalec and Mark Billingham.

A bounty on his head, and nowhere to run...When a minor Paris criminal is found stabbed in the neck on a country lane in Picardie it looks like another case for Inspector Lucas Rocco. But instead he is called off to watch over a Gabonese government minister, hiding out in France following a vicious coup. As if that wasn't enough to keep him occupied, Rocco discovers that there is a contract on his head taken out by an Algerian gang leader with a personal grudge against him. With time running out, to catch a murderer and to save his own life, Rocco will be tested like never before. A sctintillating historical crime thriller, perfect for fans of Poirot, Donna Leon and Maigret.

FULLY REVISED NEW EDITIONTerrible truths lie hidden, deep beneath the surface...France, 1964. At the exclusive Clos du Lac sanitarium, a man is discovered standing in the therapy pool. Someone has chained him to the bottom, and left him there to die a slow, agonising death. Inspector Lucas Rocco believes it's an unusual and elaborate method of execution, but finds that both the inhabitants and staff of the Clos du Lac are unable, or unwilling, to talk. Meanwhile, ministry officials sent from Paris to 'assist' in the investigation attempt to impede Rocco's efforts to find answers. It soon becomes clear the Clos du Lac is no ordinary sanitarium, and holds secrets the authorities feel are better left hidden. A suspenseful, totally gripping historical crime thriller set in rural France, perfect for fans of Jean-Luc Bannalec, Mark Billingham and Martin Walker.

FULLY REVISED NEW EDITION'A classic crime star in the making' Daily Mail France, 1963. A farmer reports a truck ramming into a car near Amiens, Picardie, followed by gunfire. A group of Englishmen are brought in after a bar fight. A homeless man's body is discovered in a burnt-out truck. All this occurs after multiple attempts on the President's life. Inspector Lucas Rocco knows there's a connection somewhere. Yet despite all clues pointing to the Pont Noir for the next attack on the President, his superiors reject his suspicions. Finding himself suspended, the victim of a set-up, with no badge and no authority, and facing the lethal response of English gangsters, Rocco has to go it alone‿A French historical crime thriller full of suspense and intrigue, perfect for fans of Maigret, Martin Walker and Jean-Luc Bannalec.

FULLY REVISED NEW EDITIONDanger and intrigue follow him wherever he goes.France, 1963. It's a time of great change, not least for Inspector Lucas Rocco. As part of a nationwide initiative to broaden police operations, he finds himself moved from the Paris metropolis to a small village. His new patch might be rural, but it's certainly not uneventful: on his first day, he finds a murdered woman wearing a Gestapo uniform, lying in a British military cemetery. When the body is removed by order of a magistrate from the police mortuary before Rocco can finish his investigation, he realises he's up against a formidable enemy. An enemy who will go to any lengths - even murder - to stop his investigation. A pulse-pounding historical crime thriller, perfect for fans of Martin Walker, Maigret and Mark Billingham.

FULLY REVISED NEW EDITIONCaught between instinct and authority, he must decide where his loyalties lie...Picardie, 1963. A truck drops a group of illegal workers by a deserted stretch of canal in the dead of night near Poissons-les-Marais. Days later, one of them surfaces, stabbed to death. For Inspector Lucas Rocco, finding the victim's fellow travellers presents problems. Most Algerian immigrants are welcome, but trawling for any who aren't is a sensitive issue loaded with threats of civil unrest, something which terrifies his bosses in the Ministry. And when Rocco is ordered to stay away from one factory, where he suspects illegals are being employed, it goes against everything he knows. An absolutely gripping historical crime thriller set deep in the French countryside, perfect for fans of Poirot, Donna Leon and Peter May.