Books in the Catalan Crime Thrillers series

An intense and brilliantly realised crime thriller set in the myth-soaked streets of Girona. A killer targets hate figures in the Catalan city of Girona – a loan shark, a corrupt priest, four thugs who have blighted the streets of the old quarter – leaving clues about his next victim through mysterious effigies left hung on a statue. Each corpse is posed in a way whose meaning no one can fathom. What point is the murderer trying to make? Elisenda Domènech, the solitary and haunted head of the city’s newly-formed Serious Crime Unit, is determined to do all she can to stop the attacks. She believes the predator is drawing on the city’s legends to choose his targets, but her colleagues aren’t convinced, and her investigation is blocked at every turn. Battling against the increasing sympathy towards the killer displayed by the press, the public and even some of the police, Elisenda finds herself forced to question her own values. But when the attacks start to include less deserving victims, the pressure is suddenly on Elisenda to stop him. The question is: how? With the City of Good Death, Chris Lloyd launches a gripping new series to appeal to readers of Val McDermid and the Inspector Montalbano novels. Rich in atmosphere, local detail and featuring an unforgettable heroine, it also announces a major new British crime writing talent.Chris moved with his family to West Africa, when he was two months old, which pretty much sealed his expectation that life was one big exotic adventure. He later studied Spanish and French at university. After graduating, he hopped on a bus from Cardiff to Catalonia where he stayed for the next twenty-odd years, aside from brief spells in Madrid and the Basque Country. He’s worked at teaching English as a foreign language, travel writing for Rough Guides, and he now lives with his wife Liz in South Wales, where he works as a freelance Catalan and Spanish translator. He loves red wine, crosswords, Barcelona football club, rock music, city walks, rugby, when it’s done properly, and those big bits you get at the top of cereal packets. And books, of course.

Be careful what you dig up... The atmospheric second crime thriller featuring Catalan detective Elisenda Domènech, for readers of Val McDermid and Ann Cleeves. Still recovering from the tragedy that hit her team, Elisenda takes on a new case - except it's not exactly new. On an archaeological dig by the coast a body is uncovered, seemingly executed with a spike thrust through the front of the skull – an ancient tribal ritual. It soon becomes clear that this body is a mysterious corpse from the 1980s. Elisenda's team soon uncovers a complex world of star archaeologists, missing persons, and illicit antiquities. Remaining close to the crime scene, Elisenda is never far from enemies within the police force. Just as the case seems to become clear, it is blown wide-open by another horrific murder. Elisenda must fight her personal demons and office politics while continuing to uncover plots and long-buried hatreds. How far will she go to solve the crime? Is her place in the force secure? In the City of Buried Ghosts, Chris Lloyd has written an utterly gripping crime story set in one of the most stunning parts of Europe. With its extraordinary heroine and unputdownable investigation, it is a perfect crime thriller to curl up to. Chris moved with his family to West Africa, when he was two months old, which pretty much sealed his expectation that life was one big exotic adventure. He later studied Spanish and French at university. After graduating, he hopped on a bus from Cardiff to Catalonia where he stayed for the next twenty-odd years, aside from brief spells in Madrid and the Basque Country.He’s worked at teaching English as a foreign language, travel writing for Rough Guides, and he now lives with his wife Liz in South Wales, where he works as a freelance Catalan and Spanish translator. He loves red wine, crosswords, Barcelona football club, rock music, city walks, rugby, when it’s done properly, and those big bits you get at the top of cereal packets. And books, of course.

When a child disappears, the clock starts ticking...Detective Elisenda Domènech has had a tough few years. The loss of her daughter and a team member; the constant battles against colleagues; the harrowing murder investigations... But it’s about to get much worse. When the son of a controversial local politician goes missing during election time, Elisenda is put on the case. They simply must solve it. Only the team also have to deal with a spate of horrifically violent break-ins. People are being brutalised in their own homes and the public demands answers. Could there be a connection? Why is nobody giving a straight answer? And why has Elisenda’s key informant vanished off the face of the earth? With the body count threatening to increase and her place in the force on the line, the waters are rising... Be careful not to drown. The stunning new instalment of the gripping Elisenda Domènech crime thrillers for readers of Ian Rankin, Henning Mankell and Andrea Camilleri.Chris moved with his family to West Africa, when he was two months old, which pretty much sealed his expectation that life was one big exotic adventure. He later studied Spanish and French at university. After graduating, he hopped on a bus from Cardiff to Catalonia where he stayed for the next twenty-odd years, aside from brief spells in Madrid and the Basque Country.He’s worked at teaching English as a foreign language, travel writing for Rough Guides, and he now lives with his wife Liz in South Wales, where he works as a freelance Catalan and Spanish translator. He loves red wine, crosswords, Barcelona football club, rock music, city walks, rugby, when it’s done properly, and those big bits you get at the top of cereal packets. And books, of course.