Books in the West Country Mysteries series

FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE BESTSELLING COTSWOLD MYSTERIES SERIESFifty-five-year-old Jim Lapsford makes an unusually healthy-looking corpse. A life-long devotee of vitamin pills and herbal remedies, it seems almost ironic that he has succumbed to a heart attack. His GP is convinced that this is the case but trainee undertaker Drew Slocombe isn't so sure and he is convinced that there is enough conflicting medical evidence to merit a coroner's inquest at least. And then there's Jim's personal life: in addition to a long suffering wife, two sons and a grieving terrier, Jim appears to have left behind a series of scorned mistresses.It seems everyone else is happy enough to accept the doctor's verdict and Drew shouldn't really rock the boat, but can he really turn his back on murder? Even so, Drew may have plenty of suspects but he has no proof. And Jim's cremation is days away...

FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE BESTSELLING COTSWOLD MYSTERIES SERIESNina Cattermole had an unusual death: head-butted by a horse as she protested against the local Devon hunt. The official verdict? It was a freak accident. But when another hunt saboteur is found dead in a ditch on the day of Nina's funeral, local DC Den Cooper is sent to investigate.It soon becomes clear that this is not another accident. Charlie Gratton has been trampled to death by a horse, the blows struck with such precision that they could only have been delivered by an animal under the control of an experienced rider. It seems that Charlie, a practising Quaker, has been murdered. As Den tries to solve the case he finds himself drawn in to an insular Quaker community and a village divided by loyalties and past misdeeds...

FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE BESTSELLING COTSWOLD MYSTERIES SERIESWhen the body of herdsman Sean O'Farrell was discovered in one of the farm buildings, DS Den Cooper is more than happy to cast one of the local farmers, Gordon Hillcock, in the role of chief suspect. After all, it is a well-known fact that there was no love lost between Gordon and the victim. And besides, Den has a little grudge of his own - Gordon is currently dating Den's ex-fiancee Lilah and was actually the reason she dumped him only a few short months before their wedding.However, Den did not plan on Lilah's determination to protect her new lover. How far will she go to make sure that Den directs his suspicions elsewhere?

A sinister disappearance in the beautiful Devon countryside.One glorious summer's afternoon, Karen Slocombe is visited by her cousin Penn, who unexpectedly asks for husband Drew's help in tracking down a missing relative, Justine. But why has Penn come to him, and why is she reluctant to get the police involved?Justine's mother, Roma Millan, an avid beekeeper, is not interested in the whereabouts of her daughter, but husband Laurie senses a troubled history between mother and daughter. Detective Den Cooper joins Drew as the case takes a sinister turn when it is discovered that a small child is also missing. But can the tangle of secrets and lies be unravelled before somebody gets hurt?

A shattered peace in the tranquil West Country.The peace of a small West Country village is rudely shattered when a bomb explodes in the local supermarket. Karen Slocombe, a member of the Food Chain Group and staunch supporter of local produce, would not normally care for the loss of a supermarket, but she does take offence to such violence and that fact that she and her daughter were very nearly caught up in the explosion.When, a few days later, Karen witnesses the horrifying murder of an adjacent stallholder at the local farmer's market, she begins to wonder just who is committing these seemingly motiveless crimes and why does she keep finding herself in the middle of the crime scene?