Showing results by publisher "Embla Books" in Crime Fiction

Detective Fraser Brodie is at a grisly crime scene on the Isle of Harris. Local aristocrat Lord Edward Devlin has been brutally murdered, his skull bashed in. The violent and bloody scene is all the more shocking for the fact that the victim was eighty. As forensics comb for evidence they uncover a second body - but this crime is not recent. Why are these remains on the Devlin Estate, and are the two deaths somehow connected?

Dr Nell Ward is delighted when her childhood friend Percy announces she's engaged to handsome businessman Hawke McAnstruther - and rashly offers to host the wedding at Finchmere, her family's estate. But she hadn't anticipated Percy's parents' fiery disapproval of the groom. The ceremony is barely over before Hawke's shady personal and professional life starts to unravel, and tension ripples through the assembled guests.

The BRAND NEW instalment in the bestselling Dr Nell Ward mystery murder series - for fans of Richard Osman, Robert Thorogood and Janice Hallett! Coming soon!

It began with the whispers. In the woods, in the park, and always at night. Then they came into town, down dark alleys, and in the shadows. Before long, the black-eyed children were moving closer, until finally there was a knock on the door. When the couple were found dead with their faces frozen in horror, the children were nowhere to be seen. Until it happened again. Join Detective Sarah Noble as she investigates another dark case in the town of Slayton.

Steph Williams is excited to get her hands stuck into her latest gardening project. This time, she's been commissioned by Lady Clara of Ashford Manor to restore the stately gardens to their former glory. But the estate is suddenly thrown into chaos when a dead body is discovered in one of the rooms. The police rule it as suicide, though Steph's convinced they're barking up the wrong tree. For she knows the deceased better than they do and it could only be one thing: murder. And if the police won't listen to her, then Steph will have to investigate the case herself.

At thirty-six, Katie Cope's life hasn't turned out the way she planned. She had big dreams of becoming an investigative journalist, but then her best friend from college disappeared. Claire was driving home for Thanksgiving and never made it. Her abandoned car was found at a trailhead in the Rockies, but she was never seen again. Now Katie's husband Howard has sold his San Diego business for more money than they ever dreamed. She's found a beautiful new housing development in the breathtaking wilderness of the Colorado mountains. It's just the fresh start we need, she tells him.

When April joins a support group for young widows, she's looking for comfort after her husband's sudden death. What she finds instead is a group in turmoil. Set up by well-meaning amateurs, the founders are tussling for control of the group, and everyone's on edge. The founders are fighting for control, members are keeping dangerous secrets, and forbidden relationships are threatening to tear the club apart. And then there's Nick, the newest addition, whose charm feels just a little too calculated. But the most dangerous secret of all? Not all members are who they seem to be.

Jen Cartwright returns from holiday to find her new next-door neighbour is Stacey Abbott, her childhood bully. It could be coincidence—but when Jen's close friends start to abandon her, and Jen's livelihood becomes threatened, it seems that the vendetta from the past has begun again. But why now, twenty years later? And if Stacey isn't to blame, then who is? Or is Jen inventing her own nightmares as her career and marriage seem to be foundering around her?

Forensic entomologist Dr Vanessa Marwood isn't in Sydney for the sights. She's hunting for answers - and Detective Finn Harper, renowned cult expert might have them. His expertise could be the key to exposing a shadowy organisation with ties to Vanessa's hometown and the glittering elite of New York. But a few days into her stay, a shocking crime rocks New South Wales - seven bodies are found in an abandoned warehouse, cocooned in expensive Muga silk. It's macabre and ritualistic, and everything points to the insect-obsessed cult Finn has made it his life's work to bring down.

When ordinary mum Frankie moves into her new seaside home, it is a dream come true. Her new neighbours - glamorous Zara, ambitious Nadine and social butterfly Geneva - soon take her under their wing. Geneva - soon take her under their wing. The four women become inseparable. Until the morning when Geneva's body is found on the beach. Suspicion is immediately cast on Geneva's husband. Everyone believes he must be guilty. But when the police don't charge him, he vanishes without trace. Now, five years later, he's back.

Catherine is frantic. It's her husband Simon's turn to take their son to nursery and he's nowhere to be seen. He promised he'd be here. So, where is he? And why isn't he taking her calls? Her worst fears are soon realised when the police arrive at her door to tell her that Simon is missing, presumed dead. Refusing to accept that he's gone, Catherine spends her days retracing his last steps, and her nights searching the streets in desperation. She will not rest, she will not sleep, until she's put her family back together.

If Piddlington Gazette editor, Harry Hedges, thought the sleepy Dorset town had earned a respite from murder after not one, but two bodies turned up on its roundabout last year, he's got another think coming. First, someone has been placing sinister effigies among the streets of the local Model Village: seemingly harmless fun until one turns out to be a dead ringer for the town mayoress, a woman best known for her big development plans and even bigger list of enemies.

I should never have gone to her house. But I was desperate to ask her some questions about that night. About what she saw when Joe fell from the bridge. All I wanted was some honesty, for someone else to have seen what I saw. I never meant to hurt her. To push her. As she lay at the bottom of the stairs, blood pooling around her head, I knew it was the end for me too. I kept expecting the knock on the door, the police, the handcuffs. But it never came. On the news, they are reporting someone has come forward and confessed to her murder. But that can't be true. Because her killer is me.

Forensic entomologist Vanessa Marwood has built her career on her love of insects and the vital information these tiny creatures can provide at the scene of a crime. Just as she is about to board a plane for her dream job at a lab in New York, Vanessa receives a call about a chilling set of murders in her hometown. Not only have four innocent victims lost their lives in a single night, but the killer has sewn spider silk into their wounds. Vanessa swore she would never return to Greensands. But this case, and the dark secrets of her childhood, are drawing her back.

On the twenty-fifth anniversary of Tania's death, five university friends reunite at a luxurious country hotel to commemorate the life of their dear friend. Always the outsider, Jeannie has thrown everything into making the weekend a success. With two kids and busy work schedules, Keren is looking forward to some time alone with husband, Adam. Facing a messy divorce and bankruptcy, a few nights away is just the escape Johnny needs. Saira has enough on her plate trying to co-parent with her ex-partner and would prefer to be as far away from the event as possible if she hadn't promised Keren.

Aspiring writer, Camille Fletcher is struggling to get by in the world after leaving university. But she has no idea how hard things are going to get.... First an old friend dies in tragic circumstances. Then another girl. And another. The police say there are no suspicious circumstances, they don't see a link. But what if there was a link? What if the rumours are true, what if her ex-boyfriend was responsible? When does she stop dismissing the rumours as the work of internet trolls and start believing them? Because the police don't know what Camille knows...

Steph Williams and her trusty sidekick, Mouse, are back in the fifth instalment in this much-loved cosy crime gardening series.

Forensic entomologist Dr Vanessa Marwood is settling into her new role in Manhattan when she's faced with a chilling case: an Oscar-winning actress has been found dead, poisoned by a glittering hair clip adorned with a live beetle. As a second high-profile death emerges - a fashion designer poisoned by an insect-encrusted watch - shockwaves run through New York's elite.

Ten years ago, Jen's cousin Meg killed herself after failing to escape an abusive relationship. Now, Meg's ex is back and Jen's domestic abuse helpline has started getting frightening calls from a girl who knows things about Meg...

Jessie wakes to darkness, cold, and the rain beating down on her. She reaches out, and her hands meet hard stone. Suddenly she knows where she is. Deep in the woods, far underground, at the bottom of the well where her best friend's lifeless body was found fifteen years ago. After returning to her hometown to investigate a new murder, she now finds herself poised to become the killer's next victim. Jessie gazes up to the circle of night sky above her, the relentless raindrops landing on her face.