by Linda Coles
“I’d love to,” she said gently.
“Sorry?” he asked, a little surprised. Had he heard her correctly?
Louder, she replied, “I said, I’d love to!”
It was Blue that broke into the awkward moment with his own way of doing things. Right on cue, he threw both arms up into the air and yelled ‘yeah’ at the top of his voice. It was all the two adults needed to help the nerves between them and finally relax with each other, as they had been before.
This time around though, things would be different between them, and Matthew could look forward to the start of something new.
Missed the beginning of the series? There’s more from Chrissy starting with Tin Men.
Acknowledgments
This book is most definitely a work of fiction, though some of the physical places featured are indeed real. If those places are not portrayed entirely accurately, that’s my doing to make it fit the story – it is a work of fiction after all. Doonagore Castle isn’t within earshot of the nearest holiday home, not by a long way. It is owned by a family that keep it for themselves as a holiday home and is a kilometre from the village. The characters, however, are all figments of my imagination, though I’d love to meet Chrissy, Julie, and the rest of the cast in person someday. Are you reading this, Netflix?
It was my audiobook narrator, Aoife McMahon, that first gave me to seed of an idea for the setting, since she has such a wonderful Irish voice herself. It made the decision to set the book in southern Ireland an easy one. Her suggestion of Doolin is perfect for the story, the castle a bonus, so I simply had to send Chrissy off on holiday and let her stumble on a case.
My special thanks to Ciaran Keogan from the Kilrush Garda Station in Co. Clare for his valuable input on keeping the policing stuff straight. That part of a fictional story should still be accurate where the story allows.
Not forgetting my editors, Jenny and Jon, whom I thank for their sterling advice and accuracy. It’s a pleasure to work with you both as usual.
I always enjoy hearing from readers, so do drop me a line about anything to do with my books at [email protected].
Finally, thanks to you, the reader, because if you didn’t buy my books, there would be little point in me writing any more.
Also by Linda Coles
The Chrissy Livingstone Series:
Tin Men
Walk Like You
The Silent Ones
Jack Rutherford and Amanda Lacey Series:
Hot to Kill
The Hunted
Dark Service
One Last Hit
Hey You, Pretty Face
Scream Blue Murder
Butcher Baker Banker
Book set 1
Book set 2
Book set 3
Book set 4
Book set 5
Also by Linda Coles
If you enjoyed reading my story, here are the others:
The Chrissy Livingstone series:
Tin Men
She thought she knew her father. But what she doesn’t know could fill a mortuary…
Chrissy Livingstone grieves over her dad's sudden death. While she cleans out his old things, she discovers something she can't explain: seven photos of schoolboys with the year 1987 stamped on the back. Unable to turn off her desire for the truth, she hunts down the boys in the photos only to find out that three of the seven have committed suicide…
Tracing the clues from Surrey to Santa Monica, Chrissy unearths disturbing ties between her father's work as a financier and the victims. As each new connection raises more sinister questions about her family, she fears she should've left the secrets buried with the dead.
Will Chrissy put the past to rest, or will the sins of the father destroy her?
Walk Like You
When a major railway accident turns into a bizarre case of a missing body, will this PI’s hunt for the truth take her way off track?
London. Private investigator Chrissy Livingstone’s dirty work has taken her down a different path to her family. But when her upper-class sister begs her to locate a friend missing after a horrific train crash, she feels duty-bound to assist. Though when the two dig deeper, all the evidence seems to lead to one mysterious conclusion: the woman doesn’t want to be found.
Still with no idea why the woman was on the train, and an unidentified body uncannily resembling the missing person lying unclaimed in the mortuary, the sisters follow a trail of cryptic clues through France. The mystery deepens when they learn someone else is searching, and their motive could be murder…
Can Chrissy find the woman before she meets a terrible fate?
The Silent Ones
An abandoned child. A missing couple. A village full of secrets.
When a couple holidaying in the small Irish village of Doolan disappear one night, leaving their child behind, Chrissy Livingstone has no choice but to involve herself in the mystery surrounding their disappearance.
As the toddler is taken into care, it soon becomes apparent that in the close-knit village the couple are not the only ones with secrets to keep.
With the help of her sister, Julie, Chrissy races to uncover what is really happening. Could discovering the truth put more lives at risk?
A suspenseful story that will keep you guessing until the end.
The DC Jack Rutherford and DS Amanda Lacey Series:
Hot to Kill
When a local landscaper vanishes, Madeline Simpson knows she was the last person to see him alive – because she killed him.
With a serial sex offender on the loose, Detectives DC Jack Rutherford and DS Amanda Lacey already have their hands full. It’s only when another death occurs that a link between the two cases comes to light, and Madeline finds herself the focus of their investigation.
While attempting to keep her deadly secret, Madeline stumbles upon clues that point to the true identity of the sex offender. She’s closing in when tragedy strikes, and the death toll increases.
But DS Amanda Lacey has no idea how close she is to the killer as her work and personal lives collide.
How long will she have to wait to find out the full truth?
If you like interesting characters, imaginative story lines, and British crime drama, then you’ll love this captivating story.
The Hunted
The hunt is on…
They kill wild animals for sport. She’s about to return the favour.
A spate of distressing big-game hunter posts are clogging up her newsfeed. As hunters brag about the exotic animals they’ve murdered and the followers they’ve gained along the way, a passionate veterinarian can no longer sit back and do nothing.
To stop the killings, she creates her own endangered list of hunters. By stalking their online profiles and infiltrating their inner circles, she vows to take them out one-by-one.
How far will she go to add the guilty to her own trophy collection?
Dark Service
The dark web can satisfy any perversion, but two detectives might just pull the plug…
Taylor wakes frightened and alone in an unfamiliar hotel room with no idea how she got there. On the desk nearby is a note of warning: “Tell no one”.
During a chance conversation, DS Amanda Lacey learns of the incident and discovers the traumatised woman is only the latest victim in a long string of disturbing and highly unusual thefts.
Amanda and partner DC Jack Rutherford venture deep into the underbelly of the dark web in search of answers. It soon becomes apparent one of them will have to go undercover – alone.
When an unexpected event sends their sting operation spiralling out of control, their only chance at catching the culprits lies with a local reporter…and a scandal that could ruin them all.
One Last Hit
The greatest danger may come from inside his own home.
Detective Duncan Riley has always worked hard to maintain order on the streets of Manchester. But when a series of incidents at home cause him to
worry about his wife's behaviour, he finds himself pulled in too many directions at once.
After a colleague Amanda Lacey asks for his help with a local drug epidemic, he never expected the case would infiltrate his own family…And a situation that spirals out of control...
Hey You, Pretty Face
An abandoned infant. Three girls stolen in the night. Can one overworked detective find the connection to save them all?
London, 1999. Short-staffed during a holiday week, Detective Jack Rutherford can’t afford to spend time on the couch with his beloved wife. With a skeleton staff, he’s forced to handle a deserted infant and a trio of missing girls almost single-handedly. Despite the overload, Jack has a sneaking suspicion that the baby and the abductions are somehow connected…
As he fights to reunite the girls with their families, the clues point to a dark secret that sends chills down his spine. With evidence revealing a detestable crime ring, can Jack catch the criminals before the girls go missing forever?
Scream Blue Murder
Two cold cases are about to turn red hot…
Detective Jack Rutherford’s instincts have only sharpened with age. So when a violent road fatality reminds him of a near-identical crime from 15 years earlier, he digs up the past to investigate both. But with one case already closed, he fears the wrong man still festers behind bars while the real killer roams free…
For Detective Amanda Lacey, family always comes first. But when she unearths a skeleton in her father-in-law’s garden, she has to balance her heart with her desire for justice. And with darkness lurking just beneath the surface, DS Lacey must push her feelings to one side to discover the chilling truth.
As the sins of the past haunt both detectives, will solving the crimes have consequences that echo for the rest of their lives?
Butcher Baker Banker
A cold Croydon winter’s night and pensioner Nelly Raven lies dead and naked on the floor of her living room. The scene bears all the hallmarks of a burglary gone wrong.
It’s just the beginning.
Ron Butcher rose to the top of London’s gangland by “fixing things”. But are his extensive crooked connections of use when death knocks at his own family’s door?
Baker Kit Morris will do anything to keep his family business alive. Desperate for cash, he hatches a risky plan that lands him in trouble. As he struggles to stay out of prison, he forges an unlikely friendship with an aging local thug.
And then there’s the Banker, Lee Meady, a man with personal problems of his own.
Just how does it all fit together?
As DC Jack Rutherford and DS Amanda Lacey uncover the facts surrounding the case, the harrowing truth of the killer’s identity leaves Jack wondering where the human race went so badly wrong.
About the Author
Hi, I’m Linda Coles. Thanks for choosing this book, I really hope you enjoyed it and collect the following ones in the series. Great characters make a great read and I hope I’ve managed to create that for you.
Originally from the UK, I now live and work in beautiful New Zealand along with my hubby, cat and 6 goats. My office sits by the edge of my vegetable garden, and apart from reading and writing, I get to run by the beach for pleasure.
If you find a moment, please do write an honest online review of my work, they really do make such a difference to those choosing what book to buy next.
If you’d like to keep in touch via my newsletter, use this link to leave your details:
http://eepurl.com/gwfVqL
Enjoy! And tell your friends.
Thanks, Linda
Keep in touch:
www.lindacoles.com
[email protected]
Follow me on BookBub