One Left Alive: A heart-stopping and gripping crime thriller (Detective Morgan Brookes Book 1)
Page 27
Amy shook her head. ‘You’re lucky he managed to find those. When Josie went on her maternity leave, he got one that said “Happy Retirement”. He’s not very good at this, are you, boss?’
Morgan laughed. ‘I thought you’d had enough of me when I looked in my little office and saw everything gone.’
Ben shook his head. ‘Definitely not. Right, enough of the fuzzy stuff. We still have a lot of work to do. Barker was charged with the murder of Jamie Stone and has been remanded for that.’
‘How?’
‘That folder he was about to burn had traces of blood and DNA on the papers inside that matched Jamie Stone’s. The mask and knife he was burning also had traces of Jamie Stone’s blood on it. Which was a miracle really, but sometimes it happens. A minute later and the whole lot would have probably been too burnt to retrieve anything of forensic value.’ He waved his hand at her. ‘It was worth sticking my hand in the fire for that. Barker hasn’t admitted anything, but he knows he won’t be coming home for an exceptionally long time, if at all.
‘In the meantime, we continue to gather evidence and work on the O’Brien murders. Good news is we got a hit on the fibres from that small piece of carpet in the hall cupboard. There were similar ones in the driver’s side footwell of the car you discovered in his lock-up. I’m awaiting confirmation, but Wendy thinks they’ll come back as a definite match.
‘Harrison Wright has been charged with the murders of Olivia, Saul and Beatrix and the attempted murder of Bronte Potter. He made a full and frank confession to them all once he realised there was no going back, and he was already going down for a long time for your attempted murder. He admitted that he wanted the media attention and us arresting Greg Barker for their murders tipped him over the edge, which is why he came after you. He also admitted that Bronte had nothing to do with any of it.’
Amy crossed towards her and patted her back. ‘You did a great job. I’m pleased to tell you that starting from tomorrow you’re on the intake for the detective course and you’re now officially on the team. I’m your tutor, so don’t worry, you’ve already passed as far as I’m concerned. You’ve covered all the good stuff, there’s just the mundane to go through.’
Ben was smiling. The DCI walked in and crossed the room towards her, his hand outstretched.
‘Welcome to CID, Detective Constable Morgan Brookes. We’re glad to have you on board.’
Morgan took Tom’s hand and shook it. ‘Thank you, sir, I’m happy to be here.’
Ben nodded his approval. ‘Right, enough of the niceness. Morgan, you need to catch up on what you’ve missed this last week. Everyone back to work.’
She sat down at her desk and stared at the banner, then she looked around the office. Everyone was already looking back at their computers; she’d had her five minutes of glory.
It was over now, time to get back to work and she had never felt happier.
Are you hooked on Helen Phifer’s fast-paced crime thrillers? Read the gripping Dark House now!
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Dark House
Detective Lucy Harwin Book 1
Lizzy pulled the covers over her head. Then she realised what was being dragged behind the person with the torch. She rammed her fist into her mouth to stop herself from screaming…
After a previous case ended in a tragic double murder, Detective Lucy Harwin, has been on enforced absence from the force. But when the body of an elderly man is discovered in an abandoned hospital, she is plunged straight back into a case that will test her to breaking point.
For decades, The Moore housed the forgotten children of Northern coastal town, Brooklyn Bay. But ever since a scandal forced its closure, the abandoned building has been left untouched.
Together with her partner, Detective Mattie Jackson, Lucy begins to unearth its terrible history, and soon finds herself on the trail of a killer ruthlessly fixated on avenging the crimes of the past.
As Lucy begins to close in on the killer, a woman is found murdered on her own doorstep. With the attacks escalating, and those closest to her now a target, can Lucy protect them and herself before it’s too late?
An absolutely terrifying and gripping thriller that will chill readers of MJ Arlidge, Angela Marsons and Rachel Abbott to the bone.
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Books by Helen Phifer
Detective Morgan Brookes Series:
One Left Alive
Beth Adams Series:
The Girl in the Grave
The Girls in the Lake
Detective Lucy Harwin Series:
Dark House
Dying Breath
Prequel to the Detective Lucy Harwin Series:
Last Light
Available in Audio
The Girl in the Grave (Available in the UK and the US)
Dark House (Available in the UK and the US)
Dying Breath (Available in the UK and the US)
Last Light (Available in the UK and the US)
A Letter from Helen
Dear reader,
I want to say a huge thank you for choosing to read One Left Alive. If you did enjoy it, and want to keep up to date with all my latest releases, just sign up at the following link. Your email address will never be shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Sign up here!
I hope you loved One Left Alive and if you did I would be very grateful if you could write a review. I’d love to hear what you think, and it makes such a difference helping new readers to discover one of my books for the first time.
I love hearing from my readers – you can get in touch on my Facebook page, through Twitter, Goodreads or my website.
Thanks,
Helen Phifer xx
www.helenphifer.com
The Girl in the Grave
Beth Adams Book 1
Silence falls as the coffin is lifted out of the ground, yesterday’s rain cascading from it like a waterfall. Glancing into what should have been an empty grave, everyone gasps at the sight of blueish-white fingers exposed in the soil below...
When the body of a teenage runaway is found hidden inside someone else’s grave in a small-town cemetery in The Lake District, an urgent call is made to Forensic Pathologist Beth Adams. Still traumatised by a recent attempt on her own life, one look at the beautiful girl’s broken body is enough to bring Beth out of hiding for the first time since her attack. She’s the only one who can help her trusted friend, Detective Josh Walker, crack the most shocking case of his career.
Beth struggles to believe it’s a coincidence that the gravesite was scheduled to be exhumed, exposing the evidence. Does this twisted killer want to be caught?
Throwing herself into her work Beth discovers traces of material beneath the victim’s fingernails that sets the team on the killer’s trail. But this critical lead comes at a dangerous price, exposing Beth’s whereabouts and dragging her back into her attacker’s line of fire once again.
With Beth’s own life on the line, the investigation is already cracking under the pressure. Then another local girl goes missing… Can Beth stay alive long enough to catch the killer before he claims his next victim?
An absolutely gripping new police procedural that will grab fans of Patricia Gibney, LJ Ross and Angela Marsons from the very first page and leave them gasping for breath by the last.
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The Girls in the Lake
Beth Adams Book 2
Peering over the side of the boat, the glare of early morning sun catches on something pale in the inky water. The boy’s curious fingertips break the surface, pulling up a tangle of long blonde hair from the reeds below…
The discovery of a young student floating face down in Lake Windermere, her naked skin almost tr
anslucent in the freezing water, looks like yet another tragic teen suicide. But the victim’s lack of clothes make Forensic Pathologist Beth Adams want to investigate further. Anything to distract her from the arrival of her abusive ex-boyfriend’s body on the mortuary table that morning.
With witnesses keeping tight-lipped and any clues washed away by the tides, it’s up to Beth to find the evidence her team needs. But then another girl is found in the lake, this time still clinging to life. She tells them she was at a party on a boat, and that she was pushed…
As more bodies surface, Beth finds tiny traces of boat paint present on each victim. It’s a critical lead that links these attacks back to a tragic accident involving a group of school children years ago.
Faced with a killer hungry for revenge, and with her own life spiralling out of control, it’s going to take every ounce of skill and determination for Beth to catch this monster before he takes another innocent life. But will Beth realise he’s been right beside her all along?
An absolutely unputdownable serial killer thriller that will have you sleeping with the lights on. Fans of Patricia Gibney, LJ Ross and Angela Marsons will have to hold on tight for this nail-biting rollercoaster ride!
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Dying Breath
Detective Lucy Harwin Book 2
Take a breath. Pray it’s not your last.
Just a few months after a terrifying case that nearly took her life, Detective Lucy Harwin is back with her squad in the coastal town of Brooklyn Bay – and this time, she’s faced with a case more horrifying than anything she’s encountered.
Along with her partner, Detective Mattie Jackson, Lucy is investigating what appears to be a vicious but isolated murder; a woman found bludgeoned to death on a lonely patch of wasteland.
But when a second victim is discovered strangled in an alleyway, then a young family shot in their own home, Lucy and the team must face the unthinkable reality - a killer is walking the streets of their town.
While Lucy and the team try to find the link between these seemingly unconnected murders, they uncover a disturbing truth – these murders are replicating those carried out by infamous serial killers.
Lucy must get to the killer before he strikes again. But he’s got his sights on her, and is getting ever closer… Can she save herself, before she becomes the final piece in his twisted game?
A dark, gripping and sinister crime novel that will hook fans of Patricia Gibney, Joy Ellis and Angela Marsons from the very first page.
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Last Light
Prequel to the Detective Lucy Harwin series
Lucy watches the doctor leave, then turns to the nameless victim on the table. ‘I promise I will catch whoever did this to you,’ she whispers.
In charge of a new team, Detective Lucy Harwin is called out to attend the discovery of a woman’s body in an abandoned, crumbling church, and is quickly plunged into a case that will test her leadership skills to the limit.
With no leads except the crudely-fashioned crucifix the victim was displayed on, Lucy is at a complete loss. That is, until another body turns up: an elderly woman who devoted her life to the church.
Faced with a killer stalking the streets of her small coastal town, while also throwing herself into work to forget the love of her life, Lucy’s first case is turning into a nightmare.
Linking the killer to the church where her own teenage daughter volunteers, it seems the threat is quickly drawing closer to Lucy and those she loves. Can she catch this monster and prevent a tragedy that will tear her world apart?
An addictive and unputdownable crime thriller that will hook fans of Patricia Gibney, LJ Ross and Angela Marsons from the very first page.
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Acknowledgments
First of all, I want to thank you, my wonderful readers, for choosing this book. I hope you enjoyed meeting Police Officer Morgan Brookes. I appreciate each and every one of you and thank you from the bottom of my heart. A police investigation of this magnitude would be far more in depth and be a very lengthy process. There would be many specialists brought in to assess the scene. For the purpose of this story, although as factual and true to life as I could make it, the investigation has been scaled down significantly. I hope you can understand and forgive this.
Thank you again to all the amazing book bloggers: you are so very much appreciated. I can’t tell you how thankful I am that you choose to read my books and review them.
As always a huge heartfelt thank you to my editors, Jessie Botterill and Emily Gowers; your support has been amazing and you turned a rough draft into a wonderful story.
Thank you again to the fabulous Noelle Holten for her publication day support, it’s truly appreciated. Thanks also go to the amazing Kim Nash for always being there. A special thank you goes to Emma Robinson for her help when I felt like throwing in the towel with my edits. The same goes to the rest of the Bookouture authors; I’m so amazed by how talented yet down to earth and supportive you all are. I feel very blessed knowing I am a part of this special group of writers.
Thank you once again to Oliver Rhodes for taking a chance and signing me; good luck for the future, you will be greatly missed.
I’m so grateful I get to work alongside the rest of the fabulous Bookouture team: same applies as last time. You guys definitely rock and you know how to party – you’re my kind of people and I can’t wait until we can next get together.
Thank you as always to Paul O’Neill for casting a final eye over my stories; you’re definitely my lifesaver.
Thank you to my Write Romantics for always being there. Where would I be without all of your support? Jo Bartlett, Jackie Ladbury, Jessica Redland, Sharon Booth, Deirdre Palmer, Helen J. Rolfe, Lynne Davidson, Rachael Thomas and Alex Weston.
A special thank you to my book club members. I can’t wait to see your lovely faces again. I’ve missed you all so much and our very noisy chats about books and life. Hopefully we’re still allowed into Costa after Krog setting off the fire alarms last time and getting us all evacuated.
Thank you to my lovely friends, Sam and Tina. I’ve missed our coffee chats more than you could ever know.
A special thank you to Christine and her late husband Tom Fell.
Last, but definitely not least, a special thank you to my amazing family. I love you all more than words can say.
Helen xx
Published by Bookouture in 2020
An imprint of Storyfire Ltd.
Carmelite House
50 Victoria Embankment
London EC4Y 0DZ
www.bookouture.com
Copyright © Helen Phifer, 2020
Helen Phifer has asserted her right to be identified
as the author of this work.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers.
eBook ISBN: 978-1-83888-848-0
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organisations, places and events other than those clearly in the public domain, are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.