The Northumbria Mysteries

Ex-con Joe Ruby is a volunteer at a local priory, tending to the grounds, seeking forgiveness and attempting to start a new life, all under the kind but watchful eye of Father David. But when the body of one of the monks is found hastily buried in a remote part of the priory grounds, Oxford-educated DI Rose O'Connell and her green second-in-command DS Raj Singh are sent to investigate. The mysterious circumstances make it a tricky case to solve. What secrets are these sacred grounds hiding? And what do these God-fearing suspects know about the murder? There's Brother Christopher, the gentle monk who loves to garden, Sister Marie, the stern but kindly nun who runs Bible class and Father David, the cryptic, ever-wise prior. Alongside them is the victim's brother Benedict, who is someone in need of support and money. And then there's Joe himself, who with his criminal past becomes suspect number one for Rose and Raj. But when Joe comes up with some insights from his own dodgy history, Rose senses that Joe may prove useful after all. Finding themselves investigating alongside each other, Joe and Rose set out to solve the mystery of who killed Brother Mark, frustrating each other at every turn, only to uncover a truth far more shocking than either anticipated.

When an exclusive, high-roller poker night ends with the murder of oil magnate and seemingly devoted family man Jeremy Hare, Rose and Raj find themselves completely out of their depth in the gambling world. The evidence is perplexing. Jeremy's substantial winnings from the night are still on his body, and he's been stabbed with an ornate, ceremonial golden knife that was left at the scene. Unfamiliar with the complex strategies and unspoken rules of high-stakes poker, Rose and Raj are left struggling to decipher the various hidden motives of the players around the table. The game was hosted by Ace Dawso, a slick operator and local villain, with whom Joe and Rose have had a previous run-in. Ace's invitation-only matches attract an elite, ruthless crowd. There's Rami Ashraf, an enigmatic Egyptian playboy and seasoned poker pro with secrets to protect; Eleanor Calvert, a sharp stock-market whiz and one of the country's wealthiest, most calculating women; and Ace himself, who sat out the fatal hand but oversaw the room with a watchful eye. Every player present had something to lose and possibly a reason to want Jeremy silenced. Baffled by the tight-lipped suspects who can quickly tell that she doesn't understand the game, Rose soon realises that conventional police work won't crack this case. She has no choice but to recruit Joe, whose history makes him the ultimate insider. Enticed back into the illicit world of gambling, Joe is forced to confront the dangerous addiction that nearly ruined his life. To help Rose read the table and flush out a cold-blooded killer, Joe must walk a risky tightrope, gambling not just with cash, but with his own addictions.

A healthy young labourer is found dead in a shallow ornamental pond on the vast country estate of Lady Philippa Armstrong and her son Jonathan. While the tragic incident initially appears to be nothing more than a straightforward workplace accident, Rose and Raj are called in to investigate glaring discrepancies. After all, how does a strong young man manage to drown in mere inches of water? Meanwhile, Joe overhears staff from Gallowbrae Hall discussing the suspicious death. Having spent much of his youth stealing from the estate, Joe knows the local personalities and the layout of the property inside out. Believing he can be of genuine help to an unconvinced Rose, he eagerly inserts himself straight into the investigation. Finding themselves reluctantly paired up once again, Rose and Joe must untangle the messy, tight-knit relationships of Gallowbrae's eccentric inhabitants. At the centre of the drama are the Armstrongs, an old-money family desperately holding onto what's theirs while caught in a fierce controversy over a new rewilding scheme. This scheme will close off public land to reintroduce sensitive wildlife and plants, sparking intense outrage from one local inhabitant in particular. Adding to the tension are Maxine, the devastated housekeeper who keeps her cards close to her chest; Whittick, the grouchy gamekeeper fiercely determined to protect Gallowbrae at any cost; and Gavin, the angry intruder and conspiracy theorist who views the aristocratic family and everything they stand for as completely abhorrent. Struggling to navigate the complex social dynamics of the estate, Rose reluctantly accepts Joe's persistent interference. Together, the duo soon uncover a dark web of deep-seated secrets and lies within the family and their devoted staff.

When estate agent Luke Wandle is found brutally murdered in his own office, Rose and Raj are met with a tangled web of motives. Naturally, suspicion falls on the two people who discovered the body: Luke's wife, Catherine, and his business partner Damon. But as the investigation deepens, the suspect list rapidly expands to include an embittered former employee with an axe to grind and Luke's tight-lipped secretary and her controlling husband, all hiding secrets of their own.