The Talisman

'It's fascinating to see some of my favourite crime novelists coming together to create a taut, tense thriller; each chapter stands alone as a powerful story, yet they also combine seamlessly into a great read. Genuinely gripping.' – Harlan Coben

***

With each crime writer picking up the story in their usual locale, each of the authors tell a gripping story of murder, betrayal and intrigue. Running through each story is a charm bracelet which brings bad luck wherever it's found. Set in locations ranging from nineteenth-century Georgia to wartime Leeds, the book features stories from contributors such as Peter Robinson (writing about 1940s Leeds), Fidelis Morgan, Lynda La Plante (1970s Britain), Val McDermid (1980s Scotland) and Mark Billingham tackling contemporary London.

Under the watchful eye of DCS James Langton, DCI Anna Travis takes charge of an investigation for the first time. But is it purely a missing person's case - or a full blown murder enquiry? An ominous pool of blood and no victim lead Anna on a desperate hunt for a man who has disappeared without trace. As Anna becomes obsessed with seemingly irrelevant details, Langton fears that she is losing control. They still have no body and Anna is under increasing pressure to make an arrest...

When the body of a young girl is found dumped on the banks of the Thames, even the police are shocked by the brutality of her murder: horifically mutilated, severed in half and drained of blood, her death is a mirror image of an infamous 1940s case in Los Angeles known as 'The Black Dahlia'.

That case was never solved, but now Detective Inspector Anna Travis must race against time to catch this 'copycat killer', dubbed 'The Red Dahlia' from the flower his victim wore in her hair. But there are no suspects and a media frenzy is spiralling out of control. Anna turns to her mentor, the brilliant and volatile Detective Chief Inspector James Langton, but the frictions of their romantic relationship are complicating the case.

And then a second girl is found, her death again mirroring the 'Black Dahlia', and as Anna and Langton close in on the prime suspect they uncover a shocking web of sadistic sexual evil and a family's murderous secrets.

From the BAFTA award-winning creator of Prime Suspect, starring Helen Mirren, comes the blistering follow-up to the best-selling Tennison.

Jane Tennison, a young, inexperienced WPC, learns the hard way never to take anyone – or anything – at face value, whether in her dealings with her police colleagues or when confronted by seemingly innocent suspects.

Hidden Killers sees Jane acting as a decoy prostitute, with the hope of capturing a suspect wanted for numerous sexual assaults. The attacker is drawn in and put under arrest. Commended for bravery in the case, Jane is given CID status and moves from Hackney to Bow Street Station as detective. Her first call-out is to a nonsuspicious death. The victim is a young mother drowned tragically in her bath, leaving a bereft and doting husband and a young child.

The two storylines interweave as Jane begins to doubt the evidence against her assailant in East London and becomes certain that the young woman in the bath did not drown in tragic circumstances. Two entirely different cases but one common thread – the lingering doubt in Jane's mind around the evidence…and around her colleagues.

Heres the latest novel from this bestseeling author who in 2009 wwas inducted into the Crime Thriller Awards Hall of Fame. Her novels have all been international bestsellers.

This critically acclaimed mystery series features Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison, who struggles to combat the "boys' club" atmosphere in her profession as a homicide detective. Set in London, these upbeat stories, based on the smash hit PBS-TV "Mystery" series, give mystery readers hard-hitting realism, fast-paced action, and a savvy against-the-odds heroine they'll never forget.

A woman is murdered and the police have a prime suspect, but cannot prove it. Detective Jane Tennison fights to solve the crime and win the respect of her fellow, male, officers.

High adventure, furious plotting, blackmail and betrayal… 'The Colonel' is rumoured to have masterminded several of the most successful robberies in the UK over the last forty years. But who is he? Edward de Jersey, now a wealthy man, owns a very successful racing yard and stud farm and his pride and joy is his horse, Royal Flush, who he has always dreamed will one day win the Derby. But de Jersey's luck runs out when his trusted financial advisor invests his fortune in a fledgling internet company which goes bust, leaving de Jersey with no capital and mounting debts. In danger of losing everything, De Jersey resurrects his criminal past, turning to the internet to find a team of specialists who will help him pull off the most audacious heist in history.

Close to a motorway service station, the body of a young woman is discovered. She appears to have no family, no friends, no one to identify her.

DI Anna Travis is brought onto the team of investigators by DCS James Langton, who already suspects that this recent case could be linked to two unsolved murders. As more evidence is discovered the team realize that they are contending with a triple murder investigation — and no suspect.

Anna’s blood runs cold when she receives a letter from a murderer she helped to arrest. He makes contact from prison insisting that he can track down their killer, but he will only talk to Anna.

Does he really have insight into the other killer’s mind, or is he merely intent on getting into hers?

Suspicion and fear surround the mysterious disappearance of a movie star’s daughter... the race to claim the reward for finding Anna Louise Caley spirals into a deadly trail of voodoo in the french quarter of New Orleans... Lorraine Page is back in Cold Blood, the devastating new thriller from Lynda La Plante, brilliant creator of Prime Suspect and The Governor. Ex-lieutenant Lorraine Page has buried her past to start a new life as a private detective. Helped by two trusted friends, the Page Investigation Agency is ready to fight the best in Los Angeles for the right to do business. I he Caleys were determined that someone should find their daughter... dead or alive. They weren’t paving extra for an emotional involvement in the case, but Lorraine finds herself crossing the boundary. The search for a missing girl becomes a deadly murder hunt, and in her desperation to succeed and prove herself, Lorraine is caught in a web of deceit and violence that threatens to drag her back into the murky world she fought so hard to escape. Continuing the investigation means risking everything against a secret network of terror... The insidious undercurrent of evil forces Lorraine to battle with the demons inside herself. But the million dollar bonus is one hell of an incentive not to back off a case that could kill her — or give her a future and the professional respect she craves.