A spate of robberies targeting elderly women is disturbing enough, but especially so in a town as peaceful and sedate as Leek. Then one attack turns to murder, and DI Joanna Piercy is called to the eerily named Spite Hall.The body of Nan Lawrence has been found bludgeoned to death, lying over the tapestry she was in the process of embroidering. But what could have made the robbers move from simple theft to murder?When Joanna calls on Nan's neighbours she is surprised to find that they are none other than the old lady's estranged brother and his teenage grandson, neither of whom seem particularly willing to co-operate with her enquiries.Slowly, aided by her colleague Mark Korpanski, Joanna unravels a mystery—the tangled threads of which are rooted years in the past.

Jakob Grimshaw has eked out a precarious living as a Staffordshire moorland farmer by selling off some of his land to Gabriel Frankwell, a local businessman, who seized the opportunity to build a select development of nine houses, the Prospect Farm Estate.But having been sold a rural idyll, the residents of the estate quickly realise that they do not like Grimshaw's old farm building – surely such an eyesore will mean their properties will depreciate in value? And so the war begins . . . each inhabitant with his or her own reason for wanting Grimshaw to move away. What none of the residents realise is that the old farmer is neither simple nor honest. When Grimshaw's body is discovered at the foot of his boundary wall, his head crushed by one of the copestones, it is up to DI Joanna Piercy to unravel the events leading up to his death.But Joanna has worries of her own in her personal life and the last thing she needs on her desk is a gruesome murder investigation . . .

Hiding from the truth brings dark and fatal consequencesCallum Hughes has been labelled a killer and a psycho. He has been labelled by the press, by his classmates and most of all by the family of the boy he stabbed. Roger Gough has been labelled a victim. He is described by everyone the police question as a sporty, funny and popular boy who was brutally murdered by Callum. At least, that’s what his friends and family are saying. But things are rarely so black and white.When Callum is found dead in his cell just two days after his arrest, it is accepted that he killed himself. But the coroner, Martha Gunn, dares to dig a little deeper, unravelling a truth that is far more disturbing and distressing than anything the papers could have made up. She is determined to solve the mysetery and reveal the truth behind the destroyed lives of two very different boys.ReviewHighly recommended. This is one of those books that every so often you look up and around the room to confirm to yourself that you are safe! --Mystery Women About the AuthorPriscilla Masters was born in Halifax and is one of seven adopted children. The family moved to South Wales where she lived until she was sixteen when she went to Birmingham to work and then to train as a nurse. She is married to a GP and now lives in Shropshire. She works part-time as a nurse.

On a late summer's Monday, Doctor Claire Roget takes up her new post of clinical psychiatrist at a secure psychiatric unit in Stoke-on-Trent. Six months earlier, her predecessor, Heidi Faro was brutally murdered by one of the inmates in the office she has now inherited. As Claire is adjusting to her new job, she becomes increasingly suspicious that someone else might have been involved in the murder. But Claire finds herself trapped in a vulnerable position: if she speaks she could be accused of a breach of medical confidentiality. But if she keeps silent she could be guilty of failing to protect the public against a dangerous individual.A taut and gripping novel that seeks to explore the shifting boundary between sanity and insanity; this book is sure to play on your mind.

Dr Daniel Gregory, a GP in the small, picturesque market town of Eccleston, is becoming concerned by the frequency of visits by Vanda Struel and her two-year-old daughter Anna-Louise. At first he believed they were merely a symptom of a vulnerable young woman, over-protective of her child. But as the number of consultations escalates and the complaints become increasingly bizarre, Daniel worries that there could be something more sinister driving Vanda to the doctor’s surgery day after day…Distressing developments lead to Daniel’s integrity being called into question, both professionally and as a man. His duty as a doctor collides with his conscience and the distinction between them becomes evermore blurred. His personal life is also far from straightforward; his wife is reluctant to allow him visiting rights to his daughter, a member of staff has a crush on him, and his overly possessive mother is on her way to sort out the mess…With his professional reputation under threat – and even, ultimately, his life – Daniel quickly learns that nothing is as it seems: fine reputations can crumble; illness is not necessarily illness; love, not always love; and children, not necessarily innocent. But just how much is the terrible turn of events going to cost him?Review“It’s always a joy to discover a crime writer with a sure touch and the capacity to shock. More please and soon.” About the AuthorPRISCILLA MASTERS was born in Halifax and is one of seven adopted children. The family moved to South Wales where she lived until she was sixteen when she went to Birmingham to work and then to train as a nurse. She is married to a GP and now lives in Shropshire. She works part-time as a nurse.

During a New Year's Eve party, GP Harriet Lamont is called away on an emergency night visit—fatefully leaving her husband to meet the alluring Jude . . . Harriet's patient, Reuben Camforth, is an old man who lives on the edge of the forest. As he is taken to hospital for the last time, Reuben begs for Harriet's help. A decade earlier, his six year old granddaughter Melanie vanished. His final wish is for her disappearance to be solved. Two months pass and with her personal life in turmoil, Harriet cannot forget Reuben’s last words. She finds herself becoming obsessed with the image of a child in a red dress wandering in the woods. She vows to find the body—and the killer—of the little girl they called Melanie Toadstool . . .. 

DI Joanna Piercy breaks into the house of missing nurse Marilyn Smith. She finds Marilyn upstairs, spreadeagled across the bed, provacatively dressed and elaborately made up—she is also stone dead.Despite a lack of evidence at the post mortem, DI Pierce is convinced that Marilyn was murdered. As a newcomer and a woman in the remote moorland town, Piercy must battle against long-held prejudices in her determination to find the killer. But could she be wrong? Is it possible that Marilyn Smith's death was not murder after all...?

His patient was ready. He stood for a moment staring down at her his mind working out the correct incision. Then the first cut...A body has been discovered in undergrowth in the grounds of a Birmingham hospital, wrapped in a clinical waste bag and, even more bizarrely, wearing little but a garish Disney tie. The scar and stitches evident on the dead man's groin suggest he may have recently been a patient at the hospital. But when pathologist Karys Harper is brought in to examine the body she makes a discovery that is more grotesque still -- the surgery wound was inflicted after death. Clearly this is no ordinary killer. And he's about to strike again.

Can a psychiatrist prevent a crime when it exists only in a patient's mind?When she receives a wedding invitation from one of her former patients, forensic psychiatrist Dr Claire Roget is more than a little alarmed. Highly intelligent and manipulative, Jerome Barclay suffers from a severe personality disorder. Although she has never been able to prove it, Claire believes him to be highly dangerous, responsible for at least three suspicious deaths – and she fears for the safety of his new bride. What's more, Jerome seems to know rather too much about Claire's personal and professional life, including intimate details concerning her other patients. What sinister game is he playing?With no proof as to Jerome's possibly murderous intentions, Claire's hands are tied. Can she prevent a tragedy unfolding? And is Claire herself at risk?

A desperate phone call from an old acquaintance plunges forensic psychiatrist Claire Roget into an explosive situation with echoes in her own past. Forensic psychiatrist Dr Claire Roget finds it impossible to refuse when she receives a desperate phone call from an old acquaintance, obstetrician Charles Tissot. One of his patients, Heather Kimble, alleges that Tissot seduced her at a party and that he is the father of her unborn child. His career on the line, Charles begs Claire to expose Heather?s fragile mental state and discredit her wild claims.With a history of making similar false allegations, her two previous babies having suffered unexplained cot deaths, Heather?s accusations would appear to be nothing more than the result of a damaged mind. But as Claire delves further, it becomes clear that Charles hasn?t been telling her the whole truth. Could Heather?s story possibly have some merit? And is her unborn child in danger??

A DI Joanna Piercy mysteryOn a snowy December morning, a young woman is found outside Patches nightclub in Leek. Half dead from the cold, she says she has been raped. As Detective Inspector Joanna Piercy, fresh from a disciplinary action, investigates, she learns that Kayleigh Harrison has made unsubstantiated allegations before against her stepfather. But there are possible links to a similar rape case six months previously...Is there a real case to investigate or not? Kayleigh holds the key, but how much of her story can be trusted?

1787. A man hastily puts the finishing touches to his final piece of work: a beautifully shaped jug adorned with grotesque images which, he hopes, will carry his message on after his death. For he knows he is soon to die. As he places his precious creation in the kiln, he hears a commotion outside. They have come. He will be arrested and hanged before his pot has even dried.Almost two centuries later, antiques dealer Susanna Paris notices the jug at an auction and immediately desires it. Faced with stiff competition, she eventually prevails and wins the work of art. But an altercation with a charming older man, Richard Oliver, who also wants the piece, marks the beginning of a whirlwind romance. Susanna discovers the jug portrays pictures of Richard's ancestral home, Hall o'th'Wood. But what do the other strange images mean?Susanna cannot help but wonder about the piece of pottery and is further intrigued when sinister revelations about the previous inhabitants of Hall...

Detective Inspector Joanna Piercy and her sergeant, Mike Korpanski, find themselves investigating the murder of a ten-year-old boy whose burning body is found beneath the Winking Man, a desolate outcrop from which nature has carved a human face.The body is scarred by cigarette burns, his hands tattooed and clothes scruffy—but he is wearing expensive Reebok trainers and a solid gold ring on his left hand, monogrammed AL, which belonged to the local MP who had been dead for over a year...Who is he? And who is the mysterious old woman who watched his body burn?

DI Alex Randall and coroner Martha Gunn search for a missing child, but their investigation is compromised by local superstitions and beliefs In the peaceful setting of the National Trust near Church Stretton, south of Shrewsbury, Tracey Walsh drives herself and her four-year-old daughter, Daisy, up the remote Burway in the early hours of the morning, tragically loses control of her car and crashes into the valley below.Tracey is rushed to hospital, but where is Daisy? She has vanished, provoking an intense police search of the area around the Devil's Chair, land that is rife with legends and strange stories of witchcraft, sorcery and unexplained disappearances. Detective Inspector Alex Randall, the senior investigating officer, soon admits to coroner Martha Gunn that he is baffled by the case.Alex and Martha must sift through fact and fiction, folklore and reality in their search for answers.

Over the years, the residents of Shrewsbury have become used to the occasional flood – living close to the River Severn, it comes as no surprise. But the latest deluge stirs up more than just mud and silt, and the locals are horrified by what comes floating to the surface…Coroner Martha Gunn is one of the first called to the scene when a body is found floating in a flooded cottage. Martha’s instinct tells her that this is a homicide – a hunch borne out by the post mortem. The victim is presumed to be the cottage’s tenant, James Humphreys, who recently went missing. However, when asked to identify the body, his wife Cressida is adamant that it is not her husband. Martha is left with many perplexing questions. Who, then, is the real victim? Why has he been murdered? And where has the real Mr Humphreys gone?