Simon Beckett Books

Finding Refuge In A Quiet Rural Backwater, Dr David Hunter Hoped He Might At Last Have Put The Past Behind Him. But Then They Found What Was Left Of Sally Palmer& It Isn T Just That She Was A Friend That Disturbs Him. Once He D Been A High-Profile Forensic Anthropologist And All Too Familiar With The Many Faces Of Death, Before Tragedy Made Him Abandon This Previous Life. Now The Police Want His Help. But To Become Involved Will Stir Up Memories He S Long Tried To Forget. Then A Second Woman Disappears, Plunging The Close-Knit Community Into A Maelstrom Of Fear And Paranoia. And No One, Not Even Hunter, Is Exempt From Suspicion.Gruesome And Gripping, This Startling New British Crime Thriller Has An Unnerving And Original Twist.

‘Masterful storytelling and macabre forensic details make his novels utterly chilling reads’ TESS GERRITSEN Once a busy hospital, St Jude’s now stands derelict, awaiting demolition. When a partially mummified corpse is found in the building’s cavernous loft, forensics expert Dr David Hunter is called in to take a look. He can’t say how long the body’s been there, but he is certain it’s that of a young woman. And that she was pregnant. Then part of the attic floor collapses, revealing another of the hospital’s secrets: a bricked-up chamber with beds inside. And some of them are still occupied. For Hunter, what began as a straightforward case is about to become a twisted nightmare. And it soon becomes clear that St Jude’s hasn’t claimed its last victim . . . Chilling, visceral and masterfully paced, Simon Beckett’s new crime thriller will leave you gasping.

"Top forensics expert Dr. David Hunter is facing an uncertain future - his career hangs in the balance and his personal life has taken a turn for the worse. So when he gets a call from Essex police, it comes at the perfect time. A badly decomposed body has been found in the mudflats and salt marshes of the Backwaters. Could it be linked to two unsolved missing-person cases? But then more remains are discovered. And as these desolate wetlands begin to give up their grisly secrets, Hunter is reminded that it's not the dead we need to fear."--From publisher.

Detective and mystery stories. Forensic anthropologist Dr David Hunter should be at home in London with the woman he loves. Instead, as a favour to a beleaguered colleague, he's on the remote Hebridean island of Runa to inspect a grisly discovery.

In plain black letters were the words Anthropological Research Facility,' but it was better known by another, less formal name. Most people just called it The Body Farm. The victim has been bound and torturer, the body decomposed beyond recognition... A second body is found. A nightmare is about to begin... A serial killer is at work and the death toll is rising... A brutal abduction - a helpless victim is taken... And for forensics expert David Hunter, it's become a terrifying race against time.

"It was eight years ago that they found the body buried on the moor. They were certain that this was one of psychotic rapist and multiple murderer Jerome Monk's teenage victims. Which left just two more bodies to find. But the ill-conceived search ended badly. And with Monk safely behind bars, the momentum faltered. For forensics expert David Hunter, and those others who were part of the recovery team, life moved on. And the dead were were left undisturbed."--Publishers description.

One day, your son disappears from the playground. Ten years later, will you finally get the truth? The disappearance of firearms police officer Jonah Colley's young son almost destroyed him. A phone call from an old friend leads Jonah to the warehouse Slaughter Quay, and the discovery of four bodies, with a link to his son's case. Attacked and left for dead in the dark, Jonah is the only survivor. Under suspicion himself for what happened at Slaughter Quay, Jonah uncovers a network of secrets and lies about the people closest to him - forcing him to question what really happened to his son all those years ago... 'A terrific thriller from one of our finest crime writers at the top of his game.' Peter James 'A roaring, full-throated thriller.' Daily Mail 'First in a new series, this is a tense and twisty tale.' The Sun

"'Somebody!' I half-sob and then, more quietly, 'Please.' The words seem absorbed by the afternoon heat, lost amongst the trees. In their aftermath, the silence descends again. I know then that I'm not going anywhere... i> ean is on the run. We don't know why and we don't know from whom, but we do know he's abandoned his battered, blood-stained car in the middle of a sweltering, isolated, lonely part of rural France. Desperate to avoid the police, he takes to the hedgerows and country lanes only to be caught in the vicious jaws of a trap. Near unconscious from pain and loss of blood, he is freed and taken in by two women - the daughters of the owner of a rundown local farm with its ramshackle barn, blighted vineyard and the brooding lake. And it's then that Sean's problems really start... Superbly written, Stone Bruises is a classic nail-shredder of a thriller that holds you from the beginning and slowly, inexorably tightens its grip as the story unfurls and keeps you guessing until the unnerving and shocking final twist..."

We don't know why and we don't know from whom, but we do know he's abandoned his battered, blood-stained car in the middle of an isolated part of rural France at the height of a sweltering summer.

Some moments burn in the mind for ever. The landing is dark. Light comes from a window at the far end, enough to run by. Breath comes hard. From the stairs sound heavy footfalls in pursuit. The landing ends in a last doorway. There is no more running, only the need to hide... Imagine not knowing the father of your child. Not knowing his name. What he looks like. Or what sort of person he is. Although she is desperate for a baby, that is something that Kate Powell cannot accept. Single, independent, she likes to be in control of her own life - even if it has, somehow, become strangely shallow and meaningless. Then Kate meets a man who seems to be the answer to all her problems. But we all know appearances can be dangerously deceptive. And Kate should too. Soon her life is out her hands. And out of control...