The Trophy Taker

The gripping new novel featuring unorthodox Edinburgh lawyer Brodie McClennan, who must investigate a ritualistic murder in the Highlands in order to clear her name.A woman is lured to a lonely ruin in the Scottish Highlands and strangled almost to the point of death. As she prays for mercy, her hopes are shattered when her unseen assailant begins to carve her face, and she is left alone to bleed her life's blood into a shallow grave.In Edinburgh, 29–year–old lawyer Brodie McLennan is coming to terms with the discovery of the family she never knew she had. She must also fight the increasing resentment of the Edinburgh Bar. As the complaints to the Law Society about Brodie pile up, her grandfather and legal legend Lord MacGregor fears that Brodie is in danger and advises that to protect her reputation, she should become a crown prosecutor-accept 'silk'–something that rankles with Brodie's natural inclination to protect the underdog. When Lord McGregor's prophecy is fulfilled and Brodie is implicated in the disappearance of a fellow lawyer, she realises he is right–she is now a marked woman.Then the missing woman is found in a remote mental hospital, the walls of her cell smeared in blood, the name 'Brodie' written over and over...Back in Edinburgh, a knife is found with Brodie's fingerprints. It seems that someone is out to stop Brodie's rise to the top–at any cost... Sometimes the worst nightmares happen in broad daylight...An utterly gripping novel for fans of Peter James and Mark Billingham, from a rising star in the crime genre. A woman is found brutally murdered on a quiet housing estate, her tongue and eyes ritualistically gouged out. Children are being abducted and then returned to their families days later without a scratch and with no knowledge or where they have been - or with whom. If DC Laura McGanity thought moving from London to sleepy Lancashire was taking the easy option then she can think again. Already worried about uprooting young son Bobby to follow her reporter boyfriend Jack Garrett back to his hometown, she must quickly get a handle on these mystifying cases terrifying the people of Blackley - without putting the local officers' noses out of joint. Meanwhile, restless Jack is itching to get back to his writing and the cases provide the perfect opportunity to do so. But as he delves deeper into them, he finds murky connections between the two crimes and skeletons buried in the most unlikely of closets. Most astonishing of all, he meets a man who 'paints' the future - terrible events come to him in vivid dreams which he then puts onto canvas. This 'precognition' is not so much a gift as a curse and to Jack it becomes terrifyingly that many people, including his own family, are in danger... DETECTIVE JOHNNY MANN IS BACKMissing children. An evil racket. A race against time ...Summoned to meet his boss, rebellious Detective Johnny Mann expects to be told that he is being demoted. Instead he is ordered to lead the investigation into the kidnapping of Amy Tang - the illegitimate daughter of a major player in the skin trade, CK Leung. Mann is reluctant to help - he has crossed paths with CK before- but he has no choice. Nine-year-old Amy is the third child to be kidnapped and held for a vast sum of money, but while the other two children were released after the vast ransom was paid, Amy is still being held captive. Mann's investigation takes him to London, where he teams up with DC Becky Stamp. Within days of his arrival, an arson attack kills twelve women and children. The charred bodies of the victims are found chained to their beds - their injuries rendering them identifiable...What is the link between the kidnapping of Amy in Hong Kong and the deaths of these women and children and can Mann discover the truth before it's too late. Prepare to be terrorised all over again with this disturbingly addictive thriller from the writer hailed as the female James Patterson. Detective Johnny Mann faces his most chilling case yet. In the leafy Home Counties, terror's struck. A young girl is kidnapped from her prestigious boarding school - and she just so happens to be the daughter of infamous Triad CK Leung. On the other side of the world, Detective Johnny Mann is ordered to investigate. Amy is the third child to be snatched in recent months in similar circumstances. The other two were released after a ransom was paid but Amy is still missing. Mann realises she's become an innocent pawn in a deadly global game and every second counts. In London, Mann teams up with troubled DC Becky Stamp. Within hours of his arrival a vicious arson attack leaves twelve women and children dead, their blackened and disfigured bodies found chained to their beds. What is the link between Amy's kidnapping and these murders? Can Mann discover the truth before Amy becomes the next victim? From the steamy alleyways of Hong Kong to the mean streets of London via the Philippines' notorious 'Place of the Dead', prepare to have your nerves shredded and your sleep broken with this addictive thriller from the writer hailed as the female JAMES PATTERSON. Don't have nightmares... A serial killer is on the loose. His target? Lone Western women lured to Hong Kong by the promise of easy money. A serial killer is on the loose. His target? Lone Western women lured to Hong Kong by the promise of easy money. As The Butcher's killing spree escalates, bags of mutilated body parts are found all over the island - and more girls are disappearing. Taking on his first homicide case, Detective Johnny Mann is determined to stop The Butcher's brutal reign. Haunted by the memory of his father's death by the Triads, he's the only man who can track down a killer who's paralysing the city with fear. Georgina Johnson has left her tragic past in England to start afresh in Hong Kong. But soon her life is in peril as she is sucked into the sinister world of the city's hostess clubs. Venturing into dark and dangerous places, Mann unearths chilling evidence about the killings. And then another body is found, one which brings the murders closer to home... Bolt the doors, turn on the lights and pray for mercy - you'll be up all night with this disturbingly addictive debut from a writer being hailed as the female James Patterson. Missing children. An evil racket. A race against time ... Summoned to meet his boss, rebellious Detective Johnny Mann expects to be told that he is being demoted. Instead he is ordered to lead the investigation into the kidnapping of Amy Tang - the illegitimate daughter of a major player in the skin trade, CK Leung. Mann is reluctant to help - he has crossed paths with CK before - but he has no choice. Nine-year-old Amy is the third child to be kidnapped and held for a vast sum of money, but while the other two children were released after the vast ransom was paid, Amy is still being held captive. Mann's investigation takes him to London, where he teams up with DC Becky Stamp. Within days of his arrival, an arson attack kills twelve women and children. The charred bodies of the victims are found chained to their beds - their injuries rendering them identifiable... What is the link between the kidnapping of Amy in Hong Kong and the deaths of these women and children and can Mann discover the truth before it's too late. Detective and mystery stories. The game is simple - he is the Hunter and they are the Prey. He gives them a chance to escape. To run. To hide. To outsmart him. But eventually, he catches them. And that's when the game gets really terrifying ... Private investigator Griffin Powell and FBI agent Nicole Baxter know a lot about serial killers, they took one down together. But this new killer is as sadistic as they've ever seen. He likes his little games, and he especially likes forcing Nicole and Griff to play along. Every unsolvable clue, every posed victim, every taunting phone call, it's all part of his twisted, elaborate plan. And then the Hunter calls, wanting to know if they're really ready to play ... There's a new game now, and it's much more deadly than the first. A brutal psychopath needs a worthy adversary. He won't stop until he can hunt the most precious prey of all, Nicole. And with his partner in a killer's sights, Griff is playing for the biggest stakes of his life A woman is found brutally murdered, her tongue and eyes ritualistically gouged out. Children are being abducted and then returned to their families days later without a scratch and with no knowledge of where they have been or with whom. Already worried about uprooting young son Bobby to follow her reporter boyfriend Jack Garrett back to his hometown, DC Laura McGanity must quickly get a handle on these mystifying cases terrifying the people of Blackley. Meanwhile, as Jack delves deeper into the cases, he finds murky connections between the two crimes. Most astonishing of all, he meets a man who 'paints' the future terrible events come to him in vivid dreams which he then puts onto canvas. This 'precognition' is not so much a gift as a curse and to Jack it becomes terrifyingly clear that many people, including his own family, are in danger... Blood is thicker than water - and far more deadly. A woman is lured to a remote spot in the Scottish Highlands and strangled almost to the point of death. As she begs for mercy, her tormentor begins to carve her face, before burying her alive. In Edinburgh, unorthodox young lawyer Brodie McLennan becomes tangled up in the case. When it emerges that Brodie was the last person to see the victim and crucial evidence is found at her flat, she must fight to clear her name - and save her own skin. Meanwhile in an asylum in Inverness, a deranged patient writes the name Brodie over and over in her own blood. As another mutilated body is discovered bearing the same ritualistic markings, Brodie is running scared from unknown forces, eager to see blood on her hands Sometimes the worst nightmares happen in broad daylight! An utterly gripping novel for fans of Peter James and Mark Billingham, from a rising star in the crime genre.