Leigh Russell

Geraldine’s judgment is sharp. But this case cuts deeper than most. When Peter Selby vanishes after reporting a suspicious encounter, few take notice – until a man is found brutally stabbed in a quiet York suburb. Detectives Geraldine Steel and Ariadne Croft begin to investigate, but what looks like a random act of violence soon unravels into a dark and deeply personal mystery. As they dig into the lives of the victims, the emotional landscape grows increasingly fractured. Peter’s wife is guarded, their daughter erratic and angry. The second victim’s family are cold, evasive, and seemingly determined to keep the past buried. Then a second disappearance throws everything into chaos. With each revelation, the detectives uncover layers of resentment, betrayal, and psychological trauma lurking behind the neat façades of domestic life. Under mounting pressure, and with Ariadne in growing danger, Geraldine must navigate a maze of fractured relationships and shifting motives before the killer strikes again. Taut, unsettling, and emotionally charged, this psychological crime thriller exposes the darkness beneath the surface – and the human cost of secrets left to fester.

The fair is in town in Ashton Mead and everyone is keen to join in the fun - that is until a young woman falls from the Ferris wheel and all fingers point to Emily's new friend, Dana. With her outsider status, mysterious past and penchant for stretching the truth, who else could it be? As the villagers grow increasingly suspicious of the fairground people and tensions start to bubble, Emily vows to clear Dana's name and protect her friend, much to the dismay of those closest to her. But can Emily and her dog Poppy find the real culprit before the town erupts, or will Emily risk her life for nothing?

The stakes have never been higher for Geraldine Steel. When Alice Lewis is found murdered, the case becomes personal for DI Steel, as Alice was the niece of her childminder, Lisa. Despite Lisa’s earlier pleas for help, Geraldine hadn’t acted in time to save Alice. Now, driven by guilt and a thirst for justice, Geraldine dives headfirst into the case. But the deeper she digs, the more layers of secrets and lies she uncovers about Alice's life, forcing her to question everything she thought she knew. With an elusive killer watching her every move, Geraldine finds herself caught in a dangerous game of cat and mouse. Leigh Russell delivers a masterful tale of suspense, keeping readers on edge until the final shocking twist.

A French patisserie opens in the village of Ashton Mead in time for Christmas. Local residents are pleased but Hannah, owner of the Sunshine Tea Shoppe, feels threatened by the competition. When the owner of the patisserie is killed, Hannah is suspected of murdering her business rival. Her friend, Emily, is determined to clear Hannah's name. She seems to be facing an impossible task... until her little dog Poppy makes a surprising discovery.

THE NEXT NOVEL FROM ONE OF THE UK'S FAVOURITE CRIME WRITERS WITH OVER 1.5 MILLION COPIES SOLD.The body of a wealthy businessman is discovered in the river, but this was no accidental drowning.He was shot before his body entered the water. The police question the dead man’s young girlfriend and his two adult children, all of whom are hoping to inherit his fortune.Before the killer is found, the dead man’s girlfriend is murdered, and pressure mounts for Geraldine and her team to solve the case.Geraldine’s partner is called away to work undercover. Soon after he leaves, their baby vanishes along with the child minder.Geraldine struggles to focus on the murder investigation while she desperately tries to find her child. Afraid that one of her colleagues may be in contact with the kidnapper, she knows she has to work alone, but time may be running out for her child.The next thrilling crime investigation, and the 22nd Instalment in the bestselling Geraldine Steel series.

THE NEW NOVEL FROM ONE OF THE UK'S FAVOURITE CRIME WRITERS WITH OVER 1.5 MILLION COPIES SOLD.Readers can't get enough of Geraldine Steel:????? 'Cannot recommend this series enough'????? 'A cracking series!'????? 'The Geraldine Steel series just gets better and better'A man is found dead, lying at the bottom of the stairs to his flat, his body blocking the door of the elderly woman who lives downstairs.The worried landlord who finds the body seeks advice from his friend's wife - now Detective Inspector Ariadne Moralis. Something in his demeanour hints at a hidden secret.When it becomes apparent that the body has been moved, it is clear the man’s death was not an accident.With only an elderly witness who seems hesitant to disclose all she heard unless the price is right, and a key suspect on the run having fled the scene, Ariadne finds herself grasping at straws.DNA evidence supports the witness’s claims that the victim had two girlfriends, Carly is unwilling to cooperate. Lauren is missing.The motive remains unclear, and the case becomes a confounding maze of unanswered questions, pushing Ariadne to her limits.Meanwhile, Geraldine Steel, adjusting to the routine of new motherhood, longs for the thrill of being at the centre of an investigation. As the body count grows, and every lead seems to turn out to be a dead end, the case quickly throws up more questions than answers, and Ariadne is rapidly out of her depth.Can her friend Geraldine Steel help her uncover the truth?

Emily and Poppy are living happily in the quaint village of Ashton Mead, where every household is friendly - with one exception. Unlike the other villagers, Silas Strang and his mother have a bad reputation. Rude and aggressive, they terrorise their neighbours and no one stops them. That is until Silas sets his sights on Emily's beloved dog Poppy, which Emily won't stand for. After a public altercation, Silas is mysteriously murdered. To Emily's dismay, the police view her as their number one suspect. Assisted by her friends, Hannah and Toby, Emily sets out to establish the truth and clear her name... but her enquiries have frightening consequences.

DI Geraldine Steel knows people go missing all the time; often because they don't want to be found. So when her partner Ian asks her to look into the disappearance of his buddy's girlfriend, her first instinct is to reassure him there's no need for concern.Until she's called to a suspected murder, and all her instincts tell her she's right about the identity of the victim.The woman has earth and leaf mould and fragments of twigs in her hair, her nose, her mouth, under her nails, clinging to her clothes. It's as if she'd been completely encased in earth. Yet she was found on the pavement, at the side of a suburban road, where she wasn't in contact with any soil or mud.Had she managed to escape a living grave?Without a crime scene, the investigation focuses on her boyfriend. But Ian insists his friend is incapable of murder, and Steel is torn. Without evidence, she knows their case is weak. But can she let a possible killer go free?Then another young woman is reported missing. Unless he has an accomplice, they have an innocent man in custody. And Steel is running out of time . . .PRAISE FOR LEIGH RUSSELL'S GERALDINE STEEL SERIES:'Unmissable' Lee Child'Brilliant' Jeffery Deaver

Emily has settled in the picturesque village of Ashton Mead, where she lives with her puppy, Poppy. Life is finally going well for Emily. She has a cottage of her own, a job she likes and friends. Then she stumbles on the body of a woman who apparently drowned in the river. The other villagers suspect foul play and are quick to blame Richard, Emily's next-door neighbour and a newcomer to the village. Emily finds it hard to believe her friendly neighbour could be a cold-hearted murderer. When she meets his attractive son, Adam, her feelings become more complicated. Determined to find out the truth behind the death in the village, Emily travels to London to track down the man with whom Richard's wife was having an affair. Unfortunately for Emily, her visit does not go as planned. Instead of helping clear Richard's name, she finds her own life is in danger...

After losing her job and her boyfriend, Emily is devastated. As she is puzzling over what to do with the rest of her life, she is surprised to learn that her great aunt has died, leaving Emily her cottage in the picturesque Wiltshire village of Ashton Mead. But there is one condition to her inheritance: she finds herself the unwilling owner of a pet. Not knowing what to expect, Emily sets off for the village, hoping to make a new life for herself. In Ashton Mead, she soon makes friends with Hannah who runs the Sunshine Tea Shoppe and meets other residents of the village where she decides to settle. All is going well... until Emily's ex-boyfriend turns up and against the advice of her new friends, she takes him back. When Emily decides to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a neighbour, she unwittingly puts her own life in danger...

When a pupil accuses a teacher of molesting her, his career and marriage are threatened... The girl's corpse is discovered in the woods, and the teacher becomes a suspect in a murder enquiry. The victim's best friend is then murdered so she cannot reveal the killer's identity. The investigating team are satisfied the teacher is guilty, apart from Detective Inspector Geraldine Steel, who believes the wrong man has been arrested. All of her colleagues disagree... but if she is right, the real killer remains at large.

A wheelchair-using woman is strangled and her son, Eddy, is arrested. When his alibi falls apart, the police are satisfied that he is guilty. Only Geraldine doubts whether Eddy is cunning enough to kill his mother and cover his tracks so successfully. The situation becomes more complicated when the girlfriend Eddy claims he was with at the time of the murder denies having met him. Shortly after the girl thinks she is being stalked, her dead body is discovered outside Eddy's house. As the body count grows, the investigation team is getting desperate, pushing Geraldine to breaking point.

An inoffensive man is murdered in a seemingly motiveless attack. Detective Inspector Geraldine Steel and her team are baffled, until DNA from an apparent stranger is discovered on the victim's body. Geraldine is not convinced the suspect is guilty. When a witness comes forward to offer the suspect an alibi, Geraldine lets him go. That night, a second murder is committed. The evidence points to the suspect who has just been released. As Geraldine attempts to make sense of the suspect's complex history, he goes on the run. Even his wife appears to condemn him. Only Geraldine still doubts that he is to blame for the murders, but is she prompted by her own guilt for having released him to kill again? As the story races towards a breathtaking twist, Geraldine is tormented by self-doubt, and struggles to focus all her attention on the case. Someone is lying and the police must uncover the truth before anyone else is killed...

A sixteenth-century Jewish woman flees persecution and an abusive marriage in this historical saga from “a brilliant talent” (Jeffery Deaver). When soldiers attack the inhabitants of a Jewish ghetto in sixteenth-century Lithuania, Abigail manages to escape both the attack and her abusive husband, Reuven. She travels over land and sea to Venice, where she settles in another ghetto. Believing Reuven is dead, Abigail falls in love with her widowed neighbour, Daniel. But before Abigail and Daniel announce their betrothal, her violent husband reappears. Reuven is arrested for drunken brawling and sentenced to slavery in the galleys. Abigail hopes she has finally seen the last of him, but he returns to Venice, and Abigail fears she will never be free of him. From the Dagger Award finalist and acclaimed author of the Geraldine Steel novels, Abigail of Venice is an engrossing story of forbidden love that explores domestic violence, religious persecution, the Inquisition, and witch burning against the backdrop of one of the most turbulent periods of European history.

When a sex worker dies in suspicious circumstances in York, Detective Inspector Geraldine Steel struggles to remain focused on the murder investigation. She is distracted by her worries about her colleague and life partner, Ian Peterson, who has disappeared. Geraldine becomes close to her colleague, Matthew. She is unaware that Ian is working under cover in London, helping to identify a criminal gang who have been targeting Geraldine. As a second victim is discovered in York, Ian's life is threatened by a psychopath. If he fails in his mission, both he and Geraldine may die...

In a world where food is scarce, the government rules and ordinary people only exist to serve, can there ever be happiness? As a child, living in a post-apocalyptic world, the only person Rachel can rely on is her mother. But when her mother is killed, Rachel is initiated into The Programme where selected young girls are medicated to make them fertile. Fearing for her future, Rachel escapes. But freedom comes at a price and Rachel must navigate through a terrifying landscape of persecution to survive. What is on the other side of the city wall? Will the repressive government hunt her down? One thing is certain. Rachel’s world will never be the same again… Discover a completely gripping dystopian saga today. Rachel's Story is the perfect read for readers of women's fiction as well as for fans of dystopian novels, such as Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale. What readers are saying about Rachel's Story: "A gripping new dystopian novel, perfect for fans of The Handmaid's Tale." "Intriguing and really clever." "Oh my goodness this was amazing" "Loved all the characters and really enjoyed the book and the atmosphere" Leigh Russell is also the internationally bestselling author of The Geraldine Steel Series and the stand-alone psychological thrillers, Suspicion and The Adulterer's Wife.

Living with her colleague and long time love interest, Detective Inspector Ian Peterson, it seems that Geraldine Steel has finally found happiness. But life is never that simple. As a psychopath starts killing random women on the streets of York, Geraldine is abducted by a drugs syndicate who have been threatening her sister. Geraldine has everything to fight for, and her life is on the line...

When a hysterical mother reports her baby's sudden disappearance, suspicion immediately falls on the absent husband. But Detective Geraldine Steel's gut instinct tells her this case is not as simple as her colleagues think... Complications in the mother's life begin to surface, including her relationship with her controlling father, a controversial political figure. As the police investigate, their urgent attempt to find the missing infant grows ever more perplexing. Steel is forced to suspect everyone associated with the family - and when a body is discovered, matters take a deadly turn.

Four dead bodies. But who is guilty in this deadly web of secrecy and lies? When a homeless man is murdered, Detective Sergeant Geraldine Steel is disturbed by the coldblooded nature of the crime. With the discovery of a second victim, the police hunt for a killer whose motive is as elusive as he is dangerous. In an investigation plagued by police scepticism, Geraldine is relentless in her pursuit of the truth. Drawn into the lives of three people caught in a toxic web of love and deceit, Geraldine learns there is more to this case than she had imagined.

WHEN THE TARGETS ARE RANDOM, YOU COULD BE NEXT WHEN THE TARGETS ARE RANDOM, YOU COULD BE NEXT A man is killed in apparently random attack, and suspicion falls on a gang of muggers. Only Detective Sergeant Geraldine Steel thinks this is the work of a more deliberate murderer. Two more victims are discovered, after further seemingly indiscriminate attacks. The muggers are tracked down, with tragic consequences, but does the killer still remain at large? When Geraldine finally manages to track down a witness, she finds her own life is in danger...