The Last Girl to Die by Helen Fields

On the island of Mull 17 year old Adriana Cark has gone missing.  She is not an islander and the local police are not really bothered about her disappearance and are doing very little, if anything, to look for her.  The family call in Sadie Levesque from Canada to help then find their daughter.  A few days into her search and after reading about Mackinnon's Caves in a guide book Sadie heads there and discovers the dead body of Adriana who is wearing a seaweed crown and has a mouth packed full of sand.  

The police are convinced Adriana has been murdered by a tourist and do very little investigation.  Sadie does not give up and is determine to find out who killed Adriana.  Although it was 40 years ago, there had been another very similar death of a young woman on the island. 

The Clark family are not quite the family they first seem as they have many secrets and are not always honest with Sadie.  

The Black Ink Heart by Robert Galbraith

Edie Ledwell, a co-creator of a popular cartoon named The Ink Black Heart, turns up at the investigation agency and asks Robin to help her to find out the identify of someone by the name of Anomie who is pursuing her on-line.  The agency doesn't really have the knowledge of capacity to look into this so Robin suggests another agency.  A couple of days later Edie is murdered in Highgate Cemetery and Josh, her business partner, is also attacked and left for dead.  

Robin and Strike do then end up investigating to uncover the identity of Anomie.  Robin gets drawn into the on-line gaming to try to find out what she can from the moderators on the site. 

They talk to many members of the families and find there are a lot of conflicts and people claiming business interests in the game.  Robin and Strike also become targets as their investigation progresses.  

Sisters and Lies by Bernice Barrington

One night Rachel Darcy, who lives in Ireland, receives a phone call from the police to say that her sister Evie has been involved in a car crash and is in a coma.  Rachel immediately heads over to London to be with Evie.  

Rachel goes to Evie's flat and discovers that her flatmate Janet is no longer there.  Instead she finds a man called Donnagh who says he is Evie's boyfriend.  Lots of things just don't seem to add up.  Why was Evie driving when she doesn't have a licence or a car?  Who is Donnagh and why does Rachel not know about him?  

Whilst Rachel is trying to piece together what has happened to Evie and why, Evie herself is stuck in a coma but can hear what is happening around her but can't make herself respond. Evie is desperately trying to wake up so that she can let Rachel know that she too is in danger.  

Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith

Private Detectives Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott are asked to investigate the disappearance 40 years ago of Dr Margot Bamborough.  No body was ever found but it was always thought she may have been a victim of a serial killer who was active around that time, but this had never been confirmed.  

They take on the case and manage to get hold of the old police records.  The first policeman who has been in charge of the case was on the brink of a breakdown and his records included references to tarot cards and star signs.  

Strike and Robin interview as many people as they can who had been involved in the police investigation and were around on the day Margot disappeared.  

Murder at Hawthorn Cottage by Betty Rowlands

Crime writer Melissa Craig moves from London to an old cottage in the Cotswolds.  When Iris, her neighbour, discovers the dead body of a young woman in the woods Melissa is encouraged by local journalist Bruce to help him to investigate.  He is sure this will be the body of Babs who disappeared about 10 months ago.  Bruce feels that there was more to her disappearance than her just moving on and he is convinced that the club she worked at is dealing in drugs.  

Melissa is talked into helping and in the course of her investigations she visits a beauty parlour, bingo hall, private ladies club and a nursing home.  

There are a lot of hidden secrets within the village which get revealed in the search for the truth when the crime writer turns sleuth.  

The Guilty Wife by Nina Manning

Twenty years ago Frankie Keegan's brother was killed in a car crash.  Frankie had been in the car too.  She had received therapy but is still struggling with what happened and hasn't told the whole story to anyone, not even her husband.  

Frankie starts a new job and her husband works from home and looks after their children.  As the anniversary approaches Frankie receives odd notes, text messages and even a toy car, the same as the car driven by Kiefer, is left on her doorstep.  She doesn't know who is leaving the messages and begins to feel threatened.  She can't talk about what is happening and at the same time her marriage seems about to end. 

The story goes backwards and forwards to what happened and the friendships of 20 years ago and then returns to the present day. 

Die in the Wool by Katherine Hayton

After 20 years working for 'Auntie Fran' in the knitting shop, Tash is fired following a disagreement about an incorrect order.  The following day Tash goes back to the shop in the hope that she still has a job and finds Fran dead on the floor.  

Tash discovers that Fran has left the shop to her.  Fran's closest relative is a nephew who decides to contest the will.  The locals stop using the shop when one of them points the finger at Tash as being a murderer.  Tash needs to clear her name and when she is poisoned she then realises that Fran may have been murdered and the murderer may now be after her too.

Hetty's Farmhouse Bakery by Cathy Bramley

Wife of Dan, and mother to Poppy, Hetty Greengrass has been a farmers wife for years.  Without telling her, Hetty's sister-in-law enters Hetty's homemade pies into a competition run by Cumbria's Finest.  Hetty gets through to the next stage of the competition and is invited to go to London with the other finalists.  Dan is not at all supportive and says she can't go, he needs Hetty on the farm.  

For once Hetty wants to do something for herself and to make her daughter proud of her.  She sets off to London knowing that things are not right within her marriage.  Hidden secrets on both sides then come to light. 

The House of Hopes and Dreams by Trisha Ashley

Whilst in hospital following a road accident Carey Revell receives a visit from a Solicitor who advises him that he has inherited Mossby, a large but quite rundown house in Lancashire, from Francis Revell an uncle he didn't know he had.  Carey is the last in the family line.  

At the same time, his childhood friend Angel Arrowsmith, following the sudden death of her working and living partner, finds herself out of both a job and a home as her partner's son takes control and throws her out.  

Carey and Angel move into Mossby together and start work on the house.  There is also a glass workshop in the grounds which will be used for Angel to start up her own business designing and making stained glass windows.  There are stained glass windows in Mossby and one very significant window is in need or repair.  

There are stories about the house being haunted.  There are some old priest holes and secret panels in the walls, the access to which is only handed down to the male inheritors within the family.  Francis' step daughter from a previous marriage lives with her husband in the gatehouse and had been the housekeeper.  She is obsessive about the panelling in one of the wings.  She is not happy that the house was inherited by Carey and not her.  

After the Rain by Lucy Dillon

The residents of Longhampton are struggling after a major flood.  Therapist Tara Hunter has been helping out with the rescue.  She has her own personal struggles as her mum has recently died, her twin brother is in America and her boyfriend has disappeared leaving behind his cat for Tara to look after.  

Out of the blue Tara's dad turns up.  She has not seen him or had any contact with him for years.  He had heard about her good works and makes a surprising offer of help.  Tara isn't sure if he can be trusted and won't just end up letting everyone down as he has done before.  

At the Wellness Centre new Counsellor David Dalloway is proving to be very popular and is making breakthroughs with people who have struggled and seen other therapists at the centre for many years.  He is allowing pets into the therapy sessions.  Tara isn't sure if his methods are genuine, or if he is secretly hypnotising his clients.  Slowly they start to make friends.  

Blood Tide by Claire MCGowan

Forensic psychologist Paula Maguire travels to Bone Island to help find a young couple who had been reported missing after a storm. Matt, a marine biologist, was working for Enviracorp who have a seaweed processing plant on the island.  Fiona, his partner, had become the island's doctor.  The islanders are not welcoming and are very suspicious of outsiders.  

Paula is convinced that all is not what it seems and the islanders are involved and covering up their activities.  There had been a lot of violence recently.  

When another storm hits, Paula and her colleagues are trapped on the island and targeted by an unknown killer.