Pamela Rainsford, found on a lonely canal path in the middle of a dark night, has not only been raped and strangled, but her face has been hacked to pieces. At first it seems a random killing, but as the case progresses, Woodend begins to suspect that the death of the mild-mannered, respectable secretary may have been a result of her own secret life. And another secret life is having its consequences, too - as a result of his now-ended affair with Sergeant Monika Paniatowski, Inspector Bob Rutter's marriage is falling apart. As the investigation proceeds, Woodend finds himself beginning to understand the complex web of lies and deceits which Pamela Rainsford has spun around herself, but nothing he discovers could never prepare him for a second death - this one much closer to home!From BooklistAlthough the affair between his two detectives, Bob Rutter and Monika Paniatowski, has been over for a year, Chief Inspector Charlie Woodend knows that both parties are thoroughly unhappy, which adversely affects the entire team's camaraderie. Still, when the body of local secretary Pamela Rainsford is found on a canal path, raped and mutilated, Woodend, Rutter, and Paniatowski join forces effectively, painstakingly amassing evidence and reviewing forensic clues. Their focus is quickly diverted, however, when Detective Rutter's wife, Maria, is killed, and the finger of suspicion points to Rutter himself. Are the two murders linked? And can Rutter really be a murderer? As usual, Spencer writes deftly and skillfully, offering up intriguingly multidimensional characters and a cleverly constructed plot. A thoroughly satisfying installment in this fine British police procedural series. Emily MeltonCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reservedAbout the AuthorSpencer was born and brought up in Cheshier. She has been a teacher in England and Iran.

DCI Monika Paniatowski investigates a case that could be the making – or, more likely, breaking – of her career DCI Monika Paniatowski has only been back from maternity leave for three days when she is called in to investigate a nightmare of a case. Not only is the murder victim a mother of three small children, but her husband is a wealthy politician. Monika knows that if she can't make a quick arrest her career is on the line. It's lucky, then, that within minutes of meeting Councillor Danbury, she has a bruised face – and a prime suspect. But then the case takes a nasty twist, and suddenly the investigation is national news. Monika's sure she has the right man – but how to prove it? Particularly when she's under pressure from her superiors to arrest anyone other than Councillor Danbury, president of the golf club and friend of her chief constable . . .

When Eddie Barnes, of popular group The Seagulls, is electrocuted on the stage of the Cellar Club, in front of three hundred adoring fans, the Liverpool Police immediately call in Scotland Yard's Chief Inspector Charlie Woodend. But Woodend doesn't understand why Eddie's mother says that Eddie had a girlfriend, while his best mate insists that he didn't. And who has been playing nasty tricks on The Seagulls, culminating in Eddie finding a dead rat—with a noose round its neck—in his guitar case? As Woodend battles with the complexities of the case, he is more than aware that if he does not find the murderer soon, there could well be another death.

The discovery of the body of a young, red-haired school mistress, lying in a pig-pen with her face half-eaten away, is the beginning of a new investigation for Charlie Woodend. But it is to be an investigation he is soon ordered to abandon when Helen Dunn, the daughter of Wing Commander Dunn—and a pupil at the school where the dead woman taught—suddenly vanishes into thin air. While Woodend and Rutter race against time in the desperate hope of finding the girl alive, Woodend's bagman, Monika Paniatowski, continues to work on the murder, under the supervision of the mysterious Chief Inspector Horrocks, a Scotland Yard man who seems to have only a mild interest in finding the killer. Are the two cases connected? Woodend begins to wonder. And if they are, who is it who seems to be blocking both investigations at every turn?

When the strangled body of teenager Diane Thorburn is found buried in the salt store, Chief Inspector Woodend is drafted in from London to investigate. An outspoken Northerner, he does his policing the old-fashioned way, and he is convinced that Margie Poole, Diane's best friend, knows more about Diane's last movements than she is prepared to tell. Then Woodend's inquiry turns up the death of another young girl a generation before. The similarities in the two cases begin to look more sinister than mere coincidence. Could there be a serial killer on the loose...?

The new Sam Blackstone adventure - It is a worried letter for Tom Yardley, an old army comrade who once saved his life, that takes Inspector Sam Blackstone to the salt mining village of Marston. But by the time he arrives there, Yardley is already dead blown to pieces in what was apparently a freak accident. Acting strictly unofficially, Blackstone begins to investigate Yardleys convenient death. It does not take him long to realize that there is true evil lurking in and under the village...

There had never been a murder in Whitebridge like this one. What kind of man would slash the throat of a an inoffensive middle-aged widow who was already terminally ill? Why did he decide to place her lifeless body in the middle of a children's bonfire?It is the most difficult and complex case in Woodend's career, but the two people he most relies on - DI Rutter and DS Paniatowski - are being torn apart by their personal problems.As he struggles on, almost single-handedly, Woodend comes to the reluctant conclusion that he is being forced to participate in the killer's game without even knowing the rules. Yet one thing, at least, is plain from the beginning. For the game to continue, there must be more deaths...|"A solid, riveting British procedural"|?Spencer?s careful balance of menace from without and within makes her latest a standout among her reliably entertaining procedurals? Starred Review

Spanning 80 tumultuous years, the incredible story of a peasant girl who became the Red Princess of the Russian Revolution. Anna Mayakovsky is now a penniless old woman living in London, but no one can take away the vivid memories of her past: the Count who lifted her out of poverty; the Count's son, Misha, whose baby she bore; Paul, the ruthless factory owner who became her lover – and her deadliest enemy; Sasha, the tough but gentle peasant who converted her to revolution. And her aristocratic husband whom she adored, but could never love as completely as a woman should love her man. Now Anna finds she has one more battle ahead of her: her great-granddaughters Jennifer and Sonia wish to lock her away in an institution. Anna knows this would kill her. She will have to fight back . . .

The first in a new series featuring Charlie Woodend's protege, DCI Monika Paniatowski - It will be no easy task to fill DCI Charlie Woodend's shoes, the newly-promoted Monika Paniatowski tells herself, but, given a little time, she thinks she can grow into them. Yet, with the discovery of a severed hand, time is the one thing she does not have. When her colleagues prove untrustworthy, the urge to call Woodend for help becomes almost irresistible . . .

The new Inspector Sam Blackstone mystery...France, World War One. Inspector Blackstone thought he was done with army, but when a general he served with requests he investigate the brutal murder of his grandson—a young British officer in the trenches—Blackstone feels he can't say no. Surrounded by young men over half his age, Blackstone must face the horror of modern warfare, and the prejudices of the officer class, if he is to gain justice for the murdered man.

A miscarriage of justice for DCI Woodend|It is 30 years since Margaret Dodds was executed for the murder of her husband, yet many questions remain unanswered. Her daughter, now an influential lawyer, wants her name cleared but the investigating officer is determined to ensure the verdict stands.|"A richly layered plot, complex and engaging characters, and a shocking conclusion make this police procedural a gripping and engaging read"

DCI Monika Paniatowski investigates the killing of an American guest – and uncovers a link to a 50-year-old murder. When the body of an American woman is found in the Prince Alfred suite at the Royal Victoria Hotel, DCI Monika Paniatowski is faced with one of the most baffling cases of her career. The woman who called herself Mary Edwards had been a guest at the hotel for the past two weeks, having paid cash in advance. But who was she really – and what was she doing in a small town like Whitebridge? If Monika could discover why the dead woman had come to Lancashire, she would be one step closer to catching her killer. The investigation takes an intriguing twist when Monika learns of a possible link to a fifty-year-old murder – but the only person who could tell her why it's relevant is lying in a coma.

A killer who can’t be classified – a killer who can’t be profiled . . . When a young girl, Jill Harris, is murdered, the case soon becomes personal for Monika Paniatowski. She saw the victim looking distressed only hours before she was killed, and Jill was the same age as her own daughter, Louisa. Driven by guilt and pity, Monika throws herself into the investigation, but both the chief constable, who is away, and Colin Beresford – her right-hand man – think she is too emotionally involved to handle it. What none of them know is that the killer is planning to strike again . . . 

Before she can even begin to track down the killer of the old woman dumped by the lonely canal, Monika Paniatowski needs to find out who she is - and no one seems to know. Even when her daughter Louisa provides the vital clue, it only makes life more difficult, because the Chief Constable - intent on making Paniatowski's life difficult - refused to let her follow the obvious trail. And it is not until there is a second, even more brutal, murder, that Paniatowski realises she will have to call on the help of her old mentor, ex-DCI Charlie Woodend.