Lena Gamble
3 primary works
Book 1
When a businessman arrives home to find his wife in bed, carved from belly to throat with a very sharp knife, the elite Robbery-Homicide division of the L.A.P.D responds in full force and Detective Lena Gamble prepares for her first major case.
At first all fingers point towards the victim's husband, but best-case scenarios only happen in films and it soon transpires that this murder is one of a series of brutal crimes against women and the work of a killer dubbed `Romeo' by the ravenous Hollywood media.
Lena is all too aware of the peril of the public eye - she has found herself in it before, on the night of her rock-star brother's unsolved murder five years ago. And now she risks a far more dangerous fame as a cloud of conspiracy descends on her investigation and she edges towards Romeo's deadly line of sight . . .Lena must catch this psychopath before she becomes his next glamorous victim . . .
'Ellis's writing is a cut above that of most authors in the crowded serial-killer field' Sunday Times
Book 2
He was hiding in the shadows, staring at her. And he was close. He must have snuck around the row of cars when she turned her back. She could see the colour of his eyes now, a vibrant blue, ice-cold and vicious. Even worse, he was holding something in his hand . . . They were alone. All alone . . .
When disgraced L.A. homicide detective Lena Gamble is finally given a new case she suspects she's being set up. The body of a young woman is discovered in a rubbish truck outside a dive bar on Hollywood Boulevard. There are no apparent witnesses and no clues. Just a naked body - badly mutilated, and gruesome enough to ensure that, once again, the media will be following Lena's every move.
Desperate to prove herself, she teams up with colleague Stan Rhodes and together they follow up a tip which leads them to ID the girl. Jennifer McBride was a twenty-five-year old prostitute with a wealthy clientele - but Lena discovers something about her which no-one could ever have imagined. Their investigation uncovers a city overrun by political corruption, personal greed and savagery. As the body count continues to rise, everything looks as the killer wants it to look, and Lena comes to understand that he is cleaning house. The question is why? And will she survive long enough to find the shocking answer?
Book 3
