Detective Louise Blackwell
7 primary works
Book 1
An Amazon Charts bestseller.
In a small town full of secrets, everyone’s a suspect.
When a body is discovered, bled dry on a beach, the sleepy seaside town of Weston-super-Mare wakes up to a nightmare. For Detective Inspector Louise Blackwell, recently transferred to the town she last saw as a child, it’s her first case on the job.
The victim—Veronica Lloyd, an elderly volunteer at a local church—has puncture wounds to her hands. When a priest is found killed in a nearby church in a similarly grisly condition, it becomes clear that Blackwell is dealing with a righteous and bloody murderer. But the victims aren’t random. The killer has a vendetta and is hell-bent on exacting twisted revenge for a dark secret dating back years—and there are more murders planned.
As the body count rises, Blackwell faces a race against time to solve the mystery of the murderer’s identity and put an end to the carnage. She thought she knew Weston, but the town holds more secrets than she’d ever have imagined. Who can she trust and who knows more than they are letting on?
She must discover the crimes that unite the victims—before it’s too late.
Book 2
Were they pushed to the edge—or over it?
In the quiet coastal town of Weston-super-Mare, a body is discovered at the foot of a cliff just months after a near-identical tragedy—and Detective Inspector Louise Blackwell can’t believe it could be a coincidence.
Next to the body, she discovers a note that echoes one found beside the first: Death is not the end. Louise is certain that behind these desperate acts someone is pulling the strings, but how many more will plunge to their demise before she can find out who—and why?
Struggling to stay focused under the strain of her troubled brother’s disappearance with his young daughter, Louise hits a much-needed breakthrough when a third tragedy points to the involvement of a charismatic cult leader. The suspect is within her sights, but he knows she’s on to him…
Short on proof and with the body count rising, can Louise intercept his deadly mission—or has she taken on an unbeatable foe?
Book 3
A chilling attack. A missing child. And a twisted killer driven to the very brink.
DI Louise Blackwell is still reeling from her brother Paul's murder when she is brought back from enforced leave and tasked with solving a strange new case—the slaughter of wild sheep at Cheddar Gorge, a place shrouded in mystery and folklore.
When a man is brutally attacked with a machete on the clifftop and a young girl disappears, Louise realises that the horror is just beginning. Rumours of a mythical presence near the gorge are spreading fast, and why is a local environmental cult resisting all attempts to solve the case? With the investigation into Paul's death about to be shelved and her bereaved niece to care for, Louise is under pressure—and running out of time. Can she find the girl and catch the kidnapper before her worst fears come true?
Drawn deeper into the dark and shocking truth behind the crimes, she soon finds she isn't the only one with secrets to hide.
Book 4
Brutal attacks. A sinister conspiracy. Time is running out.
In the quiet seaside town of Weston-super-Mare, a man is found unconscious on the beach with a strange symbol carved into his skin. The victim—a local drug addict—has no recollection of who attacked him or how he got there.
The sleepy coastal community is sent into shock. And when another victim branded with the same vicious mark dies from his wounds, DI Louise Blackwell realises she is dealing with a sadistic serial killer.
But why is the twisted attacker targeting Weston’s most vulnerable people? And what is the meaning behind the mysterious symbol? Still struggling to overcome her own demons in the wake of her brother’s death, Blackwell must stay one step ahead of both the killer and corrupt DCI Finch, whose meddling in the investigation makes her more determined than ever to bring him down for good.
As the body count rises, and her feud with Finch puts her own life in danger, Blackwell faces a race against time to discover the dark crime that unites the victims and put an end to the carnage—before someone puts an end to her.
Book 5
DI Blackwell will do anything to keep her niece safe. And the bomber knows it.
When a local school is the target of a bomb threat, DI Louise Blackwell finds herself embroiled in her most personal case to date. Not only is her niece among the terrified pupils—there’s also a chilling note hidden under the device: Next time you won’t be so lucky, DI Blackwell…
The explosion of a nearby caravan offers a connection…and a suspect. But when he hangs himself after interrogation, leaving another note promising more carnage, Blackwell fears there’s an accomplice.
Could Tim Finch, a former DCI on remand for attempted murder, be pulling strings from prison? He certainly seems set on bringing Blackwell down, if only to derail the case against him. Or could the devious nephew of Max Walton, the serial killer Blackwell shot and killed, be seeking revenge on behalf of his uncle?
As the threats escalate and pressure to solve the case mounts, Blackwell is sucked into a series of horrific events that reach a chaotic and terrifying crescendo on Weston-super-Mare’s Grand Pier. Can she stand firm against a rival hell-bent on destroying her—or will she fall into the killer’s deadly trap?
Book 6
Accident? Dangerous game gone wrong? Or murder? DI Blackwell faces her toughest case yet.
When the body of a young woman is discovered in a shipping container in Bristol, the police suspect she was an illegal immigrant whose death was a tragic accident. But their theory is shot down by two pieces of evidence: the container was due to ship out, not in; and, even more sinister, a video camera with a live feed was filming her from a hidden compartment.
Someone watched her die. Slowly.
DI Louise Blackwell is ten weeks pregnant, a fact she has largely kept to herself, and between bouts of morning sickness she now has a murder to investigate. While the docks offer few other clues, the discovery of more live feeds convinces Blackwell that there are other trapped women…and that some of them are still alive.
As she scours historic missing-persons cases looking for a pattern to the abductions, Blackwell finds herself in a race against time to uncover the voyeuristic killer’s motive and stop any more women becoming caught in the cruel and deadly game. But with every step being closely monitored, can she outwit a murderer whose method means staying hidden?
Book 7
As the Summer Solstice nears, who will be the next target? A dark thriller from the bestselling author of the DI Louise Blackwell series.
In a cave near Weston, potholers discover what they think are human remains. The bones are identified as belonging to Hugo Latchford, a boy who went missing a decade ago, and whose parents belonged to a quasi-religious cult masquerading as environmental activists. It’s not long before rumours that he was sacrificed in a midsummer ritual resurface.
Returning to duty from maternity leave, DI Louise Blackwell finds herself leading the investigation, soon discovering that Hugo’s parents are still alive and the cult very much still active.
As she begins to fathom the ghoulish depths of the group’s pagan beliefs, new mother Louise is profoundly disturbed by the case. And with the Summer Solstice fast approaching, she’s faced with the terrifying prospect that the group might be preparing for their next sacrifice…