A Kate O'Donnell Mystery
6 primary works • 7 total works
Book 1
Book 2
Beatlemania has reached London, but young photographer Kate O'Donnell soon discovers a darker side of the city when a prostitute is found murdered off the Portobello Road. A West Indian immigrant, Nelson Mackintosh, is arrested, and simmering racial tension reaches breaking point. Convinced of Nelson's innocence, Kate determines to track down the real killer. But when her activities attract the attention of notorious gangster King Devine, not even Kate's old sparring partner DS Harry Barnard can ensure her safety.
Book 3
When a young fashion model disappears, photographer Kate O'Donnell discovers there's a darker side to Swinging Sixties' London
It's 1963. A new band called the Rolling Stones is beginning to make its mark and the mini-skirt is coming into fashion. For young Liverpudlian photographer Kate O'Donnell, it's an exciting time to be in the capital - especially as she's on secondment to an up-and-coming fashion photographer's studio. But there's a darker side to 1960s' London, Kate discovers, when the naked, battered body of a teenage prostitute is found amongst the rubbish bins behind a Soho jazz club - and it turns out the victim was a former model at the studio where Kate's working.
When a second young model disappears, Kate enlists her friend DS Harry Barnard's help to find out exactly what's going on. Together, they uncover the first of several dark secrets surrounding Andrei Lubin's fashion studio and the notorious Jazz Cellar.
Book 4
Blood Brothers: A British Mystery Set in London of the Swinging 1960s
by Patricia Hall
Book 5
A past crime causes new murder in the latest intriguing Kate O'Donnell mystery
1964. Detective Sergeant Harry Barnard has been ordered to track down notorious Soho club owner Ray Robertson, who hasn't been seen for several days. The case takes on a greater urgency when a battered body is discovered at the gym Ray owns. Is Ray the killer . or is he a victim?
Photographer Kate O'Donnell meanwhile is working on a feature about the regeneration of Canvey Island, finally being rebuilt after the devastating East Coast floods of 1953. But as Kate and Harry are about to discover, the Canvey Island floods, the murder and Ray Robertson's disappearance are connected in more ways than one .
Book 7
The death of a young girl leads Detective Sergeant Harry Barnard and Kate O'Donnell into a hotbed of simmering tensions, violence and threats in sixties' Soho.
London, 1964. At three a.m. on a chilly autumn morning, Detective Sergeant Harry Barnard is called to a club in Greek Street where a young girl has fallen to her death from a top-floor window. A new breed of fans is flocking to Soho's rock and roll haunts. But was it a tragic accident, or something more sinister?
Meanwhile, Kate O'Donnell, Harry's photographer girlfriend, receives a call from her Liverpudlian ex, Dave Donovan, pleading for her help. His new squeeze, Bernie Collins, set off for London in the hope of getting a recording contract, but she's not answering her phone. Where is she?
With simmering tensions, intimidation and terror rife on Soho's streets, Harry and Kate are drawn into its dark underbelly in their attempts to find answers.
Kate O'Donnell and her police sergeant partner, Harry Barnard enter dangerous waters when they uncover evidence of a top-level conspiracy.
On a busy Friday night in 1964, a woman's partially clothed body is discovered in London's Soho Square. She has been raped and strangled. With no one reported missing, her identity remains a mystery. Assuming the victim to be a prostitute, DCI Jackson is inclined to dismiss the case. Detective Sergeant Harry Barnard disagrees.
Harry's partner Kate meanwhile has been despatched to her native Liverpool to work on a magazine feature about the city's remarkable regeneration, timed to coincide with the release of the Beatles' movie, A Hard Day's Night.
As Harry's investigations point to evidence of a cover-up at the highest level, Kate's assignment leads her to uncover a darker side to 1960s' Liverpool - and a possible link to the Soho murder victim. Are she and Harry getting into something too deep and dangerous for them to handle?