Joseph Stark
4 total works
The gripping and masterfully-crafted new thriller from award-winning author Matthew Frank
'Tense and twisty . . . completely gripping. I ignored children, a ringing phone, hunger, everything just to devour the last hundred pages' KAREN PERRY, Sunday Times bestselling author of YOUR CLOSEST FRIEND
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Julian Sinclair is a serial killer.
Charming, manipulative, deadly. He hunted girls for sport, and it's high time justice was served.
But when Sinclair's conviction is thrown out in court, DC Joseph Stark and DS Fran Millhaven are forced to protect the man they're sure is guilty from those who would rather see him pay in blood.
Then another girl dies.
And Sinclair can't have killed her from his hospital bed . . .
Is a killer lurking in someone they never suspected?
And have they had the wrong man all along?
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'A clever compelling spiderweb of a plot' JANE CORRY, bestselling author of My Husband's Wife
'A gripping, pacy read with a "one more chapter" compulsiveness' LAURA MARSHALL, bestselling author of Friend Request
'Seriously good . . . a tightly plotted thrilling page turner of a book' JAMES OSWALD, author of the Inspector McLean series
'Matthew Frank is a master at juggling light and darkness . . . while serving up satisfying plots with plenty of twists' SARAH HILARY, award-winning author of the Marnie Rome series
'Nail-bitingly tense' Susi Holliday, author of The Last Resort
Between the Crosses is another sophisticated and brilliantly crafted crime novel, featuring Afghan army veteran and Detective Constable Joseph Stark.
First book If I Should Die was the WINNER of the 2014-2015 Waverton Good Read Award. Previous winners include Mark Haddon, Marina Lewycka, Tom Rob Smith and Rachel Joyce.
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No longer a trainee but a freshly-minted Detective Constable, Joseph Stark finds himself working a double homicide. Thomas and Mary Chase were shot dead in their London home, and first impressions are that this is a burglary-gone-bad.
But Stark is unconvinced. Burglary-murders are usually a tragic case of unfortunate timing, but this feels like something else entirely. And when evidence arises to link this murder to a twenty year old cold case the hunt is well and truly on.
Following If I Should Die Joseph Stark's second investigation is a clever, action-packed and entertaining mystery.
Praise for Matthew Frank:
'Stark is such a terrific hero' Sarah Hilary
'A gripping murder story . . . Frank brilliantly maintains a balance between the demands of a complex plot and his character's difficulty in returning to civilian life . . . an accomplished first novel' Sunday Times on If I Should Die
'Well researched and totally convincing, this is the first of several Stark books. Great news if they're as good as this' Sunday Mirror on If I Should Die
If I Should Die is the astounding debut from British author Matthew Frank.
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It begins with vicious, apparently motiveless attacks on down and outs in South London. But when one of the homeless victims dies from his wounds, it's murder . . .
For the Met investigation team's newest member, Joseph Stark, death is already all too familiar. Injured in an attack that killed his fellow soldiers and tortured by nightmares since he returned, Afghan veteran Stark has enough on his hands just trying to recover without enduring the scrutiny and sideways glances of his new colleagues. The drink and painkillers he's leaning on to keep going aren't helping. And there's only so long he can ignore the efforts of the Ministry of Defence to speak to him.
When one of the victims of the attacks fights back it's soon clear that there's much more at stake than gangs preying randomly on society's weakest members. But as Stark hunts down the truth - and the rotten heart of the crimes - his own strength is fading. It seems that the ex-soldier's determination to see justice done may not, this time, be enough to carry him through.
If I Should Die is the first title in a new crime series, and outstanding characterization, pitch perfect dialogue and precision plotting mark out Matthew Frank as a debut writer to watch. With the introduction of series character and ex-soldier police detective Joseph Stark, fans of Ian Rankin's Rebus novels will be hooked from the word go.
Praise for If I Should Die:
"A gripping murder story ... Frank brilliantly maintains a balance between the demands of a complex plot and his character's difficulty in returning to civilian life ... an accomplished first novel" Sunday Times
"Well researched and totally convincing, this is the first of several Stark books. Great news if they're as good as this" Sunday Mirror
"A very powerful novel. The writing is so good that it is difficult to believe that this is a debut" New Books Magazine
'An astonishingly assured debut novel' We Love This Book
"A highly assured debut ... we'll look forward to the next" Crime Fiction Lover
"A great debut introducing an unusual lead character - I'm looking forward to reading more in the series" 5*s - Novel Heights
"Brilliantly written" Oodals Blog
EXTRAVAGANT WEALTH. HIGH ART. MURDER. PRE-ORDER THE GRIPPING NEW THRILLER FROM MATTHEW FRANK NOW
'Tense and twisty . . . completely gripping. I ignored children, a ringing phone, hunger, everything just to devour the last hundred pages' - KAREN PERRY, Sunday Times bestselling author of Your Closest Friend
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Lucinda Drummond, art history expert, was beautiful, clever, successful and loved.
When she is found at the bottom of her museum's Tulip Staircase during the pinnacle event of her career, people are as shocked as they are suspicious.
Who could have wanted her dead?
Detectives Joe Stark and Fran Millhaven are quick on the case, leading them into a world of high art and extravagant wealth that proves far more twisted than they could have imagined.
As the bodies begin to mount, and the case grows ever more complex, Stark and Fran must race discover the perpetrator - before the next victim falls . . .
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PRAISE FOR MATTHEW FRANK:
'A clever compelling spiderweb of a plot ' JANE CORRY, bestselling author of My Husband's Wife
'Seriously good . . . a tightly plotted thrilling page turner of a book' JAMES OSWALD, author of the Inspector McLean series