Alice Rice Mystery

In this gritty, mystery series debut, a lone wolf detective must use her wits to nab a serial killer terrorizing Edinburgh professionals. If it was me, if I was the murderer, Alice thought, where would I go? What would I do? The job he had set himself was unfinished, he must be aware that his luck could not go on forever. It was a simple calculation; at best, a lifetime in prison, at worst he'd be killed by the police while attempting to complete his self-appointed task . . . Introducing Alice Rice, Edinburgh detective. Smart and capable, but battling disillusionment and loneliness, she races against time and an implacable killer to solve a series of grisly murders among Edinburgh's professional elite in the well-to-do New Town. Praise for Blood in the Water "With this highly readable debut novel, Gillian Galbraith establishes what one hopes will be a long-running presence. This is a vivid and exciting story, set against the background of Edinburgh's legal and medical circles. There is not a dull page from start to finish." -Alexander McCall Smith "Chilling realism." -Edinburgh Evening News (UK)

On a freezing midwinter night in Leith, a policewoman's flashlight stabs the darkness in a snow-covered cemetery. The circle of light stops on a colorless, dead face. So begins the hunt for a serial murderer of prostitutes requiring Alice Rice to plunge into a hidden world where sex is bartered for money and drugs. At the same time, Alice's off-duty life continues its uneven course, as her romance with artist Ian Melville offers the prospect of happiness but is plagued by insecurity, and Alice's demented but determined neighbor, Miss Spinnell, offers a new challenge to Alice's patience at every turn.

As Heather Brodie kisses her lover goodnight, her disabled husband lies dead, his throat cut from ear to ear. Who wanted Gavin Brodie dead? Many people, including Gavin Brodie. Crushed by an incurable illness, he pleaded to be allowed to die. When DS Alice Rice is brought in to investigate, another terminally ill man is found murdered. It could be a coincidence-or it could be something much more sinister: a serial killer preying on the sick and infirm. And Alice has more worries when she suspects her partner, Ian Melville, is lying to her. This atmospheric thriller builds on the success of the first three Alice Rice mysteries and is a passionate tale of deception, betrayal, and the value of life and love.

A young disabled girl is lost on a winter's night in Leith, unable to help herself or find her way home. Someone is combing the streets, frantically searching for her. Within hours of her disappearance, a body is washed up on Beamer Rock, a tiny island in the River Forth being used as part of the foundations for the new Queensferry bridge. No sooner has Det. Inspector Alice Rice managed to discover the identity of that body than another one is washed up on the edge of the estuary in Belhaven Bay. What is the connection between the two bodies? Are there other victims in the killer's sights? If so, can Alice solve the puzzle before another life is taken? In this novel, the sixth in the series, appearances belie reality, and truths and falsehoods gradually merge, becoming indistinguishable.