Helen Shepherd Mysteries

At first glance, the robbery in a small bank branch doesn't seem overly mysterious. After all, the CCTV footage clearly shows a masked robber threatening bank clerk Jim Carling with a gun before disabling the cameras. However, the robber knew a bit too much about the inner workings of the bank, so Detective Inspector Helen Shepherd quickly suspects that the robber had inside help. But who of the five bank employees is the insider? And what happened to Jim Carling after the robber took him hostage? This is a crime novelette of 9300 words or approx. 30 print pages altogether.

When supermarket employee Nelson Grant is found bludgeoned to death next to a half empty crate of bananas, the case seems a complete mystery. For Nelson Grant was well liked by his colleagues, so who could possibly want him dead? But then Detective Inspector Helen Shepherd and her team discover that the crate contained more than just bananas and the case suddenly acquires a whole new dimension. This is a mystery novelette of 12300 words or approximately 45 print pages.

Normally, Detective Inspector Helen Shepherd doesn't deal with petty crime and pickpockets. But when the Christmas market in Kingston upon Thames is hit by a wave of thefts, Helen and her team are called in to help out.Harry, a homeless man who always hangs around the market, seems to be the most obvious suspect. But there is also the mysterious man in the black leather jacket some witnesses claim to have seen. Or maybe, the thief can be found much closer to home…Can Helen and her team crack the case in time for Christmas?This is a holiday novelette of 7800 words or approx. 26 print pages in the Helen Shepherd Mysteries series, but may be read as a standalone.

When Eudora Pembroke, a self-styled witch, is found dead in her house after ingesting a poisonous plant, everybody suspects a tragic accident. After all, Eudora was elderly and might have mistaken the poisonous plant for a benign herb. But Detective Inspector Helen Shepherd is skeptical. Would a skilled herbalist like Eudora Pembroke really make such a beginner's mistake? And who might have had a motive to poison her? This is a mystery novelette of 12500 words or approximately 45 print pages.

When the landlord of "The Cork and the Bottle" ends up dead in a puddle of blood on the floor of his own pub, the case seems clear. The teen burglars who broke into the pub to steal the contents of the till are the culprits. But there are things about the case that just don't add up. And eventually, Detective Inspector Helen Shepherd begins to suspect that the killers are to be found much closer to home... This is a crime short of 4400 words or approx. 14 print pages altogether.

When Caroline Murray is found dead in an underground parking garage with a needle in her arm, the case seems clear. Caroline died of a drug overdose. However, everybody who knew Caroline insists that she was vehemently opposed to drugs and would never have taken any. And what was Caroline doing at 544 Grant Road, a building to which she had no known connection? Detective Inspector Helen Shepherd is quickly convinced that Caroline Murray's death was not a simple drug overdose. Nevertheless, who had reason to want Caroline dead and why? This is a crime novelette of 7700 words or approx. 24 print pages altogether.

When cartoonist Charlie Ellis is stabbed to death in his studio, everybody suspects a political motive. For his controversial cartoons had placed Charlie Ellis in the crosshairs two years before. But Detective Inspector Helen Shepherd is skeptical. For why did Charlie Ellis not even try to defend himself and why did he open to door to his own killer? How did the killer manage to sneak past the police guard at the door in the first place? And what is the connection between Charlie Ellis and the other fifteen men in the Greater London area who happen to share his rather common name? With the help of Simon Westmoreland, a handsome chief inspector from the Counter Terrorism Command, Helen finally manages to shed some light on the murder of Charlie Ellis. This is a mystery novelette of 12200 words or approximately 42 print pages.

Absolutely no one is sorry when the infamous Ruislip Wood Ripper, a serial killer who has already murdered three women, ends up dead in the forest, shot by a hunter while on the cusp of attacking his fourth victim. But there are just a few coincidences too many in this case for the taste of Detective Inspector Helen Shepherd. Was it really just pure luck that hunter Reginald Hargreaves just happened to be in the right place at the right time? And why did no one warn French tourist Anne Marie Sauvage that there was a killer on the loose in Ruislip Woods? This is a crime short of 6200 words or approx. 20 print pages altogether.

When college student Kitty Chan is found dead in the basement of the Victoria and Albert Museum, dressed in a Victorian ball gown, the cause of death is quickly established. Kitty died of arsenic poisoning. But who gave her the deadly dose and why? Detective Inspector Helen Shepherd investigates and quickly realises that there is more to this case than meets the eye. This is a mystery novelette of 8500 words or approx. 27 print pages. Warning: There are some rude words in this story.