DI Geraldine Steel

His glove pressed hard against her mouth, filling her nostrils with the stale smell of leather as he pushed her head right back, making her choke. Panicking she kicked out, but she wasn't strong enough to push him away. When a young girl is found dead in the woods, all the evidence seems to point to the teacher she has just accused of molesting her. After all, with his career, and marriage, under threat, he appears to have the most to lose. But for DI Geraldine Steel things aren't adding up, even though her colleagues disagree, she is certain they have accused the wrong man. Then the girl's best friend is murdered, discovered close to where Cassie's body was found. Could this be because she was able to expose the killer's real identity, or are they now hunting for a serial killer? Are they unwitting pawns, being drawn into a game with rules they don't understand? With time running out, can Steel uncover the truth before the body count grows even more…

She opened her mouth to scream, but he slapped something across her lips. The gag tasted of salt and mould, rough sacking on her tongue. With a terrifying certainty, she knew she was going to die. DI Geraldine Steel knows people go missing all the time; sometimes because they don't want to be found. So when her partner Ian asks her to look into the disappearance of his football-buddy's girlfriend, her first instinct is to reassure him there's no need for concern. Until she's called to a suspected murder, and all her instincts tell her she's right about the identity of the victim. The young woman has earth and leaf mould and fragments of twigs in her long fair hair, her nose, her mouth, under her finger nails, clinging to her clothes. It's as if she'd been completely encased in earth. And yet she was found on the pavement, at the side of a suburban road, where she wasn't in contact with any soil or mud. Had she managed to escape a living grave? Without a crime scene, the investigation focuses on her boyfriend. But Ian insists his friend is incapable of murder, and Steel is torn. Without evidence, she knows their case is weak. But without evidence, can she let a possible killer go free? She needs to find out what really happened. Where did the assault occur? Why are there traces of DNA from two other unidentified sources on the body? What reason could there be to attack a popular young woman who never did anyone any harm? And why bury her body so carelessly that she was able to escape? Then another young woman is reported missing. Unless he has an accomplice, they have an innocent man in custody. And Steel is running out of time . . .

A man is found dead, lying at the bottom of the stairs to his flat, his body blocking the door of the elderly woman who lives downstairs. The worried landlord who finds the body seeks advice from his friend's wife - now Detective Inspector Ariadne Moralis. Something in his demeanour hints at a hidden secret. When it becomes apparent that the body has been moved, it is clear the man's death was not an accident. With only an elderly witness who seems hesitant to disclose all she heard unless the price is right, and a key suspect on the run having fled the scene, Ariadne finds herself grasping at straws. DNA evidence supports the witness's claims that the victim had two girlfriends, Carly is unwilling to cooperate. Lauren is missing. The motive remains unclear, and the case becomes a confounding maze of unanswered questions, pushing Ariadne to her limits. Meanwhile, Geraldine Steel, adjusting to the routine of new motherhood, longs for the thrill of being at the centre of an investigation. As the body count grows, and every lead seems to turn out to be a dead end, the case quickly throws up more questions than answers, and Ariadne is rapidly out of her depth. Can her friend Geraldine Steel help her uncover the truth?

The body of a wealthy businessman is discovered in the river, but this was no accidental drowning. He was shot before his body entered the water. The police question the dead man's young girlfriend and his two adult children, all of whom are hoping to inherit his fortune. Before the killer is found, the dead man's girlfriend is murdered, and pressure mounts for Geraldine and her team to solve the case. Geraldine's partner is called away to work undercover. Soon after he leaves, their baby vanishes along with the child minder. Geraldine struggles to focus on the murder investigation while she desperately tries to find her child. Afraid that one of her colleagues may be in contact with the kidnapper, she knows she has to work alone, but time may be running out for her child. The next thrilling crime investigation, and the 22nd Instalment in the bestselling Geraldine Steel series.