DI Stewart Gardener

IMPERFECTION is the second in a series of classic murder mysteries with a twist set in Leeds, featuring DI Stewart Gardener. When theatregoers are treated to the gruesome spectacle of an actor's lifeless body hanging on the stage, DI Stewart Gardener is immediately called in to investigate. Is the killer still in the audience? A lockdown is set in motion but it is soon apparent that the murderer is able to come and go unnoticed. How do they do it? Is the killer a theatre worker or an actor? And what kind of grudge do they have to bear? Frustratingly, the killer leaves a trail of clues for the detectives. Taunted by these and flummoxed as to their meaning, DI Gardener realizes that his own family may be in danger. Identifying and capturing the culprit will mean establishing the motive for their macabre crimes, but perhaps not before more victims meet their fate.

Bramfield, near Leeds, a sleepy little market town nestled on the borders of West and North Yorkshire. Detectives Stewart Gardener and Sean Reilly discover the naked corpse of Alex Wilson, nailed to the wall of a cellar in his uncle's hardware store. His lips are sewn together and his body bears only one mark, a fresh scar near his abdomen. Within forty-eight hours, their investigation results in dead ends, more victims, no suspects and very little in the way of solid evidence. Gardener and Reilly have a problem and a question on their hands: are the residents of Bramfield prepared for one of history's most sadistic killers, The Tooth Fairy? For fans of Peter May, Mark Billingham and Peter James.

A series of murders threatens to side-line Yorkshire Police's search for a missing girl Sally Summerby charges into a Leeds police station, utterly distraught. Her five-year-old daughter has gone missing, presumably abducted. Yet despite mobilising all of their resources, the police can find no sign of the child. DI Stewart Gardener gets wind of the case when investigating the murder of a woman in her rented suburban house. She has been pinned to the floor with a bayonet. Yet under her body is a photo of the child. The mother knows nothing of this woman. And she is clearly shocked when it is established the latter is a sex worker. But as several weeks have passed since the abduction, she becomes more and more desperate. DI Gardener and his trusty sergeant Sean Reilly are also getting frustrated. A local businessman linked to the victim's property has been poisoned. And to add to the detectives' woes, a neighbourhood weirdo who fancies himself as a private detective and thinks he can solve the crimes keeps bothering them. Gardener is sure the cases are linked but the clock is ticking, resources are stretched, and the pressure is mounting to find who is responsible, and why. IMPRESSION is the fourth DI Gardener murder mystery. It can be enjoyed as a standalone or alongside the other books. The full list of books is as follows: 1. IMPURITY 2. IMPERFECTION 3. IMPLANT 4. IMPRESSION

A burglary, a murder, and a killer who wears a mask A woman is found dead in her bed, badly beaten. Precious items are missing from the house, including a Fender Stratocaster guitar belonging to her husband. Was it just a burglary gone wrong? Perhaps it is not a motive DI Stewart Gardener should be looking for, but a pattern. And he needs to get to the bottom of the mystery fast, before someone else is hurt. The culprit is an impostor, wearing masks that DI Gardener and his team must peel off layer by layer. But Gardener is not alone searching for the killer. Someone else is seeking retribution. When their paths cross, will justice or revenge triumph? IMPOSITION is the fifth standalone title in Ray Clark's murder mystery series set in Leeds.

A burglary, a murder, and a killer who wears a mask A woman is found dead in her bed, badly beaten. Precious items are missing from the house, including a Fender Stratocaster guitar belonging to her husband. Was it just a burglary gone wrong? Perhaps it is not a motive DI Stewart Gardener should be looking for, but a pattern. And he needs to get to the bottom of the mystery fast, before someone else is hurt. The culprit is an impostor, wearing masks that DI Gardener and his team must peel off layer by layer. But Gardener is not alone searching for the killer. Someone else is seeking retribution. When their paths cross, will justice or revenge triumph? IMPOSITION is the fifth standalone title in Ray Clark's murder mystery series set in Leeds.

David Hunter and his wife are found dead in a small Yorkshire village. The apparent victims of a hit and run. They led successful and quiet lives, so police are stumped when looking for a motive. DI Stewart Gardener and DS Sean Reilly have their work cut out and soon some suspects emerge: a group of four closely connected individuals who are proving hard to trace. Convinced this was not a random killing, the Leeds detectives venture into unknown terrain, the web of lies, fake identities and cyber crime called the internet. But when one of the suspects in the investigation is identified and found, the police are dismayed someone else got to them first. Dying from a nerve agent, he won't be much help to the investigation. The race is on to catch up with all the persons of interest. But dealing with skilled hackers who know how to move without leaving a trace, will stack the odds against the detectives. IMPOSTURE is the sixth book by Ray Clark in a bestselling series. It can be enjoyed on its own or alongside the others.