Edinburgh Murders

A fun, twisty woman sleuth mystery set in Edinburgh! Fashion writer Amy Thornton has the fright of her life when she narrowly avoids being hit by a car. The driver was being chased, and swerved to miss her only at the last second. He ends up in hospital. Wanting to thank the man or, more likely, wanting to stick her curious nose in, Amy charms her way into his ward to find out more. Thinking she has uncovered a heinous plot she goes to the authorities. Yet her sleuthing does not impress no-nonsense Detective Inspector Russell McCord, who is reluctant to follow up on her wild speculations and won't, it seems, be charmed so easily. But that changes when two dead bodies turn up, connected to the crash. Now Amy may become key to solving the affair. Near Miss is the debut mystery novel by Traude Ailinger. It will appeal to fans of Louise Penny, Martha Grimes, Verity Bright, and LJ Ross.

A killing in high society leaves a detective with a chip on his shoulder grasping at straws. After a shooting party on a Scottish estate, one of the participants is found dead, having been unceremoniously hit on the head with a rock. Getting nowhere when interviewing the arrogant son of the wealthy landowner, DI Russell McCord is quietly relieved that with her family connections, bothersome journalist Amy Thornton might help the investigation. But with a new partner to train, one who, to his dismay, seems to have won the affections of Amy, McCord wastes no time putting the most likely suspect in jail. He'll work out the motive later. When Amy undermines his case, he'll have to rely heavily on her to find the real perpetrator. But not before another murder throws everything up in the air.

When reporter Amy Thornton probes the death of an investigative journalist, she has no idea how deep and dark the case will get... Wherever there was trouble in the world, one would find Martha McGillivray. The celebrated journalist had a nose for rooting out corruption and a passion for sticking it to the man. Unsurprisingly, then, eventually trouble finds her and she dies of Ricin poisoning whilst traveling on a train to Edinburgh. Back from a spell on a punitive training course for middle-aged male dinosaurs, Detective Inspector Russell McCord is under pressure to crack the case quickly. However, his superiors have forbidden all contact with the press. In particular magazine writer and amateur sleuth Amy Thornton, whom he's heavily leaned on in the past to help him. Yet that won't stop Amy from doing some investigating of her own. In fact, she is keener than ever. Convinced she can throw light on the mysterious poisoning, she decides to follow her instincts in a race with McCord to find the culprit. But being a step ahead of the detective also places her a step closer to danger.

When an ex-con meets an untimely death, the investigation has a slippery start Found bound and beaten in a warehouse, a convicted criminal leaves a cryptic message before he croaks on the way to hospital. What did he know that was worth killing for? DI McCord sets out on the icy streets of Edinburgh to look for a clue. Elsewhere, vivacious fashion journalist and meddlesome amateur sleuth Amy Thornton is in the doghouse, sent to report on a garden center, and forbidden from getting involved in any crime capers. But fate seems determined to force their paths to cross, and trouble is rarely far behind.