The Slim Hardy Mystery Series

A buried clock holds the key to a decades-old mystery. On holiday to escape the nightmares of his last case, disgraced soldier turned private detective John "Slim" Hardy comes upon something buried in the peat on Bodmin Moor. Unfinished and water-damaged but still ticking, the old clock provides a vital clue to an unsolved missing-persons case. As Slim begins to ask questions of the tiny Cornish village of Penleven, he is drawn into a world of lies, rumours, and secrets, some of which the residents would prefer to stay buried. Twenty-three years ago, a reclusive clockmaker left his workshop and walked out onto Bodmin Moor, taking his last, unfinished clock with him. He disappeared. Slim is determined to find out why. The Clockmaker's Secret is the stunning sequel to Jack Benton's acclaimed debut, The Man by the Sea.

John "Slim" Hardy, heavy drinker and disgraced soldier turned bumbling private detective, is hired to investigate Ted Douglas, an investment banker who slips out of work every Friday to visit a desolate cove on the Lancashire coast. There, he walks to the shore, opens an old book, and begins to read aloud. His wife thinks he's having an affair. Slim thinks he's insane. The truth is more incredible than either could imagine. The Man by the Sea is the sensational debut novel by Jack Benton, a classic story of love, betrayal, murder, and intrigue.

Having fallen on hard times, disgraced soldier turned private investigator John "Slim" Hardy is hired by rich and enigmatic land owner Oliver Ozgood to uncover the identity of a mysterious blackmailer. The man is demanding a fortune in exchange for his silence. He claims to be Dennis Sharp, a former employee of Ozgood, and threatens to reveal secrets that will soil Ozgood's family name and send the patriarch to prison. There's only one problem. Dennis Sharp is dead, killed by Ozgood himself. In search of answers, Slim moves to the remote rural hamlet of Scuttleworth in the Devonshire countryside, where he will confront demons both from within and without in his most challenging case yet. The Games Keeper is the third book in the Slim Hardy Mystery series. While the stories follow a rough sequence, they can be read in any order. Other titles available: The Man by the Sea The Clockmaker's Secret

Správca hier: Napínavá britská záhada od renomovaného autora Jacka Bentona. V ťažkých časoch bývalého degradovaného vojaka, teraz súkromného detektíva Johna "Slima" Hardyho najme bohatý a záhadný statkár Oliver Ozgood, aby odhalil identitu tajomného vydierača. Tento muž požaduje celý majetok za svoje mlčanie. Tvrdí, že je Dennis Sharp, bývalý zamestnanec Ozgooda, a vyhráža sa, že prezradí tajomstvá, ktoré pošpinia Ozgoodovo meno a pošlú patriarchu do väzenia. Je tu len jeden problém. Dennis Sharp je mŕtvy, zo sveta ho zniesol samotný Ozgood. Pri hľadaní odpovedí sa Slim presťahuje do odľahlej vidieckej dedinky Scuttleworth v Devonshire, kde vo svojom doposiaľ najnáročnejšom prípade čelí démonom naokolo aj vo svojom vnútri. Správca hier je treťou knihou zo série Záhady Slima Hardyho. Hoci príbehy na seba voľne nadväzujú, možno ich čítať v ľubovoľnom poradí.

On the evening of Saturday, January 15th, 1977, a local commuter train is delayed at a small village station by a freak blizzard. Young nurse Jennifer Evans, keen to get back to her family, plans to walk the last couple of miles to her home in a neighbouring village. She phones her daughter to confirm that she's on her way, but she never arrives home. In the ensuing police investigation, no trace of Jennifer Evans is ever found. The only evidence is a photograph taken by a fellow passenger of footprints in the snow in front of Holdergate station. It appears someone was fleeing for their life…. Contacted by Jennifer's daughter, at first it seems private investigator John "Slim" Hardy has no chance of solving a forty-two-year-old mystery. But as the case begins to unravel, Slim finds himself caught in the centre of a whirlwind which will send him spinning to a dramatic conclusion.

  A THRILLING BRITISH MYSTERY FROM JACK BENTON FEATURING PRIVATE DETECTIVE JOHN "SLIM" HARDY   Attempting to forget his problems with the bottle, former soldier turned private detective John "Slim" Hardy joins what ought to be a peaceful fishing package holiday in Dartmouth, South Devon.   But when a violent tragedy affects one of the other tour guests, Slim finds himself on the trail of a potential killer.   Set in the beautiful surrounds of the River Dart estuary and Agatha Christie's Greenway, The Angler's Tale will take Slim Hardy into places darker than any he has faced before.   Also in this series: The Man by the Sea The Clockmaker's Secret The Games Keeper Slow Train   Coming soon: Eight Days

THE NEW SLIM HARDY MYSTERY – RELEASED JULY 5th 2022 Traumatised by a recent case, private investigator John "Slim" Hardy tries to create a new life for himself on the remote Cornish coast. However, when he is recognised by a local woman, he is unable to resist the draw of a dark mystery which has left a long shadow over the village. Fourteen years earlier, a local man, Richard Maynard, died in mysterious circumstances. The only witness was his five-year-old daughter, Ellen. Now, Richard's sister, Wendy, wants answers. But the only person who might have them is Ellen, now a wraith haunting the dark recesses of a nearby town. Was Richard murdered? And if so, by whom? And does Ellen have the answers? Or only more questions? When the Wind Blows is a dark mystery of small town lies and deceit, and secrets that remain buried until the last page from Jack Benton, the acclaimed author of The Man By the Sea and The Clockmaker's Secret.

THE THRILLING NEW SLIM HARDY MYSTERY FROM JACK BENTON   After nearly a year out of the game, former soldier turned private detective John "Slim" Hardy takes what he hopes will be an easy comeback case in the quiet Devonshire town of Launceston.   The disappearance in mysterious circumstances of local schoolgirl Emily Martin left police clueless. Eight days later, her sudden reappearance left them equally baffled. Apparently unharmed, Emily claimed no memory of her period of abduction, and in time, the investigation faded.   Two years later, as her relationship with her daughter falls apart, Emily's desperate mother Georgia turns to Slim, wanting answers.   Her eight days missing has changed Emily, so much so that Georgia is unsure the girl is even her daughter at all …   From the author of The Man by the Sea and The Clockmaker's Secret, comes another stunning mystery, one which will keep you guessing to the last page.

THE NEW SLIM HARDY MYSTERY   One autumn night in 1992, young trapeze artist Maria's circus career is cut short by a horrific fall. Later investigation reveals sabotage, but by then the ramshackle Southern Cross Circus has folded, and its garrulous ring master and owner fled to Spain.   And the prime suspect in the possible crime, Maria's boyfriend, has disappeared without trace, never to be seen again.   After a chance encounter with Maria decades afterwards, private investigator John "Slim" Hardy sets out to uncover the truth.   But what starts out as a minor investigation soon spirals out of control into a case of multiple murder, and a series of events that still leave their mark more than thirty years later.   In the glare of the circus lights, Slim could be facing his most complex investigation yet.

THREE CLASSIC TRADITIONAL BRITISH MYSTERIES: THE FIRST THREE SLIM HARDY MYSTERIES COLLECTED TOGETHER FOR THE FIRST TIME. THE MAN BY THE SEA John "Slim" Hardy, heavy drinker and disgraced soldier turned bumbling private detective, is hired to investigate Ted Douglas, an investment banker who slips out of work every Friday to visit a desolate cove on the Lancashire coast. There, he walks to the shore, opens an old book, and begins to read aloud. His wife thinks he's having an affair. Slim thinks he's insane. The truth is more incredible than either could imagine. The Man by the Sea is the sensational debut novel by Jack Benton, a classic story of love, betrayal, murder, and intrigue. THE CLOCKMAKER'S SECRET A buried clock holds the key to a decades-old mystery. On holiday to escape the nightmares of his last case, disgraced soldier turned private detective John "Slim" Hardy comes upon something buried in the peat on Bodmin Moor. Unfinished and water-damaged but still ticking, the old clock provides a vital clue to an unsolved missing-persons case. As Slim begins to ask questions of the tiny Cornish village of Penleven, he is drawn into a world of lies, rumours, and secrets, some of which the residents would prefer to stay buried. Twenty-three years ago, a reclusive clockmaker left his workshop and walked out onto Bodmin Moor, taking his last, unfinished clock with him. He disappeared. Slim is determined to find out why. The Clockmaker's Secret is the stunning sequel to Jack Benton's acclaimed debut, The Man by the Sea. THE GAMES KEEPER Having fallen on hard times, disgraced soldier turned private investigator John "Slim" Hardy is hired by rich and enigmatic land owner Oliver Ozgood to uncover the identity of a mysterious blackmailer. The man is demanding a fortune in exchange for his silence. He claims to be Dennis Sharp, a former employee of Ozgood, and threatens to reveal secrets that will soil Ozgood's family name and send the patriarch to prison. There's only one problem. Dennis Sharp is dead, killed by Ozgood himself. In search of answers, Slim moves to the remote rural hamlet of Scuttleworth in the Devonshire countryside, where he will confront demons both from within and without in his most challenging case yet.