Helen Shepherd Mysteries Series

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 in the Helen Shepherd Mysteries series, but may be read as a standalone.

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. But who had reason to want Caroline dead and why?   This is a crime novelette of 7700 words or approx. 24 print pages altogether in the Helen Shepherd Mysteries series, but may be read as a standalone.

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 in the Helen Shepherd Mysteries series, but may be read as a standalone.

Absolutely no one is sorry when the infamous Ruislip Wood Ripper, a serial killer who has already raped and 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 in the Helen Shepherd Mysteries series, but may be read as a standalone..

When two men dressed up as Father Christmas rob a London jewellery store and one of them ends up dead on the floor, shot by his own accomplice, it's certainly one of the more unusual cases for Detective Inspector Helen Shepherd and her team. But as Helen begins to investigate, it turns out that the case is even more bizarre than she suspected.   This is a holiday mystery novelette of 9300 words or approx. 30 print pages.in the Helen Shepherd Mysteries series, but may be read as a standalone.

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 in the Helen Shepherd Mysteries series, but may be read as a standalone.   Warning : There are some rude words in this story.

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 sceptical. 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 fourteen 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 short mystery of 12200 words or approximately 42 print pages in the Helen Shepherd Mysteries series, but may be read as a standalone.

When a priceless Fabergé egg goes missing from a locked room in the London townhouse of Russian oligarch Yevgeny Ivanov, everybody quickly suspects Eva Hart, Ivanov's cleaning lady and single mother.   But Detective Inspector Helen Shepherd has her doubts about this theory, for Eva Hart has no motive, since the egg is unsellable on the free market. But what does Eva's little daughter Emily know? And what happened to the egg?   This is a mystery novelette of 7500 words or approx. 25 pages in the Helen Shepherd Mysteries series, but may be read as a standalone.

Homeless teen Chris certainly isn't the most reliable of witnesses. And so no one takes her seriously when she walks into a police station and claims that her boyfriend Max, nicknamed Zorro, has been kidnapped.   Detective Inspector Helen Shepherd is initially inclined to dismiss Chris as well. But then Chris mentions a ransom demand, a mysterious phone call demanding an envelope in exchange for the safe return of Max.   Chris claims she has no idea what the kidnappers are talking about. But when Helen and her team investigate the abandoned warehouse that Max and Chris have made their home, she notices unusual activities in the area.   But what precisely do the kidnappers want? And whatever happened to Max?   This is a mystery novelette of 8700 words or approximately 28 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 sceptical. 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 in the Helen Shepherd Mysteries series, but may be read as a standalone.

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 in the Helen Shepherd Mysteries series, but may be read as a standalone.

When Edgar Asheford-Browne is found dead in his palatial home, with a hole in his head and a bloody fire poker next to his body, the cause of death seems obvious. Edgar Asheford-Browne was beaten to death.   But as Detective Inspector Helen Shepherd and her team begin to unravel the case, it suddenly seems much less clear. For Helen has to deal not only with contradictory evidence, but also with an entire library full of suspects who are all accusing each other.   This is a mystery novelette of 10800 words or approximately 38 print pages in the Helen Shepherd Mysteries series, but may be read as a standalone.

When the elderly widow Maureen Pettigrew is found bludgeoned to death on the grave of her late husband, the case seems clear. Maureen is the latest victim of the cemetery mugger who has been terrorising Kensal Green cemetery for several weeks now.   However, the only suspect – a young man in jeans and a battered leather jacket – is a phantom no one except the cemetery caretaker has ever seen.   Can Detective Inspector Helen Shepherd and her team find the young man in the leather jacket? And does he even exist?   This is a novelette of 7700 words or approx. 26 print pages in the Helen Shepherd Mysteries series, but may be read as a standalone.

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.