About this series
Amelia Hartliss is angry. She is a Secret Agent and a skilled investigator, but her boss has chosen to send her on a routine surveillance operation, looking for imported drugs. It's way below my pay grade, she sighs. But she's wrong. The source of the illegal substances is a war-torn country that Britain has a personal interest in, at the highest level. Melia is working for the UK Prime Minister that night, even if she doesn't know it.
But it's confusing. The location is an old, dilapidated building in a city park, hidden amongst the trees, the hills and the dells. It's a misty, haunted piece of countryside and there are other creatures living in the woods. It seems that Melia has stumbled onto the Fairy Realm. Who are these tiny bodies - elves and goblins, gnomes? Surely such tiny people are not real, not in this modern century? Still, this is North West England, not the sophisticated South. Anything is possible, it seems, so far away from London. Melia has to persist, even with the merest support from her regular team. There is a real mystery here that needs solving.
Titles in the series (6)
- Salford World War: Amelia Hartliss Mysteries, #12
12
In 1914 a world war started, caused by the visit of a very important person from a very big country to a very small, ineffective country. That was Archduke Franz Ferdinand visiting Sarajevo, but what if the little place was Salford, in the little country of England, and what if the most important person was a Trade Delegate from the very important country of China? Well, then, anything is possible. A hundred years after the outbreak of World War One then maybe World War Three could start in Salford UK. Fortunately there's something that might prevent such a tragedy and that's Super Agent Amelia Hartliss, known to her friends as 'Melia' and enemies as 'Heartless'. She has been given the very important job of protecting this important visitor, and she fully intends to do that, now matter what - or who - gets in her way.
- People Say Stuff: Amelia Hartliss Mysteries, #19
19
Melia is confused. So many people are trying to kill her. But why? After all, the first killer she met, while mindlessly climbing the back stairs into her office, was saying that she wanted to target her friend, Terry. But later, she found out that the hit was only intended as a way of getting her attention. No, there's someone else. Could it be Stig Snopes, a woman claiming to be the sister of her dead assistant. How can the woman possibly blame Melia for his death? But she says she does. Then, there's the chance that the daughter of Emil Gorange, Melia's most fearsome opponent had come to Britain to finish the job her father never finished. If only Mickey was there - but he's off on another mission, and Melia's usual supporters, like her boss, Captain Gibson, have been sent packing. Then there's Melia's cousin, Liv, but her boyfriend is a policeman and he's out on an assignment too. It's all getting too much! The last thing she wants, in her fragile condition, is someone coming on to her. But with Mickey out of town, is Melia strong enough to resist temptation?
- Everybody Lies: Amelia Hartliss Mysteries, #20
20
Amelia is getting pretty tired of all these people who are trying to kill her. It's not just the paid assassins anymore, but the threats seem to be coming from inside her own organisation! Who can she trust? Certainly, not the Deputy Director. A long-time friend and supporter, but he seems obsessed with his own problems right now, including a long-lost daughter. Is she for real? Melia doesn't want to complain, but the constant attacks seem to be overshadowed by the invesigation of historic sex abuse which is consuming all available resources, and spilling over into the life of Melia's cousin, Liv, who is having her own challenges - such as her mysterious disappearing fiancee. Melia needs help, which is probably why she inadvisedly falls into the arms of the New Director, a career Civil Servant who calls himself Durf. Strange, short name for an otherwise unlikely manager, struggling to even keep his computer team in check. Melia looks in the mirror. If I'm going to survive this onslaught, she decides, then it's all going to be up to me.
- Co-Vid 2020: Amelia Hartliss Mysteries, #21
21
Melia is facing yet another change of boss. Somehow the governments doesn't seem happy unless they're shaking up British Security Services and making the agents uncomfortable and insecure. Captain Gibson isn't around. Some say he has been sent for 're-education'. Meanwhile, a jumped-up little toerag from London has been sent up north to Salford to show the natives how to do stuff. So far, according to all reports, he has been a miserable failure. Meanwhile, an older woman from Melia's past, Jan Branch, re-appears after many years away. Jan's mother has died and she is there to clear her old house and tidy up loose ends. Unfortunately, she is not the same person she was when she left town. Where she lives now, in the East Indies, they call her the 'Gun-running Granny', for that is her new profession. She hadn't planned on staying long, but two things delay her departure. One, there is an Arms Fair in the city and she sees an opportunity to do some deals and make some money. Second, she hears that a successful property developer, Jimmy Batter, has amassed a fortune which he intends to divide amongst his ungrateful family. Unluckily for them, the 'Treasure' is hidden, and although various relatives are falling over themselves to find the money, Jan thinks she has a much better chance than most. After all, she used to be a film-maker, and captured Old Jim on video, back in the day. Those films, made by the group known as 'Co-operative Videographers', maybe provide all the clues necessary to unearth the fortune. Melia might care, but she has other things to do. After the trauma of the last few months, a holiday in Spain led to a liaison with a young man who wants to save an unfairly imprisoned journalist. Melia is eager to help, and for one reason only - she is in love. She doesn't want anyone to know, but John Lewis has stolen her heart. She would do anything for him, and before long, we find out exactly what that is.
- Co-Vid 2020, Part 2: Amelia Hartliss Mysteries, #22
22
Please Note: this is Part Two of a trilogy, but it can be read as a Stand-Alone Thriller, with a female protagonist. Terry the computer technician, from Melia's Unit in British Security, has taken it on himself to organise the digs to look for Jimmy Batter's 'Treaure'. He is happy to search every grassy spot in Salford, England for the proceeds of Old Jim's sale of his Takeaway Empire, which he put on the market in 2013. Unfortunately, due to a family dispute, there was no agreement on how to spend the fortune, so all the relatives agreed they would bury the money for seven years, then make a decision. Also, unfortunate, is that not even Jimmy Batter knew exactly where it went - he left those decisions to his older brother Ben. The only clue is that Ben might have used one of Jim's 'Seven Favourite Places' as recorded in a series of videos made that year by Jan Branch, an older lady who has been out of the country since then, since she won a massive amount on the Lottery and decided to travel. Coincidentally she has been forced to come back to supervise disposal of her Mother's house, as her Mum has died. Jan finds herself dragged into the Treasure Hunt, then decides to play it to her advantage. She determines she will find the horde and keep it for herself. Meanwhile Melia, who should be on to of these things, is still recovering from attempts on her life, and at the very first dig finds herself being shot at from a distance, by somebody with a rifle. Luckily she is able to retreat to a flat down on Salford Quays owned by her old friend Romla, a colleague from a former successful operation in nearby Manchester. Romla is distracted by the fact that her rarely seen daughter has turned up, all the way from London. Their paths have crossed because the government in Westminster has asked Annya, the daughter, to go and negotiate with disgraced politician Tolly Tilbury, a former Home Office Minister, who is being held in custody in Salford, pending possible deportation. Annay, a Human Rights lawyer, is the ideal person for the job, she says. Melia has other things to worry about. In an attempt to recuperate she spent a holiday in Spain and there met the most amazing young man, an angel calling John Lewis. Melia, everyone says, is the girlfriend of agent/operative Mickey, but Mickey is so unreliable. Right now he is out of the country, supposedly on a mission given him by Melia's boss Captain Gibson, but he has been completely out of touch, and Melia, lonely is smitten. When John asks for a favour, she readily agrees. He wants her to try and find the location of a friend of his, a journalist, deported from East Africa and currently being held captive by British Security under the code-name 'Prisoner X'. You should be interested in helping this young man, John tells her - his real name is Paul Batter, Old Jim's grandson. When Terry learns of Melia's quest he decides to help her, as does Mr Gibson, but neither colleague liaises with each other - or Melia - so she remains feeling low and unsupported. Meanwhile there there other digs, and other attempts on her life, the worse one culminating in another trip to hospital. While she languishes in a coma, John Lewis appears, but he finds a very harsh 'welcome' back in the old country. The search for Jimmy Batter's hidden hoard progresses but the results are inconclusive, while the search for Prisoner X only yields more suprises and as the book draws to a close the identity of Melia's assailant is revealed, but again, it wasn't at all who everyone was suspecting. Perhaps the story hasn't ended here.
- Tales Of Old Buile Hill: Amelia Hartliss Mysteries, #25
25
Amelia Hartliss is angry. She is a Secret Agent and a skilled investigator, but her boss has chosen to send her on a routine surveillance operation, looking for imported drugs. It's way below my pay grade, she sighs. But she's wrong. The source of the illegal substances is a war-torn country that Britain has a personal interest in, at the highest level. Melia is working for the UK Prime Minister that night, even if she doesn't know it. But it's confusing. The location is an old, dilapidated building in a city park, hidden amongst the trees, the hills and the dells. It's a misty, haunted piece of countryside and there are other creatures living in the woods. It seems that Melia has stumbled onto the Fairy Realm. Who are these tiny bodies - elves and goblins, gnomes? Surely such tiny people are not real, not in this modern century? Still, this is North West England, not the sophisticated South. Anything is possible, it seems, so far away from London. Melia has to persist, even with the merest support from her regular team. There is a real mystery here that needs solving.
Mike Scantlebury
Mike Scantlebury is my author name, which I chose once I'd decided to use my real name on the outside of books. I was born in the South West of England, but after a lot of roaming, found a new billet in the North West, across the river from Manchester (England). I've written dozens of books and you can find them on the shelves of online bookstores everywhere. They're mostly in the world of Romance and the smaller world of Crime Fiction and Mysteries. Mostly, the novels are like the great Colossus and straddle both sides of the stream. The thing that makes me interesting is that I also sing and write songs and you can find them on social media and the corners of The Web. Which is pretty good. I'm a bit old for the internet, really. Happier with an abacus
Read more from Mike Scantlebury
Romantic Beginnings
Related to Amelia Hartliss Mysteries
Related ebooks
Vincent Price Presents #31 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRock and Roll Comics: Joan Jett Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSpecial and Different: The Autistic Traveler: Judgment, Redemption, & Victory Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLet Me Tell You Some Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPolitical Power: Rush Limbaugh Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsChildren's Ten Commandments Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJourney through Time Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIsfjell Point Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFemale Force: RuPaul Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Man in the Mirror Journal: Everything Begins and Ends with You Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSweet Pea Saves the Rainbows Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJudo Girl: So You Want a Revolution? Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOrbit: The Cast of Doctor Who #1 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Messages from the Heart of Love - Spirituality Basics in 144 Empowering Quotes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhitetail Deer Facts and Strategies Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOdyssey Presents: Anthology #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTrapped in the Tower Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJourney to the Moon Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRookie Rescuer: Learning about God and 'First Responder' Work through Real Calls! Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMud Pups’ Adventures vol. 1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsKyron and The Meadow Monster Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsVincent Price Presents: Black & White #2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRun to Win Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Muse #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFemale Force: Anne Rice Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Female Force: Hillary Clinton: Road to Secretary of State Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThree-Fold Cord: Creation Redemption Dominion Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsVincent Price Presents: Volume #03 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGood Jokes Bad Drawings Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBlessed Days, Volume 6: Blessed Days, #6 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Thrillers For You
Animal Farm Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Last Flight: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Paris Apartment: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Girl Who Was Taken: A Gripping Psychological Thriller Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Perfect Marriage: A Completely Gripping Psychological Suspense Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fairy Tale Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rock Paper Scissors: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Institute: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pretty Girls: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5You: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rose Code: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Family Upstairs: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Troop Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Huntress: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Maidens: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Eyes of the Dragon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Sympathizer: A Novel (Pulitzer Prize for Fiction) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Kind Worth Killing: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Finn Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Revival: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Housemaid Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Different Seasons Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Needful Things Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I'm Thinking of Ending Things: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Only Good Indians Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The It Girl Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cryptonomicon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mr. Mercedes: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for Amelia Hartliss Mysteries
0 ratings0 reviews