The Lambert and Hook Mysteries Series

A heinous murder in a beautiful English garden makes for a “gripping . . . surprising” British crime procedural from the author of the Inspector Peach novels (Publishers Weekly).   Dennis Cooper leads an idyllic life as curator of the national historical site, Westbourne Park. What could be better than overseeing the spectacular flowering grounds, supervising its popular restaurant, and making sure the daily throngs of tourists leave happy? But when Gloucestershire’s Superintendent John Lambert and Detective Sergeant Bert Hook visit the serene landmark, there’s only one site they care to see: Dennis’s dead body in a pond at the edge of the gardens.   The suspects are growing wild: Dennis’s philandering wife and her lover; the restaurant’s nerve-fried staff; a new young intern from Glasgow; and a shady gardener with a violent temper. It’s clear someone held a grudge. Less clear is Dennis’s own shady past. And Lambert and Hook are determined to dig it up.

London detectives Lambert and Hook are entangled in “a beguiling plot . . . and plenty of twists” as they dig through a dead girl’s past (Booklist).   Gloucestershire is suffering through a brutal heatwave, but things are getting even stickier for Superintendent John Lambert and Det. Sergeant Bert Hook. The body of lovely young university student, Clare Mills, has been found strangled, and floating quietly along the Severn River. Unfortunately, not a soul who knew her is particularly grief stricken—or forthcoming. Not her mentor, or the postgrad student with the unrequited crush, or her dearest friend, or her ex-husband, or even her stepfather. And least of all, and most alarming, not even Claire’s own mother who barely elicits a blink when hearing of daughter’s brutal murder.   That they all have their secrets isn’t surprising to Lambert and Hook. But it’s Claire’s own secrets that are proving to be the most revealing of all. And they’ve yet to claim their last victim.

There’s nothing like a murder to shake up a quiet neighborhood in this “British procedural that delivers what fans of the genre want” (Booklist).   Gurney Close, a recently-built development in Gloucestershire, includes three charming houses and bungalows overlooking the river Wye. Moving into these new homes are three married couples and a divorcee, all of whom are eager to get acquainted through a little block party. But the next morning, one of the new neighbors—affable, ordinary Robin Durkin—is found brutally murdered. Apart from his devastated wife, he was surrounded by perfect strangers. Or was he? As Superintendent John Lambert and Detective Sergeant Bert Hook investigate, they discover that each neighbor had ties with the victim. And they’re far from perfect. Including Durkin himself.   Unearthing Durkin’s past exposes a dirty little enclave of blackmail, vengeance, and adultery. But who, among these seemingly friendly faces, knew Durkin’s darkest secret—and was driven to murder him to keep it hidden?

“Gregson knows when to up the ante . . . in this tense procedural” as two British detectives investigate a shocking case of abduction and murder (Kirkus Reviews).   The last time Anthea Gibson saw her seven-year-old daughter, Lucy, the girl was thrilled to be heading off to her first village fair. Then, a parent’s worst nightmare: Lucy never comes home. As the disappearance stretches from hours to days without any leads, Lambert and Hook cast a wide net over potential suspects: a roustabout well-known for his unsavory habits; a local female loner with a disturbing want for a child; Anthea’s estranged and pitiable husband; her current lover; and even the distraught mother herself who may have a motive for seeing Lucy spirited away.   But when another child vanishes from the area, and something terrible washes up on the shores of the Wye River, the case takes a breathtaking twist. And even the seasoned investigators aren’t prepared for how dark it’s going to get.