A Kate O'Donnell Mystery Series

A tense and gripping mystery set in 1960s London and Liverpool - When photographer Kate O'Donnell takes off for London from swinging Liverpool she has two things in mind: to make a career and to track down her missing older brother. But when she does find a trace of Tom, he's still missing - leaving behind a dead flatmate and some very suspicious cops, including Harry Barnard of the vice squad. Kate determines to clear her brother's name, but her investigations take her on a terrifying journey, and soon she isn't sure if even the charming Barnard can be trusted . . .

Kate O?Donnell, fresh from her adventures in Dead Beat, discovers yet again there?s a darker side to London in the Swinging Sixties|Beatlemania has reached London, but young photographer Kate O’Donnell soon discovers a darker side of the city when a prostitute is found murdered off the Portobello Road. A West Indian immigrant, Nelson Mackintosh, is arrested, and simmering racial tension reaches breaking point. Convinced of Nelson’s innocence, Kate determines to track down the real killer. But when her activities attract the attention of notorious gangster King Devine, not even Kate’s old sparring partner DS Harry Barnard can ensure her safety.|"Colorful characters, social commentary, and sixties ambience all add to the appeal of this engaging British mystery"|"Hall?s second begins where her first leaves off, mixing straight-up procedural with a dose of local color

1963. A badly mutilated corpse is discovered on the site of the new Centre Point Tower currently under construction in London’s West End. With fingers and toes severed, it has all the hallmarks of a gangland killing. But Detective Sergeant Harry Barnard isn’t convinced. Meanwhile, a key witness has disappeared before the upcoming trial of East End gangster Georgie Robertson. Is there a connection? At the same time, young photographer Kate O’Donnell’s current assignment with the crime reporter of a national newspaper is causing a rift in her relationship with Harry Barnard. And Harry’s association with Georgie Robertson’s gangster brother Ray is causing concern among his colleagues. Has the line between criminal and copper become too blurred? As the atmosphere of suspicion intensifies, Kate finds that her role with Globe reporter Carter Price is about to lead her into unexpected danger.

A past crime causes new murder in the latest intriguing Kate O’Donnell mystery 1964. Detective Sergeant Harry Barnard has been ordered to track down notorious Soho club owner Ray Robertson, who hasn’t been seen for several days. The case takes on a greater urgency when a battered body is discovered at the gym Ray owns. Is Ray the killer … or is he a victim? Photographer Kate O’Donnell meanwhile is working on a feature about the regeneration of Canvey Island, finally being rebuilt after the devastating East Coast floods of 1953. But as Kate and Harry are about to discover, the Canvey Island floods, the murder and Ray Robertson’s disappearance are connected in more ways than one …

Kate O’Donnell and her police sergeant partner, Harry Barnard enter dangerous waters when they uncover evidence of a top-level conspiracy. On a busy Friday night in 1964, a woman’s partially clothed body is discovered in London’s Soho Square. She has been raped and strangled. With no one reported missing, her identity remains a mystery. Assuming the victim to be a prostitute, DCI Jackson is inclined to dismiss the case. Detective Sergeant Harry Barnard disagrees. Harry’s partner Kate meanwhile has been despatched to her native Liverpool to work on a magazine feature about the city’s remarkable regeneration, timed to coincide with the release of the Beatles’ movie, A Hard Day’s Night. As Harry’s investigations point to evidence of a cover-up at the highest level, Kate’s assignment leads her to uncover a darker side to 1960s’ Liverpool – and a possible link to the Soho murder victim. Are she and Harry getting into something too deep and dangerous for them to handle?

The death of a young girl leads Detective Sergeant Harry Barnard and Kate O’Donnell into a hotbed of simmering tensions, violence and threats in sixties’ Soho. London, 1964. At three a.m. on a chilly autumn morning, Detective Sergeant Harry Barnard is called to a club in Greek Street where a young girl has fallen to her death from a top-floor window. A new breed of fans is flocking to Soho's rock and roll haunts. But was it a tragic accident, or something more sinister? Meanwhile, Kate O’Donnell, Harry’s photographer girlfriend, receives a call from her Liverpudlian ex, Dave Donovan, pleading for her help. His new squeeze, Bernie Collins, set off for London in the hope of getting a recording contract, but she’s not answering her phone. Where is she? With simmering tensions, intimidation and terror rife on Soho’s streets, Harry and Kate are drawn into its dark underbelly in their attempts to find answers.