Ellie Quicke Series

Ellie opens the door to a man who is a stranger but instantly recognisable as the father of her housekeeper's young son. Mikey had been conceived at a party during which his mother Vera, a schoolgirl, had been drugged and raped. Abdi hadn't wanted anything to do with her, but now he is a consultant whose wife cannot have children, and he aims to pay off Vera and adopt Mikey. Ellie discovers that Vera still thinks fondly of her then boyfriend, even though he had also rejected her. But was that because he had fallen out of love, or because his father had been murdered that same weekend? Uncovering betrayals only makes it more difficult for Vera and Mikey to decide on their future…

Ellie Quicke is desperate to find someone to look after their elderly housekeeper, whose health is failing. But employing a carer found by Ellie's difficult daughter, Diana, proves to be a mixed blessing when Ellie returns from a trip to find that carer Claire has implemented a number of bizarre changes to the Quicke household routine. Claire, is heavily involved in “the Vision”, a local church with a charismatic, powerful pastor, who – seemingly coincidentally – is looking to Ellie for financial help in his current project, housing reformed addicts. But Ellie is suspicious – and more so, when details of Claire's chequered past comes to light. Can Ellie trust Claire and Pastor Ambrose? Ellie investigates and doesn't like what she finds…

Ellie Quicke believes in helping people in trouble. But it would appear that her latest good deed has returned to bite her when she takes in a weeping girl who needs somewhere to stay. Selfish, thoughtless and irresponsible, Angelica is by no means the easiest of house guests, confident that someone else will always pick up the bill. But when a dead body is found in the garden the morning after a riotous party she's organised, Angelica plunges Ellie's household into a situation too hot for any of them to handle. Ellie does not believe Angelica is capable of murder. However, when she attempts to uncover the truth about what happened that night, Ellie unearths a series of disturbing revelations.

Ellie Quicke is shocked when her daughter, Diana, turns up at her door with a suitcase in tow. Bunny Brewster has died of an overdose, and Diana's husband, Evan, is convinced that she is responsible for his friend's death. It seems that Diana and four other neglected wives of Evan's friends recently joked about ways to kill their husbands. Diana's suggested method of murder involved muddling up pills – could this be how Bunny died? All five women are soon causing havoc at Ellie's house, but a further distressing development confirms Ellie's instinct that there's more to this than meets the eye.