Hannah Leicester, a 26 year old attractive blonde pharmacist takes up a new post in the small town of Blantells. She is happy with her new position, her colleagues and her digs. Everything seems to be going well, when, on a cold October day, as she returns from a shopping trip, she is abducted, drugged, thrown into a grey van and transported to a remote cabin where, stripped of her clothes and belongings, she is left to await her captor's plans for her. In frantic panic, she manages to escape but is pursued relentlessly by the man who abducted her. After a fast-moving pursuit, she evades recapture by jumping into a taxi. The driver, Joe Weston, an ex-Army man and his sister, Isa, retired nursing sister, take pity on Hannah and use their combined talents to help her resolve the situation and with the input of two other remarkable characters, the evidence builds against her captor. Over the past six years, five young women have disappeared without trace from Blantells. One of these was the niece of a well-known journalist, Johnstone Earle, who has searched tirelessly for a clue to the disappearance of his beloved niece and the other missing girls. Earle has written numerous articles about the failure of the police to solve these crimes, behaviour which has resulted in his disgrace and dismissal from his job, and a life of alcohol. Joe seeks him out and galvanises him into action again. At the Pharmacy where Hannah works, a colleague, Martha Hoe, mother of four and intrepid problem solver, uses her initiative to add valuable information to the case. As Joe and Hannah strive to bring the man to justice, their pursuer makes a final bid to eliminate them, tracking them to their place of safety but they are not alone in seeking an end to his crimes. Someone else is preparing to deliver the verdict on a personal injustice.

It was meant to be a summer holiday job, an opportunity to learn something of the field of mental illness and in the beginning, Jenny Wycroft, a young medical student, became accustomed to the odd behaviour, the bizarre mannerisms and proclivities of the residents. She confessed to an element of uneasiness working with the disturbed and unpredictable but when one of the inmates disclosed to her the details of a long-forgotten murder, Jenny was uncertain how to proceed. Perhaps the patient's senses were presenting her with a false world. Then again, perhaps the truth had surfaced after all these years. When Jenny discussed the story with a nurse, Pietra Calvina, who had also been party to the strange allegations, they decided to make tentative and discreet enquiries in order to test the veracity of the tale. The can of worms had been opened. Their interest in the story had not gone unnoticed and as they ignored warnings to desist from the investigation, their lives were put in mortal danger

Bobby Burns hadn't been expecting to find a dead body in Ellen Banks' bath. She had other problems on her mind that night, like the case of the missing Leylandii trees, Dr Ewart's disquiet at having not been burgled, Ivy Waterton's request to sell some elusive treasure and not least, a little girl's concern for her brother's safety. She didn't have long to ponder on the bloodied tattoo on the corpse's chest, she had to hide, and when two men removed the body and with it, all trace of the man's demise, she found herself the only witness to the murder. When she discovers who the murderer is, she thinks it is a cut and dried case - but unwittingly, the murderer has triggered an unforeseen chain of events and a much bigger picture emerges.

Jason Castanega is a private investigator who, since leaving the Police Force, runs a one man detective Agency with the assistance of a fifty year old Jamaican lady, Roberta Merissa Burns, affectionately known as Bobby. One evening, while shadowing a well-to-do business man, John Friedman, whose wife believes him to be having an affair, Jason is viciously stabbed. His blood loss is so severe that he is pronounced dead by the paramedics. However, some hours later, he regains consciousness in the morgue. After some deliberation, he decides that his deceased status puts him in a uniquely placed position to investigate the attack on his life. Separated from his wife, Jason takes refuge in Bobby's home and with her help, he takes on the persona of Peter Holmes, a hitherto unknown partner in the Agency. In disguise, he continues the Agency work, searching for a missing schoolgirl, Annabelle Bridges and a Persian blue cat called Moffatt, while continuing surveillance on John Friedman and seeking out clues which will lead him to the man who attempted to murder him. His search leads him to a high class escort Agency, La Couchinelle, where an illicit trade in semen is being carried out. Jason's attacker is oblivious to the fact that he is being followed. Unknown to Jason, someone else holds a grudge against this man, and when Jason sets out to confront him, there is an unexpected turn of events, . The ensuing complex police investigation under the lead of Detective Chief Inspector Ray Deltree, stalls for lack of evidence. Jason takes the opportunity to resume his normal identity in order to provide crucial evidence.

Whenever authority 'draws the line, ' Amber Torley steps over it. A stroppy, rebellious teenager with a penchant for trouble, her irrepressible and determined spirit has ignited a bitter feud with her father, whom she nicknames The Bear. In spite of his draconian efforts to control his daughter's wild behaviour, Amber's indomitable nature cannot be tamed. Amber is not without ambition, however, and believes that away from home and free of her father's continual subjugation, she will flourish. When falsely accused of stealing from the teachers' staffroom and facing expulsion from school, Amber heeds a final warning and buckles down to her studies. Then, a young girl from her school disappears without a trace, and soon after, Amber's best friend goes missing as well. Amber's resolve to unravel the mystery and find her friend lands her in even more trouble. It also lands her in the office of Detective Inspector Robert Lambert, a quiet, strong minded and handsome man who is leading the investigation of the missing girls. From the outset, Amber is in awe of the Inspector, and he recognises in her a bright young woman, shackled and frustrated in her home situation. In the course of his investigation, 'Boniface' as Amber calls him, discovers something of huge significance that may dramatically alter her future. Amber discovers that there's more to her life than just stepping over a lin