Böcker av Frank Demain

Murders in Northumbria is Frank Demain's fifth book of Detective Sanderson mysteries, this time comprising eight short stories all based in England's most north-easterly region. The stories span vintage films, missing persons and stray dogs, a hit-and-run killing and people trafficking, with the usual smattering of love and lust, jealousy and hatred.

.Murders in Northumbria is his fourth book of Detective Sanderson mysteries, this time comprising six short stories all based in England's most north-easterly region. The stories span football to people smuggling, farming to lottery winning, with a fair smattering of lust, jealousy and hatred.

Recently-widowed Richard Hamilton makes love to Mandy Phillips not realising that she is virtually the same age as his son - not yet sixteen. This horrifies him and he commits suicide.His death transforms Mandy from rebellious teenager into a focussed and hard-working young student. On the day of her graduation she consummates a longstanding friendship with fellow student, David Watkins. David and her parents are killed in a horrific accident and she gives up a promising career to look after her younger brother. That leads to further experiences, including one with Richard's son, that have deeply distressing outcomes.Out-of-the-blue, Mandy receives an invitation to join her former tutor at a lecture he is giving at Nottingham University. He confesses that his invitation is a cover for a much deeper purpose and he proposes marriage.At last happiness seems to beckon but might her relationships be cursed by an African wedding bracelet she has worn since the day before she met Richard?

Peter Sinclair is a reasonably intelligent, fairly sociable, retired business executive, a family man attempting to carry on leading a full life, travelling and seeking safe adventures as befits his years.Family holidays should be pleasant, fun-filled times. Unfortunately, although he does not seek it, trouble seems to be attracted to Peter - not the what-a-pity sort of trouble you might expect of someone of his age and experience but serious trouble which might lead to his ultimate downfall.Crisis in Croatia sees him falling foul of a paramilitary group determined to achieve independence within Croatia; in Jewels of the Canaries he gets drawn into an attempt to smuggle stolen diamonds into Spain; in The Mysterious Case of the Disappearing Sea Salt he gets lost in a maze of smugglers' caves on the North Yorkshire coast; and, in Old Man of Hoy, he stumbles across an illicit Orkney whisky distillery with consequences far beyond his, and perhaps the reader's, expectations.

When Sarah Stephenson is found murdered and sexually abused in the Tyne-valley market town of Hexham, suspicion falls initially on her husband, George, and then on her lover, Tony Raine. The brutal murder and sodomy of a man with sexual connections to George's lover, Jenny Maxwell, bears some similar hallmarks and links to the first death. When Tony Raine is murdered, all the evidence points to his minder, Ivan Petrovski, an illegal immigrant, but Elspeth decides that they have arrested the wrong man.

When Ian Fergusson receives a call from a former colleague, Peter Brompton, telling him of the theft of expensive pigment from his company, he agrees to meet him. His initial investigations indicate that another company is the actual victim of what appears to be a well-organised scam. An anonymous threat to his life rocks Ian back and, fearing for his life and the safety of his wife and children, he sends them away to stay with friends. He takes refuge in the family's holiday caravan but when that explodes and Peter is shot and killed, Ian knows the threats are real. A further gruesome killing of one of his contacts is followed by the kidnapping of Ian's son. Ian begins to suspect the involvement of a whole raft of his associates and is uncertain whom he can trust. Warned not to approach the police if he wants to see his son again, Ian takes matters into his own hands. Believing he has identified the gang leader, he boldly, if rather foolishly, enters the lion's den with explosive consequences.

It is almost thirty years since Brexit and the whole world has changed dramatically. But despite all of this, life, love and murder carry on.Peter Barker, member of a successful business family, finds himself accused of the rape and murder of Olivia Hamblin, an actress he was due to meet after being introduced through an on-line dating app. Peter's father sets his friend and former police detective, Sam Meredith, the task of ensuring that Peter is freed. Sam finds that Olivia has had a number of hetero- and homo-sexual partners including Peter's brother-in-law, Michael. He is able to demonstrate to the police that Michael, the brother of Peter's on-off girl-friend, Charlie, fellow-actor George and the brother of Olivia's flatmate all have motives and the opportunity to murder Olivia. The case against Peter is dropped and he heads off to the Bahamas where he awaits Charlie's arrival....

Having escaped from what seemed like certain death in The Orkneys, Peter Sinclair's wings are now being severely clipped by his wife. Despite that, what set out to be simple and safe family holidays and straightforward leisure activities seem to have a way of turning into roller-coaster rides for Peter and those around him. In 'It's an Ill Wind' he is accused of raping and murdering a young woman in Fuerteventura; he faces several difficult encounters with officialdom in 'A Baltic Breeze'; in 'Not Wanted on Voyage' he is in danger of being drawn into the world of illegal immigrants; in 'That Sinking Feeling' he comes face-to-face with mortal danger underground; and in 'Chocks Away' he finally achieves a life-long ambition -for a short while.