‘Oh, I see that I’ve been suitably chastised,’ Sophie replied, laughing. ‘You’ve probably guessed that was the warning that Jade used to get when she misbehaved. Which was fairly regularly, I have to say. So, finally, to Barry. I don’t think he knows what he’s let himself in for, coming to work as my permanent number two. Barry, without you this whole investigation would probably have been a complete shambles. As you probably spotted, I still haven’t fully recovered from my illness, but now that you’re with me I’m not worried about it because I know we’ll be fine. The biggest thank-you of the day goes to you.’
She raised her glass and another round of cheering and applause broke out. Barry Marsh blushed even more deeply, particularly when Gwen planted a noisy kiss on his cheek.
Ed Wilton turned to Rosemary. ‘I know you’ve lost a close friend, and in the worst possible circumstances. But what she said just now was right. We’ve found each other, so something good has come out if it all.’ He squeezed her hand.
‘And you’ve started writing love songs again,’ Rosemary answered, smiling at him. ‘Maybe the world needs a few more of them. Don’t you think so?’
‘Only time will tell. I need to flog them to some gullible singer first.’
THE END
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Jasper Joffe and the staff at Joffe Books for helping to add the final touches to this novel. Anne Derges, as the crime editor, has done a first-rate job in helping to smooth out my somewhat rough original.
The Beaumont Society (www.beaumontsociety.org.uk) is the UK’s leading support organisation for transgender people. The society has a network of voluntary “Regional Organisers” across the country who are able to help with problems. The author wishes to thank members of the society for their assistance with parts of this novel. The author would also like to thank Bailey at the NTPA (the National Trans Police Association) for her help in supplying background information about the experiences of police officers with gender identity issues.
THE OTHER SOPHIE ALLEN BOOKS ARE AVAILABLE NOW:
Book1: DARK CRIMES
http://www.amazon.co.uk/CRIMES-gripping-detective-thriller-suspense-ebook/dp/B01B1W9CIG
http://www.amazon.com/CRIMES-gripping-detective-thriller-suspense-ebook/dp/B01B1W9CIG
A young woman’s body is discovered on a deserted footpath in a Dorset seaside town late on a cold November night. She has been stabbed through the heart.
It seems like a simple crime for DCI Sophie Allen and her team to solve. But not when the victim’s mother is found strangled the next morning. The case grows more complex as DCI Sophie Allen discovers that the victims had secret histories, involving violence and intimidation. There’s an obvious suspect but Detective Allen isn't convinced. Could someone else be lurking in the shadows, someone savagely violent, looking for a warped revenge?
BOOK 2 DEADLY CRIMES
https://www.amazon.co.uk/DEADLY-gripping-detective-thriller-suspense-ebook/dp/B01DL5CGRK/
https://www.amazon.com/DEADLY-gripping-detective-thriller-suspense-ebook/dp/B01DL5CGRK/
A young man’s mutilated body is found on top of the Agglestone, a well-known local landmark on Studland Heath
It seems that he was involved in a human trafficking and prostitution gang. But why is DCI Sophie Allen keeping something back from her team? Is it linked to the extraordinary discovery of her own father's body at the bottom of a disused mineshaft, more than forty years after he disappeared?
BOOK 4: BURIED CRIMES
https://www.amazon.co.uk/BURIED-CRIMES-gripping-detective-thriller-ebook/dp/B01I04EMTW/
https://www.amazon.com/BURIED-CRIMES-gripping-detective-thriller-ebook/dp/B01I04EMTW/
A family move into their dream home in Dorchester: it seems perfect, particularly for their two children, but when Philip and Jill Freeman move a buddleia bush, what they find buried beneath its roots will haunt them forever.
Glossary of English terms for US readers
ACC: assistant chief constable
Asian: someone who (or whose ancestors) originates from India, Pakistan or Bangladesh
Beaker: glass or cup for holding liquids
Bladdered: drunk
Bob: money
Bod: person
Boffin: smart person, scientist
Boot: trunk, as in car trunk
Bother: as in bother, means in trouble
Charity Shop: thrift store
Caravan: camper or small motorhome
Carrier bag: plastic bag from supermarket
Care Home: an institution where old people are cared for
Chat-up: flirt, trying to pick up someone with witty banter or compliments
Chinwag: conversation
Ciggy: cigarette
Comprehensive School (Comp.): High school
Copper: police officer (slang)
Cotton wool: raw cotton
Childminder: someone who looks after children for money
Coach: a bus, often used for travel, holidays or trips
Cos: because
CPS: Crown Prosecution Service, body which decides whether cases go to criminal court
Council: local government
Deck: one of the landings on a floor of a tower block
Diary: appointment book
Div: idiot (offensive)
Dodgy: not to be trusted, illegal
Dosh: money
Double glazing: insulated windows with two layers of glass
DC: detective constable
DI: detective inspector
DS: detective sergeant
ED: accident and emergency department of hospital
Estate: public/social housing estate (similar to housing projects)
Estate agent: realtor (US)
Fag: cigarette
Fancy: find attractive
FE: further education college
Freshers: Students in their first term/year at university
Garden Centre: a business where plants and gardening equipment are sold
Gas people: company selling consumers gas for heating and hot water
Gobsmacked: surprised
Get off: make out
GP: general practitioner, a doctor based in the community
Gran: grandmother
Guest house: a private house offering rooms to paying guests (in the days before Airbnb!)
Hard nut: tough guy
Hatchback: a car with an upwards-opening door across full width of back
Home: care home for elderly or sick people
Home Office: UK government department in charge of domestic affairs
Inne: isn’t he
Into care: a child taken away from their family by the social services
Jobcentre: unemployment office
Jumper: sweater
Kosher: genuine or legal
Lad: young man
Lamped: hit
Lay-by: an area off a road where cars can pull in and stop
Lift: as in give a lift, drive someone somewhere
Loo: toilet
Lounge: living room
Lorry: a truck
Mobile phone: cell phone
Newsagents: shop selling newspapers, confectionery, cigarettes etc.
NHS: National Health Service, public health service of UK
Nick: police station (as verb: to arrest)
Nowt: nothing
Nutter: insane person
Nursery: a place which grows plants, shrubs and trees for sale (often wholesale)
OCD: Obsessive-compulsive disorder
OS: Ordnance Survey, detailed map
Overalls: dungarees
Pants: underwear
PC: police constable
PM: post-mortem
Petrol: gasoline
Petrol station: gas station
Piss off: as exclamation, go away (rude). Also can
mean annoy.
Planning Department: the local authority department which issues licences to build and develop property
Plod: policeman
Posh: upper class
Punter: client of prostitute / can also mean gambler
Randy: horny
Ready meal: prepared food which only needs to be reheated
Rock: a sugary candy often on sale at the seaside
Semi: semi-detached house, house with another house joined to it on one side only
Skinful: enough alcohol to make you drunk
Skip: a large container for building rubbish
Services: Shops and gas station by highway
Sixth-former: student in the final two years of high school (16-18 years old)
Sod: an annoying person
Sod it: expression meaning you’ve decided not to give a damn
Solicitor: lawyer
Squaddies: soldiers
Tea: dinner (Northern English)
Till: cash register
Tipsy: a bit drunk
Toerag: loser (insulting)
Ton: a hundred pounds
Torch: flashlight
Tutor: university teacher
Tower block: tall building containing apartments (usually social housing)
Two-up two-down: house with two bedrooms upstairs, and two rooms downstairs
Uni: university/college
Uniform: a police officer wearing a uniform, usually a police constable
Van: a vehicle for carrying goods
Warrant card: police ID in the UK
Young offender: criminal between 14-17 years of age
CHARACTER LIST
Detective Chief Inspector Sophie Allen is Dorset’s acknowledged expert on murder and violent crime, newly appointed to run the county’s Serious and Violent Crime Unit. She is 42 years old as the series starts, and lives with her family in Wareham. Sophie has a law degree and a master’s in criminal psychology. Sophie may appear at first to be somewhat of a ‘cold fish,’ over-intellectual and too clever by half, but conceals a dark past.
Detective Sergeant Barry Marsh is in his early thirties and in Dark Crimes, the first novel, is based at Swanage police station. He’s quiet, methodical and dedicated, the perfect foil for Sophie’s hidden fragility.
Detective Constable Jimmy Melsom is also based in Swanage. He has only recently joined the CID, and is a little gung-ho in his attitude to crime investigation.
Detective Constable Lydia Pillay is a talented young officer based with DCI Allen at Dorset County police HQ.
Detective Inspector Kevin McGreedie is attached to the Bournemouth and Poole division of Dorset police. His assistant is DS Bob Thomson.
Detective Superintendent Matt Silver is Sophie’s immediate boss. He helped to appoint her to lead the Violent Crime Unit but, to his regret, has a largely administrative role in the county police hierarchy.
Detective Chief Superintendent Neil Dunnett is the overall commander. He clashes with Sophie several times in Dark Crimes. The source of the antagonism is not clear.
Martin Allen is Sophie’s husband. He is head of the mathematics department at a large secondary school in Dorchester. Martin has a minor, but very supportive, role in the novels. He and Sophie met while at university. He has a more prominent role in later novels in the series.
Sophie and Martin have two daughters. Jade is fifteen in the first novel, and appears in all the subsequent stories. She has a lively and very quirky personality. Hannah, the elder daughter, is a drama student in London. She is quieter in her approach to life. She appears as a minor character in the first novel, but has a more important role in later books.
Thank you for reading this book. If you enjoyed it please leave feedback on Amazon, and if there is anything we missed or you have a question about then please get in touch. The author and publishing team appreciate your feedback and time reading this book.
Our email is office@joffebooks.com
http://joffebooks.com
Follow us on facebook www.facebook.com/joffebooks for news on Michael Hambling’s next book arriving in 2016.
More about Michael Hambling
www.michaelhambling.co.uk
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