Titles in this set:
Dark Undertakings
A Death to Record
A Dirty Death
The Sting of Death
Grave Concerns
Dark Undertakings
Fifty-five-year-old Jim Lapsford makes an unusually healthy-looking corpse. A life-long devotee of vitamin pills and herbal remedies, it seems almost ironic that he has succumbed to a heart attack. His GP is convinced that this is the case but trainee undertaker Drew Slocombe isn't so sure and he is convinced that there is enough conflicting medical evidence to merit a coroner's inquest at least. And then there's Jim's personal life: in addition to a long suffering wife, two sons and a grieving terrier, Jim appears to have left behind a series of scorned mistresses.It seems everyone else is happy enough to accept the doctor's verdict and Drew shouldn't really rock the boat, but can he really turn his back on murder? Even so, Drew may have plenty of suspects but he has no proof. And Jim's cremation is days away...
A Death to Record
When the body of herdsman Sean O’Farrell was discovered in one of the farm buildings, DS Den Cooper is more than happy to cast one of the local farmers, Gordon Hillcock, in the role of chief suspect. After all, it is a well-known fact that there was no love lost between Gordon and the victim. And besides, Den has a little grudge of his own – Gordon is currently dating Den’s ex-fiancée Lilah and was actually the reason she dumped him only a few short months before their wedding.
However, Den did not plan on Lilah’s determination to protect her new lover. How far will she go to make sure that Den directs his suspicions elsewhere?
A Dirty Death
When irascible farmer Guy Beardon meets a very dirty death in his own farmyard, at first it seems like an accident - despite the fact that he was widely disliked. Only his daughter Lilah is prepared to defend his memory. And when, slowly, Lilah begins to suspect foul play, no one is eager to help her investigate. Suspicion becomes certainty when two more deaths occur - and both of them are unmistakably murder. The difficulty lies in discovering who, among Guy's many enemies, hated him enough to want him dead - and who went on killing to conceal the truth. There is certainly no shortage of suspects and it falls to local policeman Den Cooper to investigate the mysterious deaths...
The Sting of Death
One glorious summer’s afternoon, Karen Slocombe is visited by her cousin Penn, who unexpectedly asks for husband Drew’s help in tracking down a missing relative, Justine. But why has Penn come to him, and why is she reluctant to get the police involved?
Justine’s mother, Roma Millan, an avid beekeeper, is not interested in the whereabouts of her daughter, but husband Laurie senses a troubled history between mother and daughter. Detective Den Cooper joins Drew as the case takes a sinister turn when it is discovered that a small child is also missing. But can the tangle of secrets and lies be unravelled before somebody gets hurt?
Grave Concerns
With Peaceful Repose Cemetery, Drew Slocombe is determined to revolutionise the entire death industry and make ecologically sound burials a popular choice. Unfortunately, his gravedigger has just discovered that their cemetery has one too many corpses – that of an elderly woman. The police don’t appear to be particularly concerned and seem to think it’s that of a vagrant. But for Drew things don’t add up: even if the woman died a natural death, someone was obviously responsible for burying her.
When Genevieve Slater, a woman from Drew’s past, turns up at his door, and asks him to help prove that the body is that of her missing mother, the mystery deepens. Why does Genevieve not go to the police with her concerns? All Drew’s skills as an amateur detective will be needed if he is to get to the truth . . .
