Havard & Lambert Mysteries

Ex-superintendent Fabia Havard is struggling with civilian life when a local girl is found dead. Out walking near the rain-swelled river running past her small Welsh town, she comes across the body of Amber Morgan. Fabia's police training tells her instantly that the death is the result of foul play. But no longer in the force, all she can do is call it in. Yet she has mixed feelings when she discovers it is her former colleague, Matt Lambert, newly promoted to chief inspector, who will head the investigation into the girl's death. Despite this, having known the victim, and bored with her new job as an illustrator, Fabia can't help probing into the murder. However, her inquiries further upset the quiet of the town. Not least her neighbor, busybody Rhona Griffiths, who was seen arguing with the victim the day before her death. Fabia's activity bothers Matt Lambert but time and time again Fabia's instincts are proved right. He can't help leaning on her in order to progress the investigation but that will also involve confronting why she left the force years ago. Can they put their differences aside and work together to bring the perpetrator to justice despite Fabia's painful past being brought up again? Or will Fabia's moonlighting get her into further danger? MURDER IN THE VALLEYS is set in the fictional town of Pontygwyn in the Welsh valleys under the shadow of the Black Mountains. It will appeal to readers who like traditional whodunnits, those who like the landscape, atmosphere and people of South Wales, and everyone who likes a good listen that keeps you hanging on.

MURDER AT THE OLD ABBEY is the second book by Pippa McCathie to feature detective Matt Lambert and Fabia Havard. White Monk Abbey is a local landmark and its resident patriarch, Caradoc Mansell, a foreboding presence. He runs his household and family as if he is still in the army. So, when he is found murdered, the challenge Chief Inspector Matt Lambert faces is that many people had a good reason to want him dead. And when it is discovered that Caradoc had children from dalliances in his youth, his family also fall under suspicion – their substantial inheritance having been put in doubt. With so many suspects and little evidence, he draws on the advice of his former boss, ex-detective Fabia Havard. But will their fractious relationship get in the way of finding the killer?

MURDER BY THE RIVER USK is the third murder mystery by Pippa McCathie set in South Wales. Look out for the first, MURDER IN THE VALLEYS, and the second, MURDER AT THE OLD ABBEY. A cold case warms up when an archaeological dig uncovers the remains of a student who went missing a decade previously. It was a missing person case that bugged ex-inspector Fabia Havard long after she left the force. Now she has been asked by DCI Matt Lambert, to aid the investigation. Caleb Morgan went missing whilst studying at a university campus near the ancient Roman city of Caerleon. Now, with his body finally found during an archaeological dig, partly exposed due to the riverbank subsiding after a flood, there is new evidence. It is clear he was murdered. The question facing the police is who did it and why? As they probe deeper into his background, suspicions arise around a local firebrand preacher, a boxer and the police themselves.

MURDER IN A WELSH TOWN is a richly-woven domestic murder mystery full of interesting characters and shady secrets. Plans for a town pantomime are thrown in the air after one of the actors is murdered. The victim is local gossip, nosy parker and aspiring manipulator, Ivor Gladwin. Reviled by many and ignored by more, the list of people who could have wanted rid of him seems to grow by the minute. Despite having overstepped the mark in past cases, because of her familiarity with the individuals involved, ex police officer Fabia Havard is actually tasked by her boyfriend, and serving DCI, to look into the matter on the side. Unfortunately, she stumbles upon an ongoing undercover inquiry, and the killer looks like they might creep back into the woodwork. With amateur dramatics suspended and a serious murder case on their hands, Havard and Lambert will need to put their minds together to crack the case.

The unusual, romantically attached crime-solving duo return to investigate a ruthless murder! Charming film writer and director Geraint Denbigh is found lifeless in the garden of his Welsh home. It looks like he fell from a window, but eagle-eyed Detective Chief Inspector Matt Lambert soon finds irregularities in the crime scene. Before long he determines it was murder. Recently retired, the victim was writing about his eventful life and many of his former colleagues and associates could have had reason to stop him before he spilled the beans on their transgressions. Lambert's girlfriend and ex-boss, Fabia Havard, knew Denbigh and decides to help from the sidelines. Will they manage to single out the person with most to gain by the gentleman's disappearance? Or have they both been led up the garden path? Find out in this truly gripping classic whodunnit-style murder mystery staged in a beautiful rural Welsh setting, painted by the author with masterful strokes.