Hazel Best & Gabriel Ash

The town of Norbold, England is famous for its low crime rate, thanks to the zero-tolerance policy of Chief Superintendent John Fountain. And, Norbold's newest police recruit, Hazel Best, is happy to help keep it that way. But, numbers never tell the whole story, do they? Jerome Cardy knew he was going to die. He also knew that it would be made to appear like an accident. He might not be able to prevent it, but Jerome was determined to make sure that someone knew what was going to happen-even if that someone was a man with a concussion lying with his dog in a jail cell next to him. After Jerome is found beaten to death by a fellow inmate in another cell, Ash is unable to forget Jerome's last awkward words to him: "I had a dog once. Othello. That was its name. Othello." Certain there is a hidden message in these words, Ash is determined to discover the truth. But it won't be easy-no one believes his account of that night. And, Hazel Best must decide whether pursuing the truth is worth her career.

Jo Bannister's police procedurals have been widely praised not only for outstanding plotting and suspense, but also for their brilliant and compelling characterization and with Perfect Sins she again proves that she is "one of the genre's best." (Booklist) Four years ago, Gabriel Ash was working with the British government investigating hijackings in Somalia. But when his wife and sons disappeared, presumably taken-and probably killed-by pirates, his life fell apart. He has sudden reason to hope when a senior policeman suggests that his sons might still be alive-until that policeman is murdered. Still, there seems to be some link to a local operation, and Ash, no longer a government agent, is determined to find it. Meanwhile, his friend Hazel Best has been having a tough time of her own. A police constable whose last case ended with her shooting someone dead, she is just beginning to regain her balance. Hazel and Ash are both beginning to take more of an interest in the outside world, when a neighboring archaeologist decides to dig up a curious mound of earth near the ice house on his land. It might be a burial mound, he thinks. It is, but not the ancient one he expects; it holds the bones of a little boy from perhaps thirty years ago, carefully laid to rest with twentieth-century toys. As Hazel is slowly drawn back into police work, Ash finds himself under threat from someone who must think his investigation into his family's disappearance is finally getting somewhere...

When Gabriel Ash's wife and kids were kidnapped four years ago by Somali pirates, his life spiraled out of control. He left his job working for the British government and moved to a small town where he descended into near madness. But, with the help of his dog, Patience, and his friendship with young police officer Hazel Best, his focus returned. So, when he discovers that his wife is still alive, Ash is once again filled with hope and fear. Hope that he has another chance to find her and their two young sons; fear that, in trying, he may bring about their deaths. Hazel is deeply worried for Ash. But, even she is unprepared for what Ash seems willing to do to secure the safety of his wife and children. In fact, nothing is as it seems and loyalty, friendship, and family bonds will be called into question. When Ash learns who was behind the events that wrecked his life and his sanity, even the resourceful Hazel might not be able to keep him from getting hurt. How much is Ash willing to sacrifice in order to bring his family home and bring justice to those responsible?

Detective Constable Hazel Best's latest assignment takes an unexpected turn in the compelling new Gabriel Ash mystery. Returning to work after an extended leave of absence, DC Hazel Best's first task is to shadow TV historian Oliver Ford, who has arrived in Norbold to open a new museum. What should have been a routine assignment takes a decidedly dramatic turn however when Hazel saves Ford from a murderous attack that would appear to be an act of jihad. But why would someone fly thousands of miles to firebomb an obscure little museum in a quiet English village? Hazel can't help thinking there's more to this case than meets the eye. Meanwhile, Hazel's friend Gabriel Ash and her lodger Saturday are growing increasingly uneasy at Hazel's developing relationship with Oliver Ford. Though neither of them can guess the real danger that Hazel - and not only Hazel - faces, nor the direction from which it comes.

A case of mistaken identity spells trouble for Gabriel Ash and Hazel Best in this intriguing mystery. A kidnap attempt outside the school gates in broad daylight convinces Gabriel Ash that his renegade wife is trying to steal their sons from him. Only the intervention of his friend Constable Hazel Best kept them safe. It's a simple if alarming explanation, but is it the truth? Hazel uncovers disturbing information about another crime, the repercussions of which are still threatening innocent lives seventeen years later. Once again Hazel finds herself at loggerheads with her superiors. Did they really conspire to protect a murderer? And this time she isn't getting the support she needs from Ash. She'd thought they were kindred spirits: now she's not sure what his motives are. One thing is certain: with her life in imminent danger, Hazel's going to need friends like never before …

Constable Hazel Best attracts a sinister new admirer in this absorbing police procedural. When does a secret admirer become a stalker? When chocolates on the doorstep give way to the sound of an intruder on the stairs? When the victim's friends are waylaid in the dark and beaten bloody? When she receives photographs memorializing these events? Or when people start dying? For Constable Hazel Best, the pivot point is the attack on her friend Gabriel Ash. That's when she focuses all her ingenuity on finding the man responsible. Her police colleagues would be more help if they weren't already occupied with two murders – but assistance does arrive from an unexpected source. In the end, though, Hazel must deal with the stalker alone. And more than her own life will depend on the outcome …

When Gabriel Ash comes across a terrified young woman fleeing a brutal attacker, he and Hazel Best are drawn into a complex and baffling investigation. Rachel Somers, running... Something appalling happened in the wood. When Gabriel Ash and his dog come to her aid, she thinks she's safe. But this is Norbold, where things aren't always as they seem. Detective Chief Inspector Gorman thinks this is his worst nightmare: a predatory paedophile who's prepared to kill rather than be taken. Constable Hazel Best thinks she's helping both the Somers family and her friend Ash, but her tendency to follow her heart rather than her orders is about to get her into trouble again. And the people of Norbold have noticed that descriptions of the attacker, sketchy as they are, fit Ash better than they fit anyone else. With panic stalking the town, DCI Gorman needs to make an arrest before more young girls are attacked, before someone else dies, before the vigilantes who burned Ash's shop decide to burn him too. But the parameters keep shifting, and almost none of the facts he's relying on will turn out to be true. The solution to the mystery is more shocking, and more tragic, than even these three could have imagined.

A brutal attack on a family friend leads to something darker and deeper for DC Hazel Best and Gabriel Ash. No one ever said: "See Norbold and die." So why would a man from DC Hazel Best's past cross England in order to get himself beaten senseless in this uninspiring Midlands town? Everyone assumes he was looking for Hazel. She can't think why he would; and when David Sperrin wakes up, he can't think why he would either. Amnesia – or something to hide? Flashbacks as Sperrin's battered brain recovers only make the case more troubling. His sharpest memory is of a girl dying in his arms. But who, and how? And why is there no body, no witnesses, no missing persons report? Struggling to make sense of the situation, Hazel turns to her close friend Gabriel Ash for help. But Ash has problems of his own: one of his own ghosts has returned to haunt him. And the stakes are so high there's no one, not even Hazel, he can confide in . . .