Search results for ""Author Quintin Jardine""

A shocking act of violence at the Palace of Westminster draws Edinburgh's toughest cop into a complex new case... Skinner is plunged into a web of politics and enemies in STATE SECRETS, another compelling and utterly addictive mystery from bestselling author, Quintin Jardine. Not to be missed by readers of Ian Rankin and Peter May. Praise for Quintin Jardine's gritty novels: 'Well constructed, fast-paced...many an ingenious twist and turn' Observer Former Chief Constable Bob Skinner is long out of the police force but trouble has a habit of following him around. So it is that he finds himself in the Palace of Westminster as a shocking act befalls the nation. Hours before the Prime Minister is due to make a controversial statement, she is discovered in her office with a letter opener driven through her skull. Is the act political? Personal? Or even one of terror? Skinner is swiftly enlisted by the Security Service to lead the investigation. Reunited with Met Police Commander Neil McIlhenney, he has forty-eight hours to crack the case - before the press unleash their wrath. There are many in the tangled web of government with cause to act. But the outcome will be one that not even Skinner himself could predict... What readers are saying about STATE SECRETS:'From start to finish it is a brilliant story written by a person of pure literary genius''Gripping, complex and seemingly impossible to resolve until the carefully-crafted finale''Twists and turns abound in this Skinner tome. You will not be disappointed as Bob continues to investigate and intimidate in his usual style'

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When two young female artists are murdered in what looks like ritualistic killings, the pressure is on to find a highly professional murderer. What is the link with the art world? Is the killer a disgruntled art critic? A twice-jilted lover? The arrival of the father of one of the victims, millionaire businessman Davor Boras, brings in the big guns of the Home Office, MI5 and the CIA. It's not long before Deputy Chief Constable Bob Skinner gets called back to the frontline. With an estranged son, a dubious assistant and connections in very high places, what is more important to Boras: business or family? There's too much at stake - there's going to be bloodshed - and Skinner's men are at risk of getting caught in the crossfire...

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GAME OVER is the twenty-seventh gripping Bob Skinner mystery from crime master Quintin Jardine, author of HOUR OF DARKNESS, LAST RESORT, PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS and many more. 'Another cracker from Jardine...There are plenty of twists and turns along the way to keep you engrossed' Scots MagazineWhen supermodel Annette Bordeaux is found battered and strangled in her Edinburgh flat, former Chief Constable Bob Skinner's old team instantly have a global case on their hands. The victim's husband, world-renowned footballer and recent Merrytown FC signing, is quickly discounted as a suspect. But there are others in the club with less watertight alibis... Two years out of the game, Skinner can't help getting his hands dirty. And as his old team work to convict the prime suspect, his own daughter, Alex, is the lawyer tasked with leading the defence. The opposing sides must work to find the culprit while the press watch on. But in this game, no one can be trusted, and there are murkier deeds still to uncover before the final whistle blows...

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Can Skinner penetrate multiple layers of intrigue to unearth a killer? An exhilarating installment in this hugely popular Scottish crime series.Deputy Chief Constable Bob Skinner has witnessed the aftermath of murder countless times. Yet nothing could have prepared him for identifying the strangled bodies of his wife's beloved parents, killed at their lakeside cabin in New York State. Driven by cold rage, Skinner quickly muscles in on the investigation and soon finds links with three other cases, where the killing is too professional to be the result of a burglary gone wrong...

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'Scottish crime-writing at its finest, with a healthy dose of plot twists and turns, bodies and plenty of brutality' SunThe gritty new mystery in Quintin Jardine's bestselling Bob Skinner series, set in Edinburgh and the Scottish countryside; not to be missed by readers of Ian Rankin and Peter May. Nine years ago, divorcee Marcia Brown took her own life. A pillar of the community, she had been accused of theft, and it's assumed that she was unable to live with the shame. Now her former husband wants the case reopened. Marcia was framed, he says, to prevent her exposing a scandal. He wants justice for Marcia. And Alex Skinner, Solicitor Advocate, and daughter of retired Chief Constable Sir Robert Skinner, has taken on the brief, aided by her investigator Carrie McDaniels. When tragedy strikes and his daughter comes under threat, Skinner steps in. His quarry is about to discover that the road to hell is marked by bad intentions . . .'Skinner's lost none of his hard edge when he steps up to the plate after his daughter Alex, a legal eagle, is in trouble when a cold murder case explodes red hot and dangerous. Someone's going to meet his match in Skinner' Peterborough Evening Telegraph'Well-constructed . . . intriguing' Scotland on SundayWhat readers are saying about Quintin Jardine's gripping mysteries: 'I would recommend anyone new to the series to give yourself a treat and read them all!!''I have given this book five stars because of the ingenious plot, the excellence of the narrative and, after quite a number of years, Quintin Jardine is still producing superb crime fiction''A fantastic gripping read and I didn't want to put it down''As always Mr Jardine had me hooked from the first chapter to the very end'

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The gripping new mystery in Quintin Jardine's bestselling Bob Skinner series, not to be missed by readers of Ian Rankin and Peter May.Sir Robert Skinner's stock is rising - after retiring from the police service he's been promoted to head an international media organisation. Yet a series of unexplained deaths on his home turf in Scotland threaten to bring him crashing back down to earth.As Skinner helps the elderly in his local community, several residents seem to die of natural causes. But when a gruesome discovery is made in a Glasgow flat and one of Skinner's long-time friends - an aspiring politician - emerges as the prime suspect, things become very murky indeed.After unpicking clues that go nowhere, Skinner and his team are left grappling the most baffling conundrum they have ever encountered - is there a mystery at all?Praise for Quintin Jardine's Bob Skinner series:'The legendary Quintin Jardine . . . such a fine writer' DENZIL MEYRICK'Scottish crime-writing at its finest, with a healthy dose of plot twists and turns, bodies and plenty of brutality' SUN'Another powerful tartan noir that packs a punch' PETERBOROUGH EVENING TELEGRAPH'Incredibly difficult to put the book down . . . a guide through a world of tangled family politics, hostile takeovers, government-sanctioned killing, extortion and the seedier side of publishing . . . Quintin Jardine should be . . . your first choice!' SCOTS MAGAZINE'Well constructed, fast-paced, Jardine's narrative has many an ingenious twist and turn' OBSERVER

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When millionaire Leo Speight is found poisoned, Scotland's toughest cop is called in to solve the high-profile case... Skinner joins his old team in a complex murder investigation in the twenty-ninth gripping mystery in Quintin Jardine's bestselling crime series. Praise for Jardine's compelling novels: 'A masterclass in how murder-mysteries ought to be written' Scots MagazineWhen millionaire Leo Speight is found poisoned at his Ayrshire mansion, Police Scotland has a tough case on its hands. Speight was a champion boxer with national hero status, and a long list of lovers and friends stand to benefit from his estate. Did one of them decide to speed things up? Or was jealousy or rivalry the motive?The Security Service wants to stay close to the investigation and they have just the man to send in: ex-Chief Constable Bob Skinner. Skinner might have retired from the police, but solving crimes is in his blood. Combining forces with DI Lottie Mann and DS Dan Provan of Serious Crimes, he's determined to see Speight's murderer put away for a long time. But there's a twist even Bob Skinner couldn't see coming... 'Well constructed, fast-paced, Jardine's narrative has many an ingenious twist and turn' Observer

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Is a killer still on the loose? The thirtieth gritty mystery in Quintin Jardine's bestselling Bob Skinner series, not to be missed by readers of Ian Rankin and Peter May. Praise for Quintin Jardine's gripping novels: 'Well constructed, fast-paced, Jardine's narrative has many an ingenious twist and turn' ObserverWhen a murder investigation that's been closed for thirty years is suddenly re-opened, former Chief Constable Bob Skinner is quickly drawn into the action. The story of the Body in the Quarry was well-known around Edinburgh all those years ago: a popular priest found dead in a frozen quarry; a suspect with a clear motive charged; a guilty verdict. But with a journalist uncovering new evidence, the cold case has come back to haunt Skinner's old mentor Jimmy Proud - and only one man can help him.Skinner is long out of the police force, but he can't say no. With the clock ticking, and his friend's reputation at stake, he must uncover the truth to find out if an innocent man was convicted for murder. And if a killer is still on the loose . . .

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LAST RESORT is the twenty-fifth novel in the Bob Skinner series by Quintin Jardine, Scotland's master of crime, and sees the Edinburgh cop back as never before. After thirty years of service, former Chief Constable Bob Skinner faces the possible end of his police career, at its pinnacle. A trip to Catalunya to contemplate his future soon takes on a different flavour when Skinner is asked by an friend, Xavier Aislado, to track down one of his business's brightest talents, vanished without a trace. But it soon becomes clear that another manhunt is in progress, and that Skinner himself is the target. While his daughter Alex fights that battle at home, Skinner's own search takes one sinister turn after another, until he is faced with the toughest question of all:Is natural justice sometimes the only answer?

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Can you fight evil with evil...? DCC Bob Skinner faces his toughest investigation...Evil stalks the city of Edinburgh. This time the threat is bigger than the crooks, scam-artists or drug dealers who find their prey in the shadows of the streets. Some people are looking for a big-time hit. The body of a respectable businessman is found hanging from a tree; a veteran from a Belgian marching band is killed in a hit-and-run incident and another dies of an apparent heart attack. Excitement on the streets of Edinburgh is feverish as the city prepares for a huge rally to celebrate the return of Pope John the 25th to his hometown. The security has to be bulletproof. But there is a chink in the armour. Does Deputy Chief Constable Bob Skinner have the inner strength to find the answer to the biggest question of all?

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Bob Skinner faces a complex case of murder and organised crime in this absorbing crime thriller.In Edinburgh's old Parliament House, an armed robbery trial is about to take a macabre turn. While the lawyers tussle over the evidence, the judge suddenly collapses in agony - the victim of an apparent heart attack. For Deputy Chief Constable Bob Skinner, with his life finally back on track after the near-collapse of his marriage, this is the last thing he needs. But as the wave of brutal robberies continues, it emerges that Lord Archergait's death may have been murder - and he's not the only judge whose life is in danger. With a gang of ruthless killers still at large, it's down to Skinner to piece together a puzzle of sinister complexity.

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A brilliant new stand-alone crime thriller from Scotland's Crime MasterXavier (Xavi) Aislado is a gentle giant, half Spanish, half Scot, brought up in Edinburgh by his grandmother, Paloma Puig, a ferocious old lady whose grim brand of care sees him into his teens, until his father moves back to Spain, leaving him to grow up fast. His emergence into manhood is colourful, and eventful. After a short career as a professional footballer, he turns to journalism, and has a bloody introduction to the trade, as his first assignment ends in violent death. Inevitably, remorselessly, as his autobiography unfolds, Xavi's life and his love become entwined with his work, and he is immersed in tragedy, loss and betrayal, going halfway round the world in search of a truth that may destroy him. Quintin Jardine's evocation of Xavi's fated world is an unforgettable story of a man riding a one-way train to oblivion. Will he escape, before it hits the buffers, full-speed?

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The brilliant new Bob Skinner mystery by the master of crime fiction, his most ambitious ever.After a tip-off, a man's body is exhumed from a shallow grave in Edinburgh. Murder surely, yet he died from natural causes, so, case closed? Indeed was there ever a case? But Chief Constable Skinner and his people keep on digging. Who was the man, why was he buried so reverentially, and by whom? Meanwhile corruption is discovered within the force, and an investigation launched. Immersed in crises, his marriage heading for the rocks, Skinner finds his very career hanging in the balance, its fate beyond his control. In a tale seen through the eyes of each of its leading players, Quintin Jardine, the Crimemaster, lays mystery upon mystery until the greatest threat of all those facing the Chief is revealed, and a deadly race begins. Can he win out, or will his life implode?

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Still reeling from the tragic death of their much-loved colleague, Skinner's men are about to discover that a disturbed serial killer is still at large and very close to home.It's the second week of July Trades Holiday in Edinburgh when Deputy Chief Constable Bob Skinner and his men get a call informing them that the body of a young woman has been found on a golf course. It's been there for ten days so she's not a pretty sight. But the way she has been laid out is uncannily familiar. The body has been 'composed', just like the bodies of three other young women in a previous case. Could it be the work of a copycat killer? The murder victim is an art teacher who was having a relationship with the son of a Tory MP. Her ex-boyfriend is a policeman with a reputation as a serious womaniser. It seems the murder trail is getting much too close for comfort...

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Evil stalks an idyllic retreat...A tranquil Spanish village by the sea is the perfect place for Primavera Blackstone to raise her ten-year-old Tom, son of the late lamented Oz, especially when they are joined by his nephew, tyro pro golfer Jonny Sinclair. But when her best friend Shirley introduces her new man, Patterson Cowling, he seems to be a trouble magnet. A casual thief tries to pick his pocket and is found a few days later with his face blown off. A bloody coincidence, or does Patterson Cowling have a past to protect? As the body count rises, and Primavera becomes den mother to an extended golfing family, it seems that homicide is par for the course, and that hazards lie in wait for everyone. Can she save the day, or is the game just too rough?

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Returning to L'Escala, the idyllic Spanish village where they were once so happy, Oz Blackstone and Primavera Phillips are looking to forget the past. But old ghosts are not so easy to placate, and the shadow of Oz's childhood sweetheart Jan, now tragically dead, is threatening to turn their relationship into a seething cauldron of recrimination. Until a body turns up face down in the swimming pool of their new villa, and suddenly they are very much back in the harness again. Faced with the indifference of the local police, Oz and Prim are forced to investigate the murder themselves, and soon they begin to uncover a nest of vipers beneath L'Escala's sunny exterior...

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Skinner is on the trail of organised crime and a cold-blooded killer in this gripping third novel in Quintin Jardine's bestselling crime series. First the joyous birth of Skinner's son...then the grim reality of murder in one of Edinburgh's prosperous suburbs. A man has been found knifed in a luxury villa. The victim had run a chain of laundrettes, saunas and pubs throughout the city, but for some time the police suspected these to be the front for a drug distribution network. Moving from Scotland to northern Spain, then back to a chilling climax in Edinburgh, this complex and suspenseful thriller follows a tortuous and bloodsoaked trail...

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Would you kill, to save a life? DCC Bob Skinner faces a life-changing dilemma...'If we are right about this, the stakes are higher than anything I've ever faced.' Gangsters have infiltrated Edinburgh. MI5 are on their case and, unknown to Deputy Chief Constable Bob Skinner, have set up a drug-dealing sting to flush the them out. The resulting mayhem throws everyone into confusion until they realise the gangsters are preparing a hit on one of the Royal family. Meanwhile two policemen mourn the loss of a son and a daughter in mysterious circumstances, and another witnesses his son being abducted. Is someone trying to wreak revenge on the police force? Are the crimes linked? Quintin Jardine keeps you guessing until the end in this tautly plotted and powerful novel.

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Newly married to his childhood sweetheart and happily settled in Glasgow, private enquiry agent Oz Blackstone is looking for a touch of the unexpected in his life. And when he's introduced to the seven-foot, granite-muscled figure of Everett Davis, champion wrestler and head of the burgeoning Global Wrestling Alliance, he knows he's found it. The GWA's televised tour of Europe has been dogged by inexplicable technical hitches and terrifying accidents in the ring - leaving Everett convinced that someone is trying to sabotage his business before it can take on the big boys and go global. Under the inspired disguise of Master of Ceremonies, Oz enters the extraordinary world of professional wrestling to try and unmask the perpetrator. But as he begins to discover the dangerous reality behind the glittering facade, a string of accidents becomes murder, and suddenly Oz has to wrestle with the biggest crisis of his life.

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Bob Skinner must challenge local beliefs and legends to solve a gruesome murder in this fourth installment in the fantastic Scottish crime series.A four-day tournament involving the world's leading golfers is being staged to mark the opening of a new country club created on the Marquis of Kinture's East Lothian estate. But on the previous Sunday afternoon, one of Kinture's business partners is found dead in his private jacuzzi in the clubhouse - with his throat cut. The next day an anonymous letter is received by the local newspaper, containing a fragment of a legendary witches' curse upon anyone who desecrates their place of worship. When a second murder occurs, this time by water, ACC Bob Skinner finds himself facing the most challenging case of his career...

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A complex tale of deception and revenge leads Skinner and his people to a bloody encounter and a dramatic confrontation...The horrific suicide of a successful Lithuanian entrepreneur rouses suspicion amongst the newly appointed Chief Constable Bob Skinner and his colleagues. They've crossed swords with the businessman before; why would a man with everything to live for take his own life? As enquiries begin, a mystery girl, drugged and incoherent, is dumped in a health centre by a mysterious Galahad, who promptly disappears. Who is she, who is he, and where has he gone? Is it coincidence that most of the massage parlours in the city have suddenly closed overnight?

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Edinburgh's toughest cop, Bob Skinner, looks into his past to assuage his demons in Quintin Jardine's thrilling new mystery.Skinner revisits his nightmares: old but not forgotten. Fifteen years in the past, newly promoted Detective Superintendent Bob Skinner is called to investigate a most brutal death. A man lies at the deep end of an empty swimming pool, his neck broken and almost every other bone in his body shattered. Soon, an organised crime connection looms, and bloody retribution spreads to a second city. Then violence erupts on a new front, as a vicious knifeman seems to be targeting Edinburgh's gay population. As if this double dose of homicide isn't enough for a single man with a teenage daughter to raise and protect, Skinner's personal life takes a similar, perilous twist. Can he stay on the side of the angels, or will he fall . . .?

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Oz Blackstone didn't go looking for fame: it jumped out of an alleyway and mugged him with a fist full of high denomination notes. Movie stardom, wealth, a successful marriage - Oz is standing on the brink of the Seriously Big Time and life just seems to keep lining up the cherries... He should have known it couldn't stay that good for that long - don't the juiciest fruit always go sour? The first sign of trouble appears when Oz finds his ex-wife Primavera Phillips, drenched in her own tears - her life in ruins, cheated out of her fortune and robbed of her baby boy, Tom, by his lying con-man father. What could Oz do but help? Maybe he should have called for help himself, or stuck to the game plan of looking after number one. Instead he set out on a voyage of dark intrigue and wild discovery that would turn his life upside down - again.

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Oz Blackstone is enjoying the success of his latest smash hit movie. He's moving into a big country house near Loch Lomond with his gorgeous wife Susie Gantry and together they have the lifestyle of everyone's dreams. But when blackmailers threaten Oz's father with a particularly sleazy scam, the dream begins to turn into a nightmare. Oz gets paint thrown at him during the premiere of his movie and then an incendiary bomb is sent to his wife's offices. Some very nasty people will resort to murder to get what they want, but Oz has never ducked out of confrontation. As he prepares to fight back he knows he's being sucked into a vortex of evil...

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When a body is found after a flood, the secrets of a tempestuous life surface with it. Deputy Chief Constable Bob Skinner has kept the existence of his hated brother Michael hidden for years. As he relives their past conflict, other demons threaten his future. For not only are his professional enemies circling, but Sarah, his wife, seems set on a course for calamity. Can Skinner surmount the greatest challenges of his life... and if he does, will he ever be the same? Meanwhile, in an Edinburgh art gallery, his team confront a shocking and very public case of arson. Was it a political protest, or something much deeper?

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The gripping new mystery in Quintin Jardine's bestselling Bob Skinner series, not to be missed by readers of Ian Rankin and Peter May.Sir Robert Skinner's stock is rising - after retiring from the police service he's been promoted to head an international media organisation. Yet a series of unexplained deaths on his home turf in Scotland threaten to bring him crashing back down to earth.As Skinner helps the elderly in his local community, several residents seem to die of natural causes. But when a gruesome discovery is made in a Glasgow flat and one of Skinner's long-time friends - an aspiring politician - emerges as the prime suspect, things become very murky indeed.After unpicking clues that go nowhere, Skinner and his team are left grappling the most baffling conundrum they have ever encountered - is there a mystery at all?Praise for Quintin Jardine's Bob Skinner series:'The legendary Quintin Jardine . . . such a fine writer' DENZIL MEYRICK'Scottish crime-writing at its finest, with a healthy dose of plot twists and turns, bodies and plenty of brutality' SUN'Another powerful tartan noir that packs a punch' PETERBOROUGH EVENING TELEGRAPH'Incredibly difficult to put the book down . . . a guide through a world of tangled family politics, hostile takeovers, government-sanctioned killing, extortion and the seedier side of publishing . . . Quintin Jardine should be . . . your first choice!' SCOTS MAGAZINE'Well constructed, fast-paced, Jardine's narrative has many an ingenious twist and turn' OBSERVER

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It's the Fiesta de San Juan in Spain, the national celebration of the Summer Solstice, and there's much excitement about a huge firework display in the village of St Marti. But Primavera Blackstone is more inflamed by the appearance of a mysterious writer, Duncan Culshaw, who is determined to rake through the ashes of her past. And when extortion and blackmail are mentioned, Primavera realises the heat is on. Duncan has his fingers burned, playing fast and loose with the fiercely protective Prim, but when he marries a dying woman for her money, threatening the inheritance of Prim's son Tom, things are going to get explosive...but happily, there's a new guardian angel in town.

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Number thirty-two in the bestselling Bob Skinner series by Quintin Jardine, the acclaimed author of THE BAD FIRE and COLD CASE. 'If Ian Rankin is the Robert Carlyle of Scottish crime writers, then Jardine is surely its Sean Connery' Glasgow Herald

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It's no ordinary summer for DCC Bob Skinner, as murder mystery leaps from the page into reality in the nineteenth volume of Quintin Jardine's outstanding cop series. It's August and the Edinburgh International Book Festival is in full swing. So it's a considerable embarrassment when one of Scotland's most successful crime writers is found dead in the author tent. The victim's phone was tapped. Are the spooks involved? Or has mystery fiction become true crime? A second victim begs the question: have the authors become targets themselves?

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THE DARKEST DEEDS ARE HIDDEN FROM SIGHT . . .Bob Skinner is back in the latest gritty mystery in Quintin Jardine's bestselling series, not to be missed by readers of Ian Rankin and Peter May. New Year's Day, and Edinburgh lies sleeping. But two men will never wake again . . . When struggling ex-copper Terry Coats was discovered in bed with an air hostess, his excuse that he was 'going undercover' cut no ice with the force - or his wife. But now he's been brutally killed on Hogmanay night, it seems there may have been more to his plea.Dragged from the New Year celebrations, Special Constable Sir Bob Skinner is shocked to find Coats' body alongside that of Griff Montell: his erstwhile protégé, and former lover of Skinner's own daughter, Alex. Could there be some dark truth under Coats' cock-and-bull story, after all?As the secrets start unravelling, Skinner realises he has gravely underestimated someone close to him - and the effects will cost him, and those he loves, dear . . .Praise for Jardine's gripping mysteries: 'The legendary Quintin Jardine . . . such a fine writer' Denzil Meyrick 'Scottish crime-writing at its finest, with a healthy dose of plot twists and turns, bodies and plenty of brutality' Sun'Another powerful tartan noir that packs a punch' Peterborough Evening Telegraph'Incredibly difficult to put the book down . . . a guide through a world of tangled family politics, hostile takeovers, government-sanctioned killing, extortion and the seedier side of publishing . . . Quintin Jardine should be . . . your first choice!' Scots magazine'Well constructed, fast-paced, Jardine's narrative has many an ingenious twist and turn' Observer

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'Scottish crime-writing at its finest, with a healthy dose of plot twists and turns, bodies and plenty of brutality' SunThe gritty new mystery in Quintin Jardine's bestselling Bob Skinner series, set in Edinburgh and the Scottish countryside; not to be missed by readers of Ian Rankin and Peter May. Nine years ago, divorcee Marcia Brown took her own life. A pillar of the community, she had been accused of theft, and it's assumed that she was unable to live with the shame. Now her former husband wants the case reopened. Marcia was framed, he says, to prevent her exposing a scandal. He wants justice for Marcia. And Alex Skinner, Solicitor Advocate, and daughter of retired Chief Constable Sir Robert Skinner, has taken on the brief, aided by her investigator Carrie McDaniels. When tragedy strikes and his daughter comes under threat, Skinner steps in. His quarry is about to discover that the road to hell is marked by bad intentions . . .'Skinner's lost none of his hard edge when he steps up to the plate after his daughter Alex, a legal eagle, is in trouble when a cold murder case explodes red hot and dangerous. Someone's going to meet his match in Skinner' Peterborough Evening Telegraph'Well-constructed . . . intriguing' Scotland on SundayWhat readers are saying about Quintin Jardine's gripping mysteries: 'I would recommend anyone new to the series to give yourself a treat and read them all!!''I have given this book five stars because of the ingenious plot, the excellence of the narrative and, after quite a number of years, Quintin Jardine is still producing superb crime fiction''A fantastic gripping read and I didn't want to put it down''As always Mr Jardine had me hooked from the first chapter to the very end'

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A brutal and apparently motiveless murder leads Skinner to suspect his own friends of treachery, in this gripping crime novel of retribution and ultimate justice.For Deputy Chief Constable Bob Skinner, the Thursday night football game at the local gym has long been an unbroken ritual. Until the savagely mutilated body of a former player is found, and suddenly the Thursday Legends have more to worry about than aching backs and dodgy knees. Former Head of Special Branch Alec Smith made plenty of enemies during his long career - and there is no shortage of suspects. But as Skinner's investigation gathers pace, everything keeps pointing to the Legends themselves. Is someone targeting this disparate group of colleagues and friends in some bizarre scheme of retribution? Or is the murderer one of them? Either way, the hunt for the killer is going to come uncomfortably close to home...

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A terrorist threat and a serial killer on the streets Edinburgh spell trouble for Scotland's toughest cop.One of the world's most ruthless terrorists is on his way to Edinburgh with only one thing on his mind: the forthcoming conference of world Heads of Government. If DCC Skinner doesn't pick up his trail fast, he could have a global disaster in his backyard. While all eyes are focused on the terrorist threat, a terminally ill woman is found dead - an apparent suicide. But the marks of an assisted death are discovered and this seemingly random death soon proves to be the beginning of an ominous pattern. For Skinner, the desperate race to find a heartless terrorist mixes uneasily with the search for a mercy killer- a search which takes on a poignant personal significance...

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Introducing new sleuth Primavera Blackstone in a thrilling new series from the bestselling Scottish crime author.Her mind filled with thoughts of her dead ex-husband Oz, Primavera Blackstone is settled in Spain with their son Tom, when their peace is shattered by the arrival of her formidable aunt. All is not well in Auntie Adrienne's world; her roguish son Frank is involved with a shady project, and is missing. Prim flies to Seville to track him down, only to find herself a fugitive, her life under threat, as her aunt joins the missing persons list...

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When private enquiry agent Oz Blackstone takes on the job of finding an insurance company's missing half million, he's hoping for a healthy finder's fee, not a life-changing experience. But when he finds the corpse of the would-be embezzler with a knife in his back and no sign of the missing money, what had seemed like a routine job begins to look distinctly dodgy. Until the captivating Primavera 'Prim' Phillips arrives on the scene, wondering why she's been greeted not by her sister Dawn, but Dawn's dead boyfriend and a rather nervous-looking private eye. For Oz, things are looking up. This is the kind of girl who's definitely worth pursuing. Especially if she knows where to get her hands on half a million pounds ...

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Can Skinner surmount the greatest challenge of his life... and if he does, will he ever be the same? A thrilling novel in the hugely popular Scottish crime series.When a body is found after a flood, the secrets of a tempestuous life surface with it. Deputy Chief Constable Bob Skinner has kept the existence of his hated brother Michael hidden for years. As he relives their past conflict, other demons threaten his future. For not only are his professional enemies circling, but Sarah, his wife, seems set on a course for calamity. Meanwhile, in an Edinburgh art gallery, his team confront a shocking and very public case of arson. Was it a political protest, or something much deeper?

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Skinner must help a criminal in order to catch a killer, in this sixth novel in the bestselling Edinburgh crime series. When an Edinburgh car showroom is torched, leaving a charred body among the burnt-out luxury cars, Deputy Chief Constable Bob Skinner wonders if a life of crime has finally caught up with one of the city's most elusive villains. But the corpse turns out not to be that of Jackie Charles, the owner of the showroom, but his wife Carole. Skinner now finds himself on the same side as his old enemy in the search for the killer...

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The latest Bob Skinner mystery from the legendary Quintin Jardine.''The legendary Quintin Jardine . . . such a fine writer'' DENZIL MEYRICK On a sunny seaside August morning, a woman on maternity leave spots a body wedged in rocks on a Scottish beach. Gavin Ayre''s riding gear sparks the assumption that he had been thrown by a panicked horse . . . until an autopsy reveals this was no accident. Soon it becomes clear that Ayre''s life was as big a mystery as his death. Detective Superintendent Harold ''Sauce'' Haddock heads an investigation that is running into the sand, until a link is revealed between the victim and another man in Spain, with a surprisingly similar name.Faced with the twin puzzle Sauce turns to his mentor, Bob Skinner, moved on from the police service to head an international media group. Soon the two friends are at the heart of a multi-layered conspiracy, as they search for the answer to the prime question . . . who killed Gavin Ayr

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Private Investigations is Quintin Jardine's twenty-sixth Bob Skinner mystery that sees the Edinburgh sleuth plunged into a gruelling new case in which no score will go unsettled. A thrilling mystery for fans of Ian Rankin and Peter Robinson.Former Chief Constable Bob Skinner has uncovered his fair share of shocking crime scenes over his thirty-year career. But none could prepare him for the sight he finds stowed in the back of a stolen car that collides with his on the outskirts of Edinburgh.As his former colleagues investigate, Skinner takes on an unusual commission of his own. The body count rises, motives appear, the hunt goes global, and potential conflicts surface. In his new guise, is Skinner is on the side of the angels...or working against them?

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The latest Bob Skinner mystery from the legendary Quintin Jardine.'The legendary Quintin Jardine . . . such a fine writer' DENZIL MEYRICK On a sunny seaside August morning, a woman on maternity leave spots a body wedged in rocks on a Scottish beach. Gavin Ayre's riding gear sparks the assumption that he had been thrown by a panicked horse . . . until an autopsy reveals this was no accident. Soon it becomes clear that Ayre's life was as big a mystery as his death. Detective Superintendent Harold 'Sauce' Haddock heads an investigation that is running into the sand, until a link is revealed between the victim and another man in Spain, with a surprisingly similar name.Faced with the twin puzzle Sauce turns to his mentor, Bob Skinner, moved on from the police service to head an international media group. Soon the two friends are at the heart of a multi-layered conspiracy, as they search for the answer to the prime question . . . who killed Gavin Ayre?Praise for Quintin Jardine's Bob Skinner series:'A highly charged, fast-moving crime thriller' HERALD'Scottish crime-writing at its finest, with a healthy dose of plot twists and turns, bodies and plenty of brutality' THE SUN'Well constructed, fast-paced, Jardine's narrative has many an ingenious twist and turn' OBSERVER

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Attempted murder and a mysterious stalker are a little close for comfort for DCC Skinner, in this thrilling crime novel.As Bob Skinner takes an evening stroll with a gorgeous filmstar on his arm, surely the worst of his worries is that back at headquarters, an ambitious new colleague is scheming to enlarge his territory at Skinner's expense. But when a frightening shot-gun attack sends Skinner and his old flame Louise Bankier diving for cover, it seems danger has zeroed in on him once again. Returning to Scotland to shoot her latest film, Louise is one of Scotland's most popular exports. But it seems she has a stalker; someone who is clearly determined to scare her. For Skinner, tracking down her tormentor isn't just business - it's now very personal indeed...

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Terrorists strike at the heart of the Edinburgh Festival in Quintin Jardine's fantastic second novel in the highly popular Bob Skinner series.An explosion rocks Princes Street in the midst of the Edinburgh Festival. Responsibility is claimed by a group supposedly demanding political separation from Britain, but as atrocities escalate Skinner realises this is no gang of fanatics, but a highly professional team. But the Fighters haven't reckoned with Assistant Chief Constable Bob Skinner, head of the Edinburgh CID and security adviser to Secretary of State Alan Ballantyne...

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Quintin Jardine's twenty-fourth Bob Skinner novel sees the Edinburgh cop faced with a case that calls every part of his life into question.The body of a murdered woman is found washed up on Cramond Island near the mouth of the River Forth. Days later detectives are called to a flat in Edinburgh; the kitchen is covered in blood, and the occupier is missing.When the name of the woman from Cramond Island is revealed, it stirs unwelcome memories for those who knew her, Chief Constable Bob Skinner most of all. Now based in Glasgow, he has no reason to become involved in the case. Yet he does, unwittingly setting in motion a course that leads him to the toughest choice of his life, putting him in the midst of a personal nightmare, both life threatening and career changing.

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It's summertime in Monaco and Oz Blackstone is sitting on the verandah of his opulent mansion - one of three homes - idly gazing at Roman Abramovich's luxury yacht as it gently cruises into the harbour. Life doesn't get much better than this. But somebody knows where he lives. A struggling author sweet talks him into buying the movie rights to his latest novel for $50,000, and a shocking trap is laid. The demons of the past begin to creep up on Oz's sunny life: blackmail and murder are lurking in the shadows. Oz travels all the way to Singapore to track down the owner of some incriminating photographs but he's in grave danger of over-exposure. And when organised crime muscles in on the picture, Oz is getting perilously close to losing a lot more than his wealth and reputation...

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When Oz Blackstone is offered a major role in a cop movie shooting in Edinburgh, he cannot resist taking centre stage. And he has had a brief liaison with Susie Gantry, a beautiful and self-possessed business woman, that is turning into something much more long term. It all looks like a bowl of cherries until ex-lover Alison Goodchild turns up asking for a favour. When he finds Alison's business partner murdered in her flat, Oz can't help but suspect he's been set up. And when he discovers a trail of intrigue leading to the cast of the star-studded movie in which he is performing, those cherries begin to taste very rancid indeed...

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'The legendary Quintin Jardine . . . such a fine writer' DENZIL MEYRICKAmidst a family celebration, a cataclysmic storm uncovers long-buried horrors - and a team of detectives struggle to solve a thirty-year-old double murder.The police are also searching two countries for traces of a mysterious crime novelist who appears to have vanished. Has the faking of his own death been his masterpiece?Alongside each inquiry as it evolves is former Chief Constable Sir Robert Skinner, relishing his new role as a media magnate, but drawn into reluctant action and towards a chilling discovery of his own.With evil on one hand and intrigue on the other, will Skinner escape with either his integrity or career intact . . . or is it open season on him? Praise for Quintin Jardine's Bob Skinner series:'Scottish crime-writing at its finest, with a healthy dose of plot twists and turns, bodies and plenty of brutality' SUN'Well constructed, fast-paced, Jardine's narrative has many an ingenious twist and turn' OBSERVER

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Is a killer still on the loose? The thirtieth gripping mystery in the bestselling Bob Skinner series by Quintin Jardine, the acclaimed author of GAME OVER and STATE SECRETS. 'If Ian Rankin is the Robert Carlyle of Scottish crime writers, then Jardine is surely its Sean Connery' Glasgow Herald

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Edinburgh's hardest cop faces private crisis and public disaster... Skinner faces both the biggest case of his career and crippling personal crisis in Skinner's Ordeal, the thrilling fifth novel in Quintin Jardine's bestselling Edinburgh crime series. Perfect for fans of Ian Rankin and Peter Robinson.'Quintin Jardine has created the toughest Scottish cop since Taggart' - Peterborough Evening Telegraph A mid-air explosion; a plane plunges to disaster from the Scottish skies, the British and American Defence Secretaries among the victims. Out of the blue, Edinburgh's Deputy Chief Constable finds himself leading the biggest investigation of his career. The means of destruction is apparent from the start, but the investigation quickly grows more puzzling - for once they have an embarrassment of suspects with motive and opportunity. Then sudden random violence wrenches Skinner himself out of the picture. While his colleagues struggle with the mass of clues, he lies on the brink of death, trapped with the horrors from his own hidden past. As Skinner's ordeal reaches its crescendo, the police pursue their suspects one by one, until at last they are brought to a dramatic, thrilling, but tragic conclusion.Read more in State Secrets - also featuring Bob Skinner. What readers are saying about Skinner's Ordeal: 'An excellent read, and one of the best thrillers in ages''What a book, what a story. Magnificent''A really gripping thriller, with many twists and turns'

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