DI Charlie Priest is the kind of officer who likes to get on with the job, though his unorthodox ways have held him at inspector level for a record-breaking length of time; however Priest does get results.When Charlie suspects a businessman, with a background of extortion and GBH, of involvement in an international art fraud, he's taking on an enemy with friends in high places. But Charlie can be persistent to the point of recklessness and no threat will stop him...

Magdalena is a woman from DI Charlie Priest's past, who comes very much to the forefront of his present when her lifeless, broken and battered body is found. The one identifying feature is the tattoo on her buttock; Property of the Pope. But who is this Pope and did he want to make Magdalena his possession even in death? And what about the recent spate of incidents that have left several influential members of the community with tarnished reputations and, in one case, dead? Were they just heading for a fall, or is there a vendetta, a nasty game, afoot? Whatever is going on, Charlie is right in the middle of it as usual...

A bizarre death leads to discoveries about low-tech industrial espionage, but is selling details of your employer's customer base to their rivals a reason for murder? Appearances deceive, and it transpires the victim may have been the victim of a mistaken identity. DI Charlie Priest is content in his work, and his home life shows signs of improving. When his new girlfriend, a former world-class athlete known as La Gazelle, wins her comeback race his happiness overflows. But when a second mysterious death turns up on their patch, Charlie and his team find themselves under pressure to discover what catalyst motivates the killer. They suspect it might be Charlie himself, and this is confirmed when La Gazelle is kidnapped. Now it's getting personal . . .ReviewThe story is well-paced and the suspense builds up enough to keep you turning the pages and there is no better recommendation for any book than that. About the AuthorStuart Pawson had a career as a mining engineer, followed by a spell working for the probation service, before he became a full-time writer. He lives in Fairburn, Yorkshire, and when not hunched over the word processor, Stuart likes nothing more than tramping across the moors, which often feature in his stories.

When Dr Clive Jordan's dazzling career is brought to an abrupt end by a bullet, his colleagues are devastated – especially the female ones. Meanwhile Charlie has another case on his hands that is proving difficult to solve – although he's traced the alleged attacker, something isn't quite right...Charlie knows for certain there's a killer on the loose – and almost certainly a rapist as well. The chances of bagging either of them seem slim, but Charlie's a lot tougher and smarter than his affable manner indicates.

Joe Crozier, a businessman with a decidedly shady past, is enjoying a pleasant evening of being wined and dined in all the best places. But the congenial atmosphere is shattered when his host yet again tries to persuade him to sell his nightclub, the Painted Pony. Refusing this time, however, costs Joe more than he could ever have imagined - Bound and gagged, he takes a silent and deadly dip in the nearby river. Meanwhile, Charlie Priest is called to another murder scene - only to find that the victim is an old school friend of his, the famous mountaineer, Tony Krabbe. But what could this amiable lecturer have done to deserve being attacked with his own ice-pick? And could the two cases be linked? As girlfriends from Krabbe s past return to savage his carefully built reputation, Charlie s own love life takes a turn for the worse. Charlie is both desperate to help his girlfriend and to seek out the truth, but can work and love ever make comfortable bedfellows?Review"'Enough to satisfy the most ardent lover of crime fiction' Yorkshire Evening Post 'One of Yorkshire's best-kept secrets' Crime Time 'Pawson is a good writer, and has created a meaty, readable detective story. However, it is the humanity of his characters that really makes Over The Edge distinctive' Glasgow Herald" About the AuthorStuart Pawson had a career as a mining engineer, followed by a spell working for the probation service, before he became a full-time writer. He lives in Fairburn, Yorkshire, and when not hunched over the word processor, Stuart likes nothing more than tramping across the moors, which often feature in his stories.

Laura Heeley was just an average mother of two, but at the age of thirty-eight her life was swiftly taken from her, stabbed in the back on her way home from bingo. Colinette Jones was a popular, attractive and intelligent student, but she has been strangled, her body dumped on the roadside. What is the connection between the two victims? Detective Inspector Charlie Priest must solve the mystery, though with no clear motive and police movements constricted by foot-and-mouth disease, this proves an increasingly frustrating task. As the number of victims mounts, it becomes clear to Priest that this could be his biggest challenge yet...Review'Highly readable, enlivened by a fine line in throwaway About the AuthorStuart Pawson had a career as a mining engineer, followed by a spell working for the probation service, before he became a full-time writer. He lives in Fairburn, Yorkshire, and when not hunched over the word processor, Stuart likes nothing more than tramping across the moors, which often feature in his stories.

Synopsis:Detective Inspector Charlie Priest of the East Pennine force is officially on sick leave, but this brief break from work comes to an abrupt end when Mrs. Marina Norris's chauffeur is found dead from unnatural causes - namely a blast to the head from a Kalashnikov. Her husband, an American tobacco tycoon, is distinctly unfazed. Meanwhile, big-time drug smugglers on the Hull to Rotterdam run demand his attention. When Charlie discovers the connection between his previous enquiry and the drug smugglers he realizes that he's on very dangerous territory indeed.Biography:STUART PAWSON had a career as a mining engineer, followed by a spell working for the probation service, before he became a full-time writer. He lives in Fairburn, Yorkshire, and when not hunched over the word processor likes nothing more than tramping across the moors, which often feature in his stories. He is a member of the Murder Squad and the Crime Writers' Association.

There's nothing Detective Inspector Charlie Priest hates more than a case involving children.When Georgina, the eight-year-old daughter of a local businessman, goes missing, Charlie and his colleagues soon start to fear the worst. And there's something about the distraught father that doesn't add up.Life is further complicated when it seems a killer is targeting clergymen. The murderer's unusual calling card is Charlie's only clue...Who is the Mushroom Man?

The sun is shining in Heckley, and DI Charlie Priest is wise-cracking his way through the daily routine. Work is, if not quite relaxed, at least stress-free. The biggest case on the books? A petty thief pinching underwear from the washing-lines of unsuspecting housewives. Charlie's pretty confident he can handle itBut all good things come to an end and it's not long before the clouds roll in. Two people nearly die after eating contaminated food from a local supermarket. The media is alerted, a national scare ensues and it's clear that if Charlie doesn't act fast he could be dealing with a murder enquiry.