Deadly Cases

By Nicholas Rhea

Nicholas Rhea’s bestselling Montague Pluke mysteries are collected together for the first time in this chilling collection.

OMENS OF DEATH

Detective Inspector Montague Pluke is determined to solve a noteworthy murder before he retires, but it seems unlikely in the sleepy town of Crickledale.

So when the naked body of a young woman is discovered at the local Druids’ Circle – rumoured to be the site of orgies, witchcraft and other bizarre goings-on – it seems fate is on his side.

Or is it…

SUPERSTITIOUS DEATH

When a neighbour’s bay tree withers and dies for no apparent reason, the superstitious DI Montage Pluke suspects something terrible has happened.

His fears are confirmed when the body of a beautiful young woman is found in a shallow grave.

With nothing to identify her, Pluke tries to solve the case with little more to go on than the mirror she was buried with and the pathologist’s declaration that she was a virgin.

Can he and his trusted sidekick Wayne Wain solve the mystery?

A WELL-PRESSED SHROUD

Detective Inspector Montague Pluke is enjoying a much-needed holiday to Trippingdale Castle, when he stumbles upon the body of the estate’s heir floating face down in the shallow waters.

To make matters even stranger, the heir and several other people in the village had recently received a single pressed snowdrop – a well-known sign of death.

Much to Pluke’s displeasure, his quiet countryside holiday is turning into a hair-raising murder investigation. Can he find the murderer before another body turns up?

For the last 30 years, Nicholas Rhea has been writing books, drawing on his experiences in the police force, his never-ending enthusiasm for Yorkshire and his continuing interest in crime fact and fiction. His best known work, the Constable stories, provided the inspiration for the hugely popular Heartbeat TV series, and he remained involved with the series as a consultant until filming ended in 2009.