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Wycliffe and Death in Stanley Street (Wycliffe Series)
by W. J. Burley
from Orion Publishing
In a sprawling West Country port lies the insalubrious Stanley Street, a dubious cul-de-sac just off the busy main road. And when a prostitute is found naked and strangled in her bed there, Chief Superintendent Wycliffe is called in to investigate. But things aren’t quite as straightforward as they seem. The victim, Lily Painter, is the kind of girl who liked Beethoven and had plenty of fine qualifications to her name. The more Wycliffe investigates, the more surprises he uncovers. But it takes a dangerous arson attack and a second murder before the solution to this diabolical puzzle can be found.
Wycliffe and the Last Rites (Wycliffe Series)
by W. J. Burley
from Orion Publishing
A bizarre murder shakes the Cornish village of Moresk. Arriving at church on Easter morning, the vicar discovers the body of a woman sprawled across the chancel steps. Has the church been desecrated by a Satanist ritual? Chief Superintendent Wycliffe sees the crime more as an expression of hatred directed at others in the community, besides the dead woman. His investigation, however, is frustrated at every turn, and when another horrific murder is committed, Wycliffe thinks he knows who the killer is. But can he prove it?
Wycliffe's Wild-Goose Chase (Wycliffe Series)
by W. J. Burley
from Orion Publishing
Wycliffe’s home overlooks a peaceful West Country estuary—but even in his own sanctuary, he can’t get away from crime. While taking a morning walk along the shore, he comes upon a service revolver with one recently-fired chamber. In recent years, Wycliffe has often regretted the fact that his rank cuts him off from the early stages of an investigation—but here he’s in from the very start. The case takes Wycliffe into the world of art theft and crooked dealers, to a suicide that might be a murder, and a search for a missing yacht. As the investigation intensifies, Wycliffe begins to wonder exactly where all the clues are leading.
Wycliffe and the School Bullies (Wycliffe Series)
by W. J. Burley
from Orion Publishing
Two very different young women have been murdered within the same week. One was a nightclub singer, the other a nurse, but both were strangled in their own homes in strangely efficient, remarkably similar attacks. The press is quick to assume there's a psychopath on the loose, but Detective Chief Superintendent Wycliffe suspects the truth may be somewhat more complex. When another attack is aborted for no apparent reason, Wycliffe is certain that this is no random spate of murders. But with his superiors and the media uninterested in his theories, Wycliffe knows he will have to work alone to find the killer. As he searches for a link between the victims, his investigations take him back in time—to a school trip, an isolated hostel, and a cruel joke on a lonely student.
Wycliffe and the House of Fear (Wycliffe Series)
by W. J. Burley
from Orion Publishing
The Kemps, a Cornish Catholic family, have held on to their hometown of Kellycoryk for almost 500 years, but it is beginning to look as though the present century will be their last. Roger, head of the shrinking clan, is desperate to save the family's house and land. His second marriage to the shrewd and tough businesswoman Bridget seemingly offers a way out. But Bridget, prosperous head of her own company, has plans of her own—taking Kellycoryk over for development. Then suddenly, Bridget disappears, and old memories begin to be raked over. Hadn't Julia, Roger's first wife (also a wealthy woman) disappeared mysteriously as well, presumably in a boating accident? Did Roger, his sister, and his disturbed children know more about the past than had ever been revealed? Wycliffe, who is supposed to be recuperating from an illness at home, finds the Kemps' case too intriguing to ignore.
Wycliffe and the Guild of Nine (Wycliffe Series)
by W. J. Burley
from Orion Publishing
On the moor west of St. Ives, at the site of a disused mine, lies an artists’ colony. Known as the Guild of Nine, it was set up by Archer, who runs it according to astrological principles, and his wife Lina, a woman with her feet rather more firmly on the ground. The newest member, a beautiful young woman named Francine, has a legacy she wants to invest in the colony. Archer isn’t sure—not least because she is a Scorpio; Lina, as always, takes a more pragmatic view. But then Francine is found dead in her bed, asphyxiated by a deliberately blocked gas heater. Chief Superintendent Wycliffe investigates and soon discovers that several members of the colony have good reasons for not wanting the police involved. Then, right under Wycliffe’s nose, comes another death.
Wycliffe and the Redhead (Wycliffe Series)
by W. J. Burley
from Orion Publishing
Simon Meagor is a lonely middle-aged man. With a broken marriage behind him, his life centers solely on his antiquarian bookshop. Still haunted by the memory of a suicide he feels responsible for, Simon’s horror only multiplies when Morwenna, the daughter of that man who committed suicide, applies for a job in his shop. Mesmerized by her, Simon finds himself agreeing to her employment. Cleverly, over a period of time, Morwenna manipulates herself into his work, his life, and finally into his room above the shop. And then she disappears. When her body is discovered in a flooded quarry, suicide is considered since Morwenna was suffering from a fatal disease. Inevitably, however, suspicion falls on Simon Meagor. Wycliffe becomes intrigued and increasingly disturbed by this new and shocking case, which grows more and more complicated as he delves even deeper into a dark and murky past.
Wycliffe and the Guilt Edged Alibi (Wycliffe Series)
by W. J. Burley
from Orion Publishing
Caroline Bryce came from the top of the social register in the tranquil town of Treen. So it was quite a scandal when her body was dragged from the bottom of the river. As Superintendent Wycliffe investigates, he’s faced with a number of questions: Who would want to kill the beautiful Mrs. Bryce? Was it a lover’s quarrel? Or a long-held resentment that had suddenly exploded in a moment of madness? As Wycliffe begins to unravel an intricate tangle of love and hate, he finds himself on the trail of a psychotic killer who feels no remorse.
Wycliffe and the Beales (Wycliffe Series)
by W. J. Burley
from Orion Publishing
Deep in Hound of the Baskervilles country lies Washford, a village that looks as if it has grown out of the moor itself. Close by is Ashill House, home of the Beales, an odd and reclusive family. Old Simon has withdrawn from active life, Nicholas and Gertrude confine themselves to war games and the bottle, young Edward paints on the moor. Only Gertrude’s husband, Frank, has enough drive to maintain the family business. When the village lay-about is murdered, there’s no reason to connect the crime with the Beales—until Wycliffe goes in search of skeletons.
Wycliffe and the Three-Toed Pussy (Wycliffe Series)
by W. J. Burley
from Orion Publishing
The peace of the village of Kergwyns has been shattered by a bizarre murder. A young woman has been shot. The only thing taken from a scene is the shoe and stocking from her left leg…exposing her deformed foot. Wycliffe uncovers evidence of an unhappy woman who routinely manipulated the men in her life. As half the men in the village have been known to visit her, and most have reason to lie about it, finding the murderer will not be easy. Wycliffe's task is complicated by the discovery of some clues in the form of crossword puzzles left by the victim herself. If Pussy Welles knew she was going to die, why did she make no effort to save herself?
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