MURDER BY THE RIVER USK is the third murder mystery by Pippa McCathie set in South Wales. Look out for the first, MURDER IN THE VALLEYS, and the second, MURDER AT THE OLD ABBEY.
A cold case warms up when an archaeological dig uncovers the remains of a student who went missing a decade previously. It was a missing person case that bugged ex-inspector Fabia Havard long after she left the force. Now she has been asked by DCI Matt Lambert, to aid the investigation. Caleb Morgan went missing whilst studying at a university campus near the ancient Roman city of Caerleon. Now, with his body finally found during an archaeological dig, partly exposed due to the riverbank subsiding after a flood, there is new evidence. It is clear he was murdered. The question facing the police is who did it and why? As they probe deeper into his background, suspicions arise around a local firebrand preacher, a boxer and the police themselves.
MURDER AT THE OLD ABBEY is the second book by Pippa McCathie to feature detective Matt Lambert and Fabia Havard.
White Monk Abbey is a local landmark and its resident patriarch, Caradoc Mansell, a foreboding presence. He runs his household and family as if he is still in the army. So, when he is found murdered, the challenge Chief Inspector Matt Lambert faces is that many people had a good reason to want him dead. And when it is discovered that Caradoc had children from dalliances in his youth, his family also fall under suspicion - their substantial inheritance having been put in doubt. With so many suspects and little evidence, he draws on the advice of his former boss, ex-detective Fabia Havard. But will their fractious relationship get in the way of finding the killer?
Ex-superintendent Fabia Havard is struggling with civilian life when a local girl is found dead. Out walking near the rain-swelled river running past her small Welsh town, she comes across the body of Amber Morgan. Fabia's police training tells her instantly that the death is the result of foul play. But no longer in the force, all she can do is call it in. Yet she has mixed feelings when she discovers it is her former colleague, Matt Lambert, newly promoted to chief inspector, who will head the investigation into the girl's death. Despite this, having known the victim, and bored with her new job as an illustrator, Fabia can't help probing into the murder. However, her inquiries further upset the quiet of the town. Not least her neighbour, busybody Rhona Griffiths, who was seen arguing with the victim the day before her death. Fabia's activity bothers Matt Lambert but time and time again Fabia's instincts are proved right. He can't help leaning on her in order to progress the investigation but that will also involve confronting why she left the force years ago. Can they put their differences aside and work together to bring the perpetrator to justice despite Fabia's painful past being brought up again? Or will Fabia's moonlighting get her into further danger?
MURDER IN THE VALLEYS is set in the fictional town of Pontygwyn in the Welsh valleys under the shadow of the Black Mountains. It will appeal to readers who like traditional whodunnits, those who like the landscape, atmosphere and people of South Wales, and everyone who likes a good listen that keeps you hanging on.
