Ships Detective

Miguel de Ruyter is a man with a past. Fleeing the 'wolves' - the xenocidal alien machines known as Inhibitors - he has protected his family and community from attack for forty years, sheltering in the caves of an airless, battered world called Michaelmas. The slightest hint of human activity...

At Rooks Wood Farm, Rosalind Breen's twin sons grieve her death. Daniel shoulders the burdens of running the farm and caring for his brother, Caleb, who's shunned for his strange appearance. Meanwhile, Minsmere Bird Reserve is suffering a spate of vandalism and senior partners of the Anglican Detective Agency, Frank Diamond and Laurel Bowman, are enlisted to find the culprits. But shortly after taking the case, Laurel discovers the body of a young man dumped in one of the meres and the detectives are caught up in a murder enquiry.

In September 1925, Scotland Yard DCI Alec Fletcher inherits a large house on the outskirts of London from a recently deceased great-uncle. Fortunately so, as he and his wife, the Honorable Daisy Dalrymple Fletcher, are the recent proud parents of twins, and their house is practically bursting at the seams. Though in need of a bit of work, this new, larger house seems a godsend - set in a small circle of houses, with Hampstead Heath nearby, the setting is idyllic. Idyllic, that is until a dead body shows up half-hidden under the bushes of the communal garden.

When the body of a young woman is discovered in a shipping container in Bristol, the police suspect she was an illegal immigrant whose death was a tragic accident. But their theory is shot down by two pieces of evidence: the container was due to ship out, not in; and, even more sinister, a video camera with a live feed was filming her from a hidden compartment. Someone watched her die. Slowly.

Brought to you by Penguin. "A feast for the imagination . . . an enthralling adventure." - Abi Elphinstone, author of Sky Song "This swashbuckling tale has it all - storms in jars, magic kraken bells, lost cities and a truly unique pirate ship. I loved it." - Alex Bell, author of The Polar Bear...

The Aldens are on a cruise in the Caribbean! No sooner has the cruise begun than things start to go wrong. The ship’s radio breaks. It appears someone has fallen overboard—but it turns out to be a false alarm. And then there’s engine trouble! Is someone deliberately tampering with the ship? It’s a mystery—good thing the Boxcar Children are on board!