The Perfume Killer

A murder in a public place, a victim who hides his killer’s intent…

A German citizen is murdered in Belfast Botanic Gardens. Investigating, DCI Gawn Girvin concludes it is a revenge killing. But she draws a blank from CCTV and forensics.

The only clue is the top of a perfume bottle found at the scene. As frustration sets in, Girvin develops a hunch that by tracing the victim’s criminal connections, they’ve followed the wrong scent.

A young female university student seen nearby may hold the only key to unlocking the case. And like a bloodhound, Girvin follows the new leads.

But being ex-army, her cold demeanour is a magnet for risk takers. It means she gets results, but also puts herself in danger. And she could be charging into her biggest challenge yet.

Superb Loved it - amazing craic! Brilliant story, well constructed plot - the list of suspects keeps you guessing, there is a tension - not just suspense - real tension in the writing that kept me turning the pages. This is an author that I want to read more.

Andrew

Murder Sky High

After a plane passenger fails to reach his destination alive, DCI Gawn Girvin must once again chase a dragon

When pathology reports that a passenger found dead on arrival on a flight from Amsterdam to Belfast passed due to natural causes, it should be an open and shut case for the police.

But detective Gawn Girvin, adept at smelling a rat, digs deeper and discovers that far from being clear cut, the man’s death is indeed suspicious.

After interviewing his fellow passengers, and shaking loose inconsistencies in their stories, she heads to the Netherlands intent on nailing the killer.

Yet despite teaming up with her counterpart in Holland, rather than solving the mystery she soon has another murder on her hands.

Gawn must see through the smoky haze of the Dutch capital to pinpoint exactly who is playing a deadly game.

Gripping. An absolute cracker of a book

BC

A Force To Be Reckoned With

DCI Gawn Girvin is on leave, waiting to hear the outcome of an internal affairs investigation when her godfather, Assistant Chief Constable Norman Smyth, asks her to revisit a missing persons case as a personal favour before he retires.

Jason Sloan had gone missing without a trace after a night out partying with friends in Belfast over twenty years earlier.
Gawn has two weeks to find him before Smyth leaves the force. With the clock ticking and only a two-person team she stumbles upon another cold case that might be related. This time it is murder.

Already sidelined within the police, and having few friends outside, Gawn will have to pose serious questions about powerful people. And when her boyfriend starts receiving threats, it all gets too personal.

Will she crack the case, or crumble under the pressure?

Best one yet. This is a real showstopper you have to keep reading. I couldn’t put it down.

Jayne

Killing the Vibe

The discovery of a man’s corpse creates public outcry and leads to divisions within the force.

Belfast police are totally in the dark as to who the victim is, although strange incisions on his back suggest a personally motivated crime.

When the press go to town with alarming theories, DCI Gawn Girvin resolves to fight back by enlisting the help of an ambitious young journalist to get the media on side.

Yet when the reporter’s life is threatened, the detective clashes with her trusted lieutenant, DI Paul Maxwell.

With her judgement under question, Girvin is accused of jeopardising public safety. Will she crack the case and survive with her career intact?

Not easy to put down. A well written fast paced book

Loraine

That Much She Knew

A murder, a missing colleague, and a pack of lies…

When DCI Gawn Girvin is called to a murder scene, she is shocked to find the victim was known to her.

Harriet Hughes was a close friend of Jenny Norris, the state pathologist, who also happens to go missing on the night of the murder.

Worried that Jenny might be implicated, DCI Girvin will have to tread carefully to avoid endangering her or jeopardising her career.

Bending the rules for the greater good comes natural to the Chief Inspector, but she runs the risk of alienating her colleagues.

Struggling to keep them in the dark whilst searching for her missing friend, she’ll find herself exposed and vulnerable.

THAT MUCH SHE KNEW is the fifth murder mystery by Northern Ireland’s bestselling fiction writer Linda Hagan.

Another great read

Loving all this series. Read it on my way home from holidays. Certainly made the flight seem shorter.

Murder on the Table

A sudden death turns a charity bash into chaos

When DCI Gawn Girvin is invited to attend a gala dinner for Belfast’s great and good, little does she know it will mark the beginning of a new multiple murder investigation.

With the charity executive collapsed on the floor and a fellow diner taken seriously ill, the detective must work out if the hors d'oeuvres were simply dodgy or if something more sinister is afoot.

Attention focuses on a mysterious woman spotted leaving the scene. But if the poisoning was deliberate, it would have taken more than one person to pull it off.

Given the event was full of illustrious attendees, Girvin suspects organised crime is involved. Yet when she gets nowhere with the investigation, she seeks help outside the force, consulting security expert Mike Lee, an ex-lover who is not over their acrimonious break-up.

Will she find the answers or has she been served a mystery that is impossible to solve?

The Belfast Mysteries

Three great detective mysteries in one super-value box set!

The flashing of blue lights and the sound of sirens are piercing the air of Northern Ireland's capital city. DCI Gawn Girvin is an ambitious detective in the PSNI. When it comes to fighting crime, she likes getting her hands dirty, wrestling with injustice inside and outside the force. Woe betide those who get on the wrong side of her. But she is also seriously protective of her team, and fully aware that she couldn't do without them when dealing with the most serious crimes any police force will face.

Nothing but Smiles

Emboldened by police indifference, a serial stalker is upping their game…

Women in Belfast are waking up after a night out with no recollection of their return home. Not too unusual an occurrence, except there is a sign something is seriously amiss: a smiley-face emoji daubed on their abdomens.

A journalist who has herself suffered such an assault approaches DCI Gawn Girvin. She has tracked down other women with the same experience. Some have already gone to the police, but their concerns were dismissed.

The senior detective takes it upon herself to investigate. She is dealing with a strange sort of perp. The attacks don’t appear overtly sexual but someone is clearly intent on humiliating the victims.

Second guessing their target’s next move, Girvin’s team lies in wait for them. But even with heightened security, their quarry gets away with attacks right under their noses. And now he has Girvin herself in his sights.

Not one to back down, Girvin is more motivated than ever. She’ll get to the bottom of this case, even though the personal risk is high, and wipe the smile right off a dangerous villain’s face.

NOTHING BUT SMILES is the seventh book by Linda Hagan in this Northern Irish crime series. 

More Gawn Girvin investigations to come.