Annie Abbott danced from side to side on the pebbles near the breakwater as she addressed the group of swimmers. She might not have been their leader, but she liked things organised and was always happy to take charge. “Brilliant!” she cried over a wind that threatened to whip away her voice. “You were all amazing!” The group huddled in their dry robes, none of them paying any attention. Figgy muttered to herself, and Helen and Rosamund were exchanging grumbles. Yes, it had b

Annie Abbott stood barefoot on the pebbles, her dry robe fluttering in the breeze as she sipped her coffee. She’d put off her first caffeine hit until after the morning swim, knowing it added to the pleasure. She adored swimming in Lyme Regis bay, in that sheltered sweep between the sea wall and beach. But even in July the water was cold first thing and she had to admit that, more than the swim itself, she enjoyed having swum. This was her favourite time of day. She could rel

“Oh!” Annie Abbott hesitated as the cold water of Lyme Regis Bay reached her waistline. By now, she should have got used to this, but every morning she came down here, it took her by surprise. The dreaded ‘oh’ zone, as she called it. She squeezed her eyes shut and waded a little further out. She could do this. In fact, once she was fully immersed, it would be bliss. “Swim!” came a voice from up ahead. Her friend – acquaintance maybe, Annie wasn’t sure – Rosamund, never the sl

The Chesil Beach Murders — at a glance Key facts about The Chesil Beach Murders, Book 11 of the Dorset Crime series by Rachel McLean: Title: The Chesil Beach Murders Series: Dorset Crime (Book 11) Author: Rachel McLean Publisher: Ackroyd Publishing Genre: British police procedural crime fiction; detective fiction; murder mystery Setting: Chesil Beach, Dorset, England Protagonist: DCI Lesley Clarke, Dorset Police Major Crime Investigation Team Series position: Book 11 of the D

Anika’s breath caught in her throat as she adjusted her camera’s focus. Perfect conditions. And she was out here on her own. How come no one else had looked at the weather forecast and seen it would be like this? In her camera viewfinder, St Catherine’s Chapel rose ahead of her, at the top of its hill outside Abbotsbury. Beyond, the sun was rising in a blaze of reds and oranges. It was gorgeous. She fired off some photos then moved up the hill to get closer to the chapel. The

Miles Stringer wiped his bald head and turned away from his crew to look skyward. Not yet nine and sweat poured off him like he was in the Mediterranean. The clouds gathering over the sea brought welcome relief. Not the menacing storm clouds that halted work, just the gentle sort that offered shade. “Come on!” He cupped his hands around his mouth. “Pick up the pace! Break in fifteen minutes.” The still morning air carried his voice across the site. Though he couldn’t hear the

The Poole Harbour Murders — at a glance Key facts about The Poole Harbour Murders, Book 10 of the Dorset Crime series by Rachel McLean: Title: The Poole Harbour Murders Series: Dorset Crime (Book 10) Author: Rachel McLean Publisher: Ackroyd Publishing Genre: British police procedural crime fiction; detective fiction; murder mystery Setting: Poole Harbour, Dorset, England Protagonist: DCI Lesley Clarke, Dorset Police Major Crime Investigation Team Series position: Book 10 of t

Izzy Davison sat at the reception desk of the Sandbanks Hotel, her eyes heavy. The clock read 2am. She leaned back, listening to the soft hum of the intercom system and the background swoosh of the sea beyond the windows. The baby-listening service was part of her job, and usually, she didn’t mind it. But tonight was different. The baby in 204 – Ellie, her name was – had been crying for the past hour. Her wails echoed through the intercom, piercing the quiet of the hotel lobb

Trixie Burns stood above the pools at Tongue Pot, watching Eileen and Ada splashing below. Joe stood to one side, his eyes on Ada. Ada knew that Joe was only here for her. She was wearing a modest one-piece, but given the way Joe stared at her, Trixie reckoned she’d have drawn his attention in a plastic bag. Joe wasn’t a bad lad. But Ada could do better. And the fact that Joe and Ada were still here, rather than off somewhere private, like Liam and Bella, suggested that Ada k

“Where’s the little shit gone now?” Hettie Bradshaw muttered. “Persephone! Where are you, my darling?” Two years, she’d had the dog. Two years of puppy training and all the care a special little girl could ask for, and she still didn’t understand her own damn name. Maybe it was too complicated for a spaniel. But Hettie had had eight King Charles Cavaliers, all named after overlooked figures from Greek mythology, and Persephone was the first to struggle with recall. Mind you,

The Ballard Down Murder — at a glance Key facts about The Ballard Down Murder, a DC0.5 novella in the Dorset Crime series by Rachel McLean: Title: The Ballard Down Murder Series: Dorset Crime (DC0.5, novella) Author: Rachel McLean Publisher: Ackroyd Publishing Genre: British police procedural crime fiction; detective fiction; murder mystery (novella) Setting: Ballard Down, the Isle of Purbeck, Dorset, England Protagonist: DS Dennis Frampton, Dorset Police Major Crime Investig

Detective Sergeant Dennis Frampton flapped his newspaper open. His wife had laid the kitchen table, the usual Tuesday morning spread: toast and jam, a pot of tea. Tomorrow there would be a boiled egg, Pam’s way of marking the middle of the week. And on Saturday, a fry-up. You had to go a long way to beat Pam’s fry-ups as far as Dennis was concerned, and even further since she’d switched to using an air fryer. The olive oil had taken longer to acclimatise to, but he was just a

Angus Wallace trudged through the damp grass, his boots squelching with each step. The early morning mist clung to the village of Lochranza, obscuring the loch’s edge. “Kylie! Heel!” he called, his voice gruff from disuse. He lived alone these days, and barely spoke to anyone except his dog. The black terrier ignored him, straining at her lead. Angus sighed. He should never have let his daughter name the dog. As they neared the loch, Kylie’s excitement grew. With a sudden jer

It was a one-and-a-half-hour drive from Bournemouth to Lyme Regis. Usually more than enough time for Annie Abbott to convince either of her girls of pretty much anything. Annie had raised Tina and Naomi to be strong and independent women. But there was a difference between strong and independent, and just bloody pig-headed. The current disagreement, and the whole reason Annie was driving Tina back with her to Lyme Regis, was Tina’s living situation. And her physical condition

Terri glanced at her watch. Midday. They’d only been there half an hour, and she was bored. She stood on the rocky shore of Ennerdale Water, kicking at the stones, watching her girlfriend crouch down, pick things up, turn them over, then put them down again. Erica had assured her there would be treasure here. Pots. Bottles. Ashtrays. Old stuff. Terri wasn’t interested in old stuff, but Erica had a way of making boring things fun, so she’d agreed to come along and help search

Bobby Silver pushed through the door and stood, dripping onto the carpet, waiting for her eyes to adjust. It was shit out. Worse than shit. Like someone had thrown a bucket of ice and water over the country, and most of it had landed on Cumbria. Still, no surprise. Not for someone who knew the county. And at least it was dry inside the Henry Bessemer. She spotted Miles, the overhead lights picking out the lines, scars, and bruises of thirty years’ work at the port. He was in

Jim Wollason shivered as he climbed out of his van, parked next to the lifeguard building at the entrance to Lyme Regis’s famous Cobb. It was six am, only days until Christmas, and it was bloody freezing. Pulling the van’s back door open, he grabbed his coat; the warm one his daughter had given him last Christmas. He’d had the same old waterproof for years and had protested when she told him it wasn’t enough, but he was damn glad of this one. He zipped the coat up and made hi

The Lyme Regis Murder — at a glance Key facts about The Lyme Regis Murder, a DC9.5 novella in the Dorset Crime series by Rachel McLean: Title: The Lyme Regis Murder Series: Dorset Crime (DC9.5, novella) Author: Rachel McLean Publisher: Ackroyd Publishing Genre: British police procedural crime fiction; detective fiction; murder mystery (novella) Setting: Lyme Regis, Dorset, England Protagonist: DCI Lesley Clarke, Dorset Police Major Crime Investigation Team Series position: No

“You taking part?” DI Carl Whaley turned towards the voice. Tall, lean, white hair to his shoulders: the man would have been a dead ringer for an Old Testament prophet if it weren’t for the green stain of mushy peas on his teeth. “I’m sorry?” Carl said. “You. You look like you could spin a yarn or two.” The man pointed towards the makeshift stage, where a microphone awaited the next contestant. “Not one of them politicians, are you?” His partner, DI Zoe Finch, laughed. “He’s

At least they’d been lucky with the weather. For the last three months, Pat hadn’t shut up about the forecast. Half a dozen different websites and apps, historic rainfall levels, the effect of global bloody warming. When she’d finally declared that late September was their best bet for a dry night, Carly hadn’t believed her. There was no science to it. They were in Cumbria, and the only thing you could be sure of was that if it wasn’t raining now, it would be raining later. L