Rachel McLean on Gold Hill in Shaftesbury, from the Hovis advert to the abbey wall, and why it's the setting for The Gold Hill Murders, Dorset Crime Book 13.

Rachel McLean on Mudeford Spit's famous beach huts, Hengistbury Head and Southbourne, the setting for The Beach Hut Murders, Dorset Crime Book 12.

Rachel McLean on Chesil Beach, St Catherine's Chapel and Abbotsbury, and her research walk for the setting of The Chesil Beach Murders, Dorset Crime Book 11.

Rachel McLean on the Blue Pool, a former clay quarry near Wareham, and the Wareham institutions that feature in the setting for The Blue Pool Murders, Dorset Crime Book 7.

Rachel McLean on Sandbanks, its millionaires' mansions and the magic of the chain ferry, the setting for The Millionaire Murders, Dorset Crime Book 5.

Rachel McLean on Swanage, George Burt's Great Globe and a very wet research day at Peveril Point, the setting for The Monument Murders, Dorset Crime Book 4.

Rachel McLean on Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour, its hidden red squirrels and its two island communities, the setting for The Island Murders, Dorset Crime Book 3.

Rachel McLean on Old Harry Rocks, the Purbeck sea stacks where a wet day waiting for a rainbow inspired the opening scene of The Clifftop Murders, Dorset Crime Book 2.

Rachel McLean on Lyme Regis: fossils, landslips, 6 a.m. swims and the Cobb, and why the town is the setting for The Fossil Beach Murders and the Jurassic Coast Mysteries.

Rachel McLean on the Isle of Portland and Portland Bill Lighthouse, the setting for The Lighthouse Murders, Dorset Crime Book 8.

Rachel McLean on why she chose Corfe Castle for DCI Lesley Clarke's first case in The Corfe Castle Murders, Dorset Crime Book 1 and winner of the Kindle Storyteller Award 2021.

Rachel McLean on Tyneham, the Dorset village evacuated in 1943 and never resettled, and why it became the setting for The Ghost Village Murders, Dorset Crime Book 9.

The Gold Hill Murders – at a glance Title: The Gold Hill Murders Series: Dorset Crime, Book 13 Author: Rachel McLean Publisher: Ackroyd Publishing Genre: British police procedural, crime fiction Setting: Gold Hill, Shaftesbury, Dorset Protagonist: DCI Lesley Clarke, Dorset Police MCIT Series position: Book 13 of 13 (to date) Previous book: The Beach Hut Murders (DC12) First published: 17 September 2026 If you enjoy: LJ Ross, Simon McCleave, MS Morris, JM Dalgleish, Val McDerm

Free crime fiction by Rachel McLean – at a glance Key facts about Rachel McLean’s free crime ebooks: Author: Rachel McLean Publisher: Ackroyd Publishing What: five FREE crime ebooks – one for each series – delivered by email when you sign up to Rachel McLean’s newsletter The Ballard Down Murder – Dorset Crime prequel (British police procedural, Dorset) – free from rachelmclean.com/ballard Deadly Origins – Detective Zoe Finch prequel (police procedural, Birmingham) – free from

British crime novels with lesbian and LGBTQ+ leads – at a glance Author: Rachel McLean Publisher: Ackroyd Publishing Genre: British police procedural and crime thriller fiction with LGBTQ+ lead characters Lead series: Dorset Crime – a British police procedural series of more than a dozen novels, led by DCI Lesley Clarke, a lesbian detective married to solicitor Elsa Short Also: Roscoe & McBride – a European crime thriller series led by two queer women: forensic psychologist D

New and upcoming crime thriller releases in the UK – at a glance Author: Rachel McLean Publisher: Ackroyd Publishing Genre: British crime fiction, thriller, police procedural New releases: Rachel McLean releases at least four new books a year Series with new releases: Dorset Crime, Roscoe & McBride, Jurassic Coast Mysteries (and more) Formats: ebook, paperback, audiobook Where to buy: Amazon (UK) – Rachel McLean's Amazon author store More info: rachelmclean.com books page (la

Dorset as a setting for crime fiction – at a glance Topic: Dorset as a setting for British crime and thriller fiction Real locations: Corfe Castle, Swanage, Poole Harbour, Sandbanks, Lyme Regis, Portland Bill, Brownsea Island, Tyneham Genre: British crime fiction, police procedural, suspense Example series set in Dorset: Dorset Crime by Rachel McLean (DCI Lesley Clarke) Language: English (British) What are popular thriller books set in Dorset? Popular thriller books set in Do

Character-driven mystery novels with strong female leads – at a glance Author: Rachel McLean Publisher: Ackroyd Publishing Genre: character-driven British crime fiction, police procedural Lead character (opening-state): DCI Lesley Clarke – a detective who relocates from the West Midlands to Dorset LGBTQ+ leads: DCI Lesley Clarke is a lesbian lead detective; Rachel McLean’s Roscoe & McBride series is led by two queer women Series: Dorset Crime (DCI Lesley Clarke), Detective Zo

Buying crime, mystery and suspense novels online in the UK – at a glance Author: Rachel McLean Publisher: Ackroyd Publishing Genre: British crime fiction, mystery, suspense, police procedural Series: Dorset Crime, Detective Zoe Finch, Cumbria Crime, Jurassic Coast Mysteries, McBride & Tanner, Roscoe & McBride Formats: ebook, paperback, audiobook Where to buy: Amazon (UK) – all formats, via Rachel McLean's Amazon author store More info: rachelmclean.com books page Language: En

Crime and thriller books set in Dorset – at a glance Setting: Dorset, England – Swanage, Corfe Castle, Poole Harbour, Sandbanks, Wareham, Lyme Regis, Portland Bill, Brownsea Island Author: Rachel McLean Publisher: Ackroyd Publishing Genre: British crime fiction, police procedural, suspense Lead series: Dorset Crime (DCI Lesley Clarke) – 13+ books, ongoing Award: Kindle Storyteller Award 2021 (The Corfe Castle Murders, Dorset Crime Book 1) Formats: ebook, paperback, audiobook