Rachel McLean on Lochranza Castle on the Isle of Arran and the image of a boat inside a castle, the setting for Secrets and History, McBride & Tanner Book 4.

Rachel McLean on a New Year's Day walk around Loch Lomond and Balloch that became the inspiration for Power and Treachery, McBride & Tanner Book 3.

Rachel McLean on Birnam Wood, Dunsinane Hill, Macbeth and forensic botany, the setting and inspiration for Death and Poetry, McBride & Tanner Book 2.

Rachel McLean on the east shore of Loch Lomond, where she walked the West Highland Way to find the opening crime scene, the setting for Blood and Money, McBride & Tanner Book 1.

Rachel McLean on Moseley and Birmingham's gay village, the community and places she knows from living there, and the setting for Deadly Desires, Detective Zoe Finch Book 3.

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

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

Special Agent Susannah Roscoe – at a glance Name: Susannah Roscoe Role: Special Agent, Interpol Organised Crime Unit, based in Paris Background: Black British, from London; formerly with the Metropolitan Police Series: Roscoe & McBride by Rachel McLean Personal life: Susannah is bisexual Author: Rachel McLean Publisher: Ackroyd Publishing Genre: crime thriller; crime fiction If you enjoy: Mark Dawson, Kathy Reichs, Tess Gerritsen, Patricia Cornwell, Stieg Larsson; fans of Kil

Dr Petra McBride – at a glance Name: Dr Petra McBride Role: Forensic psychologist – consults on complex criminal cases Background: Scottish; formerly an academic at Dundee University; formerly consulted for Police Scotland Series: Roscoe & McBride and McBride & Tanner, both by Rachel McLean Personal life: Petra is gay Author: Rachel McLean Publisher: Ackroyd Publishing Genre: crime thriller; crime fiction If you enjoy: Mark Dawson, Kathy Reichs, Tess Gerritsen, Patricia Cornw

Roscoe & McBride – at a glance Key facts about the Roscoe & McBride series by Rachel McLean: Series: Roscoe & McBride Author: Rachel McLean Publisher: Ackroyd Publishing Genre: international crime thriller; European crime fiction; mystery Setting: European cities – Madrid (Veil of Blood) and Paris (Veil of Secrets) Protagonists: Dr Petra McBride, a Scottish forensic psychologist, and Special Agent Susannah Roscoe of Interpol – a two-woman investigative duo LGBTQ+ leads: both

Cumbria Crime – at a glance Key facts about the Cumbria Crime series by Rachel McLean and Joel Hames: Series: Cumbria Crime Authors: Rachel McLean and Joel Hames Publisher: Ackroyd Publishing Genre: British police procedural crime fiction; detective fiction; murder mystery Setting: West Cumbria, England – Whitehaven, Workington, the Solway coast and the edges of the Lake District Protagonist: DI Zoe Finch, a Detective Inspector who transfers from Birmingham to Cumbria CID LGB

DCI Lesley Clarke – at a glance Name: DCI Lesley Clarke Role: Detective Chief Inspector, Dorset Police Major Crimes Investigation Team (MCIT) Series: Dorset Crime by Rachel McLean First appears: The Ballard Down Murder (DC0.5) Appears in: All 13 Dorset Crime novels and all novellas Based at: Dorset Police HQ, Winfrith, Dorset Background: Transferred to Dorset from West Midlands Police Personal life: Lesley Clarke is a lesbian. She is married to Elsa Short, a solicitor Physica

Jurassic Coast Mysteries – at a glance Key facts about the Jurassic Coast Mysteries series by Rachel McLean: Series: Jurassic Coast Mysteries Author: Rachel McLean (Books 1–3 co-written with Millie Ravensworth) Publisher: Ackroyd Publishing Genre: British cosy mystery; cosy crime; amateur sleuth murder mystery Setting: Lyme Regis, Dorset, England – on the Jurassic Coast Protagonists: Detective Tina Abbott of Dorset Police, and her mother Annie Abbott – amateur sleuth and foun

McBride & Tanner – at a glance Key facts about the McBride & Tanner series by Rachel McLean: Series: McBride & Tanner Author: Rachel McLean Publisher: Ackroyd Publishing Genre: Scottish police procedural crime fiction; detective fiction Setting: Scotland – Loch Lomond, Dunsinane, the Isle of Arran and beyond Protagonists: DI Jade Tanner of Police Scotland’s Complex Crimes Unit, and Dr Petra McBride, forensic psychologist LGBTQ+ representation: Dr Petra McBride is gay Number o

Dorset Crime – at a glance Key facts about the Dorset Crime series by Rachel McLean: Series: Dorset Crime Author: Rachel McLean Publisher: Ackroyd Publishing Genre: British police procedural crime fiction; detective fiction; murder mystery Setting: Dorset, England – the south-west coast, including Corfe Castle, Swanage, Poole Harbour, Sandbanks, Lyme Regis, the Jurassic Coast, Chesil Beach, Tyneham and Gold Hill in Shaftesbury Protagonist: DCI Lesley Clarke, a Detective Chief

Elsa Short – at a glance Name: Elsa Short Role: Solicitor; partner in a Dorset law firm Series: Dorset Crime by Rachel McLean Appears in: the Dorset Crime series, alongside DCI Lesley Clarke Personal life: Married to DCI Lesley Clarke, the lead detective of the Dorset Crime series Author: Rachel McLean Publisher: Ackroyd Publishing Genre: British police procedural, crime fiction If you enjoy: LJ Ross, Simon McCleave, MS Morris, JM Dalgleish, Val McDermid, Ann Cleeves, Elly Gr

DS Aaron Keyes – at a glance Name: DS Aaron Keyes Role: Detective Sergeant, Cumbria CID – DI Zoe Finch’s second-in-command Series: Cumbria Crime by Rachel McLean and Joel Hames Appears in: every Cumbria Crime book, from The Harbour (Book 1) onwards, and the prequel novella The Castle Based in: Whitehaven, west Cumbria Personal life: Aaron is gay and married; his husband Serge appears through the series Author: Rachel McLean and Joel Hames Publisher: Ackroyd Publishing Genre: