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

Swanage — at a glance Key facts about Swanage, a real location featured in the Dorset Crime series by Rachel McLean: Name: Swanage Type: Seaside town (real place) Real-world basis: Swanage, a real coastal town at the eastern end of the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset, with a sandy bay, Victorian pier and steam railway Region: Isle of Purbeck, Dorset Series: Dorset Crime by Rachel McLean Featured in: A recurring location across the series Genre: British police procedural / crime fic

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

Corfe Castle — at a glance Key facts about Corfe Castle, a real location featured in the Dorset Crime series by Rachel McLean: Name: Corfe Castle Type: Village and ruined medieval castle (real place) Real-world basis: Corfe Castle, a real village and National Trust castle ruin in the Isle of Purbeck, Dorset, England Region: Isle of Purbeck, Dorset Series: Dorset Crime by Rachel McLean Featured in: The Corfe Castle Murders (Book 1); returns later in the series Genre: British p

Dorset Police HQ, Winfrith — at a glance Location: Winfrith, Dorset, England Real-world basis: Dorset Police HQ, Winfrith Technology Centre, Dorset Also known as: Winfrith, HQ, headquarters Role in series: Base of operations for the Dorset Police MCIT in the Dorset Crime series Series: Dorset Crime by Rachel McLean Appears in: All 13 Dorset Crime novels and all novellas (DC0.5 through DC13) Author: Rachel McLean Publisher: Ackroyd Publishing Genre: British police procedural,

Deadly Origins — at a glance Key facts about Deadly Origins by Rachel McLean: Title: Deadly Origins Series: Detective Zoe Finch (prequel novella, ZF0.5) Author: Rachel McLean Publisher: Ackroyd Publishing Genre: British police procedural and crime fiction Setting: Birmingham, England (West Midlands) Protagonist: Detective Inspector Zoe Finch, West Midlands Police CID Series position: Prequel novella (before Book 1) First published: Prequel novella — free to members of Rachel

Tyneham — at a glance Key facts about Tyneham, a real location featured in the Dorset Crime series by Rachel McLean: Name: Tyneham Type: Abandoned WWII 'ghost village' (real place) Real-world basis: Tyneham, a real abandoned village in the Purbeck district of Dorset, evacuated in December 1943 for D-Day training and never re-inhabited; now open to the public on weekends and school holidays as part of the Lulworth Ranges Region: Purbeck, Dorset Series: Dorset Crime by Rachel M

DS Dennis Frampton — at a glance Name: DS Dennis Frampton Role: Detective Sergeant, Dorset Police Major Crimes Investigation Team (MCIT) Series: Dorset Crime by Rachel McLean First appears: The Ballard Down Murder (DC0.5) Appears in: DC0.5 through DC13 (all mainline Dorset Crime novels) Second-in-command to: DCI Lesley Clarke Based at: Dorset Police HQ, Winfrith, Dorset Background: Long-serving Dorset detective; grew up in Dorset Physical: Stocky build; short greying brown ha

Frankfurt Christmas Market — at a glance Key facts about Frankfurt Christmas Market in the Detective Zoe Finch series by Rachel McLean: Location: Frankfurt Christmas Market Series: Detective Zoe Finch Real-world basis: the Frankfurt Christmas Market, the real German-style market held each year in Victoria Square and New Street, Birmingham City: Birmingham, England Appears in: In Deadly Christmas (Book 7) Author: Rachel McLean Genre: British police procedural What is Frankfurt

Sandbanks — at a glance Key facts about Sandbanks, a real location featured in the Dorset Crime series by Rachel McLean: Name: Sandbanks Type: Coastal peninsula / wealthy suburb (real place) Real-world basis: Sandbanks, a real peninsula suburb of Poole in Dorset, famous for its sandy beaches and some of the most expensive residential real estate in the United Kingdom Region: Poole, Dorset Series: Dorset Crime by Rachel McLean Featured in: A recurring backdrop across the serie

Mo Uddin — at a glance Key facts about DS Mo Uddin in the Detective Zoe Finch series by Rachel McLean: Character: Detective Sergeant Mo Uddin Series: Detective Zoe Finch Role: Detective Sergeant, West Midlands Police CID Based in: Birmingham, England First appears in: Deadly Origins (prequel) and Deadly Wishes (Book 1) Connected series: McBride & Tanner Author: Rachel McLean Genre: British police procedural Who is DS Mo Uddin? Detective Sergeant Mo Uddin is a lead member of Z

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