Frank Miller, hero of the hardboiled mystery series by The Man Upstairs, finds himself posted to London to find a missing night club singer. He tracks her down to a series of seedy clubs, singing under an assumed name, and in the employment of a powerful company. The highlight of her set is The Poisoned Eye of a Loving God.

The song is expected to be a huge hit, though the lyric is unfinished.

People around town are dying, and Frank discovers that the singer’s ex, Billy Fortune, a notorious gangland figure, is looking for her. For years she used her singing career as a front for Billy’s activities, but now wants to escape her past and make it on her own terms.

But as Frank digs deeper into the case, he finds a darker mystery, tied in to why he was hired to take on the case in the first place. The unfinished song might just hold the key. As the truth slowly emerges, the reality of Frank’s situation becomes diabolically apparent.

The Man Upstairs wants Frank dead.

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In this short thriller from bestselling author Ian Rankin, murder comes to London’s most exclusive high-rise—and every resident is a suspect.

The Rise is a gleaming residential tower, newly constructed from steel and blackened glass, that stands on some of London’s most prestigious real estate. Looming imposingly over Hyde Park, only multi-millionaires need apply for one of its sumptuous apartments. But when the young night concierge is found murdered in the building’s lobby, the elite residents quickly find their gilded lifestyles under unwelcome police scrutiny.

Investigating officer DS Gish has her work cut out. The only suspects, those who live in the building, aren’t accustomed to police interrogation. But it seems horribly certain that one of them must be the killer. Could it be the Russian oligarch? Or the lonely actress? Maybe it’s the family of the career criminal? Or perhaps it’s the building’s reclusive developer who lives alone in the penthouse?

Obstructed continually by locked doors, governments both foreign and domestic, and an apparent absence of motive, can DS Gish solve this impenetrable mystery and apprehend the murderer—before they slip away forever?

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PRAISE FOR ROGER ORMEROD:

‘Ormerod can be relied upon to come up with the startling goods.’ The Sunday Times

‘I am glad to announce that the detective novel is still alive and well in Mr Ormerod’s skillful hands.’ The Spectator

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Well written, interesting and a good solid mystery.’ Infinityoz.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Utterly brilliant . . . A must-read for lovers of period crime thrillers.’ Claudia C.

Fans of Roderic Jeffries, Ruth Rendell, J.M. Dalgliesh, Roger Silverwood and Brian Battison will love this box set of murder mysteries.

IN THIS SIX-BOOK BOX SET:

BOOK 1: FACE VALUE
A man is missing, his burned-out car is found on the moors. A convicted rapist is freed from prison, whereabouts unknown. When a mutilated corpse is found in an abandoned building, the victim’s identity seems clear. Days from retirement, can Detective Inspector Patton tease out the truth?

BOOK 2: STILL LIFE WITH PISTOL
Talented art forger Bruno Fillingley runs a painting school from his crumbling manor house. One of his aspiring students is found dead, seated in front of his canvas. Local detectives are convinced Bruno had a hand in it, but Patton ferrets out the facts to prove the killer has been hiding in plain sight.

BOOK 3: AN ALIBI TOO SOON
Patton’s old friend and colleague is murdered in a house fire. He’d discovered something dodgy in an old case. As Patton reopens the inquiry, buried grievances are disturbed. Two men stand in his way — a convicted murderer and a disdainful officer — and they’ll stop at nothing to halt his investigations.

BOOK 4: AN OPEN WINDOW
Patton’s wife Amelia is hospitalised when a caravan explodes, killing the owner. As she recovers, Amelia learns of an unexpected inheritance from her Uncle Walter. Patton is skeptical that Walter’s death really is suicide. He is sure that Amelia was the intended victim of the caravan blast. Can he crack the case before the murderer gets their way?

BOOK 5: GUILT ON THE LILY
A woman from Patton’s old patch writes to him asking for help. Then she’s brutally murdered. His former colleagues warn him off investigating. As Patton pursues the murderer he inadvertently puts his wife Amelia in danger. With one chance to save his wife and solve the case, Patton must untangle the web of deceit fast.

BOOK 6: DEATH OF AN INNOCENT
Patton agrees to investigate a burglary for Amelia’s friend. He finds links to a young woman’s drowning. A family feud is uncovered, but does it prove murder? Then another person dies, their death made to look like suicide. Patton’s loyalty is tested as he rushes to identify the killer.

MEET THE SLEUTHS
RICHARD PATTON is on the cusp of retirement and many of his police colleagues will be glad to see him go. With a lack of respect for authority and a scant regard for the rules, his razor-sharp eye can piece together seemingly unconnected evidence to get to the bottom of a mystery.

The prime suspect in Patton’s final case, AMELIA TROWBRIDGE intrigues Patton on their first meeting. As they become lovers then husband and wife, Amelia acts as the perfect foil to Richard’s curmudgeonly demeanour.

GET THESE *SIX* UNPUTDOWNABLE BRITISH MURDER MYSTERIES IN ONE BOX SET.

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