The Detective Allie Shenton Series - in order of publication, books 1-6
A dead woman. A powerful Man. A fearless detective.
How far would you go to protect the ones you love? And how much further would you go to betray them?
Nine out of ten murders are committed by someone the victim knows. So when Steph Ryder is found dead, Detective Allie Shenton begins her investigation close to home, starting with Steph's family and friends.
Soon the lies, backtracking and secrets multiply as each of the suspects tries to cover up their actions on that fateful night. Before long, Allie homes in on Steph's ambitious and powerful husband, Terry. Convinced he's hiding something, she interviews him again and again, each time seeing through his smooth charms.
As the trail grows hotter, the web of deceit pulls tighter and more bodies pile up. Allie must race against time to uncover the shocking truth of who killed Steph before the suspects get away with murder.
This is the first book in the Detective Allie Shenton Series.
To catch a killer, you must play the game. The rules are simple but deadly.
A man’s body is found on a canal towpath. In his pocket, a magnetic letter in the shape of an E.
Two days later, a second victim is found, this time with the letter V tucked into her clothing.
Two days later, a third victum is found with the letter E. Is the killer spelling out a word, or a name, or an anagram?
As the body count rises, the eerie, childlike clues point to a pattern that sends DS Allie Shenton and her colleagues into full alert.
The race is on. Allie and the team must work quickly to determine where the killer will strike next. The rules are simple but deadly—to catch the killer, they must follow the leader.
‘Slick debut from a writer to watch out for.’ Mandasue Heller.
This is the second book in the Detective Allie Shenton Series.
Who lies and who dies?
When one of the notorious Johnson brothers is murdered and a bag of money goes missing, a deadly game of cat and mouse is set in motion.
DS Allie Shenton and her team are called in to catch the killer, but the suspects are double-crossing each other and Allie has little time to untangle the web of lies.
As she delves deeper into the case, things take a personal turn when Allie realises she is being stalked by the very same person who attacked her sister seventeen years ago and left her for dead.
Set over forty-eight tension-filled hours, Only the Brave is the latest gut-churning case for DS Allie Shenton.
‘Now and again, a character comes along that stays in your head long after the book has finished. Allie Shenton is that character. Mel Sherratt combines taut storytelling with excellent characterisation, resulting in a book I could not put down.’ —Angela Marsons.
This is the third book in the Detective Allie Shenton Series.
Family is everything. Loyalty should be...
The Limekiln Estate has witnessed many a dark crime over the years. When DI Allie Shenton is called out to a suspicious death, she isn’t surprised to see it’s a local she knows only too well. While the slaying of Billy Whitmore is on everyone’s lips, a woman is stabbed in her home. A day later and a third victim turns up.
Three known associates brutally murdered - the bodies are piling up quicker than the forensic evidence is coming back. Yet Allie senses there’s something more disturbing going on. She’s sure Fiona Abbott, Billy’s partner, is involved too.
With enemies from her past rearing their ugly heads, and the press and public up in arms, Allie has her work cut out to get to the shocking truth. Can she and her loyal team stop the killer who has a close-knit community living in fear? And by raking up secrets from the past, has she made the Abbott family the next target, especially fourteen-year-old Kelsey?
'Keeping true to the grit I adore in her novels, this book was emotive and a total sleep stealer!' Noelle Holten
This is the fourth book in the Detective Allie Shenton Series.
One of them lied. One of them died. One of them is next.
Could you stay quiet about a murder?
Killed on his way home from a night out, Kit Harper had lots of secrets. At the opposite end of the city, another man is found smothered in his bed. Jack Carter had secrets too.
A photo of a young woman reveals a clue and with dual cases to run, Detective Allie Shenton and her team are pushed to their limits. As attacks on a close group of friends continue, a link to a cold case twenty years ago is unveiled.
Can Allie figure out who is telling the truth about what happened on that fateful night? And who is lying through their teeth, to get away with murder?
Set within the gritty streets of Stoke-on-Trent, this fast-paced British detective novel is a dark murder mystery with an emotional pull.
This is the fifth book in the Detective Allie Shenton Series.
Honour among thieves. Keep your enemies close. Loyalty is everything.
When DI Allie Shenton is called out to a murder suicide, it quickly becomes clear that it’s a double slaying, and there is a killer on the loose. The bodies are found in a property owned by local entrepreneur/drug dealer Kenny Webb. Several young women are staying there, they are refusing to talk and one of them is missing.
While she waits on forensic evidence, Allie decides to do what she does best. She takes to the community to see who will talk. Right now, she’s the only one who can get answers. But then a third murder rattles everyone. Another known dealer is taken out.
With lives and lies being twisted, Allie needs to work out how everything is connected. It’s clear someone is out to finish things. Can she and her team rid the streets of Kenny Webb and his gang of merrymen, once and for all? And in doing so, stop the top man, Terry Ryder, from getting out of prison?
This is the sixth and final book in the Detective Allie Shenton Series.
Eden Berrisford Crime Dramas
Six months after the stabbing of fifteen-year-old Deanna Barker, someone is coming after the teenagers of Stockleigh, as a spate of vicious assaults rocks this small community. Revenge for Deanna? Or something more?
Leading the Community Intelligence Team, Eden Berrisford is locked into a race against time to catch the twisted individual behind the attacks – but when her own niece, Jess Mountford, goes missing, the case gets personal.
With the kidnapper threatening Jess’ life, can Eden bring back her niece to safety? Or will the people of Stockleigh be forced to mourn another daughter?
‘Mel’s vivid imagination really brings her characters to life.’ Kerry Wilkinson.
This is the first DS Eden Berrisford book
The small city of Stockleigh is in shock as three women are brutally attacked within days of each other. Are they random acts of violence or is there a link between the victims? For Detective Eden Berrisford, it’s her most chilling case yet.
The investigation leads Eden to cross paths with Carla, a woman trying to rebuild her life after her marriage to a cruel and abusive man ended in unimaginable tragedy. Her husband Ryan was imprisoned for his crimes but, now he’s out and coming for her.
As Eden starts to close in on the attacker, she also puts herself in grave danger. Can she stop him before he strikes again? And can Carla, terrified for her life, save herself - before the past wreaks a terrible revenge?
‘A heart-pounding, breath holding, twisty-turny read. I highly recommend this book.’ Caroline Mitchell.
This is the second DS Eden Berrisford book
The Standalone Novels
Do you know where your daughters are tonight?
DI Marsha Clay is showing her new detective around the station when she gets a call to say a man has been found dead, and a woman beaten, in their home. Once at the property, they realise that two children are missing.
With no ransom demand forthcoming, Marsha and her team need to delve into the family background. Everything seems to be fine but, when another death is also linked to their case, and an accident from twenty years ago comes to light, it’s clear someone is out for revenge.
Can Marsha gather the information needed to bring the girls home and stop anyone else from losing their lives? And can she find out why DC Jess Baxter really transferred from Manchester to the Staffordshire Moorlands?
Set within the market town of Leek and its rural surroundings, this fast-paced British detective novel is a murder mystery with an emotional pull.
She said it was an accident. But reinventing yourself can be murder...
Working for Parker-Brown PR will be the perfect job for Esther. Along with a false name, fake references and qualifications, it’s just the new start she desires. But she also has a plan for revenge.
Owning a successful PR company, Tamara enjoys her champagne lifestyle to the full. At least, that’s the image she displays to the world. As well as being lonely, she's running out of money. A promising new member of staff could bring the injection of fresh blood needed to win the contract that will turn things around.
Sensing Tamara's vulnerability, Esther uses their acquaintance as a way to get close to someone who hurt her in the past. But when she takes things too far, mistakes begin to catch up with her and someone ends up dead.
And that’s not what she had planned at all.
'Mel Sherratt is on outstanding form with this pacy, page-turning thriller! It had all the thrills and chills, with just the right amount of gritty realism that sets her writing apart from the crowd.' LJ Ross.
Raw and darkly claustrophobic, it grabs you by the back of the neck and never lets you go.
Following the death of her husband and unborn child, Charley Belington sells the family home and bravely starts life over again. On moving into a new flat, she is befriended by her landlady, Ella, who seems like the perfect friend and confidante.
But, unbeknown to Charley, Ella is fighting her own dark and dirty demons as the fallout from a horrific childhood sends her spiralling down into madness—and unspeakable obsessions.
As Ella’s mind splinters, her increasingly bizarre attentions make Charley uneasy. But with every step Charley tries to take to distance herself, Ella moves in a tightening lockstep with her, closer and closer and closer…
'Ella is a terrifying villain–outwardly ordinary and utterly unhinged. Watching Over You is the book you’ll wish you could read from behind a cushion.’ Elizabeth Haynes.
From behind the curtains, Sarah spotted the man coming out of the house, followed by the woman. It would be strange seeing people in the property. She wondered how much it would change their lives. For now, she would bide her time and hopefully get to know them better. She needed to gain their trust.
When I met Richard, I fell for him instantly. He was able to give me everything I had always wanted, the dream house, security and above all, love like I’d never known. We lived a quiet life in the middle of nowhere; we didn’t need anyone else.
So, when the empty house next door is sold, I am wary. Will our neighbours invade the perfect life Richard has built for us? As soon as I meet Juliette and Danny, I am reassured. Overwhelmed by grief after the death of their young daughter, they have moved in search of a quiet life and a chance to start again. Over dinner one evening, we hit it off instantly and I know they are just the neighbours we need.
All is well until Juliette spots a young girl in our garden. Richard convinces her that she is seeing things, that it’s the grief taking over. But Juliette won’t let it go. She is sure she saw a child. She believes that Richard is threatening her. She starts to think that I’m not safe.
I need to convince Juliette that she’s imagining it. I need to keep Richard happy. If I am to protect everything I have built for myself, she must never find out the truth.
That my perfect life is built on the deadliest lie.
Can her own dark secret set her free?
Day one. As my eyes adjust to the darkness, I slowly start to recognise my surroundings: the small hole in the door and a narrow window allowing only a small chink of light. The jewellery given to me by my loving husband is gone and I am wearing someone else’s clothes. The room is exactly as the first woman described. And the second. And the third… It’s then I know, I am the fifth woman to be taken.
Just days before, I had interviewed the third victim for the local paper. Her story was the same as those before her: an ordinary woman, locked away for ten days then released with no explanation, and nothing – nothing she could think of – to link her to the others. Throughout the ordeal, her abductor stayed eerily silent.
I tell myself I’ll be safe; that I can brave the loneliness and survive just like the others. But as the days pass, I can’t help thinking of the fourth victim who is still missing.
And then I hear the voice coming through the door. ‘You said everything would be fine. But it wasn’t was it?’ It is then that I realise. If I am to make it out alive, I need to revisit a dark secret of my own that I have spent a lifetime trying to forget.
The DS Grace Allendale Series - four books (Complete Series)
‘On a thriller cocktail list, Hush Hush would be a Bloody Mary with a perfect twist…’ FIONA BARTON
A killer is on the loose, attacking people in places they feel most safe: their workplaces, their homes. It’s up to DS Grace Allendale to stop the murders, and prove herself to her new team.
All clues lead to local crime family the Steeles, but that’s where things get complicated. Because the Steeles aren’t just any family, they’re Grace’s family. Two brothers and two sisters, connected by the violent father only Grace and her mother escaped.
To catch the killer, Grace will have to choose between her team and her blood. But who do you trust, when both sides are out to get you?
An unforgettable thriller that fans of MARTINA COLE and CARA HUNTER won’t be able to put down.
This is the first book in the DS Grace Allendale Series
'A terrific read.' MARTINA COLE
TICK… In the city of Stoke, a teenage girl is murdered in the middle of the day, her lifeless body abandoned in a field behind her school.
TOCK… Two days later, a young mother is abducted. She’s discovered strangled and dumped in a local park.
TIME’S UP… DS Grace Allendale and her team are brought in to investigate, but with a bold killer, no leads and nothing to connect the victims, the case seems hopeless. It’s only when a third woman is targeted that a sinister pattern emerges. A dangerous mind is behind these attacks, and Grace realises that the clock is ticking…
Can they catch the killer before another young woman dies?
The #1 bestseller returns with a breathtaking thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat.
This is the second book in the DS Grace Allendale Series
‘Twists and turns and delivers a satisfying shot of tension.’ RACHEL ABBOTT
The truth can be a dangerous thing…
When a young boy falls from a balcony in a block of flats, DS Grace Allendale witnesses the shocking aftermath of the tragic event. But strangely, no one will admit to seeing anything – and the parents will only tell the police that it was an accident.
Determined to sort the truth from the lies, Grace is thrown into a case that takes her to the darkest corners of the criminal world – and strikes closer to home than she could have ever imagined…
A gripping and pacey thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat from the moment you turn the first page.
This is the third book in the DS Grace Allendale Series
Good Girl will drag you through the wringer as you discover the tragic set of circumstances which lead to Erin's death. CAROLINE MITCHELL
A killer is on the loose, attacking people in places they feel most safe: their workplaces, their homes. It’s up to DS Grace Allendale to stop the murders, and prove herself to her new team.
All clues lead to local crime family the Steeles, but that’s where things get complicated. Because the Steeles aren’t just any family, they’re Grace’s family. Two brothers and two sisters, connected by the violent father only Grace and her mother escaped.
To catch the killer, Grace will have to choose between her team and her blood. But who do you trust, when both sides are out to get you?
An unforgettable thriller that fans of MARTINA COLE and CARA HUNTER won’t be able to put down.
This is the fourth and final book in the DS Grace Allendale Series
The Estate Series - four books (Complete Series)
What if you had no one to turn to and nowhere to run?
With the death of her husband and a tragic secret she is desperate to bury, Cath Mason opens her home to young women who need a roof over their head and a sympathetic ear. From victims of domestic violence to drug addicts, no woman is beyond Cath’s helping hand. The only problem? She lives on the notorious Mitchell Estate, where temptation and trouble lurk on every corner.
When malicious notes are posted through her door, precious things go missing and a homeless teenager is found murdered, Cath reckons it’s just part of daily life on the estate. But when those she cares about most fall prey to violence, she begins to suspect her past mistakes are catching up with her.
Can Cath finally confront her own troubled history before it engulfs not only her but also the women struggling to rebuild their lives?
This is the first book in The Estate Series
What if you never feel protected when you're at home?
Housing office Josie Mellor loves the community spirit of the notorious Mitchell Estate – when it doesn’t involve benefit cheats, aggression, or murder and mayhem, that is. But it isn’t exactly a party for some of her tenants... Kelly Winterton thinks Josie is sticking her nose in where it’s not wanted. Her partner’s just been packed off to prison and she’s left worrying how to fend for herself and her young daughter. Charlotte Hatfield has fled from her violent partner. With four children in tow, she lives in fear of him finding her again. Amy Cartwright has learning difficulties. She finds it hard enough looking out for herself and her six-month-old baby without being taken advantage of.
In the midst of it all, Josie has secrets of her own. Trapped in a loveless marriage, she struggles to escape her controlling husband. And as her home life deteriorates, she realises only a thin line separates her from the people she’s trying to help. Can Josie save herself and return the estate to relative normality when a spate of burglaries causes havoc on the estate, and deadly violence erupts? Or will both she and her tenants become victims of violence that no one will see?
This is the second book in The Estate Series
What if your worst enemy is yourself?
When Caren Williams finds herself back on the estate she fought so hard to get away from, little does she realise she'll be living opposite her arch-enemy, Gina Bradley. Gina thinks she and her family rule Stanley Avenue so when Caren starts to become popular, she decides to hit her where it will hurt the most – she wants her husband.
Lonely and depressed, Ruth Millington finds it a constant struggle to get through the dark times. Spiralling out of control, maybe she should let Gina's husband help her out when he comes calling. Twins Rachel and Claire Bradley, took control of the girl gang, the Mitchell Mob, when their leader was sent to a juvenile detention centre for assault. But Stacey Hunter is out now and wants to hold the position of top dog again. No one will back down - let battle commence.
Brawling in the street, fighting on the square and conforming to peer pressure – it all comes down to holding your nerve. But this time not everyone will survive the notorious Stanley Avenue...
This is the third book in The Estate Series
Sometimes scars are visible. Sometimes they’re hidden deep within.
After years of living as a single parent, all Donna Adams longs for is someone to make her smile, to share hopes and dreams with, to keep her warm at night.
Home from the army, Lewis is a changed man. Angry and consumed by grief, troubled by nightmares and flashbacks, his mind is worse now than ever.
Megan Cooper hides her scars for fear of being rejected. Mary Marshall can’t always remember how she got hers.
If the past could be erased to make a better future, we’d all want that, wouldn’t we? But life is never that easy for the residents of The Mitchell Estate…
This is the fourth book in The Estate Series
Box sets
The first three books in The Estate Series
The first three books in The Detective Allie Shenton Series