Dead Wicked — Helen H. Durrant

Detectives Calladine and Bayliss hunt for a vicious killer.The first victim is found on waste ground. His tongue has been cut out and stuffed down his throat.Then another body is found dumped in a lake up in the hills. The same gruesome murder method is used.And guess who the detectives' new boss is? The incredibly difficult Stephen Greco.A twisted killer . . . And a wicked twist.Meanwhile DS Ruth Bayliss's personal life is falling apart and someone is targeting local businesses with ransomware.The prime suspect is a criminal DI Tom Calladine thought he'd seen the last of.Who's the serial killer and who's next on the list?If you like Angela Marsons, Rachel McLean, J.D. Kirk, Ian Rankin or Rachel Abbott, you'll love this bestselling crime fiction writer.WHAT READERS ARE SAYING ABOUT DEAD WICKED: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Yet again another addictive read with a great twist which leads nicely into the next book. I really struggled to put it down.' Vix⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Another excellent story with familiar characters, lots of twists and turns and a proper page turner. Recommend all this series.' Peter B.⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Great characterisation, as always, and a storyline that keeps you hooked from start to finish. I loved it!' P.A. Burton⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'A very well written series of books.' Jan⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'I love these characters!' Maggie L.MEET THE DETECTIVESTom Calladine is a single, fifty-one-year-old detective inspector who is devoted to his job. His personal life, however, is not so successful. Having been married and divorced before the age of twenty-one has set a pattern that he finds difficult to escape.Ruth Bayliss is in her mid-thirties, plain-speaking and loyal. She wishes she had more time for the gym and a love life. She uses her demanding workload as an excuse not to try too hard with the men she meets.THE SETTINGThe series is set in the fictional village of Leesdon on the outskirts of an industrial northern English city. There is little work and a lot of crime. The bane of Calladine's life is the Hobfield housing estate, breeding ground to all that is wrong with the area that he calls home.