Death Came Stalking Bk 1 of the Lambeth Croak Series

Every Writer

10 years ago

Death Came Stalking Bk 1 of the Lambeth Croak Series

Author

Susan Clayson

Description

Death Came Stalking is a murder story and the chief protagonist is Bev Stone, a dual heritage researcher and reluctant private investigator Bev Stone helps out her friend Joan who runs a missing person’s agency, when research and writing work is thin on the ground. Her friend is always trying to get her to become an investigator full time. Bev lives in a flat in the middle of Brixton, the flat was left to her by an aunt. Along with the flat she also inherited Rocky, her aunt’s overweight Springer Spaniel, who Bev says, is just as likely to give any intruders a nasty lick. Early in the story Bev is hired to find a missing wife, she has no idea of the trouble that is in store for her. When a woman’s body is found on Mitcham Common, the first suspect is their client. He is cleared of any involvement in the death and the body is eventually identified as the wiife of Ray Golding, the ex employer of the missing wife.. This causes more complications as the story progresses because Golding becomes infatuated with Bev, to the annoyance of his business partner. In the middle of trying to discover the whereabouts of the missing wife, Bev’s search is hindered by her abusive, soon to be ex-husband, who is convinced that she is having an affair with the client. When Bev’s flat is broken into she refuses to call the police because she left a window open and she didn’t want to face the sarcasm of the local bobby. The book is set in Brixton, among some of the mean streets of South London. Bev soon finds herself up against a cunning enemy who wants to stop Bev getting to the truth. When she took the job on it was with the proviso that it would be a simple trace, just a couple of days work, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Bev told her friend that the case would turn out to be more than a simple trace and she was right. When the missing wife’s body eventually turns up, Bev’s own life is on the line will she make it out alive in the terrifying conclusion of the story?

Book excerpt

I sat at the kitchen counter, newspaper in hand and breakfast before me. I was trying to take things slowly. My mobile buzzed and slid around on the breakfast bar. I picked it up and said, “Bev Stone.” “You’ll never guess what’s happened,” said my friend Joan.“You didn’t say hello,” I said. “Do you want to hear from someone who may be able to ease your financial woes?” I felt my heart sink. Joan finding me some money meant she wanted me to do some work for the agency. Now I am not averse to working, in fact I positively enjoy what I do. But when times are hard I help out my friend in her missing person’s agency, called, would you believe Missing You. They get some very weird responses when Shirley, the office help, answers the phone with a breezy “Missing you.” Well, you get the picture. The reason my heart sank wasn’t because Joan had probably found me some work, but because of the kind of work that it might be. Last winter we were involved in a very messy case of domestic violence and murder. At the end of the case I swore any detecting that went beyond a simple online and document search just wasn’t on.“Go on,” I said in the sort of voice you use when you’re pretty sure you are not going to like the answer. “Ha, here am I trying to do you a favour and your hackles are already up. Look I think I may have found you a nice easy piece of work. The client is looking for his missing wife.” “Probably already done away with her,” I said, thinking I spoke in a whisper. “I heard that Bev Stone and it’s definitely not that kind of case.” So you say I thought, but didn’t bother voicing.“She’s only been gone since yesterday morning. Yes, I know, virtually no time at all. I think he’s worrying unnecessarily but he wants us to see if we can locate her. My feeling is it shouldn’t take more than a day or two. All you have to do is follow a paper trail. Maybe make a couple of phone calls to set his mind at rest and it’s five hundred quid in your pocket.” “Go on, “I said, my voice beginning to sound like a record stuck in its groove. “Well that’s all I have to tell you really. I thought that we could meet this morning and I’ll fill you in on the necessaries” I tapped my foot, work, on a Saturday! “Okay,” I said, “But you’re buying breakfast as I haven’t eaten yet,”crossing my fingers at the lie. “Mine’s a sausage and egg McMuffin.” “Not that place again.” Joan sounded exasperated. “No Mc Muffin, no deal,” my voice brooked no argument. “Eight thirty. On the dot,” the receiver clicked in my ear. I shut my phone and kissed my teeth – a habit I’d picked up from my Jamaican aunts. On the bright side I would be getting a second, free, breakfast, and I didn’t have to take the job if I didn’t want it. Yeah right. As if I would turn down the very thing designed to keep the wolf from the door. Who was I kidding?

Author Bio

Susan Clayson is the pen name of Sue Jeffels freelance writer and researcher. Sue loves reading and writing crime and mystery stories and has written a number of short stories. Death Came Stalking is her first novel, it was six years in the writing, and it is available on Amazon Kindle. Death Came Stalking is an attempt at writing British noir fiction. If you like gritty, urban crime stories with a female sleuth then you should enjoy the Lambeth Croak books. The main protagonist, Bev Stone is a feisty dual heritage sleuth who lives and works in Brixton South London. Sue enjoys writing poetry as well as fiction, if you want to know more about this writer then her blog is Get Writing Now, where she blogs about writing in general, writing her novels and life in general. Sue is currently working on the second book in the series, working title is Death – Gangland Style. She is trying complete the first fifty thousand words during NaNoWriMo. Sue has a first degree in English and Religious Studies and a PhD in Feminism, Domestic Violence and Theology. When she is not either reading, freelancing or writing stories Sue enjoys cooking with her grandchildren.

Author Website