John Hunter mysteries Series

Maya Curtis, a Philippino with a long history of sexual abuse, kisses her new husband as she leaves for work in Oncology Wing of St Margaret's Hospital, blissfully unaware that she is destined to be the first mutilated member of the cast in a series of theatrically staged murders, her death at first appearing to be natural. That opinion is rapidly revised when the pathologist sees that Maya's clitoris has been surgically removed just after death. DI John Hunter regards the case as an obvious no-hoper. There is no scene of crime evidence, no obvious motive, and literally hundreds of possible killers. He and Jane go through the motions, interviewing staff, but the case stagnates. Exactly five weeks later another Philippino nurse is killed in exactly the same way and in the same place. Her clitoris is also removed. Both women have histories where sex was a major part of their lives. Now there are too many possible motives: racial, sexual, revenge against the Department or a member of staff. John still faces the same problems. The list of victims grows longer, with both nurses and doctors victims, always with body parts removed. At last John thinks he knows who and where, unaware that Jane is in mortal danger...

DI John Hunter is not every day confronted with the corpse of a senior Government minister, nor that of an extra-terrestrial noble lord. This one seems to be both. John knows what problems the political implications will bring to the case. There are no marks on the body apart from the 'ALIEN' inscription on the forehead, and nothing to show how the death occurred. Both the dead man's phones are missing. Like all ministers, Sir Duncan received many death threats, and one of them reads, 'Death to all aliens'. At first sight it seems like a 'nutcase' killing. John and his new wife, Jane, are sent for an interview with the Prime Minister, where it is made plain to them that they are to tread carefully - not one of John's usual attributes. With vindictive interference from Special Branch not helping matters the investigation is going nowhere fast. John begins to investigate the 'Church of Pure Humanity' with the help of friends. One of the declared intentions of the Church is 'Death to all aliens'. Jane is abducted to try to stop him investigating, but he believes he is on the right track at last and sets a trap for the killer, but he could not be more wrong...

DI John Hunter is back again. Faced with one of his 'Thursday' murders - a young girl dressed in police uniform fished out of the Thames - he knows he is on a hiding to nothing, but that one goes on the back burner while he investigates the murder of a senior police officer, Commander Freddie Sloane, who headed up Vice. Someone out there is determined to destroy John's marriage, using false evidence of his and Jane's apparent infidelities, and Jane's involvement in Freddie Sloane's murder. Her pistol, kept in their personal safe, was used to kill the Commander, and other equally damning evidence piles up against her, leading to her arrest on what appears to be a slam-dunk case. John is taken off the case but continues investigating, receiving death threats from the Russian mafia along the way. One of his suspects is Freddie's eldest daughter, and she is involved with a woman who runs a home for battered women. John is surprised to find one of his old loves, Maria, a technical wizard, in charge, and while there also sees a young Russian girl, who is hiding from the mafia. He arranges to have a colleague inserted undercover into the home, sure the answer lies in that place. His friend Paddy has been eavesdropping on the Russians and tells John they are about to raid the home. He and Paddy race there but arrive too late: the girl has been taken and Marie killed. John adds two and two and finds the killer, but for personal reasons wants to 'look the other way', as he did in the 'Infinity' affair.. His crime partner will not agree and he is unable to do so, which results in the murderer's suicide, but John has been told enough for him to realize that both murders were related, and for Jane to be released from custody. With the case closed, he attends Freddie's funeral, only to find out that he has been played throughout like a worn out old one-stringed fiddle.