Blood Lines

Caroline Carter's corpse is sitting upright by one of the kitchen cupboards, its head smashed in by the heavy iron skillet lying artistically posed next to the body, the ring finger of the left hand missing. DI John Hunter automatically reads the murder as a domestic, particularly since the husband, Max, has apparently 'done a runner'. John has no idea that the death is only the top layer of the most intriguing can of worms he has ever come across. DI Annie Green, an avid reader of crime fiction, comes back from holiday, takes one look at the white boards and tells the detectives that the murder is an exact copy of one in a novel by Mason Klee, a famous author. Klee is a member of the Mile High Millionaires' Club, an organisation for top selling authors. The copycat murder puts the out-of-favour author back at the top of the best sellers' list, giving him a strong motive for having carried out or orchestrated the killing. The motto of the Club also makes John think that the murder could have been arranged by several of the members, some of whom make him suspicious. Further investigation into the ‘Gang of Four’ who rule the club gives him information that convinces him that they have murdered before and could have done again. Major Neilson-Craddock, the obnoxious manager of the Club, shows his animosity to the detective but is ignored as ineffective. More copycat murders occur; another one from Klee's books, but then from the novels of other members of the Club. The normal problem, lack of motive, does not apply in this case, and the suspects multiply until a lucky break gives John his perpetrator. But John has never believed in luck!