Dying Art, page 23
part #5 of DCI Cyril Bennett Series
In Harrogate things are about to get weird.
Jars of honey containing pieces of tattooed flesh are the first clue in the search for the whereabouts of a missing fourteen-year-old boy. Then another boy goes missing and further jars of honey are discovered.
Serial kidnappings taking place in Harrogate and the culprit is unlike any other Bennett has dealt with before.
A number of leads seem to be going nowhere and the police are running out of time.
Can Bennett and his team catch a psychopath before any more damage is done?
This will be his toughest case yet.
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Game Point
DCI BENNETT BOOK 4
Game Point: an explosive new crime thriller from a critically acclaimed and best-selling author
DCI Bennett faces the most harrowing case of his career. A psychopath, who escaped capture, is hell bent on revenge and executes a series of events that will not only impact on Bennett physically, but will have emotional and professional consequences.
A body is found with its fingers amputated, then an investigative journalist, embroiled in the pornography and drugs scene, is murdered.
Bennett’s team is faced with some baffling evidence. Hatpins and bicycle spokes become pivotal to the inquiry but the police struggle to connect the evidence.
It is only when a Detective Sergeant from the team is kidnapped that Bennett realises that he is the true target.
Can Bennett solve the case before it’s too late? How many people will he lose in the process?
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Crossed Out
DCI BENNETT BOOK 6
Looking for an unmissable crime thriller from a best-selling author?
DCI Bennett and his team are back and called to a house in Ripon that has collapsed into a sinkhole where a body is discovered.
Soon old weathered Remembrance Crosses are found dug up. Each one numbered.
DC April Richmond is assigned to help the team due to her impressive biblical knowledge and soon makes a startling discovery.
Meanwhile, Gideon Fletcher is walking around the streets of Harrogate distributing religious texts. Is there a link between Gideon and the crosses? Do the crosses have anything to do with the body in the house?
Bennett and the team find themselves wondering if the killer is exacting revenge or punishment and whatever the answer, they soon realise the clock is ticking.
Crossed Out is an intricate and gripping crime thriller from the best-selling DCI Bennett Series. It can easily be read as a stand-alone novel and will appeal to fans of authors like Joy Ellis, Faith Martin, LJ Ross & Angela Marsons.
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Acknowledgments
Thank you to my wife, Debbie, without you I’d be nothing. X
It’s hard to believe that this is the conclusion of DCI Cyril Bennett’s fifth case. He and the rest of the team have now become a firm part of my family. It was sad to write the death of one of his colleagues in Book Four, forgive me! It was a difficult decision to plot Liz’s demise and one that I didn’t take lightly, but sometimes life deals devastating blows that make each and every one of us take stock and rethink our position. Bringing Cyril back from the chasm of his depressed state has been more of an emotional test than I could have imagined. I have to thank a truly inspirational lady for her professional guidance on this important, sensitive issue. Linda Foster, thank you.
Writing is such a pleasure but one that, for me, requires a good deal of support. Although I type the words, there are many people who, through their various skills, help form and wreak the raw material into a tangible structure. I must offer a massive thanks to the wonderful team at Bloodhound Books, the editors, the cover designers and all those beavering away behind the scenes. I shall be ever grateful to Betsy and Fred for having faith in my writing. They are the ticking heart of Bloodhound.
To, Christopher Nolan, Ross Greenwood and Mark Tilbury for their support for me as a newly published writer, it does make a difference. Thank you.
I am constantly humbled by the support I receive from the many bloggers who promote writers. Please keep doing what you do so well. Authors hold you in such high regard.
A big thanks to a number of groups: Crime Fiction Addict, Book Connectors, TBC, UK Crime Club, Let’s do Books, Orchard Book Club and the Crime Book Club, all on Facebook. Your support is so valued.
I am blessed in having a dedicated group of readers who are always there to offer honest, critical insights into my work. Thankfully, they are still here! To Stuart, Chris, Margaret, Bill, Barbara, Tony, Eileen and Peter, my sincere thanks.
Thanks to Carrie, who always casts a critical eye over the second draft, your patience is appreciated.
Thanks Danny Norkus for his continued support
Thanks to Bill Clark for sharing his personal reflections.
Thanks to Ben Kelly for allowing me to add his name and describe his fantastic artwork in this story.
Monica Mac entered an online competition to have her name included. She also wanted to be an evil character. I sincerely hope that you liked your part.
Helen Claire – an inspiration in so many ways. Thank you.
Everyone has a guardian angel and I am no exception. Thank you for watching over me. x
Last, but certainly not the least, I have to thank you, dear reader, for your continued support. If you have enjoyed this latest Bennett book please help spread the word.
Malcolm
Afterword
A note from the author
There have been many forgers and fakers throughout history going back to Roman times, each snaring the innocent and the greedy, each preying on the naïvety of hope and wealth. Can you believe that in the latter part of the twentieth century, some of the biggest art frauds took place against the growing forensic, scientific ability to investigate the very substance that makes a painting specific, not only to a date and time, but to a particular artist? So why do these fakes continue to plague both actual and on-line auction houses?
Over the last decade, television has been instrumental in demonstrating the power of art and antiques, the potential to find a hidden gem secreted amongst the detritus, flotsam and jetsam of the car boot sale or attic! It is this very desire, to make a fortune, that places the naïve in the clutches of those who have the ability to create something that will deceive, tempt and tantalise.
Between the years 1989 and 2006, a family from the north of England managed to develop an operation that would do just this. They would produce a large number of forgeries. They would go on to sell these fakes, not to the innocent or the aspiring private dealer, but to galleries, museums, auction houses and private wealthy collectors who were surrounded by experts and accrue well over a million pounds.
How was this possible? Not only were they capable of producing quality fakes, both two-dimensional and three-dimensional, but they also managed to develop a system of creating false, yet realistic provenance, the history of the piece. And the real key to their success was to keep it all within the family, a family who did it for the challenge. Although amassing wealth from the illegal trade, it was a wealth that stayed hidden; there were no fancy cars nor the usual trappings of ill-gotten gain.
So why did they fail? Thankfully, some specialists have a keener eye than others. Suspicions were raised when the forger was only too willing to lower the price when probing questions were being asked and doubts were being cast. Once the alarm bell had been rung, others listened. The dominoes began to fall, slowly at first, but the end result would be staggering.
It has been said, by the police in the know, that allegedly, forty per cent of art works traded through online websites may well be the work of forgers. It is always wise to go through reputable dealers and remember that when buying at auction: caveat emptor – let the buyer beware.
Malcolm Hollingdrake, Dying Art
