Frank Elder
by 4 books in this series
Once a Detective Inspector in the Nottinghamshire Force, Frank Elder has retired to an isolated cottage in Cornwall, and is trying to live the quiet life. The past, however, is never far behind him.
#1 - Flesh And Blood
She disappeared fifteen years ago. Frank Elder never stopped looking.
Long after Susan Blacklock's disappearance, Detective Inspector Frank Elder has taken early retirement, but the case still plagues his mind – one failure he can never fix.
The prime suspects were jailed for another murder. Now, one of them is on parole – until he vanishes too.
And then the postcards start arriving. Postcards from the killer. Postcards of Elder's daughter...
Long after Susan Blacklock's disappearance, Detective Inspector Frank Elder has taken early retirement, but the case still plagues his mind – one failure he can never fix.
The prime suspects were jailed for another murder. Now, one of them is on parole – until he vanishes too.
And then the postcards start arriving. Postcards from the killer. Postcards of Elder's daughter...
#2 - Ash And Bone
When the takedown of a violent criminal goes badly wrong, something doesn't feel right to Detective Sergeant Maddy Birch. And her uneasiness is compounded by her belief that someone is following her home.
Retired Detective Inspector Frank Elder's daughter, Katherine, is running wild. Elder's fears for his daughter are underscored by guilt - it was his involvement in a case that led directly to the abduction and rape which has so unbalanced Katherine's life.
Persuaded out of retirement, Elder reopens a cold case which could have devastating repercussions for the crime squad itself. Elder's investigations take place against the backdrop of his increasing concern for his daughter. He must battle his own demons before he can uncover the truth.
Retired Detective Inspector Frank Elder's daughter, Katherine, is running wild. Elder's fears for his daughter are underscored by guilt - it was his involvement in a case that led directly to the abduction and rape which has so unbalanced Katherine's life.
Persuaded out of retirement, Elder reopens a cold case which could have devastating repercussions for the crime squad itself. Elder's investigations take place against the backdrop of his increasing concern for his daughter. He must battle his own demons before he can uncover the truth.
#3 - Darkness and Light
The third DI Frank Elder novel, from the master of British crime writing.
A phone call intrudes on retired Detective Inspector Frank Elder’s solitary life in Cornwall. It’s his estranged wife and she needs a favour. A friend’s sister, Claire Meecham, an unassuming widow in her fifties, has gone missing.
Elder agrees to return to Nottingham to try and track her down. Then Claire is found, dead. The killer has arranged her body meticulously, almost lovingly, forcing Elder to remember another dead woman, arranged in an almost identical way. It was his first case with the Serious Crimes Unit. His first case and never solved.
It’s clear to Elder that this is the work of the same unbalanced individual and, to find the killer, Elder must shine a light into the darkest recesses of human behaviour, the dark and twisted recesses of a disturbed human mind.
A phone call intrudes on retired Detective Inspector Frank Elder’s solitary life in Cornwall. It’s his estranged wife and she needs a favour. A friend’s sister, Claire Meecham, an unassuming widow in her fifties, has gone missing.
Elder agrees to return to Nottingham to try and track her down. Then Claire is found, dead. The killer has arranged her body meticulously, almost lovingly, forcing Elder to remember another dead woman, arranged in an almost identical way. It was his first case with the Serious Crimes Unit. His first case and never solved.
It’s clear to Elder that this is the work of the same unbalanced individual and, to find the killer, Elder must shine a light into the darkest recesses of human behaviour, the dark and twisted recesses of a disturbed human mind.
#7 - Body and Soul
'John Harvey is one of the all-time greats and remains one of my favourite writers.' IAN RANKIN
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Frank Elder's last case could be the one that breaks him for good.
The heavy manacles around the girl's wrists, perhaps not surprisingly, looked very much like the ones that had been found on the studio floor. For a moment, she had a vision of the chain to which they were attached being swung through the air, taking on force and speed before striking home. Then swung again.
When his estranged daughter Katherine appears on his doorstep, ex-Detective Frank Elder knows that something is wrong.
Katherine has long been troubled, and Elder has always felt powerless to help her. But now Katherine has begun to self-destruct; the breakdown of her affair with a controversial artist, known for his pornographic paintings, has sent her into a tailspin.
But when the artist is found murdered in his studio, suspicion falls on Katherine. The vultures are circling.
And as Elder struggles to protect his daughter and prove her innocence, the terrors of the past threaten them both once more...
Daily Telegraph Book of the Year
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'A masterpiece from a master of the genre.' MARK BILLINGHAM
'An expertly plotted and moving final act for an old-school investigator of the best sort, from a true master of the genre' GUARDIAN Books of the Month
'This is wonderfully atmospheric crime writing - a tribute to Harvey's exceptional talent' MAIL
'The 79-year-old Harvey has made it clear that Body & Soul is his last novel, and what an excellent farewell it is .... Elder and Resnick are both greats of British crime fiction.' THE TIMES Book of the Month
'Few writers have even approached Harvey's grasp of atmosphere which, mingled with some sharpish social comment and utterly believable characters, makes them a must read' CRIME REVIEW
'Sadly, this is Harvey's last book after a 40-year crime writing masterclass.' PETERBOROUGH TELEGRAPH
_____
Frank Elder's last case could be the one that breaks him for good.
The heavy manacles around the girl's wrists, perhaps not surprisingly, looked very much like the ones that had been found on the studio floor. For a moment, she had a vision of the chain to which they were attached being swung through the air, taking on force and speed before striking home. Then swung again.
When his estranged daughter Katherine appears on his doorstep, ex-Detective Frank Elder knows that something is wrong.
Katherine has long been troubled, and Elder has always felt powerless to help her. But now Katherine has begun to self-destruct; the breakdown of her affair with a controversial artist, known for his pornographic paintings, has sent her into a tailspin.
But when the artist is found murdered in his studio, suspicion falls on Katherine. The vultures are circling.
And as Elder struggles to protect his daughter and prove her innocence, the terrors of the past threaten them both once more...
Daily Telegraph Book of the Year
_____
'A masterpiece from a master of the genre.' MARK BILLINGHAM
'An expertly plotted and moving final act for an old-school investigator of the best sort, from a true master of the genre' GUARDIAN Books of the Month
'This is wonderfully atmospheric crime writing - a tribute to Harvey's exceptional talent' MAIL
'The 79-year-old Harvey has made it clear that Body & Soul is his last novel, and what an excellent farewell it is .... Elder and Resnick are both greats of British crime fiction.' THE TIMES Book of the Month
'Few writers have even approached Harvey's grasp of atmosphere which, mingled with some sharpish social comment and utterly believable characters, makes them a must read' CRIME REVIEW
'Sadly, this is Harvey's last book after a 40-year crime writing masterclass.' PETERBOROUGH TELEGRAPH