She thought he was gone. She was wrong. Fifteen years ago a serial killer was on a rampage murdering young women in Middlehampton. Then the killings stopped, and the murderer evaded the police. So when the body of another young woman is found bearing the twisted killer’s unique hallmark—the overpowering stench of lavender and an origami heart—DS Kat Ballantyne knows this can only mean one thing: the killer is back. For Kat, whose best friend was the killer’s last victim all those years ago, this is deeply personal. She’ll stop at nothing to prevent more women dying and bring her friend’s murderer to justice. But the scent has gone cold once before. Kat will need all the help she can get in her investigation as she hunts down leads and encounters dead ends and horrifying twists. With time running out, can she finally crack the case and put a stop to the killings—or will she be the next victim?

For DS Kat Ballantyne, finding the murderer might mean looking closer to home. DS Kat Ballantyne is still reeling from a revelation that turned life as she knew it upside down. But when a dog walker discovers the body of a woman among the standing stones known locally as the Three Sisters, there’s no time to focus on her own troubles. Kat is drawn back to work to investigate. At first, the death appears to be an accident. But then Kat discovers an infinity symbol branded onto the dead woman’s abdomen. She’s convinced there’s a vicious killer at large. Still juggling her turbulent private life with her professional duty, she begins to dig into the victim’s past. There, she uncovers shocking secrets and several potential suspects. When a second woman is found killed in similar circumstances, Kat needs answers fast. Does she have a serial killer on her hands? Or is the perpetrator motivated by something more personal? What connects the victims? And can she catch the killer before anyone else turns up dead?

Her career on the line and an innocent woman charged with murder. Can she save them both? As bogus corruption charges loom over her, DS Kat Ballantyne finds herself deskbound and stuck with cold cases. Her hated boss, DI Carver, has given her just one week to explain how £50,000 found its way into her bank account. If she can’t, she’ll be lucky to have a desk at all. Then a close friend calls her from a murder scene, claiming to have strangled a local gangster’s wife. Kat has no choice but to disobey orders and investigate. Despite overwhelming forensic evidence supporting her friend’s confession, something still doesn’t add up… With the clock against her, can Kat unmask her unwelcome benefactor, save her career and find the real killer before an innocent woman pays the ultimate price?

A famous victim. A locked room. Dark secrets. For DS Ballantyne, murder isn’t black and white. DS Kat Ballantyne came to the crime-writing festival for an escape. Instead she’s walked straight into a murder scene. Moments before he’s due on stage, a famous novelist is found dead in a locked room. It looks like natural causes, but Kat sees tiny clues that suggest murder. As she investigates, she uncovers literary rivalries, personal vendettas and hidden agendas. Is there anyone who didn’t have a motive to murder Mark Swift? As the case takes a turn for the darker, Kat finds herself in a world where the line between right and wrong is blurred. Can she bring Swift’s killer to justice? And, if so, should she?

A journalist’s final words lead Kat Ballantyne into a deadly game of power, corruption and terror. A bomb threat at Middlehampton’s Powerhouse music venue sends DS Kat Ballantyne spiralling into a nightmare—her husband and son are inside. As the city reels in terror, Kat fights to keep her family safe while being pulled into another deadly case that may well be connected… A journalist investigating a controversial football club takeover makes a chilling 999 call before collapsing. Hours later, he’s dead. His apparent murder marks the beginning of a dangerous trail of corruption leading to a foreign royal family. Or is the killer closer to home? With a murder to solve, a terrorist plot unfolding and rival agencies vying for supremacy, Kat must untangle the truth before it’s too late. Justice always comes at a price—and this time, it could cost her everything.