Baton. Light. Chocolate. Duck. This is not DS Adams’ usual kit. This is not DS Adams’ usual case. She doesn’t think it’s anyone’s usual case, not with the vanishing children and the looming bridge and the hungry river. Not with the snap-snap-snap. But six kids are missing, and she’s not going to let there be a seventh. Not on her watch. And she knows how to handle human monsters, after all. How different can this really be? So: Baton. Light. Chocolate. And the bloody duck. Let’s be having you, then. What Happened in London is the story of how not-yet-DI Adams came to Toot Hansell, the village at the centre of the Beaufort Scales cozy mysteries. It is not, however, a cozy mystery. Urban fantasy with a good dose of humour, snark, and ducks, this is the story of a one detective who's determined to follow the evidence wherever it takes her, even when it contradicts everything she knows to be real. For Beaufort readers, this is a darker story, and is very lacking in tea and cake. There is some violence, but none of it graphic, and there is no strong language, although there is some blasphemy. And the snap-snap-snap …

Walk softly, and carry a very big stick … DI Adams fled London to escape bridge-dwelling monsters and magical toasties – a one-time experience she's in no hurry to repeat. She’s police, not some cryptid hunter. Leeds has other plans, though. Tasked with the seemingly mundane case of a missing necklace, Adams soon realises she’s stumbled into something inexplicable. The trinket is dangerous, and she’s the only one who recognises it for what it is – a weapon that could tear the north apart. Juggling unhelpful colleagues, amnesiac witnesses, and problematic women of a certain age, Adams plunges into the treacherous, magic-soaked streets of Leeds. She may not have backup, but at least she has the invisible, caffeine-addicted dog by her side. Plus a duck. And a very big stick. She’s got this. She has to. Because there’s no one else who can … ### This is book one in the DI Adams Mysteries, but you may want to check out the prequel, What Happened in London, to discover the significance of that duck. The DI Adams Mysteries contain no graphic violence, scenes of a sexual nature, or strong language, but they do contain some blasphemy, as well as a truly disturbing level of caffeine consumption.

In the ancient city of York, a master charm has been stolen - one powerful enough to raise an army of metal guardians across the country. Built to protect, they can just as easily destroy, and in the wrong hands, they will. Which is bad enough. But if the charm isn't recovered soon, they won’t be the only ones on the rampage. Because Heather - near-goddess of the wood and wild, and deeply unimpressed partner of the charm's creator - will tear the city apart to stop them. DI Adams never asked to be the magical community's go-to fixer, but with York on the brink of collapse, she's the only one standing between humanity and a full-blown nature-vs-machine catastrophe. Armed with her invisible, caffeine-addicted dog, her duck, and a bunch of Folk with more opinions than usefulness, Adams descends into the hidden underworld of York. There, she'll face light-fearing gerbils, ravenous beasts, and allies with questionable loyalties. And let's not mention unstable dimensions and reality playing fast and loose with physics. But she's got no time to learn how to navigate any of it. Time's running out. The charm is waking. And when tree and root rise to meet steel and iron, nothing will survive the collision. . .