LEFT FOR DEAD

Detective Inspector Temple’s first day with the Major Crime Unit — and the last case he should be mixed up in.

A double shooting. An unreliable witness. A vengeful family.

It’s elderly Vera Drake out walking her Jack Russell terrier who finds them. Two young men, in a car in the woods, their bodies slumped in the front seat as if sleeping.

DI Temple is first on the scene. Each victim has a single gunshot wound to the head. One of them is still alive — just.

The pair are quickly identified as Liam and Aaron Fortune, members of a local organized crime family. Temple’s had dealings with them before. It didn’t end well.

It’s a difficult case. There’s no public sympathy. The victims were nasty pieces of work. And the family are seeking their own rough justice — without the help of the police.

Then a suspect emerges: a local man in possession of an illegal firearm. Evidence puts him at the scene of the crime. The team reckon they’ve got their killer. Temple’s not convinced. He’s in a race against time to uncover the truth before the violence escalates.

At the same time, a figure from Temple’s past emerges. The man he’s been hunting for almost his entire life. The man who killed his mother.

DISCOVER A RACE-AGAINST-TIME CRIME THRILLER FULL OF TWISTS AND TURNS.

This gripping police procedural is perfect for fans of Kimberley Chambers, Helen H. Durrant, Damien Boyd, Rachel Abbott, Patricia Gibney, Angela Marsons, Rebecca Bradley or Mark Billingham.

WHAT READERS ARE SAYING ABOUT DEBORAH LUCY’S DI TEMPLE SERIES:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Oh my what a thriller!” Rosie34

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Fantastic story, fantastic reading, I loved every page.” Peter

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Couldn’t put this book down.” Chrissym55

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “This book was a page-turner from start to finish.” Babs

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Good story with twists — hard to put down.” Michael

THE DETECTIVE
As a small boy, DI Temple found his mother dead. She had been brutally murdered, with the crime unresolved. Temple is a man on a mission to find her killer, it’s why he joined the police. With the past throwing a long shadow over his life, as a detective, this makes him even more determined to seek justice for other victims as he hunts their killers. His personal quest makes him difficult to live with and difficult to work with and his relationships suffer. But he’ll stop at nothing to protect his family, even though they are estranged — and if it means breaking the law.

THE SETTING
The DI Temple novels are set in Wiltshire, a largely rural county. Its landscape of beautiful rolling hills, downs, and valleys gives no immunity to the crime that infects its scattered towns and villages. Steeped in ancient history, the tourist guides make no mention of the organized crime groups, the murders and turf wars, or the drugs that saturate the streets, lanes and school playgrounds. The M4 artery across the top of the county pumps its poison from London and Bristol, linking east and west coasts, providing criminal gangs and networks with an easy route to ply their deadly trade.

THE AUTHOR
Deborah Lucy worked for twenty-five years in Wiltshire Police, alongside a number of senior investigating officers as they investigated major crimes, including murders, missing persons, abduction and kidnaps. For three years she worked in the missing adults and children arena, with police, government policy advisers and charities. Latterly, she conducted lifestyle inquiries for international blue chip companies into the lives of billionaires, millionaires and politically exposed people around the world. She has a master’s degree in historical research.

ALSO BY DEBORAH LUCY

DI TEMPLE SERIES
Book 1: WATCH HER DIE
Book 2: DEAD OF NIGHT
Book 3: LEFT FOR DEAD