CPS: Crown Prosecution Service, body which decides whether cases go to criminal court Council: local government Deck: one of the landings on a floor of a tower block Diary: appointment book Div: idiot (offensive) Dodgy: not to be trusted, illegal.

Dosh: money Double glazing: insulated windows with two layers of glass DC: detective constable DI: detective inspector DS: detective sergeant ED: accident and emergency department of hospital Estate: public/social housing estate (similar to housing projects) Estate agent: realtor (US) Fag: cigarette.

Fancy: find attractive FE: further education college Freshers: Students in their first term/year at university Garden Centre: a business where plants and gardening equipment are sold Gas people: company selling consumers gas for heating and hot water Gobsmacked: surprised.

Get off: make out GP: general practitioner, a doctor based in the community Gran: grandmother Guest house: a private house offering rooms to paying guests (in the days before Airbnb!) Hard nut: tough guy.

Hatchback: a car with an upwards-opening door across full width of back Home: care home for elderly or sick people Home Office: UK government department in charge of domestic affairs Inne: isn't he Into care: a child taken away from their family by the social services Jobcentre: unemployment office Jumper: sweater.

Kosher: genuine or legal Lad: young man Lamped: hit Lay-by: an area off a road where cars can pull in and stop Lift: as in give a lift, drive someone somewhere Loo: toilet.

Lounge: living room Lorry: a truck Mobile phone: cell phone Net curtains: a type of semi-transparent curtain Newsagents: shop selling newspapers, confectionery, cigarettes etc.

NHS: National Health Service, public health service of UK Nick: police station (as verb: to arrest) Nowt: nothing Nutter: insane person Nursery: a place which grows plants, shrubs and trees for sale (often wholesale) OCD: Obsessive-compulsive disorder OS: Ordnance Survey, detailed map Overalls: dungarees Paki: (racist) short for Pakistani, may be applied to any Asian Pants: underwear PC: police constable PM: post-mortem Petrol: gasoline Petrol station: gas station Piss off: as exclamation, go away (rude). Also can mean annoy.

Planning Department: the local authority department which issues licences to build and develop property Plod: policeman Posh: upper class Punter: client of prostitute / can also mean gambler.

Randy: horny Ready meal: prepared food which only needs to be reheated.

Rock: a sugary candy often on sale at the seaside Semi: semi-detached house, house with another house joined to it on one side only Skinful: enough alcohol to make you drunk Skip: a large container for building rubbish.

Services: Shops and gas station by highway Sixth-former: student in the final two years of high school (16-18 years old) Sod: an annoying person.

Sod it: expression meaning you've decided not to give a damn Solicitor: lawyer Squaddies: soldiers Tea: dinner (Northern English) Till: cash register Tipsy: a bit drunk.

Toerag: loser (insulting) Ton: a hundred pounds Torch: flashlight.

Tutor: university teacher Tower block: tall building containing apartments (usually social housing) Two-up two-down: house with two bedrooms upstairs, and two rooms downstairs Uni: university/college Uniform: a police officer wearing a uniform, usually a police constable Van: a vehicle for carrying goods.

Warrant card: police ID in the UK Young offender: criminal between 14-17 years of age.

CHARACTER LIST.

Detective Chief Inspector Sophie Allen is Dorset's acknowledged expert on murder and violent crime, newly appointed to run the county's Serious and Violent Crime Unit. She is 42 years old as the series starts, and lives with her family in Wareham. Sophie has a law degree and a masters in criminal psychology. Sophie may appear at first to be somewhat of a cold fish,' over-intellectual and too clever by half. This is the persona created in Dark Crimes but is far from the truth. The reasons for this ice-queen' facade lie deep in her own past, in events that she has half-forgotten herself. These events are hinted at in the first novel but surface with shattering effect in the second story.

Detective Sergeant Barry Marsh is in his early thirties and in Dark Crimes, the first novel, is based at Swanage police station. He's quiet, methodical and dedicated, the perfect foil for Sophie's hidden fragility.

Detective Constable Jimmy Melsom is also based in Swanage. He has only recently joined the CID, and is a little gung-ho in his attitude to crime investigation.

Detective Constable Lydia Pillay is a talented young officer based with DCI Allen at Dorset County police HQ.

Detective Inspector Kevin McGreedie is attached to the Bournemouth and Poole division of Dorset police. His assistant is DS Bob Thomson.

Detective Superintendent Matt Silver is Sophie's immediate boss. He helped to appoint her to lead the Violent Crime Unit but, to his regret, has a largely administrative role in the county police hierarchy.

Detective Chief Superintendent Neil Dunnett is the overall commander. He clashes with Sophie several times in Dark Crimes. The source of the antagonism is not clear.

Martin Allen is Sophie's husband. He is Head of the Mathematics Department at a large secondary school in Dorchester. Martin has a minor, but very supportive, role in the novels. He and Sophie met while at university. He has a more prominent role in later novels in the series.

Sophie and Martin have two daughters. Jade is fifteen in the first novel, and appears in all the subsequent stories. She has a lively and very quirky personality, as you will soon spot. Hannah, the elder daughter, is a drama student in London. She is quieter in her approach to life. She appears as a minor character in the first novel, but has a more important role in later books.

Thank you for reading this book. If you enjoyed it please leave feedback on Amazon, and if there is anything we missed or you have a question about then please get in touch. The author and publishing team appreciate your feedback and time reading this book.

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Follow us on facebook www.facebook.com/joffebooks for news on Michael Hambling's next book arriving in 2016.

More about Michael Hambling.

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