Sneaky Peek: Malcolm Hollingdrake's Treble Clef, the 8th in his Harrogate series. (Release date 6th June 2019)

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BLURB

Harrogate attracts hundreds of players to the annual Games Convention and for one player it is the perfect opportunity to kill by the mechanics of his own sinister game. Each victim will die in the same way. Each will be classed as the loser and their time will have run out. The escape room and the game table will draw more, each believing they are invincible. However, in every game there is always a traitor waiting in the wings. The latest in the bestselling Harrogate Crime Series.

Author Bio

You could say that the writing was clearly on the wall for anyone born in a library that they might aspire to be an author but to get to that point Malcolm Hollingdrake has travelled a circuitous route.

Malcolm worked in education for many years, even teaching for a period in Cairo before he started writing, a challenge he had longed to tackle for more years than he cares to remember. 

Malcolm has written a number of successful short stories and has eight books now available. Presently he is concentrating on a series of crime novels set in Harrogate, North Yorkshire. 

Born in Bradford and spending three years in Ripon, Malcolm has never lost his love for his home county, a passion that is reflected in the settings for all three novels.

Malcolm has enjoyed many hobbies including collecting works by Northern artists; the art auctions offer a degree of excitement when both buying and certainly when selling. It’s a hobby he has bestowed on DCI Cyril Bennett, the main character in his latest novel.

 Book Eight in the Harrogate Crime Series is published on June 6^th.

www.malcolmhollingdrakeauthor.co.uk

Sneaky Peek

Owen turned to Cyril.

“What I’ve been able to ascertain from the experts, but more work has to be done, is that the glass is probably old and coloured. According to them it’s red, possibly antique as there are traces of gold salts that are used in the process of colouring glass, especially cranberry coloured glass. Each sliver is also from the same sheet as they consistently show the same refractive index according to the GRIM.” He paused watching a few frowns appear. “It’s kind of appropriate, I do like that acronym. That, as you know, stands for the Glass Refracted Index Measurement. The glass was carried in some protective sheath probably leather, to protect the carrier. There were no traceable contaminants, apart from gun oil residue.”

The word gun made a number of officers look directly at Cyril.

“Don’t get excited. I’m informed the wheels used for glass cutting are lubricated with a fine oil and even though, as I said, the glass had been cleaned, there was still a trace.”

“The pruning clippers, anything there?” Brian continued to doodle as he asked the question.

“Forensics are looking at traces of metal left on the bone fragments and that should show something in time but I’m assured they were new. There was also a wooden splinter found under the thumb of his left hand. Forensics thought that this had occurred fairly recently and that proved to be the case, two or three days max. It was pine, unpainted but there was evidence of plaster of Paris within the sample.”

“New apartment, rubbing down some of the woodwork to add a bit of colour? You know how clinical new builds can be,” Harry suggested.

“That’s also to be investigated. It’s all about when he received the injury.”

“So, as we sit here, we have people looking through the records of those attending the event. They’re checking Carruthers’s friends, relatives and work colleagues. We’re then going to try to piece together his whereabouts not only whilst in Harrogate, but in the days, weeks and if necessary, the months leading up to his death. Your job is to keep abreast of what’s coming in and put the pieces together... that is, if the computers don’t do that before you. Anything else before Owen dashes to see if his brew is still drinkable?”

“Phone records are in and those numbers who called and were called are being checked. Should have a list in forty-eight hours,” Shakti stated as she shuffled the papers in front of her. “I’ll add them to the system and the boards when they come in.”

Cyril nodded. “Banking details, money, anything unusual about his accounts? Let’s look. Anything else?”

“One other thing.” It was Owen’s turn to stop everyone from moving. “Harry and Shakti have been looking into the types of games played at the convention, particularly those that were borrowed using a Game Passport. April, if you’d

liaise with them and see if there’s anything relevant, threatening... anything that might be worth following up. Is the lost hand significant apart from the obvious? I don’t want someone to tell me he had a bad hand or that he chucked in his hand.” Owen did not give them time to react. “Referencing all the players who used the same games might open up a lead to be pursued. Right now, that’s a proverbial needle in a haystack. 8.20. There’s work to be done.”

Hi Liz,

Here’s your Sneaky Peek. Hope it’s okay.

Harrogate attracts hundreds of players to the annual Games Convention and for one player it is the perfect opportunity to kill by the mechanics of his own sinister game.

Each victim will die in the same way.

Each will be classed as the loser and their time will have run out.

The escape room and the game table will draw more, each believing they are invincible. However, in every game there is always a traitor waiting in the wings.