The Seventh Magpie

Nordic meets Bollywood in a novel of stark contrasts... A talented young Drama student, daughter of an Indian film star and an English diplomat, is attacked on New Year's Eve by unknown assailants. She is found unconscious by an off-duty detective, a Swedish American, working in a police force in the North of England. This event leads to an unusual pairing of sleuths, and is the catalyst to some extraordinary happenings in a murky world of lies, violence, and criminality. In this romantic thriller, many lives intertwine, and each has a secret, never to be told... DCI Max Berg is a Swedish American: thick set, and six foot five inches of funny guy. He's a Criminal Psychologist, a tough cop, and a cultured gourmet, who favours well-cut Italian suits - and the beautiful student whose life he saves on New Year's Eve. Vida Nargis Kelmar, the Eurasian Drama student, is a gifted mistress of disguise, determined to use her talents to help the DCI who came to her rescue, whether he approves or not... Lola, Vida's best friend, is a young, black, gay man of Caribbean descent. He's humorous, outrageous and affectionate, a riot of flat Northern vowels and colourful personality, who has his own contribution to make to the proceedings... In there too, are other fascinating characters, inhabiting the worlds of both Drama and Crime, whose stories are told along the way. There is something, and someone, for every reader, in this tale of crime, love and passion - even those who are interested in grand designs. For those who enjoy property porn, there's some of that to be found, too... The novel is the first of the MAGPIE series of detective stories, which feature the characters of DCI Berg, Vida and Lola.