Cold Sacrifice

Leigh Russell studied at the University of Kent, gaining a Masters degree in English. A secondary school English teacher, and guest university lecturer in creative writing, she is married, has two daughters, and lives in North West London. Her first novel, shortlisted for the CWA best first novel award,
Cut Short
, was published in 2009. This was followed by
Road Closed
in 2010,
Dead End
in 2011,
Death Bed
in 2012 and
Stop Dead
in 2013.

‘All the things a mystery should be, intriguing, enthralling, tense and utterly absorbing’
–
Best Crime Books
 

‘Stop Dead
is taut and compelling, stylishly written with a deeply human voice’
– 
Peter James

‘A definite must read for crime thriller fans everywhere – 5 stars’
–
Eileen Thornton
, Newbooks Magazine

‘For lovers of crime fiction this is a brilliant, not to be missed, novel’
–
Helen M Hunt,
Fiction is Stranger than Fact

‘Geraldine Steel sticks out as a believable copper and
Stop Dead
flows easily’
–
Nick Triplow
, Electric Lullaby

‘a well written, a well-researched, and a well-constructed whodunit. Highly recommended’
–
Linda Regan,
Mystery People

‘a whodunit of the highest order. The tightly written plot kept me guessing all the way’
– Graham Smith,
Crimesquad

CRITICAL ACCLAIM FOR
DEATH BED

‘Earlier books have marked her out as one of the most able practitioners in the current field’
–
Barry Forshaw
, Crime Time

‘
Death Bed
is a marvellous entry in this highly acclaimed series’
–
Promoting Crime Fiction

‘An innovative and refreshing take on the psychological thriller’
–
Books Plus Food

‘Russell’s strength as a writer is her ability to portray believable characters’
–
Crimesquad

‘A well written, well plotted crime novel with fantastic pace and lots of intrigue’
–
Bookersatz

‘Truly a great crime thriller’
–
Nayu’s Reading Corner

‘DEATH BED
is her most exciting and well-written to date. And, as the others are superb, that is really saying something! 5*’
–
Eurocrime

‘The story itself was as usual a good one, and the descriptive gruesomeness of some scenes was brilliant’
–
Best Crime Books

CRITICAL ACCLAIM FOR
DEAD END

‘All the ingredients combine to make a tense, clever police whodunnit’
–
Marcel Berlins
, The Times

‘I could not put this book down’
–
Newbooks Magazine

‘A brilliant talent in the thriller field’
–
Jeffery Deaver

‘An encounter that will take readers into the darkest recesses of the human psyche’
–
Barry Forshaw
, Crime Time

‘Well written and chock full of surprises, this hard-hitting, edge-of-the seat instalment is yet another treat… Geraldine Steel looks set to become a household name. Highly recommended’
–
Eurocrime

‘Good, old-fashioned, heart-hammering police thriller…a no-frills delivery of pure excitement’
–
SAGA Magazine

‘the critical acclaim heaped on Russell thus far in her literary career is well deserved’
–
bookgeeks.co.uk

‘a macabre read, full of enthralling characters and gruesome details which kept me glued from first page to last’
–
www.crimesquad.com

‘cleverly thought out, gripping and convincing… I couldn’t put this book down… can’t wait for the next Geraldine Steel story to come out’
–
bookersatz.blogspot.com

‘a series that can rival other major crime writers out there… can’t wait for the next one!’
–
Best Books to Read

‘
Dead End
was selected as a Best Fiction Book of 2012’
–
The Miami Examiner

CRITICAL ACCLAIM FOR
ROAD CLOSED

‘A well-written, soundly plotted, psychologically acute story’
–
Marcel Berlins
, The Times

‘Well-written and absorbing right from the get-go… with an exhilarating climax that you don’t see coming’
–
Eurocrime

‘Leigh Russell does a good job of keeping her readers guessing. She also uses a deft hand developing her characters, especially the low-lifes… a good read’
–
San Francisco Book Review

‘perfect character building… cleverly written… can’t wait for the next one’
–
bestbookstoread.co.uk

‘New star of crime fiction, Leigh Russell’s chilling psychological thriller is terrific and terrifying!’
–
Clem Chambers

‘
Road Closed
is a gripping, fast-paced read, pulling you in from the very first tense page and keeping you captivated right to the end with its refreshingly compelling and original narrative’
–
New York Journal of Books

CRITICAL ACCLAIM FOR
CUT SHORT

‘Cut Short
is a stylish, top-of-the-line crime tale, a seamless blending of psychological sophistication and gritty police procedure. And you’re just plain going to love DI Geraldine Steel’
–
Jeffery Deaver

‘Russell paints a careful and intriguing portrait of a small British community while developing a compassionate and complex heroine who’s sure to win fans’
–
Publishers Weekly

‘an excellent debut’
–
Mark Campbell
, Crime Time

‘It’s an easy read with the strength of the story at its core… If you want to be swept along with the story above all else,
Cut Short
is certainly a novel for you’
–
crimeficreader
,
itsacrime.typepad.com

‘Simply awesome! This debut novel by Leigh Russell will take your breath away’
–
Eurocrime

‘an excellent book…Truly a great start for new mystery author Leigh Russell’
–
New York Journal of Books

Cut Short
is a book I had to read in one sitting… excellent new series’
–
Murder by Type

‘a surefire hit – a taut, slick, easy to read thriller’
–
Watford Observer

‘fine police procedural, with a convincing if disconcerting feel of contemporary Britain’
–
The Compulsive Reader

‘Cut Short
featured in one of Eurocrime’s reviewers’ Top Reads for 2009’
–
Eurocrime

‘
Cut Short
is not a comfortable read, but it is a compelling and important one. Highly recommended’
–
Mystery Women

‘well written debut psychological thriller’
–
stopyourekillingme.com

‘gritty and totally addictive debut novel’
–
New York Journal of Books

‘If you’re a real fan of police procedurals, you’ll probably enjoy this read’
–
Sacramento Book Review

‘I found
Cut Short
to be a fantastic read, taking me only days to finish. I thought it to be well-written and well-paced, with a fresh batch of intriguing characters to go along with a fresh tight plot’
–
Dance on Fire

‘An excellent story, skilfully built and well told’
–
www.thebookbag.co.uk

‘Intelligently written, gripping crime fiction’
–
Bookersatz

‘I look forward to the second book in the series’
–
Nayu’s Reading Corner

‘A very excellent book!’
–
The Book Buff Blog

‘A wonderful series’
–
clarissadraper.blogspot.com

‘Difficult to put down’
–
The Secret Writer

Dedication to
Michael, Jo, Phillipa and Phil

I would like to thank Dr Leonard Russell for his medical advice, all my contacts on the police force for their generosity with their time, Zoe Crosby at the Premier Inn Herne Bay for sharing her local knowledge, my editor Keshini Naidoo for her unerring judgement, Alan Forster for his cover design, Ion Mills, Annette Crossland, Claire Watts, Jem Cook, Alexandra Bolton and all the team at No Exit Press for their support and expertise, and Michael who is always with me.

A
FLASH OF MOONLIGHT
touched her hair with silver as she scurried along the street into town. It wasn’t safe to go back yet. She had to allow time for his temper to subside. Another half hour should do it. After walking fast for about fifteen minutes, she was more than a mile from home. The night air was chilly on her face, the side streets peaceful. There was no one around to see that she had been crying. Once, she thought she heard footsteps behind her. Fearful he had followed her she looked round, but the street was deserted. Shoving her hands into the pockets of her woolly jacket, she hurried on.

‘What are you saying?’ he had asked, so softly she had failed to notice the warning signs.

Too late, she had registered the heightened colour of his face. Apologies were no use once rage took hold of him. She had stared, mesmerised by the spittle on his lips as he shouted obscenities at her.

‘It’s only a hoover,’ she had whispered when he quietened down. ‘We can get another one –’

As soon as the words left her mouth she had realised her mistake, but his anger made her panic so she couldn’t think clearly.

‘Only a hoover? So I’ll just go and buy another one, shall I?’ He had leaned forward until he was so close she could feel the soft spray of his saliva on her face. ‘Do you think we’re made of money?’

‘No. No.’

This had nothing to do with money.

It was pointless to protest once he lost control like that. All she could do was protect herself until she was able to escape. Reaching the deserted Memorial Park she stumbled along the path towards the pond. In the darkness she found a bench, and sat down facing the water. It was still February, too cold to stay there for long. She was about to stand up when something struck her on the back of her head. Soundlessly she slumped forward and keeled over sideways on the hard seat. For a moment she lay quite still, stunned. Whimpering quietly she twisted her head round until she was looking straight up, blinking, struggling to make sense of her situation. She remembered her husband’s fury, his eyes bulging with the effort of shouting at her. Now she was lying on a hard surface in darkness with a pounding headache, and the sour taste of vomit in her throat. She had no idea where she was.

In the darkness a blurred moon hovered far away, while close up a face shifted in and out of focus. Her terror slipped away.

‘Thank God you’ve come.’

She reached out to touch him, but his features dissolved like a reflection in water.

‘Help me.’

As he raised his arm, moonlight glittered on the blade he was clutching.

I
AN
P
ETERSON TIDIED UP
his desk, checked the time, and set off for the car park at a trot. He had hoped that Bev would be more relaxed about his work relationships now they were married, but two months had passed since the wedding and she had become, if anything, more carping and suspicious than before. If he was home late, she was bound to kick off. It was driving him nuts. A detective sergeant in his mid-thirties, successful in a career he loved, he was reduced to an apologetic coward by one sharp word from his wife. They had been together, on and off, since they had met at school. He hadn’t been alone in his infatuation. All the boys in his year had fancied her. His teenage crush had developed into a serious attachment when they started dating. After they left school he had driven long distances to spend time with her whenever he could. It was thanks to his determination that they had stayed together.