Claire MacLeary, Clio Gray

Cross Purpose heralds the arrival of a distinctive new voice, debut novelist Claire MacLeary. When Maggie Laird's disgraced husband, an ex cop, dies unexpectedly, her life is turned upside down. To pay off debts she takes on his struggling detective agency, enlisting the help of her neighbour, 'Big Wilma’. The discovery of a mutilated body draws them into the unknown world of Aberdeen's sink estates, clandestine childminding and dodgy dealers. Gritty and funny, Cross Purpose is also a paean to friendship, demonstrating how women of a “certain age” can defy the odds.

Acclaimed author Clio Gray’s exciting new Scottish Mystery Trilogy begins with Deadly Prospects. It’s set in Sutherland, in 1869, when a big corporation rolls into town determined to reopen its mine and reinvigorate the harsh conditions in this remote Highland enclave. When a body is found next to some strange inscriptions, things take a sinister turn. Grey’s previous historical thrillers were bestsellers. The Anatomist’s Dream, was nominated for the Man Booker prize in 2015, and long-listed for the Bailey’s Prize in 2016.