Cut Short

When D.I. Geraldine Steel relocates to the quiet rural town of Woolsmarsh, she expects to find her new home to be somewhere where nothing much ever happens; a space where she can battle her demons in private. But when she finds herself pitted against a twisted killer preying on local young women she quickly discovers how wrong she is...

By day, the park is a place for children's games, for people walking their dogs or taking a short cut to avoid the streets. But in the shadows a predator prowls, hunting for a fresh victim. When an unwitting bystander comes forward as a witness she quickly becomes the next object of his murderous obsessions - someone whom the killer must stop at all costs.

D.I. Geraldine Steel is locked into a race against time, determined to find the killer before they discover yet another naked corpse . But can she save the lives of the town's young women - or will Geraldine herself become the killer's ultimate trophy?

'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.'
-
Publisher's 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.'
-
Amanda C M Gillies,
eurocrime.co.uk

'an excellent book...Truly a great start for new mystery author Leigh Russell.'
-
Michael Lipkin, New York Journal of Books

'CUT SHORT is a book I had to read in one sitting... excellent new series'
-
Beth, Murder by Type

'a surefire hit - a taut, slick, easy to read thriller'
-
Melanie Dakin, Watford Observer

'a pretty fine police procedural, with a convincing if disconcerting feel of contemporary Britain.'
-
PPO Kane, The Compulsive Reader

'Cut Short featured in one of Eurocrime's reviewers' Top Reads for 2009'
-
Amanda Gillies, Eurocrime

'
Cut Short
is not a comfortable read, but it is a compelling and important one. Highly recommended.'
-
Radmila May, Mystery Women

'well written debut psychological thriller'
-
stopyourekillingme.com

'gritty and totally addictive debut novel'
-
Sam Millar, New York Journal of Books

'If you’re a real fan of police procedurals, you’ll probably enjoy this read'
-
Claudette C. Smith, 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.'
-
James Garcia Jr, Dance on Fire

'an excellent story, skilfully built and well told'
-
Sue Magee,
www.thebookbag.co.uk

'intelligently written, gripping crime fiction'
-
Helen M. Hunt, Bookersatz Blogspot

'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'
-
Clarissa Draper,
clarissadraper.blogspot.com

'difficult to put down'
-
Calum, The Secret Writer

Leigh Russell studied at the University of Kent gaining a Masters degree in English and American literature. A secondary school teacher, specialising in supporting pupils with Specific Learning Difficulties as well as teaching English, Leigh Russell is married with two daughters and lives in Middlesex. Her first novel,
Cut Short
, was published in 2009, followed by
Road Closed
in 2010. Her third novel,
Dead End
was published in May 2011 and
Death Bed
will be available in 2012.

Watch out for Leigh Russell's next two books

Road Closed
and
Dead End

And for further information go to:

Publisher's website

http://www.noexit.co.uk/leighrussell

Author website

http://www.leighrussell.co.uk/

Next Title

www.noexit.co.uk/deathbed

Blog

http://leighrussell.blogspot.com/

CUT SHORT

Leigh Russell

NO EXIT PRESS

Contents

Acknowledgements

PART 1

1 - Goodbye

2 - Sophie

3 - Move

4 - Team

5 - Gerta

6 - Café

7 - Johnny

8 - Chips

9 - Honda

10 - Mortuary

11 - Neighbours

12 - Pub

PART 2

13 - Home

14 - Facts

15 - Suspect

16 - Terry

17 - Secret

18 - Media

19 - Review

20 - Melanie

21 - Lakeland

22 - Celia

23 - Newspaper

PART 3

24 - Meeting

25 - Women

26 - Row

27 - Witness

28 - Name

29 - Gardeners

30 - Carer

31 - Mellor

32 - Rogers

33 - Reporter

34 - Garage

35 - Departure

PART 4

36 - Party

37 - Alone

38 - Mermaid

39 - Missing

40 - Return

41 - Lake

42 - Protest

43 - Exclusive

44 - Body

45 - Interview

46 - Car

47 - Monday

48 - Ramsden

49 - Attention

PART 5

50 - Boyfriend

51 - Room

52 - Records

53 - Contacts

54 - Information

55 - Patience

56 - Hideout

57 - Home

58 - Brothers

59 - Escape

60 - Hair

61 - Girl

62 - Alarm

63 - Vigil

64 - Interview

65 - Celebration

Copyright

Dedicated
to
Michael, Jo and Phill

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Dr Leonard Russell for his expert medical advice, William Goddard at South Harrow Police Station and Robert Dobbie of the British Transport Police for their suggestions, Matt Biggadike for his technical help, Hazel Orme and Keshini Naidoo for their guidance and, above all, Annette Crossland for her inspiring enthusiasm.

'Draw your chair up close to the edge of the precipice and I'll tell you a story.'

F. Scott Fitzgerald

PART 1

'pity this busy monster, manunkind,
not. Progress is a comfortable disease:
your victim (death and life safely beyond)
plays with the bigness of his littleness'

E. E. Cummings

1

Goodbye

He scrabbled at brittle leaves with clumsy gloved fingers then, crouching low, wriggled through the bushes. He glanced around to make sure no one was watching before he trudged away along the path. He'd been clever, careful to leave no clues. No one would find her in the park. It was his secret, his and hers, and she wouldn't tell. He had no idea who she was, and that was clever too. It meant she didn't know who he was.

  He hadn't chosen her because she was pretty. He hadn't chosen her at all. She was just there. But she was pretty and he liked that. No woman had looked at him since school; she had stared into his eyes. She only said one word, 'No!' but she was speaking to him and he knew this was intimacy, just the two of them. It was a pity he wouldn't see her again, but there would be others. It was raining hard. He sang softly, because you never knew who was listening.

  'Sweet the rain's new fall, sunlit from heaven, like the first dew fall, on the first grass, praise for the sweetness of the wet garden …'

  The rain would wash her clean.

  He faltered as he rounded a bend in the path because a woman was walking towards him. Then he saw she was older, and she wasn't pretty like the woman he'd hidden under autumn leaves. She asked him about a music shop called Bretts. He didn't know what to say so he walked quickly past. He wasn't allowed to talk to her.