Thank you for joining us on the Virtual Book Tour for The Silent Games, a Mystery by Alex Gray (first published 13 March 2014 as "The Bird That Did Not Sing", this new edition 13 March 2018, Witness Impulse, 496 pages). This is the eleventh book in the DCI Lorimer series.
Author Alex Gray will be awarding a print copy of The Swedish Girl to three randomly drawn winners via Rafflecopter during the tour. Please do take part: comment on our post and follow the tour where you will be able to read other excerpts (☀), interviews (ℚ), reviews (✍) and guest blog posts (✉).
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Synopsis
2014: The Commonwealth Games are coming to Glasgow and security is extra tight, particularly after a mysterious bomb explodes in nearby rural Stirlingshire. As the opening ceremony for the Games draws ever closer, the police desperately seek the culprits.But Detective Superintendent Lorimer has other concerns on his mind. One is a beautiful red-haired woman from his past whose husband dies suddenly on his watch. Then there is the body of a young woman found dumped in countryside just south of the city who is proving impossible to identify.
Elsewhere in Glasgow people prepare for the events in their own way, whether for financial gain or to welcome home visitors from overseas. And, hiding behind false identities, are those who pose a terrible threat not just to the Games but to the very fabric of society.
Teaser: KCR Preview
Alex Gray's stunning new Lorimer novel, set against the backdrop of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, brings the vibrant city to life in a race to stop the greatest threat the city has ever known.
The Silent Games
Available NOW!
The Series: DCI Lorimer
|| [1] || [2] || [3] || [4] || [5] || [6] || [7] || [8] || [9] || [10] || [11.5] || [12] || [13] || [14] || [15] ||Click on the book cover to Look Inside the book on Amazon and read an excerpt.
Never Somewhere Else [1]
When three young women are discovered strangled and mutilated in a Glasgow park, it is up to DCI Lorimer to find their killer. Frustrated by a lack of progress in the investigation, Lorimer is forced to enlist the services of Dr Solomon Brightman, psychologist and criminal profiler. Together they form an uneasy alliance.
But when a homeless man is brought in for questioning the investigation takes a bizarre turn. Soon Lorimer has to scratch the surface of the polished Glasgow art world and reveal the dark layers hidden beneath...
[Published 3 April 2003, 311 pages]
A Small Weeping [2]
When a murdered prostitute is found in a Glasgow train station, DCI Lorimer is perplexed by the ritualistic arrangement of her body. It isn't long before there is another murder and he realises there's no time to waste if he is to stop Glasgow's latest serial killer. A taut, suspense-filled thriller, A Small Weeping takes the reader on a gripping journey from the inner city to the wilds of the Scottish Isles, and far into the darkest depths of human nature.
[Published 1 February 2005, 288 pages]
Shadows of Sounds [3]
When George Millar, the City of Glasgow's orchestra leader, is brutally murdered in his dressing room before a performance, his colleagues are shocked. But the show must go on, and when DCI Lorimer and psychologist Solly Brightman are called in they uncover a series of irrevocably tangled relationships between the orchestra members. Millar had been involved in a string of homosexual relationships and was well known for playing his lovers off against one another - but were his controversial dalliances really enough to incite cold-blooded and calculated murder?
[Published 1 October 2005, 324 pages]
The Riverman [4]
Fans of atmospheric police procedurals will love watching Glasgow vividly come to life with the shocking twists and turns that have made Alex Gray an international bestseller
When a dead body is fished out of Glasgow’s River Clyde the morning after an office celebration, it looks like a case of accidental death. But an anonymous telephone call and a forensic toxicology test give Detective Chief Inspector William Lorimer reason to think otherwise. Probing deeper into the life and business of the deceased accountant, a seemingly upright member of the community, Lorimer finds only more unanswered questions.
What is the secret his widow seems to be concealing? Was the international accounting firm facing financial difficulties? What has become of the dead man’s protégé who has disappeared in New York? And when another employee is found dead in her riverside flat these questions become much more disturbing. Lorimer must cope not only with deceptions from the firm, but also with suspicions from those far closer to home . . .
[First published 3 May 2007; this edition 10 January 2017, 432 pages]
Pitch Black [5]
An elusive killer is viciously murdering members of a football team in this next DCI Lorimer mystery from internationally bestselling author Alex Gray
When Chief Inspector Lorimer returns from his holiday on the island of Mull, he feels a welcome sense of calm. But it doesn’t last long. Kelvin Football Club’s new star midfielder is found brutally stabbed to death in his own home, and while his wife is apprehended trying to leave the country, a seemingly straightforward new case begins.
But the grisly murder of a referee after a Kelvin match throws light on some dark secrets. And when the newest player who signed to the club becomes the latest victim in a string of killings, Lorimer knows there’s a serial killer on the loose—one that’s only beginning to show his true colors. As lies emerge and tensions build, Lorimer must discover the truth before one of the players or managers become the next Kelvin fatality.
[First Published 4 December 2008; this new Witness Impulse edition 7 March 2017, 445 pages]
Glasgow Kiss [6]
Internationally bestselling author Alex Gray returns with another dark, twisty mystery featuring Detective Chief Inspector William Lorimer
Eric Chalmers is one of the most popular teachers at Muirpark Secondary School in Glasgow. Gentle and kind, he is the one adult students trust as a confidant. So when precocious teenager Julie Donaldson accuses Chalmers of rape, the school goes into shock. How could a deeply religious family man like Chalmers do such a thing? With some students and teachers supporting Julie, and others standing by Chalmers, life at Muirpark is far from harmonious. And then the situation gets much worse — Julie Donaldson goes missing, and the police are called in.
For DCI William Lorimer, this is the second missing persons case in a week. He’s had too many sleepless nights worrying about a toddler who has been missing for several days. Julie’s disappearance adds a further burden to Lorimer’s already overstretched workload. With each day, the likelihood of either girl being found alive diminishes, and Lorimer finds himself racing against the clock to save innocent lives.
[First Published 5 March 2009, this new edition 9 May 2017, 384 pages]
Five Ways To Kill A Man [7]
As DCI Lorimer sees in the New Year, an unpredictable killer is loose on the streets of Glasgow . Hood up, suddenly appearing out of the shadows, this dark figure is experimenting with murder, again and again.
Faced with a string of seemingly unconnected victims, and picking up the case of a horrific fire that murdered a wealthy couple, Lorimer turns to psychologist and friend Solly Brightman for his insights. As the killer comes to closer to Lorimer himself and his family, can he unmask the serial murderer before the next victim is found too close to home?
[First published 6 May 2010, this new edition 1 August 2017, 350 pages]
Sleep Like The Dead [8]
There's a hitman in Glasgow: unpaid and angry, he's decided to settle his own debts...
Marianne Brogan can’t sleep. She’s plagued by a nightmare: someone in the shadows, whispering threats, stalking her every move. To make matters worse, Marianne can’t get hold of her brother, Billy. Despite knowing some shady characters from Glasgow’s underworld, Billy’s always been there for her – until now..
Meanwhile, DCI Lorimer and his team are faced with a string of seemingly unconnected but professional killings. Without witnesses or much conclusive evidence to build a case, the officers are drawing a blank. Criminal psychologist Solly Brightman is off the case due to budget cuts. But Solly is more closely connected to the murders than he could possibly know . . . And as the hitman plans a bloody ransom to get his fee, the race is on to find out just who hired him – and who’s next on the hit list.
[First published 3 February 2011, this new edition 12 September 2017; 383 pages]
A Pound Of Flesh [9]
In the depths of a freezing winter, Glasgow finds itself at the mercy of not one, but two serial killers
This is Detective Inspector Lorimer’s worst nightmare and beyond anything he’s faced in his many years on the force. Can he find a link between the brutal slaying of prostitutes in the back streets of the city and the methodical killing of several unconnected businessmen?
When the latest victim turns out to be a prominent Scottish politician, the media’s spotlight is shone on Lorimer’s investigation. Psychologist and criminal profiler Solly Brightman is called in to help solve the cases, but his help may be futile as they realize that someone on the inside is leaking confidential police information. Meanwhile two killers haunt the snowy streets and Lorimer must act fast, before they strike again…
[First published 1 March 2012, this new edition 7 November 2017, 401 pages]
The Swedish Girl [10]
When Kirsty Wilson lands a room in a luxury Glasgow flat owned by Swedish fellow student Eva Magnusson she can't believe her luck. But Kirsty's delight turns to terror when she finds the beautiful Swedish girl lying dead in their home and their male flatmate accused of her murder. Kirsty refuses to accept that he is guilty and, inspired by family friend Detective Superintendent Lorimer, sets out to clear his name.
Meanwhile, Lorimer calls on trusted psychologist Solly Brightman to help unravel the truth behind the enigmatic Eva's life and death. But it is not long until another woman, bearing a marked resemblance to Eva, is brutally murdered. Horrified, Lorimer realises that Kirsty could be right. Is it possible that Glasgow's finest detective has put the wrong man behind bars? And is there a cold-blooded killer out there orchestrating the death of the next innocent victim?
In this gripping read, Alex Gray sends her dynamic Scottish detective from the gritty heart of Glasgow to the snowy streets of Stockholm in his toughest case yet.
[First published 7 March 2013, this new edition 9 January 2018; 368 pages]
The Bank Job [11.5]
The Bank Job is a gripping 3,000 word short story that reveals the dramatic event that inspired the young William Lorimer to become a policeman. Alex Gray's acclaimed series brings Glasgow to vivid life in all its grit and glory and this story is the perfect introduction to her winsome detective, as well as a treat for all fans of the series.
[Published 19 February 2015, 18 pages]
Keep The Midnight Out [12]
**Available for Pre-order**
When the body of a red-haired young man is washed up on the shore of the beautiful Isle of Mull, Detective Superintendent Lorimer's tranquil holiday away from the gritty streets of Glasgow is rudely interrupted. The body has been bound with twine in a ghoulishly unnatural position and strongly reminds Lorimer of another murder: a twenty year old Glasgow case that he failed to solve as a newly fledged detective constable and which has haunted him ever since.
As local cop DI Stevie Crozier takes charge of the island murder investigation, Lorimer tries to avoid stepping on her toes. But as the similarities between the young man's death and his cold case grow more obvious, Lorimer realises that there could be a serial killer on the loose after all these years.
As the action switches dramatically between the Mull murder and the Glasgow cold case twenty years earlier, Lorimer tries desperately to catch a cold-hearted killer. Has someone got away with murder for decades?
[First published 19 March 2015, this new edition 8 May 2018; 400 pages]
The Darkest Goodbye [13]
'Brings Glasgow to life in the same way Ian Rankin evokes Edinburgh' DAILY MAIL
When newly fledged DC Kirsty Wilson is called to the house of an elderly woman, what appears to be a death by natural causes soon takes a sinister turn when it is revealed that the woman had a mysterious visitor in the early hours of that morning - someone dressed as a community nurse, but with much darker intentions.
As Kirsty is called to another murder - this one the brutal execution of a well-known Glasgow drug dealer - she finds herself pulled into a complex case involving vulnerable people and a sinister service that offers them and their loved ones a 'release'.
Detective Superintendent William Lorimer is called in to help DC Wilson investigate and as the body count rises, the pair soon realise that this case is about to get more personal than either of them could have imagined . . .
[Published 3 March 2016, 464 pages]
Still Dark [14]
'Brings Glasgow to life in the same way Ian Rankin evokes Edinburgh' Daily Mail
New Year's Eve should be a time for celebrating. But for Detective Superintendent William Lorimer, this is one night he will never forget...
Called to a house after gunshots are reported, the carnage Lorimer finds there leaves him traumatised and questioning his future with Police Scotland.
Meanwhile, the body count is rising on Glasgow's streets. A number of known addicts are dying from accidental overdoses, but something's not adding up. Where would the city's poorest residents get hold of high-quality morphine?
As Lorimer struggles to return to duty, he spots a link between the deaths and a previous case involving the euthanasia of vulnerable patients. It seems the man responsible has resurfaced - and this time he's got the backing of a dangerous criminal from Glasgow's underworld.
Can Lorimer and his team get the killer off the streets for good before more innocent people die?
[Published 16 March 2017; 400 pages]
Only the Dead Can Tell [15]
'Exciting, pacy, authentic with outstanding characterisation' ANGELA MARSONS, bestselling author of DEAD SOULS
When Dorothy Guildford is found stabbed to death in her home, all signs point to her husband, Peter. The forensic psychologist is convinced there's more to the case that meets the eye but Police Scotland are certain they have their man.
While DC Kirsty Wilson searches for evidence that will put Peter away for good, she is shocked to discover a link with a vast human-trafficking operation that Detective Superintendent William Lorimer has been investigating for months. But before they can interrogate him, Peter is brutally attacked.
With one person dead and another barely hanging on, the clock is ticking for DC Wilson and DSI Lorimer. And the stakes grow higher still when one of their own is kidnapped . . .
If you like Cara Hunter, Angela Marsons, Patricia Gibney, Lisa Jewell or Joy Ellis, you will be utterly gripped by this twisty, heart-stopping thriller.
[Published 22 March 2018, 400 pages]
About the Author
Alex Gray was born and educated in Glasgow. After studying English and Philosophy at the University of Strathclyde, she worked as a visiting officer for the Department of Health, a time she looks upon as postgraduate education since it proved a rich source of character studies. She then trained as a secondary school teacher of English.
Alex began writing professionally in 1993 and had immediate success with short stories, articles, and commissions for BBC radio programs. She has been awarded the Scottish Association of Writers' Constable and Pitlochry trophies for her crime writing.
A regular on the Scottish bestseller lists, she is the author of thirteen DCI Lorimer novels. She is the co-founder of the international Scottish crime writing festival, Bloody Scotland, which had its inaugural year in 2012.
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This book was a page turner, as is the entire series. I am addicted to it! I just started the next book, KEEP THE MIDNIGHT OUT and it has hooked me from the first page.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for this excellent hosting.
ReplyDeleteHappy reading and best wishes,
Alex