I’m thrilled to be starting the launch celebrations of Katerina Diamond’s debut novel The Teacher which is published by Avon, an imprint of Harper Collins, today 10th March 2016. The Teacher is available to buy on Amazon UK, Waterstones, Amazon US, WH Smith and from all good bookshops.

Even more exciting is that these celebrations are different from usual, as Katerina Diamond has written an exclusive story featuring Adrian and Imogen from The Teacher in episodes revealed over the next several days and I am delighted to be sharing the first one below.

The Teacher

You think you know who to trust?
You think you know the difference between good and evil?

You’re wrong …

This is The Teacher: a debut crime novel from Katerina Diamond. It will upturn everything you thought you knew. And you absolutely will not forget it.

A LESSON YOU WILL NEVER FORGET

The body of the head teacher of an exclusive Devon school is found hanging from the rafters in the assembly hall.

Hours earlier he’d received a package, and only he could understand the silent message it conveyed. It meant the end.

As Exeter suffers a rising count of gruesome deaths, troubled DS Imogen Grey and DS Adrian Miles must solve the case and make their city safe again.

But as they’re drawn into a network of corruption, lies and exploitation, every step brings them closer to grim secrets hidden at the heart of their community.

And once they learn what’s motivating this killer, will they truly want to stop him?

SMART. GRIPPING. GRUESOME.

This is a psychological crime thriller in a class of its own.

Warning: Most definitely *not* for the faint-hearted!

STALKERS – Part 1

An exclusive short story from Katerina Diamond

Adrian searched through the kitchen cupboards for some aspirin; paracetamol; anything that would take the dull ache behind his eyeballs away. For once it was not alcohol induced, although it was equally as self-inflicted as he spent the weekend with his eyes transfixed on the giant TV in the lounge. Time with his son Tom was scarce enough and so, when he wanted to hang out, Adrian couldn’t say no. He knew he was a sucker; Tom had him wrapped around his finger. There was a gentle knock on the door, it was unlikely to be his partner, Grey, as she usually shouted something vaguely emasculating through the letterbox. He grabbed his shirt off the back of the sofa and put it on before answering the door.

“Hello. Sorry to bother you.” A young, redheaded woman was standing there in nurse scrubs. He remembered he had seen her before, but not where from.

“Have we met?” He asked tentatively, not entirely sure he wanted to know the answer. She could be anything from someone he had previously arrested to a one-night stand, he wouldn’t remember either way.

“Not really, I live in the flats opposite. We’ve passed each other a couple of times.”

“Oh right, is there a problem?”

“Well I heard you were in the police and I came to ask you a favour?”

“I’m a detective, yes. What kind of favour?”

Adrian looked at the clock, it was around forty-five minutes until Grey would be here to pick him up. They took turns driving in.

“Can you come and check if my lock has been tampered with? …it’s just, I’m sure someone’s been in my house.”

“If you’ve been burgled it’s best to call it in. What’s been taken?”

“Nothing.”

“Then why do you think the lock’s been tampered with?”

The young woman pulled her phone out of her pocket and started looking through the photos until she found the one she was looking for. She showed him a picture of her bedroom, it was spotless and coordinated, very organised, pretty much the exact opposite of Adrian’s.

“I took this picture yesterday before I went to work.” She scrolled through several pictures to a picture of the same room again.

“What am I looking at?”

“When I left for work my dressing gown was on top of the wash basket. When I got home it was hanging on the hook.”

He took her phone and scrolled through the photos himself, the date and time matched her story. He handed back the phone. There had been a spate of break-ins around the St Thomas area of the city recently.

“Ok, I’ll come with you now.” Adrian grabbed his coat and keys, double checking the door was locked before he walked to her flat.

To be continued…

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