Dorset Crime Book 1 - The Corfe Castle Murders

Buy in multiple formats, direct from the author

Meet DCI Lesley Clarke. She’s a straight-talking city copper who doesn’t suffer fools gladly… and she’s been transferred to rural Dorset.

After being injured in a bomb attack, Lesley is presented with a choice - early retirement, or a period of respite in a calmer location.

But things don’t stay calm for long.

Before she’s even started her new job, Lesley is dragged into investigating a murder at one of England’s most iconic landmarks, the imposing Corfe Castle.

Lesley must hit the ground running. Can she get along with her new partner DS Dennis Frampton, a traditionalist who doesn’t appreciate her style? How will she navigate the politics of a smaller force where she’s a bigger, and less welcome, fish? And most importantly, can she solve the murder before the killer strikes again?

The Corfe Castle Murders is a compelling, character-driven mystery perfect for fans of Ann Cleeves, LJ Ross and Elly Griffiths.

Dorset Crime Book 1 - The Corfe Castle Murders

I think I can safely say The Corfe Castle Murders changed my life. And not just for the reasons you might think.

It’s book 1 in the Dorset Crime series, which is a spinoff series from my DI Zoe Finch ‘Deadly’ books. And when I started writing it, I was genuinely worried that I might be making a mistake.

Would anyone want to read a Dorset-based police procedural series with a grumpy middle-aged Brummie woman as the main character? Would people enjoy reading about DCI Lesley Clarke as much as I’d enjoyed writing about her? And would anyone appreciate my fond little dig at the rural cosy crime genre, aka DS Dennis Frampton and his swear box?

Well, it turned out that people did. If the Zoe Finch books gave me the confidence to become a full-time writer, then Lesley and Dennis and the rest of the Major Crimes Investigation Team helped me reach enough readers to know I’d have a writing career.

Which is a wonderful feeling.

Of course, The Corfe Castle Murders didn’t just find plenty of readers (over two hundred thousand to date). It also won the Kindle Storyteller Award in 2021. Which gave me the opportunity to meet Clare Balding, the lead judge and a hero of mine.

Rachel and Clare Balding

Here’s what she had to say about the book:

Now, having walked quite a lot in the area around Corfe Castle, by the way never Corfe, I particularly enjoyed the detail of the landscape and the humorous oddities of Dorset life. I enjoyed the richness of the characters, complexity of life for a working mother who is thrown into a new environment and has to prove herself, all over again – I was truly delighted that Rachel was awarded the coveted title of the Kindle Storyteller 2021. 

Winning the award was life-changing. The exposure that gave the book, and the Amazon marketing campaign that came as part of the prize, helped The Corfe Castle Murders find many, many more readers. And it was through the Kindle Storyteller Award that I met my wife, the lovely Sally. But that’s a story for another day.

The Corfe Castle Murders is where most newcomers to my books start. It’s not the first book in my extended universe of spinoff series and characters: that’s the Zoe Finch book, Deadly Wishes. But I deliberately wrote it a way that means the Zoe Finch series won’t be spoiled if you read this one first. And of course I hope you decide to read all of them!

So if you haven’t read any of my books, I recommend you start here. It’s a proper police procedural, with forensics and pathology and all the rest of it, but not too much gore, as that’s not really my thing. It’s set against the dramatic and beautiful backdrop of Corfe Castle, with the action starting at a tea room overlooking an archaeological dig site. And it gives a very gentle nod to traditional British mysteries, with that swear jar and the gorgeous rural setting.

I hope you enjoy it!