Rachel McLean's Dorset Crime Trail

Deadline to buy exclusive signed editions in time for Christmas - 9 November

Do you love Dorset? Are you a fan of my Dorset Crime series? Do you adore glossy books filled with high-quality images of beautiful locations (all perfect for dumping a body)?

Then you're going to love my Dorset Crime Trail.

I've been visiting Dorset since I was a baby, and now I'm lucky enough to spend time here researching book locations, meeting readers and getting to know the county better.

I wanted to share my love for Dorset, and the stories that inspired me to write the novels, in a special book.

My Dorset Crime Trail is so much more than a regular coffee table book. It's highly personal, with anecdotes and memories highlighting why Dorset is my favourite county and why I chose to write my crime novels here.

Discover:

  • Why my parents shut me in a Sandbanks bathroom as a baby.
  • Where the 'rickety-rackety steps' are and why my family called them that.
  • Where in Dorset I learned to ride a bike.
  • How a friend's encounter in a tea shop inspired the opening scene of The Corfe Castle Murders.
  • Which Dorset location was my favourite to research.
  • The history of some of the landmarks behind my most popular books. 

See never-before-published photos of me in Dorset as a child, encountering some of the places that would later inspire stories. Learn about the research I did for each book and what the highlights were. And discover why my books wouldn't be the same without the time I spend getting to know the locations.

And there's more!

My cover designer, Sharn Hutton, did the interior design for this book, and she’s done a wonderful job. It’s a beautiful, glossy book – perfect to sit on your coffee table or shelf, ready for you to browse through whenever you’re thinking of Dorset or wishing you were there. If you’re lucky enough to live in Dorset, it’ll give you inspiration for places you can visit and walk around.

Here’s a spread from the hardback edition to show you how gorgeous it is.

Each chapter focuses on one of my books and tells you why I chose to write in that location. It includes personal stories from my research trips, anecdotes from my childhood, and lots and lots of photos. Some of those photos are mine – of me meeting readers, doing research, or maybe of me and my family in Dorset when I was small. Others are beautiful stock images.

Here’s another spread from the hardback edition showing that it’s not just gorgeous stock images!

I’ve included maps and walking routes around my crime scenes too, so it’s a practical guide – especially if you buy the paperback edition, which you can get as a great value bundle with the hardback.

Follow me as I walk to and around the crime scenes in my books. Discover walking routes that will take you to the key locations. And learn the history of the places you will pass on the way.

Available Signed Editions of Rachel McLean's Dorset Crime Trail

My Dorset Crime Trail is much more than just a beautiful photographic book.

It comes in four alternative editions (you can buy just one or as many as you'd like, or buy multiple and gift them to a friend).

Note: all books bought direct from my website during October and November 2024 will be signed.

  1. The beautiful hardback book. A large, full-colour glossy hardback book printed on thick paper, featuring beautiful photographs of the locations in my books, including photographs taken by me – and of me exploring those locations and meeting readers.
  2. The paperback. A standard-sized paperback edition with the full text and a selection of the images in colour plates.
  3. The audiobook and guide. The full text of the book, narrated by me so you can hear my words and stories in my own voice. Plus bonus chapters featuring me as I follow the walks featured in the book and point out sights of interest as well as discussing the locations and why they inspired me to write. Imagine me as Clare Balding in Radio 4's Ramblings!
  4. The ebook. If you're a Kindle reader, you can read the text and access a selection of the photographs with the ebook edition.

You can choose just one of these editions or add on as many alternatives as you'd like.

Here's me at Blue Pool, location of The Blue Pool Murders, recording bonus content for the audiobook.

And there's even more!

To make these books extra special, you can choose a one-off edition of the audiobook unique to you, in which I'll add a personalised message. I'll only create 20 of these personalised audiobooks so they'll be extra special.

And...

(You thought I was done, didn't you?)

As well as the beautiful new Dorset Crime Trail books, I'm also offering bundles including the new paperback editions of the Dorset Crime books or the stunning hardback editions.

You can add these to your purchase of any edition of Rachel McLean's Dorset Crime Trail.

Dorset Crime Trail Bundle

If you want all four editions, get them in this bundle for a great price. Browse the hardback, take the paperback out walking, read the ebook in bed and listen to the bonus audiobook content when you visit the locations from my books.

Paperback Bundle

The first nine books of the Dorset Crime Series are being published with beautiful new covers, and you can collect the full set. Find out what all the fuss is about if you haven't read them, or gift them to a friend who's a fan of my books.

(Or to gift to yourself, it's Christmas after all!)

If you choose the paperback bundle, you'll get your copies of books 7-9 (The Blue Pool Murders, The Lighthouse Murders and The Ghost Village Murders) in January 2025 when they're published under the new covers. You'll get whichever editions of my Dorset Crime Trail you choose plus the first six novels in December 2024.

Hardback Bundle

The gorgeous hardbacks have covers designed by Wareham-based artist Maria Burns and are printed on high-quality paper with beautiful matte-effect jackets. Each book's cover is in a different colour, making them a real collector's item.

All hardbacks sent out will be signed by me, Rachel McLean.

Delivery and Exclusivity

The deadline for ordering books is 9 November.

This is a hard deadline as I have to order a special print run to get the books to you in time for Christmas.

These books are currently unavailable on any of the retailers (you can't even get the ebook on Amazon). They'll be in bookshops in December but not signed.

The only guaranteed way to get signed copies before Christmas 2024 is by placing an order before 9 November. And you'll be supporting me as an author.

Order here before November 9th and you'll get your books in early December 2024, in time for Christmas.

The perfect Christmas gift for a fan of Rachel McLean!

Summary: What You Can Buy

Here's a summary of what I'm offering:

  • The Dorset Crime Trail Book. In four editions including ebook, paperback, hardback and audiobook.
  • Signed or personalised editions. All print books will be signed AND you can add a VERY limited (only 20 available) personalised one-off version of the audiobook.
  • The Dorset Crime paperback bundle. A signed bundle of all nine books in the series so far, with the stunning new covers.
  • The Dorset Crime hardback bundle. A signed bundle of all nine books in the series so far, in the beautiful hardback editions created by a Dorset-based artist.

I hope you love these books as much as I've loved creating them. Ebooks are great (I love my Kindle) but nothing beats holding a beautiful physical book in your hand.

Gorgeous, isn't it?

Happy reading!
Rachel.

Buy the Books

My beautiful Dorset Crime Trail is available in hardback, paperback, ebook and audio - and you can add on a paperback or hardback bundle of the novels.