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Killer in the New Forest
(2025)(The third book in the DI Callum MacLean Mystery series)
A novel by Carol Cole
A suspicious death. A tight-knit village. Only Detective MacLean can uncover the truth.
Detective Inspector Callum MacLean should be unpacking boxes in his new home. But when a man is run over and killed outside Godshill Village Hall, his week’s leave is cut short.
The victim, Brendan Stafford, was a retired lecturer from Birmingham. No one knows why he was attending a local village meeting in the middle of the New Forest on a freezing January night.
When the post-mortem reveals Stafford was already dead before the car wheels struck him, Callum finds himself on the hunt for a ruthless killer who’s hiding in plain sight.
From the taciturn butcher to the jilted forest keeper, everyone seems to be hiding something. Callum and his team dig into old quarrels and quiet vendettas — and uncover secrets as tangled as the forest brambles.
Callum must tread carefully — in a village where everyone knows everyone else’s business, one secret could be worth killing for.
Perfect for fans of Ann Cleeves, Elly Griffiths, Joy Ellis and Faith Martin.
MEET THE DETECTIVE:
Detective Inspector Callum MacLean is a widowed Scot with a gift for observation and a haunted past. Quietly perceptive and deeply moral, Callum sketches scenes to record each day — and never underestimates the quiet power of a village secret. Recently relocated to the New Forest, he’s learning that even rural idylls can hide brutal truths.
THE SETTING:
The New Forest in January is a place of quiet menace — ancient heathland rimed with frost, gorse bushes like dark sentinels against the sky, and wild ponies ghosting through the mist. Beneath the surface beauty lies a landscape that can disorient and deceive. Moonlight sharpens every outline and the rustle of bracken or a fox’s bark feels like a terrible warning. Villages sit snug against the chill, their residents wrapped in routines and secrets. It’s a place where the natural world presses close — and where what’s buried doesn’t always stay that way.
READERS LOVE THE DI CALLUM MACLEAN MYSTERIES:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ‘Superb characters and a twisty plot. Really going to like DC McLean.''' Christine E.
⭐️⭐️���️⭐️⭐️ ‘Great plot and characters, plenty of twists and turns and fab detective work.’ H. J. N.
⭐��⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐��� ‘Beautiful descriptions of the forest, an excellent eye for the smallest detail, and a real skill at painting pictures with words.’ flicka
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ‘Callum McLean brings out the best in his team of detectives. Twists are both surprising and satisfying..’ redpen321
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ‘Carole Cole writes beautifully. Her descriptions are poetic, plots twisted, and the solutions unpredictable. Humor keeps it light..’ Kindle Customer
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ‘This was an amazing book full of mystery and suspense!’ Mrs G.
⭐️⭐️��️⭐️⭐️ ‘Nice convoluted puzzle and interesting characters. Looking forward to more.’ Lesley C.
⭐️��️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ‘Excellent book! Kept me guessing until the end. Beautiful use of language and great characters.’ Amazon Customer
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ‘Loved this book from start to finish.’ Heather E.
Genre: Mystery
Detective Inspector Callum MacLean should be unpacking boxes in his new home. But when a man is run over and killed outside Godshill Village Hall, his week’s leave is cut short.
The victim, Brendan Stafford, was a retired lecturer from Birmingham. No one knows why he was attending a local village meeting in the middle of the New Forest on a freezing January night.
When the post-mortem reveals Stafford was already dead before the car wheels struck him, Callum finds himself on the hunt for a ruthless killer who’s hiding in plain sight.
From the taciturn butcher to the jilted forest keeper, everyone seems to be hiding something. Callum and his team dig into old quarrels and quiet vendettas — and uncover secrets as tangled as the forest brambles.
Callum must tread carefully — in a village where everyone knows everyone else’s business, one secret could be worth killing for.
Perfect for fans of Ann Cleeves, Elly Griffiths, Joy Ellis and Faith Martin.
MEET THE DETECTIVE:
Detective Inspector Callum MacLean is a widowed Scot with a gift for observation and a haunted past. Quietly perceptive and deeply moral, Callum sketches scenes to record each day — and never underestimates the quiet power of a village secret. Recently relocated to the New Forest, he’s learning that even rural idylls can hide brutal truths.
THE SETTING:
The New Forest in January is a place of quiet menace — ancient heathland rimed with frost, gorse bushes like dark sentinels against the sky, and wild ponies ghosting through the mist. Beneath the surface beauty lies a landscape that can disorient and deceive. Moonlight sharpens every outline and the rustle of bracken or a fox’s bark feels like a terrible warning. Villages sit snug against the chill, their residents wrapped in routines and secrets. It’s a place where the natural world presses close — and where what’s buried doesn’t always stay that way.
READERS LOVE THE DI CALLUM MACLEAN MYSTERIES:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ‘Superb characters and a twisty plot. Really going to like DC McLean.''' Christine E.
⭐️⭐️���️⭐️⭐️ ‘Great plot and characters, plenty of twists and turns and fab detective work.’ H. J. N.
⭐��⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐��� ‘Beautiful descriptions of the forest, an excellent eye for the smallest detail, and a real skill at painting pictures with words.’ flicka
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ‘Callum McLean brings out the best in his team of detectives. Twists are both surprising and satisfying..’ redpen321
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ‘Carole Cole writes beautifully. Her descriptions are poetic, plots twisted, and the solutions unpredictable. Humor keeps it light..’ Kindle Customer
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ‘This was an amazing book full of mystery and suspense!’ Mrs G.
⭐️⭐️��️⭐️⭐️ ‘Nice convoluted puzzle and interesting characters. Looking forward to more.’ Lesley C.
⭐️��️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ‘Excellent book! Kept me guessing until the end. Beautiful use of language and great characters.’ Amazon Customer
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ‘Loved this book from start to finish.’ Heather E.
Genre: Mystery
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Used availability for Carol Cole's Killer in the New Forest