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Kate Brannigan

This page lists novels that feature the Manchester based private detective Kate Brannigan.

 

Kate Brannigan: Novels

Dead Beat

Val McDermid

Victor Gollancz

1992

A Kate Brannigan novel.

"Kate Brannigan, a Manchester-based private detective whose hobbies include Thai kick-boxing, computer hacking, and a misadventurous relationship with her journalist boyfriend Richard. It's no thanks to Richard that Kate agrees to take on a strange missing persons case as a personal favor to a rock star, and no thanks to Richard that she is immediately reminded of why such cases are best avoided. Every rock star is on the hunt for a good lyricist, but Kate's celebrity client is determined to have only Moira Pollock: his partner in sex, drugs, and rock and roll - that is, until Moira vanishes. Kate finds herself combing the seediest areas of Leeds in her search for Moira, and knows to expect trouble in the rougher parts of town. But who could have expected that solving the mystery of the missing lyricist and restoring her to her former life would prove a prelude to murder?"
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Kick Back

Val McDermid

Victor Gollancz

1993

A Kate Brannigan novel.

"The savvy and down-to-earth detective is reluctant to take on her secretary's new heartthrob, Ted Barlow, as a client: The chances are he's crooked, which would explain why the bank pulled the plug on his conservatory construction business. But when he mentions that some of the conservatories he installed have now vanished into thin air, Kate - despite herself - is hooked. How does a person go about stealing a building? No sooner does she start investigating, though, than she gets involved in a second real-estate wrangle. A close friend has been conned over a land deal, and Kate agrees to find out how, and by whom. Neither problem seems life threatening - or so Kate thinks, until a strange "accident" proves to have been an attempt on her life."
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Crack Down

Val McDermid

HarperCollins

1994

A Kate Brannigan novel.

"There was only one reason Manchester-based private eye Kate Brannigan was prepared to let her boyfriend help out with the investigation into a car sales fraud – nothing bad could happen. But by now Kate should know that with Richard you have to expect the unexpected. With the unexpected being Richard behind bars, Kate seems to be the obvious choice to look after his eight-year-old son – who proves even more troublesome than his father. Kate finds herself dragged into a world of drug traffickers, child pornographers, fraudsters and violent gangland enforcers… bringing her face to face with death in the most terrifying investigation of her career."
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Clean Break

Val McDermid

HarperCollins

1995

A Kate Brannigan novel.

"Manchester-based private eye Kate Brannigan is not amused when thieves have the audacity to steal a Monet from a stately home where she’s arranged security. She’s even less thrilled when the hunt for the thieves drags her on a treacherous foray across Europe as she goes head to head with organized crime. And as if that isn’t enough, a routine industrial case starts leaving a trail of bodies across the Northwest, giving Kate more problems than she can deal with. Cleaning up the mess in Clean Break forces Kate to confront harsh truths in her own life as she battles with a testing array of villains in a case that stretches love and loyalty to the limits."
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Blue Genes

Val McDermid

HarperCollins

1996

A Kate Brannigan novel.

"Kate Brannigan’s not just having a bad day, she’s having a bad week. Her boyfriend’s death notice is in the paper, her plan to catch a team of fraudsters is in disarray and a neo-punk band want her to find out who’s trashing their flyposters. And her business partner wants her to buy him out. Fine, but private eyes with principles never have that kind of cash. Kate can’t even cry on her best friend’s shoulder, for Alexis has worries of her own. Her girlfriend’s pregnant, and when the doctor responsible for the fertility treatment is murdered, Alexis needs Kate like she’s never done before. So what’s a girl to do? Delving into the alien world of medical experimentation and the underbelly of the rock-music business, Kate confronts betrayal and cold-blooded greed as she fights to save not only her livelihood, but her life as well."
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Star Struck

Val McDermid

HarperCollins

1998

A Kate Brannigan novel.

"Bodyguarding had never made it to Manchester PI Kate Brannigan’s wish list. But somebody’s got to pay the bills at Brannigan & Co, and if the only earner on offer is playing nursemaid to a paranoid soap star, the fast-talking computer-loving white collar crime expert has to swallow her pride and slip into something more glam than her Thai boxing kit. Then offstage dramas threaten to overshadow the fictional storylines till the unscripted murder of the self-styled ‘Seer to the Stars’ stops the show, leaving Kate with more questions than answers."
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Last updated April 2018