The Return of Detective Inspector Helen Shepherd in “Bloody Bananas”

I have two new releases to announce in the next few days.

As the post title indicates, the first of these new releases is a new Helen Shepherd Mystery. This is already the twelfth story featuring Helen and her team, making it my longest series to date.

The inspiration for this mystery was a news story about how cocaine packages were found inside banana crates at several Aldi discount supermarkets. The case made headlines, because the amount of cocaine seized was one of the largest in postwar Germany. And the police didn’t even have to do anything, they only needed to pick up the cocaine packages at Aldi, after the supermarket employees called them in. I even blogged about it at the time.

The news story about the cocaine packages found in banana crates at Aldi not only sparked a lot of jokes – “This week’s special at Aldi – Cocaine, fresh from Columbia” – but it also sparked an idea for a crime story. For what if the supermarket employees did not call the police, when faced with an unexpected delivery of cocaine? What if they decided to keep the drugs for themselves to sell them? And what if someone disagreed?

The ingredients were ideal for a murder mystery and so I turned them into a story and let Helen Shepherd and her team, including new additions Detective Sergeant Terrence Quincy of the drug squad and his detection dog Rex (“a highly qualified police officer who just happens to be a dog”), loose upon the case. There’s even time for a bit romance for Police Constable Martin Jackson who acquires a girlfriend in this story.

So what are you waiting for? Read…

Bloody Bananas
When supermarket employee Nelson Grant is found bludgeoned to death next to a half empty crate of bananas, the case seems a complete mystery. For Nelson Grant was well liked by his colleagues, so who could possibly want him dead?

But then Detective Inspector Helen Shepherd and her team discover that the crate contained more than just bananas and the case suddenly acquires a whole new dimension.

More information.
Length: 12300 words
List price: 0.99 USD, EUR or GBP
Buy it at Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon Germany, Amazon France, Amazon Netherlands, Amazon Spain, Amazon Italy, Amazon Canada, Amazon Australia, Amazon Brazil, Amazon Japan, Amazon India, Amazon Mexico, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Apple iTunes, Google Play, Scribd, Smashwords, Inktera, Playster, Thalia, Weltbild, Hugendubel, Buecher.de, DriveThruFiction, Casa del Libro, e-Sentral, 24symbols and XinXii.