Detectives without Guns (Unarmed and Unofficial Book 1)

The past never stays buried

When two women are found murdered in Melbourne in 2019—echoing the long-cold case of Mel Cooke’s mother—Mel is forced to confront the past she’s tried to forget. The new killings are too similar to ignore. And the deeper she digs, the more certain she becomes: the killer never left.

With her daughter now in the crosshairs, Mel teams up with journalist Dave Ferguson to uncover the truth. What they find is a trail of buried secrets, forgotten connections, and a mysterious man tied to the night her mother died. As danger draws closer, Mel must face the possibility that protecting her family means unearthing everything she’s fought to keep hidden.

DETECTIVES WITHOUT GUNS by Claire Harrison is a tense, character-driven mystery about family, memory, and how far one woman will go to protect the people she loves.

Read now and uncover the truth behind a murder that refuses to stay in the past.

Excerpt from the book

Lou slammed the door on her way through it, just for effect. Mel felt sure, that somewhere in the pit of his belly, Campbell’s gut contracted.

The meeting room he’d booked was the nicest in the Treasury building. Wood-panelled bookcase in the corner, polished parquetry table in the middle – oval in shape so no one felt left out and a dozen high back, leather-look chairs to complete the picture. The view from the half-wall window was breathtaking – lost on a public building.

Lou sat in the chair at the narrowest curve of the table with her back to the window. Always assume the power position in a fight where you’re going down.

Campbell, from HR, hesitated between two chairs to Lou’s left, unsure what to do. Luckily, he wasn’t a poker player. He finally chose the one furthest from her and beckoned Sharin to take the seat between them. Mel took the one to her right, whilst Jill, their new manager, sat at the opposite end of the table.

Campbell fidgeted with the cuff of his shirt sleeve and cleared his throat.

‘Thanks for meeting so early, Unfortunately, I do have some bad news.’ He slid a sidelong glance at Lou and rushed on. ‘Um, it appears they’re expediting the changes. We have eight weeks to finalise the roles, which means your decision about redundancy, redeployment, or resignation, needs to be made next week.’

‘For God’s sake!’

Campbell sighed in what sounded like a huff. ‘Lou, please. This is not my decision.’

‘Bollocks!,’ said Lou, heaving her ample bosom onto the table as she leaned over it. She was sliding into full flight.

Mel settled back to watch. She was listening, just not quite. Her mind drifted back to the drive into work and the news on her radio. It hadn’t really focused on anything else since the story broke some weeks before.

‘Detectives are appealing for community assistance as they continue investigations into the recent deaths of two young women. Police discovered the bodies of 22-year-old Kristen Bell and 17year-old Erin Delaney at separate locations in March and May this year. The two women disappeared a month before their bodies were found in nearby laneways in inner Melbourne. Both women were raped and brutally beaten and forensic psychologist, Daton Burke, believes there could be a pattern to the killings. Police are yet to confirm if the two are related.

Investigators are piecing together a timeline of events and are seeking public assistance to fully understand the circumstances leading to their deaths. Kristen disappeared in February and Erin in April…’

Mel jumped as Lou’s palm slapped the table. She looked up to see Campbell flush pink and work his cuffs so hard Mel feared a button would snap off.