Description
This is the fifth in the Alan Clarke crime series, created by popular local author Carol M Creasey.
If pre-ordered before Carol's book launch event with us on May 16th 2026, we will arrange for the book to be personally signed and dispatched on May 18th.
About the book:
On Christmas Eve, a body is found lying in the snow outside the gates of Canterbury Cathedral. At first, it appears to be a tragic accident, but when forensic evidence reveals a fatal blow to the back of the head, the truth emerges: Jon West has been murdered – and DCI Alan Clarke has a crime to solve during the festive period.
The son of prominent MP Charles West, Jon was notorious for his reckless partying and serial womanising – and often saved from scandal by his responsible twin brother, Isaac. Nevertheless, Jon’s charm left a trail of damaged relationships and bitter enemies. He had affairs with sisters Eve and Lucy, the latter now married to Isaac, placing both women—and Isaac himself—under suspicion. Eve’s volatile boyfriend Mark, who openly threatened Jon shortly before his death, quickly joins the growing list of suspects.
As Alan and his team dig deeper, they uncover more unsettling connections. A troubled taxi driver, Dan Williams, seems unnervingly invested in the case; and when Alan discovers that Dan’s daughter died five years earlier, with her body found close to where Jon was killed, the investigation takes a darker turn. And then Jon’s closest friend Jack also has a motive, having been twice betrayed by Jon stealing his girlfriends.
Alan must unravel the truth from the lies beneath the snow to find out who was out to commit murder on that cold December night.
About the author:
Kent born author Carol M. Creasey wrote her first book about her autistic son in 1993 titled My Life is Worth Living! With four children to cope with, that book brilliantly reflects her struggles balancing a full family life and still giving her son the extra care he needed. Many years later, in her novel The Power of Love, Carol drew from these same experiences to write about the life of a young 1960s mother coping with an autistic son.
As well as looking after her family, Carol has had a career as a manager in various china and glass merchandising establishments and also owned her own shop.
Writing has always remained an important part in Carol’s life, and since the original publication of My Life is Worth Living! she has now published thirteen novels, including the best selling Murder at Westgate Bay, and her autobiography Candidly Carol. A keen interest in Formula 1 racing also led her to write a tribute book celebrating Sir Lewis Hamilton’s final year with Mercedes.
Carol has been the recipient of three Reader’s Choice Awards, winning a coveted first place with the republished softback version of My Life is Worth Living!
Deliveries
Our promises to you:
The delivery time is dependent on your choice of postal services, we aim to dispatch on the next working day after receiving your order via the website.
If there is a delay we will contact you by email to explain why, with a revised delivery time and offer an opportunity for you to withdraw your order and obtain a full refund if this is not suitable.
For post and parcel deliveries we normally use the Royal Mail, and we sometimes use specialist transport companies, for example for large pieces of art.
We can also arrange deliveries locally (in Thanet) by our own team.
Costs for deliveries will be found on individual items, and a summary of delivery timescales is here:
| Type of Delivery |
Delivery Time |
| Collection from our galleries |
At a time to be arranged |
| Standard second class delivery in the UK |
7-10 days |
| Signed for delivery in the UK |
1-3 days |
| International Delivery |
This varies depending on where the delivery address is. |
| Specialist Delivery |
This varies depending on where the delivery address is and the type and size of product being dispatched. |
Any custom-made or personalised items may take longer to dispatch.
Should there need to be a deviation from our published information on deliveries you will be notified by email. This can sometimes be caused by circumstances beyond our control such as strikes, bad weather, etc. We will always maintain contact with you by email to update you on the situation.
If a product is of high value then there may be an additional cost to cover insurance during transit. This will be indicated on the product’s listing.
International delivery times differ depending on the location, for example they are currently:
Western Europe - 10-14 days
Rest of Europe - 14-21 days
USA and Canada- 14-21 days
Asia and Australasia - 14-21 days
Everywhere else - 14-21 days
Returns
Returns:
For most items bought online you have 14 days from its receipt to notify us that you want to return it for a refund or to exchange it, and then a further 14 days to return the item to us.
We recommend that you use a registered (signed for) service for returns so that you have proof of postage. Please note that you will incur the cost of returning the item unless it was faulty or damaged.
Notify returns to Shoreline Partners here or in writing.
The items you can’t send back:
There are some items you cannot return:
- Items made to your specific requirements, or personalised.
- Items that are perishable
- Creative items that are specially commissioned (eg. art, ceramics etc.)
- Items with a hygiene seal, where the seal is broken.
- Gift Vouchers.
Faulty or Damaged Items:
We take care to pack and dispatch your order so that it should be received in good condition. If an item received is faulty, contact us quickly so that we can resolve the issue for you, liaising with the carrier, artist, maker or creative, as appropriate. Please provide as much detail as possible, with photographs of the fault (and the packaging if that is damaged too). We will contact you (usually within 72 working hours) to discuss what to do next. Please do not destroy the item or the packaging, or return it, until you have heard back from us.
As most of what we sell are unique pieces, resolutions available might include repairs, exchanges, discounts or refunds; like-for-like replacements are often not an option.
Inform Shoreline Partners about receiving a faulty item here or in writing.
Cancellations
For most items bought online you have 14 days to notify us that you want to cancel an order, then a further 14 days to return the item to us if we dispatched it to you before you cancelled your order. Exceptions to this are orders for commissions and personalised items, which cannot be cancelled.
Contact Shoreline Partners here, or in writing to cancel an order.
Gifts
We stock a wide range of original and often unique products from a large number of artists, makers and creatives, all of whom run individual small businesses. If a gift you have chosen proves unsuitable, the recipient is able to exchange it for another item from the same artist. This can be done at our galleries, or online (which will incur delivery costs). They will need to provide proof of purchase.
Our Gift Vouchers are an ideal way of treating someone if you are not sure what they will like – they are available in multiples of £10 denominations – buy them here
