Showing results by author "Jack Benton" in All Categories

The first nine John “Slim” Hardy mysteries collected together for the first time.

On holiday to escape the nightmares of his last case, disgraced soldier turned private detective John “Slim” Hardy comes upon something buried in the peat on Bodmin Moor. Unfinished, water-damaged, but still ticking, the old clock provides a vital clue to an unsolved missing-persons case. As Slim begins to ask questions of the tiny Cornish village of Penleven, he is drawn into a world of lies, rumors, and secrets - some of which the residents would prefer to stay buried. Slim is determined to find out why.

Having fallen on hard times, disgraced soldier turned private investigator John "Slim" Hardy is hired by a rich and enigmatic land owner, Oliver Ozgood, to uncover the identity of a mysterious blackmailer. The blackmailer, demanding a fortune in exchange for his silence, claims to be Dennis Sharp, a former employee of Ozgood, and threatens to reveal secrets that will soil Ozgood’s family name and send the patriarch to prison. There’s only one problem: Dennis Sharp is dead, killed by Ozgood himself. Listen to Slim's quest for answers in his most challenging case yet!

John "Slim" Hardy, heavy drinker and disgraced soldier turned bumbling private detective, is hired to investigate Ted Douglas, an investment banker who slips out of work every Friday to visit a desolate cove on the Lancashire coast. There, he walks to the shore, opens an old book, and begins to read aloud.

Traumatized by a recent case, private investigator John “Slim” Hardy tries to create a new life for himself on the remote Cornish coast. However, when he is recognized by a local woman, he is unable to resist the draw of a dark mystery which has left a long shadow over the village.

Puppeteer Bob Harker has wandered the grey sands of Weston-Super-Mare for as long as anyone can remember, peddling his own brand of Punch’n’Judy to tourists and locals alike. Now, according to Reggie Bowles, his best friend, Bob Harker is dead. The only problem is that Bob’s body has disappeared. Convinced by Reggie to investigate both Bob’s death and subsequent disappearance, private investigator John “Slim” Hardy finds himself with a tricky case on his hands.

After nearly a year out of the game, former-soldier-turned-private-detective John "Slim" Hardy takes what he hopes will be an easy comeback case in the quiet Devonshire town of Launceston. The disappearance under mysterious circumstances of local schoolgirl Emily Martin left police clueless. After being missing for eight days, her sudden reappearance left them equally baffled. Apparently unharmed, Emily claimed no memory of her period of abduction, and in time, the investigation faded.

On the evening of Saturday, January 15, 1977, a local commuter train is delayed at a small village station by a freak blizzard. Young Nurse Jennifer Evans, keen to get back to her family, plans to walk the last couple of miles to her home in a neighboring village. She phones her daughter to confirm that she’s on her way, but she never arrives home. In the ensuing police investigation, no trace of Jennifer Evans is ever found. The only evidence is a photograph taken by a fellow passenger of footprints in the snow in front of Holdergate station.

Attempting to forget his problems with the bottle, former soldier turned private detective John “Slim” Hardy joins what ought to be a peaceful fishing package holiday in Dartmouth, South Devon. But when a violent tragedy affects one of the other tour guests, Slim finds himself on the trail of a potential killer. Set in the beautiful surrounds of the River Dart estuary and Agatha Christie’s Greenway, The Angler’s Tale will take Slim Hardy into places darker than any he has faced before.

When her mentally disabled son develops a strange obsession, Audrey Johnson contacts private investigator John “Slim” Hardy for help.

One autumn night in 1992, young trapeze artist Maria’s circus career is cut short by a career-ending fall. Later investigation reveals sabotage, but by then, the ramshackle Southern Cross Circus has folded, and it’s garrulous ring master and owner fled to Spain.

John «Slim» Hardy asume tras su liberación lo que cree que será un caso sencillo en el tranquilo pueblo de Launceston, en Devonshire. La desaparición en misteriosas circunstancias de la colegiala Emily Martín desorientó a la policía. Ocho días después, su reaparición le dejó igualmente perpleja. Aparentemente ilesa, Emily afirmó no recordar nada de su período de secuestro y, con el tiempo, la investigación se abandonó. Dos años después, al irse destruyendo su relación con su hija, la desesperada madre de Emily, Georgia, recurre a Slim en busca de respuestas.

Tras pasar por muy malos momentos, el soldado expulsado y convertido en investigador privado, John «Slim» Hardy es contratado por un terrateniente rico y enigmático, Oliver Ozgood, para descubrir la identidad de un misterioso chantajista. El hombre reclama una fortuna a cambio de su silencio. Afirma ser Dennis Sharp, un antiguo empleado de Ozgood y amenaza con revelar secretos que arruinarían la reputación de la familia Ozgood y enviarían al patriarca a prisión. Solo hay un problema. Dennis Sharp está muerto, asesinado por el propio Ozgood.

John «Slim» Hardy, bebedor y soldado caído en desgracia y convertido en torpe detective privado, es contratado para investigar a Ted Douglas, banquero de inversión que se escapa todos los viernes a visitar una cala desolada en la costa de Lancashire. Allí camina hasta la orilla, abre un libro Viejo y empieza a leer en voz alta. Su mujer piensa que está teniendo una aventura. Slim piensa que está loco. La verdad es más increíble de lo que ambos pueden imaginar.