The Phantom Ritual (DCI Morgan Chester: Case One)
- Reads 973
- Votes 269
- Parts 37
MatureComplete Sun, Jul 18, 20215h 4m
On a cold winter night, the bodies of two sex workers lay inside the Stables Market in Camden. A brutal attack has left one victim dead and the other desperately fighting for her life.
The first person on the scene is Detective Chief Inspector Morgan Chester, who receives a disturbing phone call and has no choice but to investigate as one victim works in the local brothel belonging to her father.
After almost ten years serving in the Serious Crime Unit and investigating horrific crimes, nothing can prepare her for what she is about to witness.
On the same night, the vibrant town of Herford is thrown into turmoil. On the busy high street, a distressed young woman emerges covered in blood and screaming for her baby.
After being left with no leads and her principal witness dead, DCI Morgan Chester faces a tough decision as she marches through the gates of HMP Belmarsh.
All Rights Reserved
Join the largest storytelling communityGet personalized story recommendations, save your favourites to your library, and comment and vote to grow your community.
You may also like
OF STORM KISSED LIES
Description: Detective Alex Morgan is trained to read between the lines-but what happens when her life becomes one long, tangled lie? At work, she's hunting a sadistic killer whose victims are piling up fast-each body left in the rain, carved with symbols no one can decode. At home, chaos reigns: her 13-year-old daughter is pregnant, her teen son is spiraling into addiction, and her ex-husband is nothing more than a voicemail that never gets returned. She's holding a badge in one hand and her sanity in the other-barely. Then comes the man in the storm-dark-eyed, enigmatic, impossibly seductive. The kind of man who should come with a warning label... or a body count..There's an immediate pull, a desire so fierce it breaks her rules. He disappears before she can ask his name. And somehow, Alex keeps letting him back in. Into her house. Into her bed. Into the case? As the bodies stack higher and the storm outside grows more violent, so does the one inside her. She doesn't know who to trust-including herself. Why does the killer feel so close? Why do the clues keep pointing to the man she can't stop touching? And what happens when the line between hunter and prey disappears completely? Alex keeps digging. And sleeping with the suspect. She tells herself it's control, strategy. But how many more people have to die before she stops confusing pleasure for protection? Can she uncover the truth before her family collapses entirely? Or will her need-for escape, for touch, for him-drag her into a grave she didn't see coming? How many lies can she tell before one of them becomes her own obituary? Some storms kiss. Others kill. And some... do both.
Split Black /#Wattys 2021
WATTYS 2021 SHORT LIST**HEART AWARDS FOURTH PLACE. FORMER #1 PROCEDURAL. Detective John Robin discovers the murdered body of the hotshot homicide chief who recruited him to the city's "A Squad", rabbi'd him up to detective, and taught him so much. Distraught, John catches the case...for about two minutes. In the blink of an eye, a more senior detective is assigned instead. How can John get reassigned to the case? How can he solve the murder of his boss and friend? What's happened to his flaky girlfriend, Lizzie, a fallen New York model, and his squad partner Mike, who's having a mental breakdown? How can those clues help him solve the crime? When John himself is attacked, the stakes climb.Complete
Within Her Threads- A Murder Mystery Novella
Neil has dropped all communications with his sister, Shuchi for last two years. However, when one morning she turns up uninvited at his home in London, he nevertheless welcomes her. But something has changed, that he can't help noticing. Something in her appearance had changed that was creating strange vibe around her. Before Neil could figure out, his father calls to inform him that his sister is dead. 'Shuchi is dead.' But how can this happen? One minute she was standing in London and another minute, her body was fished out of a lake in India. Neil couldn't believe it, until his phone blinked with the picture of his sister's dead body. Heartbroken and shattered Neil reaches India where Inspector Bhaskara, his friend is waiting with another news. 'Your sister, might have been murdered.' Lies, deceit and a tale lined with thrill and suspense, this is the first part of the story where Neil has to find out who killed his sister and why? In the world, where people find it hard to forgive and forget, can Neil forgive himself for cutting off his one and only sister from his life?Complete
Taken
Louis is 22, an award winning architect whose trying to put his past trauma of being kidnapped behind him. Scott Wolf and Harry Styles are two detectives that were there through Louis trauma, essentially saved his life and lead the case. They haven't seen each other in over a year, but what happens when the case breaks wide open again and Harry and Scott come spiralling back into Louis life again. This story is copyrighted to myself please don't copy or translate my story xxComplete
Shroud of Our Past | Watty 2025 |
Seven dead bodies. One abandoned old morgue and the small town that won't let it go. Welcome to Brookstone Wells. The town where the secrets are whispered through the wind and the clues are found scattered inside the dead bodies. The blood is the ink and the stories being written are worse than your nightmares. **** Seven corpses. Fresh. Intact. Unnamed. And the man who made the discovery? Found dead before the truth could follow. By the time the police arrive, only one body remains. Sebastian Moore. Cold. Unmoving. Holding more questions than answers. The local authorities are desperate to find a thread, any thread to make sense of it. But all clues seem to circle back to a storm that swept through Brookstone Wells one year ago ; a case sealed, a chapter closed. Or so they thought. **** Officer Noah Cooper, a man whose life has been defined by silence, solitude, and chasing shadows that always slip away. Emma Sinclair lives for the thrill of the chase. She's fearless, sharp, and haunted by the past she swore she left behind. They were never supposed to return. Not to each other. Not to this town. But something is calling them back. Back to the town that stole everything. Back to the truth they never dared to face. Back to each other. But Brookstone Wells isn't the same place they left behind. The streets are quieter. The memories sharper. The lies deeper. And someone is watching. Someone who knows every move they'll make because they've seen it all before. And this time, they don't plan on letting anyone leave. *** "Shroud of Our Past" is a haunting psychological thriller about trauma, buried secrets, and the terrifying power of memory. Because in this town, the dead don't stay dead. And the past always finds its way home. Grumpy×Sunshine Small town×Crime #Wattys2025 © All Rights ReservedComplete
The Psychopath Next Door
☆☆ Watty Award Winner 2020 ☆☆ Cooper Daniels lives next door to a psychopath. He just can't prove it...yet. When the most popular girl in high school is murdered at a Halloween party, Cooper's suspicions become a reality. He knows exactly who did it. But how is he supposed to prove his charming neighbor is a killer? Meanwhile, Calla Parker is waking up with blood under her nails, and she has no idea why. Unable to remember the night before, Calla begins to suspect herself of murder. She's relieved to find out the police have zero evidence to go on. Yet she can't help but shake the feeling she's being watched - very closely. And she knows why. Cooper Daniels knows her secret. ☆ Cover by @CarKann ☆Complete
Flytrap | WATTYS 2022 SHORTLIST
When men vanish around the city, a young, paraplegic detective takes it upon herself to uncover the truth and soon realizes the culprit might be a lot closer to home than she imagined. **** Barbara Gordon thought her career as a promising young detective ended after she was left crippled in a tragic accident. But when men start disappearing around the city, Barbara is given one more opportunity to fulfill her dream. Convinced her dad's new fiancee is not who she seems, Barbara begins her own investigation and discovers she might be responsible for the recent string of disappearances. But a darker truth lies just below the surface. If this once would-be detective wants to solve the case, then she must accept the help of some even more mysterious--and possibly dangerous--allies. [Wattpad Editors' Picks AUGUST 2021] [Wattys 2021 and 2022 Shortlist] (Cover by @lantea-)Complete
Whispers of the Dead
Rowan Shaw has spent her life between two worlds-the living and the dead. As a consultant for law enforcement, her ability to see what others can't has closed cases no one else could solve. But when her husband is murdered, her gift fails her-and his silent presence is all that remains. Drawn into the hunt for a serial killer, Rowan begins to sense she's being watched. The deeper she digs, the more she realizes the danger is personal. Someone close has been waiting for her to break-and the truth is far more terrifying than she imagined.Complete
Sin Bound
♣She touched me, and left a reason to exist.♣ ••• This is a work of fiction. All characters and events are imaginary. Any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental. Sylvain had a plan, he had it all sorted out. Revenge was the key to his vendetta. The key was to not catch feelings. It was a game until it wasn't. It was fun until feelings got involved. Lust, revenge, love a burning combination. That would pleasure you, break you and tear you apart. In the process of revenge would he let his feelings get a hold on him or will love win? They say accidents happen for a reason, but Diana's had a motive. That night, was the start of a dark road. A destructive road, that meant to cause an accident. That night, she sold herself to him, she was bound to him. She became his sinbound, his hostage. All because of an accident. Or so she thought. Get ready to discover secrets that will break you, haunt you, and tear you apart. © All rights reservedComplete
𝑬𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆
#𝟏 𝐢𝐧 "𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐤𝐢 𝐋𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐧" 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 "She endured the pain of her family's neglect, yearning for the love and care that always seemed just out of reach. He, on the other hand, had a family that cared, but was betrayed by the one person he trusted most. For him, trusting anyone seemed impossible. After all, "loving someone is easy, but trusting them... that's the real challenge." Then, destiny intervened, weaving their paths together through an arranged bond, determined to heal their unseen scars. The bitter enemies who despised each other for years were bound by fate, destined to become soulmates for lifetimes. "𝑫𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒚, 𝒊𝒕 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒎𝒔, 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒖𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒐𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒈𝒆." 𝑬𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆 is a whirlwind of laughter, endless family drama, and chaos, with a slow-burn romance that might just make you cringe and blush. Proceed with caution... and read at your own risk! [Not my best work, but do check out my other books. ;) ] Tropes : ~ Rom-Com ~ Drama ~ Arranged Marriage ~ Past ~ Enemies to lovers ~ CEO x Chef ~ Slow-burn #𝟒 & #𝟓 𝐢𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚 (𝐓𝐨𝐩 𝟏𝟎) 𝟑𝟎 & 𝟑𝟏 𝐀𝐮𝐠 '𝟐𝟓 #1 in Wattpadindia 13/01/25 #1 in Happyending 07/02/25 #1 in fictional 26/06/25 #1 in Wattpadromance 12/08/25Complete
Description: Detective Alex Morgan is trained to read between the lines-but what happens when her life becomes one long, tangled lie? At work, she's hunting a sadistic killer whose victims are piling up fast-each body left in the rain, carved with symbols no one can decode. At home, chaos reigns: her 13-year-old daughter is pregnant, her teen son is spiraling into addiction, and her ex-husband is nothing more than a voicemail that never gets returned. She's holding a badge in one hand and her sanity in the other-barely. Then comes the man in the storm-dark-eyed, enigmatic, impossibly seductive. The kind of man who should come with a warning label... or a body count..There's an immediate pull, a desire so fierce it breaks her rules. He disappears before she can ask his name. And somehow, Alex keeps letting him back in. Into her house. Into her bed. Into the case? As the bodies stack higher and the storm outside grows more violent, so does the one inside her. She doesn't know who to trust-including herself. Why does the killer feel so close? Why do the clues keep pointing to the man she can't stop touching? And what happens when the line between hunter and prey disappears completely? Alex keeps digging. And sleeping with the suspect. She tells herself it's control, strategy. But how many more people have to die before she stops confusing pleasure for protection? Can she uncover the truth before her family collapses entirely? Or will her need-for escape, for touch, for him-drag her into a grave she didn't see coming? How many lies can she tell before one of them becomes her own obituary? Some storms kiss. Others kill. And some... do both.
More detailsContent Guidelines