Cider - Shop now
Kindle Unlimited
Unlimited reading. Over 4 million titles. Learn more
Read for Free
OR
$3.99 with 79 percent savings
Print List Price: $18.99

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Sold by Amazon.com Services LLC.

Audiobook Price: $15.18

Save: $11.19 (74%)

Read with our free app
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Sally Spencer
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

THE RING OF DEATH an up-all-night detective mystery full of twists and turns (Detective Monika Paniatowski Mysteries Book 2) Kindle Edition

by SALLY SPENCER (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 out of 5 stars 932 ratings
Meet Monika Paniatowski, an ambitious new DCI with everything to prove — and everything to lose.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Spencer delivers another first-rate whodunnit.” Kirkus

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “A terrific mystery — tense and with all the clues there once you figure out how to assemble them.” Lynn, Goodreads

Detective Monika thought she’d seen it all. But nothing could prepare her for this.

A naked body out on the wild and windswept Lancashire moors.

He’s been dumped here, but he was never supposed to stay hidden.

Whoever killed him went to great lengths to see to that. First, they slit his throat, then they left him on display. Posed on all fours.

Who would go to the trouble?

It’s up to Monika to find out, with the help of her team. Too bad they’re all still wet behind the ears or — in the case of DS Paul Cousins — fresh from psychiatric leave.

Worse still, Monika’s arch enemy is in town and watching her every move.

Then a second naked body turns up, arranged in exactly the same way.

Monika realizes that, whatever the killer’s twisted message, he won’t stop until he’s understood.

Discover a brilliantly twisty mystery series set in the 1970s — when it was tough to be a woman in a man’s world.

Fans of Rachel McLean, Angela Marsons, Jodie Lawrance, D.S. Butler, Lynda La Plante, Rebecca Bradley and Caro Ramsay will devour this thrilling crime series.

WHAT EVERYONE IS SAYING ABOUT THE MONIKA PANIAKOWSKI MYSTERIES:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Hugely entertaining!” Booklist

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “A witty protagonist and a likeable supporting cast” Publisher’s Weekly

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “The plot twisted and turned, and kept me wanting more!” Margaret B.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “One of the best police procedurals around. Spencer proves again that she is in league with Peter Turnbull and Lynda La Plante.” Library Journal

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Monika carries the torch nobly as Spencer’s franchise keeps its edge.” Kirkus

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Belongs in the same league with Rebus, Resnick, Harpur and Iles, Morse et al.” Booklist

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Heartbreaking and heart-wrenching, this is Spencer at her best.” Library Journal

THE DETECTIVE
DCI Monika Paniatowski is smart, ambitious and damaged. Her sergeant started a rumour she landed her post by sleeping her way to the top. But the truth is Monika — a Polish immigrant with a long and traumatic backstory — has had to work twice as hard as any of the resentful male colleagues currently betting against her. Will her flawless instincts be enough to win them round?

THE SETTING
Whitebridge was once a thriving Northern mill town — with canals crisscrossing through it — where everyone looked to the mills for employment and business opportunities. In the 1970s, it is a place in decline, where the social fabric is ripping apart.

DCI MONIKA PANIATOWSKI MYSTERIES
Book 1: THE DEAD HAND OF HISTORY
Book 2: THE RING OF DEATH
Book 3: ECHOES OF THE DEAD
Book 4: BACKLASH
Book 5: LAMBS TO THE SLAUGHTER
Book 6: A WALK WITH THE DEAD
Book 7: DEATH’S DARK SHADOW
Read more
Previous slide of product details
  1. Book 2 of 14
    Monika Paniatowski Mysteries
  2. Print length
    303 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    November 24, 2021
  5. File size
    1.5 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
Next slide of product details
Unwell Hydration from Alex Cooper
Hydrate & focus with every sip Shop now

Shop this series

 See full series
There are 14 books in this series.

Customers also bought or read

Page 1 of 1Start overPage 1 of 1
Previous page
Next page
Loading...

From the Publisher

Meet Monika Paniatowski, an ambitious new DCI with everything to prove — and everything to lose

Fans of Ashes to Ashes, Rachel McLean, Angela Marsons, Jodie Lawrance, D.S. Butler, Lynda La Plante, Rebecca Bradley and Caro Ramsay will devour this thrilling retro crime series.

THE DEAD HAND OF HISTORY
THE RING OF DEATH
ECHOES OF THE DEAD
BACKLASH
LAMBS TO THE SLAUGHTER
A WALK WITH THE DEAD
Buying Options
Buying Options
Buying Options
Buying Options
Buying Options
Buying Options
Customer Reviews
4.2 out of 5 stars 1,501
4.4 out of 5 stars 932
4.4 out of 5 stars 931
4.5 out of 5 stars 1,001
4.4 out of 5 stars 1,463
4.5 out of 5 stars 1,316
Price $0.99 $3.99 $3.99 $3.99 $3.99 $3.99
Kindle Unlimited ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
eBook ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Fans of The Dead Hand of History (2009) will welcome Spencer's second mystery featuring Det. Chief Insp. Monika Paniatowski set in 1970s Lancashire. Early one morning in the woods outside Whitebridge, a dog breeder discovers the naked, mutilated body of a man in his mid-30s. Particularly shocking is that the dead man is on his hands and knees, rigor mortis keeping him in position. Monika and her team get to work on the case and soon learn the victim is Andrew Adair—a recently discharged army officer who was one of the paras involved in the notorious 1972 Bloody Sunday killings in Northern Ireland. Before the team makes much headway, a similar murder occurs, and Monika realizes she must figure out what message the killer is trying to send with the posed corpses—and fast—before the violence escalates. A witty protagonist and a likable supporting cast redeem what is otherwise a formulaic police procedural. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

After Spencer retired her delightfully irascible DCI Charlie Woodend, most fans sensed it was the end of an era. But in Monika Paniatowski, Woodend’s replacement as DCI, Spencer has created a new protagonist who might even best Woodend. Paniatowski has overcome a horrific childhood to reach her elevated position and is focused on filling Woodend’s very big shoes. Unfortunately, it’s 1970s Britain, and most of Monika’s male colleagues believe a woman’s place is at home. But her colleagues’ resentment is the least of her worries when a man’s mutilated body is found near Whitebridge, posed on hands and knees and stark naked. Clearly, the killer was trying to deliver a message, but Paniatowski and her team can’t begin to guess what it might be. Then two more bodies are found, also naked and posed, and the stakes are raised still further. As usual, Spencer produces a hugely entertaining police procedural, but it’s her keen perception of human nature and her ability to draw flawed but sympathetic characters that make this extension of the Woodend series such a standout. --Emily Melton

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09MKW4XX6
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Joffe Books crime, thriller and mystery (November 24, 2021)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 24, 2021
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.5 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 303 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 932 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Sally Spencer

Sally Spencer

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Sally Spencer is a pen name, first adopted when the author (actually called Alan Rustage) was writing sagas and it was almost obligatory that a woman's name appeared on the cover (other authors like Emma Blair and Mary Jane Staples are also men). However, Alan uses James Garcia Woods as his pen name for the mysteries set against the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War.

Before becoming a full-time writer, he was a teacher. In 1978-79 he was working in Iran and witnessed the fall of the Shah. He got used to having rifles - and, one occasion, a rocket launcher - pointed at him by both soldiers and revolutionaries, but he was never entirely comfortable with it.

He lived in Madrid for over twenty years, and still considers it the most interesting and exciting city he has ever visited, but for the last few years he has opted for a quieter life in the seaside town of Calpe, on the Costa Blanca.

His first series of books were historical sagas set in Cheshire (where he grew up) and London. They were very popular with his English readers, but his American readers find the dialect something of a strain.

He has written twenty books featuring DCI Woodend (a character based partly on a furniture dealer he used to play dominoes with) and thirteen (so far!) about Woodend's protegé Monika Paniatowski. His DI Blackstone books are set in Victorian/Edwardian London, New York and Russia, and the DI Ruiz books have as their backdrop the Spanish Civil War.

Alan is a competitive games player who likes bridge and pub quizzes. It is only by enforcing iron discipline that he doesn't play video games all the time.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
932 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Top reviews from the United States

  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars A true twist
    Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    If there was any doubt that the quality of storytelling would continue at a high quality when moving beyond Charlie Wooden to Monika Paniatowski, this second in the new series puts an end to that thought.
    Helpful
     Report
  • lubylu55
    4.0 out of 5 stars Monika somehow knew long before she should have known who the killer was.
    Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    This story in a lot of ways is gross and disgusting with several triggers for those who’ve been abused or seen others abused.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Angela Iosue
    5.0 out of 5 stars seriously good
    Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Definitely good stories, great characters and twists and turns that lead you to a surprise ending!! Don’t miss these!! Read on!
    Helpful
     Report
  • Donna Cave-Ballard
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
    Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Excellent murder mystery. I'm on Supping with the Devil" now.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Kindle Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars Awsom!
    Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    The book was well written and held my attention thru out the read. It deserves a five rating !! Awesome!
    Helpful
     Report
  • DLE
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great modern British mystery
    Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2017
    I love the series and its a great sequel to the "Cloggin It" Charlie Woodend series (if you haven't read them, do). Spencer is one of my new favorites for the British police proceedural mystery.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Ring of Death
    Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2013
    Great book with well developed interesting characters, lots of action, and a great story line. I love the change of pace from mysteries all set in the US. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys mysteries.
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • npalbuq.
    4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2016
    Good story until the end. I didn't like the way it turned out, but the plot/ suspense was good.
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Unstoppable reading
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 21, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    I started with book 3 and then 1 and 2 for 3 days solid no one could get a word out of me. I have to admit to not being able to do much else than sit as I am severely disabled . I was spell bound from the beginning, the stories are unusual but very intriguing, not once did I suspect the actual villain which is very unusual indeed. I cannot recommend these books highly enough. I do hope that there will be many more books about Monika Ppaniatowski and her team.
    Report
  • susan
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in Canada on August 18, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    very good author, great read
    Report
  • Amazon Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars good read
    Reviewed in Australia on March 29, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Again a very suspenseful book. This one, I think, is the best one I’ve read. I didn’t work out who the murderer was at all sand that I think, is a great “whodunnit “
    Report
  • Kindle Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars This was certainly a complex storyline .
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 26, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Just when the team was in place - but still with vengeful people in the background not only wanting to make life difficult for her - but actively encouraged by higher powers to do so. So clever and ready for the next adventure.
    Report
  • G.W.Moore.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great Mystery by Sally Spencer.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 23, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    This is a great mystery story by Sally Spencer which keeps you glued to every word and you just want to carry on reading to try and work out who is the guilty person, which is well hidden .
    Report

Report an issue


Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report