The investment industry wants you to believe in stock market wizards who can predict the future and make a killing. But there’s a simpler way to invest that offers better returns and less stress—no crystal ball needed.

We all know from experience that rational thoughts often lose out to primal cravings: if someone handed you a plate of chocolate cake and a plate of broccoli right now, which would you instinctively reach for?

When investing, you face this same tension between the part of your brain that longs for the sweet, satisfying allure of beating the market versus the rational and wise part that chooses the boring solution offering better results. You also face an uphill battle against an industry that makes more money selling you the finance equivalent of chocolate cake.

This is the truth the investment industry doesn’t want you to know: a low-cost passive portfolio not only earns you higher returns on average than active investing (the kind that makes them the most money) but is also shockingly simple to build and manage.

Transparent Investing will help you achieve your financial goals and become a more empowered and confident consumer. No matter your level of wealth or experience, this plain-English, no-nonsense guide gives you the knowledge you need to:

• Keep your brain from becoming hazardous to your wealth
• Decide whether you should hire a trustworthy advisor or DIY
• Spot the hidden fees that enrich advisors but drag down returns
• Create a simple, tax-efficient portfolio without fear
• Plan for a worry-free retirement and get rich carefully

Smart investing doesn’t have to be intimidating or as complicated as the faux wizards behind the curtain want you to believe. With Transparent Investing, you’ll learn how the game works and how to achieve your investment goals with far less study, time, and anxiety than you might think.

A ruthless criminal is picking off the inhabitants of a Yorkshire town. As the methods increase in cruelty, the pressure on the police mounts.

A police constable ventures out in the middle of the night after a report about suspicious activity at a hardware store in a small town. The light is on, but no one seems to be around. Just a ringing phone that will start a manhunt.

When DI Gardener turns up to investigate further, he discovers a man in some difficulty. The kind of difficulties you experience when you’ve been screwed, crucifixion-style, to a wall.

With the unfortunate victim – the nephew of the hardware shop’s owner – beyond help, the town is put under lock down. And every possible suspect, including the uncle, brought in. This is not an isolated incident, and the killer has more in store.

The detectives are soon led to another situation where a woman is perilously close to death. So close that it’s a matter of millimetres. Getting further in the case will require careful inspection of the crime scenes and the murderer’s torturous methods.

In fact, they have been taunting the police by leaving a strange calling card. But only by working out the motive will DI Gardener catch the cruel killer.

IMPLANT is the third murder mystery by Ray Clark to feature Detective Inspector Stewart Gardener. It can be enjoyed on its own or as part of the series. Look out for the other books. The full list is as follows:

1. IMPURITY
2. IMPERFECTION
3. IMPLANT
4. IMPRESSION
5. IMPOSITION
6. IMPOSTURE
7. IMPASSIVE

All available FREE with Kindle Unlimited and in paperback. The first six are available as audiobooks.