A brilliant standalone novel hailed as "some of the best crime fiction to hit bookstores this year" ("Hollywood Reporter") and a prequel to the hit BBC America TV show "Luther," by the Edgar Award-winning creator and sole writer of the show.
Is Luther a force for good or a man hell-bent on self-destruction?
Meet Detective Chief Inspector John Luther. He's a homicide detective with an extraordinary case-clearance rate. He's obsessive, instinctive, and intense. Nobody who ever stood at his side has a bad word to say about him. And yet there are rumors that Luther is bad--not corrupt, but tormented. After years of chasing the most depraved criminals in London's gritty underworld, he seethes with a hidden fury he can barely control, making him do things any other detective wouldn't and shouldn't do.
"Luther: The Calling" is the story of the serial killer case that tore Luther's personal and professional relationships apart and propelled him over the precipice--beyond fury, beyond vengeance, all the way to the other side of the law.

'Neil Cross, the creator of the series, is a seasoned novelist and it shows - the writing is economical, taut and evocative. This is, quite literally, bloody brilliant' Metro Meet DCI John Luther in the prequel to the BBC's epic series Luther, starring Golden Globe winner Idris Elba. He's a murder detective. A near-genius. He's brilliant; he's intense; he's instinctive. He's obsessional. He's dangerous. DCI John Luther has an extraordinary clearance rate. He commands outstanding loyalty from friends and colleagues. Nobody who ever stood at his side has a bad word to say about him. And yet there are rumours that DCI Luther is bad - not corrupt, not on the take, but tormented. Luther seethes with a hidden fury that at times he can barely control. Sometimes it sends him to the brink of madness, making him do things he shouldn't; things way beyond the limits of the law. The Calling, the first in a new series of novels featuring DCI John Luther, takes us into Luther's past and into his mind. It is the story of the case that tore his personal and professional relationships apart and propelled him over the precipice. Beyond fury, beyond vengeance. All the way to murder... Praise for The Calling: 'Cross delivers a brooding piece of back-story for fans of the character inhabited by Idris Elba on screen. However, if you're not already a DCI Luther convert, it also serves as a good jumping off point into his tortured world' Shortlist, top 20 crime novels of the year 'Unsettling, lyrical... Cross has always dealt in darkness and been so adept at conjuring bogeymen from the catacombs of mythology that you start to see them everywhere' Guardian 'This story shares the editing technique and visual power of the screen version... Unapologetic, brutal and stunning - in the very real sense of that word... Cross is an amazing writer, capable of lyricism and pathos as well as some of the most traumatising scenes you're ever likely to experience in a mainstream crime novel' Eurocrime 'Luther, who is intelligent and almost freakishly intuitive, thus belongs not only to the Sherlock Holmes tradition but also to the newer crime-fiction model elaborated by Thomas Harris in his novels Red Dragon, The Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal' Terrence Raffety, New York Times 'Gripping... eviscerating' Observer

*Read the book that inspired THE SISTER, the major ITV drama starring RUSSELL TOVEY* 'Stunning' Peter James 'Creepy, unsettling, and subtle' Guardian 'For fans of Hitchcock' Independent Nathan is desperate to escape his past. If only his past was willing to let go . . . He has never been able to forget the worst night of his life: the party that led to the sudden, shocking death of a young woman. Only he and Bob, an untrustworthy old acquaintance, know what really happened and they have resolved to keep it that way. But one rainy night, years later, Bob appears at Nathan's door with terrifying news, and old wounds are suddenly reopened, threatening to tear Nathan's whole world apart. Because Nathan has his own secrets now. And Bob doesn't realise just how far Nathan will go to protect them . . . Don't miss the book behind the major ITV drama THE SISTER from Neil Cross, the highly acclaimed writer of LUTHER and HARD SUN. PRAISE FOR BURIAL 'His most terrifying . . . scariest and most satisfying yet' Time Out 'A terrifically scary and all too believable tale. It's brilliantly written in taut, humorous prose, while being exceptionally well observed and paced. Quite brilliant' Daily Mirror 'Burial is not only a page-turner, but also a sensitive and atmospheric portrayal of a man at the end of his tether . . . Creepy, unsettling, and subtle' Guardian 'This compulsive page-turner is a thrilling read and you can see why Neil Cross is the lead scriptwriter for the incredibly successful Spooks' The Sun 'An intelligent, tightly written page-turner' Daily Mail 'A skillfully-told and macabre story for fans of Hitchcock . . . Cross marries literary values to the page-turning crime narrative' Independent

All six episodes from the first season of the BBC crime thriller series starring Idris Elba. Brilliant but flawed murder detective John Luther (Elba) sees it as his personal crusade to track down the depraved killers it is his job to identify. But as he struggles with personal demons of his own, his strong moral code cannot always be relied upon to protect him from the dangerous violence of his own emotions and passions. Saskia Reeves, Paul McGann and Steven Mackintosh co-star.

All four episodes from the third season of the BBC crime thriller series starring Idris Elba as the brilliant but flawed murder detective John Luther. Still continuing to struggle with his personal demons, Luther's attempts to bring a fetishistic killer to justice are thwarted when he's suddenly put on another case. Things go from bad to worse, however, when it becomes apparent that former colleague Erin Gray (Nikki Amuka-Bird), now a member of the anti corruption unit, and her boss DSU George Stark (David O'Hara), are out to nail him. Dermot Crowley, Michael Smiley and Sienna Guillory co-star.

Searching for mythical beasts, a family ignores the monster in the backyard It all started with the death of an ape. This is not so odd in Monkeyland, the sanctuary that Patrick and Jane founded together in a last-ditch attempt to revive their flagging marriage. But there was something different about this dead ape, and Patrick soon becomes obsessed with uncovering the mystery surrounding its death. Meanwhile, Jane's in Zaire shooting a nature show and possibly cheating on Patrick with the producer; their son, Charlie, was fired from the sanctuary after an altercation with a customer; and daughter Jo is home from boarding school but may as well have stayed for all they see her. Then there's the predatory cat stalking the periphery of the dilapidated zoo, dodging just out of sight, evading capture, and driving Patrick's obsession to a fever pitch. While Jane and Patrick follow their preoccupations, searching for wild beasts, they manage to ignore the one growing in their midst. Finally, a gruesome act forces the family to come to terms with a dark reality.

The paths of a cult leader, a precognitive man with a secret, and a detective with a troubled past intersect in this dark and absorbing mystery from the creator of Luther Andrew Taylor was a typical, pleasant lower-middle-class Bristol boy, content with his dependable life and loving family . . . until the dreams started coming. He has violent, visceral, powerful visions at night, whispering about darkness, death, murdered women, nationwide grief. Even worse, the dreams appear to be coming true, and soon Taylor finds himself living in a nightmare. William Holloway is the investigator called on to examine Taylor's unexpected disappearance. It looks like an open-and-shut case of suicide: Family man has mental breakdown, walks into sea to end pain. But strange clues nag at Holloway, especially after an old adversary rises from the grave to torment the detective. How, if at all, is this spirit connected to Taylor's disappearance?

All six episodes from the first season of the BBC crime thriller series starring Idris Elba. Brilliant but flawed murder detective John Luther (Elba) sees it as his personal crusade to track down the depraved killers it is his job to identify. But as he struggles with personal demons of his own, his strong moral code cannot always be relied upon to protect him from the dangerous violence of his own emotions and passions. Saskia Reeves, Paul McGann and Steven Mackintosh co-star.

From the creator of Luther: Told with absolute veracity and unsparing candor, Heartland is the memoir of an isolated little boy and the brutish stepfather he couldn't help but love When Neil Cross was born, his mother suffered from severe postpartum depression and later admitted to trying to kill herself and her baby son. Then, when he was five, she "went out and didn't come back," leaving behind her children and their heartbroken father. Two years later she returns and gains custody of Neil, taking him to live with her new partner, Derek Cross, who showers him with attention and love in a way that Neil has never known. Derek teaches him about music and books; he is patient but firm, and more reliable than Neil's mother. But as Neil grows older he realizes his stepfather is more complicated than he seems. For all his love, Derek is a manipulator, an adulterer, a racist, and a con man. And he is the father whom Neil now loves. With devastating honesty, Neil Cross explores the circumstances of this love--one of pleasant rewards but consequences too dire to predict.

Longlisted for the Man Booker Prize: From the creator of Luther comes a gripping tale of the deep bonds between father and son Always the Sun finds one man pushed past his limit, walking a wobbly line between safeguarding and carnage. While mourning the death of his wife and chasing away the darkness with a bottle, widower Sam looks for a fresh start. Dragging his frail thirteen-year-old son, Jamie, with him, Sam abandons their life in Hackney to return to his hometown. On the outside, things appear to be improving: Sam finds a job as a nurse at a local psychiatric hospital, his older sister continues to offer whatever emotional support she can, and Jamie enrolls at Churchill Comprehensive. But Jamie seems to be having trouble fitting in at school. A group of kids led by a particularly savage bully target the boy on his very first day, and the administration is apathetic at best and complicit in Jamie's continued torment at worst. A meeting with the bully's father yields no answers, and soon after, Jamie comes home bearing real, physical scars. Sam is left at a crossroads. With no one able or willing to help, how far will he go to protect his child?

Given only weeks to live, Kenny Drummond finds a mystery worth dying to solve In this gripping psychological thriller from the creator of Luther, Kenny Drummond has been diagnosed with late-stage brain cancer and is writing a list--a list of all the people he has let down in one way or another. He is determined to make amends before the black smudge that keeps showing up on his scans exercises its final power over him. Working his way down the list, Kenny comes to an old schoolmate, Callie Barton, who was kind when he needed a friend. He heard she dated and eventually married Jonathan Reese, and that they live in Bath. But no matter how hard he tries, Kenny can't seem to get ahold of Callie; she's disappeared without a trace. In fact, there are rumors that Reese wasn't the kindest husband. And he sure seems like he has something to hide. Now Kenny has a ticking clock and a promise to keep, and nothing's going to stand in his way.

From the award-winning creator of Luther: A dark portrait of a young British hitman and his quest to find something beyond his cold, brutal world. Jon Bennet is the perfect employee: systematic, productive, and utterly reliable. He is also completely detached from the world around him and seemingly feels nothing . . . for Jon's life is anything but common. On the tight leash of the Tattooed Man, Jon kills and maims on order. And he's good at it. But Jon's days of favor are about to end. After bumping into old school friends, he slowly reenters the normal world, where the bonds of friendship, love, and kindness are expected, and he finds himself changing back into the person he once was. But the Tattooed Man requires total servitude, and his wrath is more fearful than Jon could ever have expected. This sophisticatedly twisted and surprisingly moving novel by the PEN-shortlisted author of Heartland and Burial and creator of the hit BBC crime series starring Idris Elba--as well as the novel Luther: The Calling--is a dark psychological journey into the mind of a killer and "a thrilling tale of perverse redemption" (The Literary Review).

All 14 episodes from the first three series of the BBC crime thriller series starring Idris Elba. Brilliant but flawed murder detective John Luther (Elba) sees it as his personal crusade to track down the depraved killers it is his job to identify. But as he struggles with personal demons, his strong moral code cannot always be relied upon to protect him from the dangerous violence of his own emotions and passions. The cast also includes Warren Brown, Dermot Crowley and Ruth Wilson.