The first book in the new dark and decadent Society of Villains series, this is a dark age-gap mafia romance . . .

He's Deathless. She's trying to find a reason to live.

Lila

My innocence was ripped from me one fateful night under the starless sky.
Resulting in an unwanted teenage pregnancy and a secret the Camorra must bury.
My father decided to hand me off to the highest bidder.
The lucky winner? Tiernan Callaghan, psychopath extraordinaire.
The Irish mafia prince wants me for all the wrong reasons.
Alliance. Money. Prestige. War.
I am but a pawn in his twisted game.
The man who sits on a throne of his enemies' skulls thinks I'm a weakling.
Little does he know, in this chess game, the underdog wins.
Because the thing about bad bishops?
They protect good pawns.

Murder and mystery are peppered with dark humour in this fast-paced thriller from the bestselling crime writer and author of The DCI Ryan Mysteries.

After an elite criminal profiling unit is shut down amidst a storm of scandal and mismanagement, only one person emerges unscathed.

Forensic psychologist Doctor Alexander Gregory has a reputation for being able to step inside the darkest minds to uncover whatever secrets lie hidden there and, soon enough, he finds himself drawn into the murky world of murder investigation.

In the beautiful hills of County Mayo, Ireland, a killer is on the loose. Panic has a stranglehold on its rural community and the Garda are running out of time.

Gregory has sworn to follow a quiet life but, when the call comes, can he refuse to help their desperate search for justice?

Detective Chief Inspector Ryan believes he has put his turbulent history behind him. Then, in the early hours of the summer solstice, the skeleton of a young woman is found inside the Roman Wall at Sycamore Gap. She has lain undiscovered for ten years and it is Ryan's job to piece together her past.

Enquiry lines cross and merge as Ryan is forced to face his own demons and enter into a deadly game of cat and mouse with a killer who seems unstoppable.

Murder and mystery are peppered with a sprinkling of romance and humour in this fast-paced crime whodunnit set amidst the spectacular scenery of Hadrian's Wall country in Northumberland.

When a ten-year-old girl turns up on DCI Ryan's doorstep to tell him she's witnessed a murder, he has no idea he's about to step into his most spellbinding case yet.

The circus has rolled into Newcastle upon Tyne, bringing with it a troupe of daring acrobats, magicians, jugglers - and one of them is a killer.

Ryan and his team must break through their closed ranks to uncover a secret which has lain buried for eight years, before the killer strikes again - this time, to silence the only living witness...

Get ready to be gripped by the thrilling first instalment of the bestselling DCI Ryan murder mystery series, the perfect mix of crime, humour, and a touch of romance for fans of Elly Griffiths and Ann Cleeves.

On the spectacular Northumbrian island of Lindisfarne, a killer is hiding in plain sight…

Forced to take leave from his duties as a homicide detective, Detective Chief Inspector Ryan seeks sanctuary on Holy Island. But just a few days before Christmas, he is thrust back into the murky world of murder when a young woman is found dead amongst the ancient ruins of the nearby Priory.

When former local girl Dr Anna Taylor arrives on the island as a police consultant, old memories swim to the surface making her confront her difficult past.

She and Ryan struggle to work together to hunt a deadly killer, while pagan ritual and island politics muddy the waters of their investigation.

Can they overcome their differences before the killer strikes again?

When a cantankerous old woman dies at her home in the sleepy, picturesque village of Bamburgh, DCI Ryan doesn’t think much of it―except, that is, for the small matter of it having been his wife who happened to find her body.

Then another body turns up amongst the sand dunes at the base of the mighty castle fortress, and he decides it can’t be a coincidence…

Meanwhile, after a recent revelation about her sister, DC Melanie Yates’ quest to avenge her death is becoming an obsession―much to the concern of those around her. With a new DCS to contend with and hundreds of cold case files to sift through, the chances of uncovering a dormant killer seem unlikely.

But as Melanie delves deeper into the secrets of the past to uncover the truth, she soon realises it lies much closer to home…

When a fishing boat is wrecked off the treacherous North Sea coast and the body of a young woman washes up on the beach beside the iconic ‘Marsden Rock’, DCI Ryan cannot ignore the call to duty.

With one already dead and more human cargo missing from the wreckage, Ryan and his team race to find the remaining souls ― before it’s too late, and their investigation turns to murder. As they uncover the seedy underbelly of Tyneside, cold and calculated opportunism clashes with the rock-hard arm of the Law, but there’s one thing that proves stronger than stone…

The human spirit.

After a busy year fighting crime, DCI Ryan and his team of murder detectives are enjoying a festive season of goodwill, mulled wine and, in the case of DS Phillips, a stottie cake or two―that is, until a freak snowstorm forces their car off the main road and into the remote heart of Northumberland.

Their Christmas spirit is soon tested when they’re forced to find shelter inside England’s most haunted castle, where they’re the uninvited guests at a ‘Candlelit Ghost Hunt’.

It’s all fun and games―until one of the guests is murdered.

It seems no mortal hand could have committed the crime, so Ryan and co. must face the spectres living inside the castle walls to uncover the grisly truth, before another ghost joins their number…

Fresh from a high-profile case in the Paris fashion world, elite forensic psychologist and criminal profiler Dr Alexander Gregory receives a call from the FBI.

The wife of a notorious criminal has been admitted to a private psychiatric hospital and can no longer testify in his upcoming trial.

Without her, their case will collapse but, amidst reports that the staff are as unpredictable as their patients, who can the police trust?

In desperation, they turn to an outsider and now Gregory must find the courage to step inside the fortified walls of Buchanan Hospital to uncover the truth.

The question is, will he ever be the same again?

When a senior Metropolitan Police officer and High Court judge die in quick succession, criminal profiler Doctor Alex Gregory is convinced their deaths are linked to the most shameful case of his career: the notorious wrongful conviction of Carl Deere, an innocent man found guilty of a series of heinous murders perpetrated by the 'Soho Killer'.

Four years later, released from prison and with his record wiped clean, Deere is an invisible spectre with a new name and a new face.

But, as Gregory knows only too well, the past isn't easily forgotten, and revenge can be a powerful motive - even for an innocent man...

With Scotland Yard determined to avoid any further scandal, Gregory and his friend and mentor, Professor Bill Douglas, are left to fend for themselves.

With no real evidence and the body count rackin

Charles Oertel bevind hom in ’n netelige posisie. Hy is ’n skatryk Vrystaatse boer en het sentimente jeens beide magte wat tydens die Anglo-Boereoorlog slaags raak. Bothma se noukeurige navorsing oor hierdie invloedryke man en sy nasate se lotgevalle tydens en na die oorlog bevestig geboekstaafde kennis maar bied ook nuwe inligting. Daarbenewens is dit ’n boeiende menslike verhaal wat die leser tot nadenke stem. Sou dit anders verloop het as dit nie vir die oorlog was nie? Keer die mens nie die punt van die punt van die swaard self op sy hart nie? Punt van die swaard was in 2005 op die kortlys vir die Louis Hiemstra-prys vir niefiksie.

After the dramatic theft of a priceless artefact from Durham Cathedral, the rest of the world believes that DCI Ryan and his team were able to recover and return St. Cuthbert’s cross to its rightful home. But Ryan knows the cross he recovered was a fake―far from being over, their problems are only just beginning…

Just as Ryan and his team begin to unravel the truth behind the spate of mysterious thefts, something even more priceless is stolen―something that can never be replaced.

As the nationwide manhunt continues without success, Ryan is thrust into despair―until he realises the answer lies not in modern policing but in an age-old secret known only to a chosen few. To recover what’s been lost, he must first crack ‘Cuthbert’s Code’, following the trail of a long-dead saint across the wild, unpredictable hills and valleys of the borderlands.

Can Ryan find what he’s looking for, before it’s too late?

After a nationwide manhunt for notorious felon Carl Deere left two women hospitalised in a critical condition, clinical psychiatrist and criminal profiler Doctor Alexander Gregory is left heartbroken.

Both are special to him: one is his new friend, Detective Chief Inspector Ava Hope, and the other is the woman he loves, Doctor Naomi Palmer. However, there's something he doesn't know...

One of them is a killer.

Enlisted by the Metropolitan Police, Doctor Gregory must embark on a journey into the past - theirs, as well as his own.

In doing so, he comes to understand that justice is seldom black and white, and even good people can commit murder...

After a turbulent time, DCI Ryan’s life is finally returning to normal and he’s looking forward to spending an uneventful Easter bank holiday weekend with his fiancée.

Then, on Good Friday morning he is called out to a crime scene at one of the largest cemeteries in Newcastle. The body of a redheaded woman has been found buried in a shallow grave and the killer has given her wings, like an angel.

Soon, another woman is found at a different cemetery, followed quickly by another. Panic spreads like wildfire as a new serial killer is born, and Ryan’s band of detectives must work around the clock to unmask him before he can strike again.

After his climactic battle with notorious serial killer The Hacker, DCI Ryan is spending the summer with his fiancée within the grounds of Cragside, a spectacular Bavarian-style mansion surrounded by acres of woodland.

When they are invited to attend the staff summer party – a Victorian murder mystery evening – it’s all a joke until the lights go out and an elderly man is found dead. It looks like an unfortunate accident but, as the dead man’s life begins to unfold, Ryan and his team of detectives realise that all is not as it appears.

When a second body is found, terror grips the close-knit community and Ryan must uncover the killer who walks among them, before they strike again...

After uncovering a fresh wave of corruption within the ranks of Northumbria CID, Detective Chief Inspector Ryan was looking forward to an uneventful summer. But, when a young woman is shot dead on the remote army ranges of the Northumberland National Park, Ryan is called in to investigate.

Meanwhile, violent crimes are being committed across sites of historic importance in the North East, the perpetrator leaving only a graffitied symbol as their calling card.

As the body count rises, Ryan and his team must unravel the mystery behind its meaning – before it's too late...

One fateful, starry night, three friends embark on a secret camping trip but only two return home. Thirty years later, the body of a teenage boy rises from the depths of England’s biggest reservoir and threatens to expose a killer who has lain dormant…until now.

Detective Chief Inspector Ryan returns from honeymoon to face danger from all sides. In the depths of Kielder Forest, a murderer has escaped justice before and will do anything to protect the secrets of the past. Meanwhile, back at Northumbria CID, an old foe has taken the helm as Superintendent and is determined to destroy Ryan at any cost.

Who will prevail in Ryan’s most dangerous case yet?

After a long year of crime-fighting, DCI Ryan and his team are looking forward to a peaceful Christmas filled with festive treats – including the occasional turkey stottie, or three.

To celebrate a job well done, the entire team are treated to a party at beautiful Belsay Hall, a spectacular country estate on the outskirts of the city. But, when their dinner is interrupted by the untimely arrival of a dead body, they’re reminded that crime never sleeps – and nor do the secrets within the walls of Belsay.

It's time to find out who’s been naughty or nice…

For Detective Chief Inspector Ryan, the stakes have never been higher. Most of the world thinks he’s dead, killed by an assasin's rifle in his own home. But another man took the bullet intended for him, and now Ryan’s living on borrowed time. As long as he stays ‘dead’, in the sanctuary of his parents’ home in Devon, there’s a chance to find the people behind the deadly killing network. It’s only a matter of time before his secret’s uncovered, and nowhere will be safe.

Back in Northumberland, Ryan’s team are called in to investigate the mysterious death of a man in Alnwick, who collapsed yards from the walls of its Mediaeval castle. When a second person is rushed to hospital with the same symptoms, her life hangs in the balance unless they can discover the toxic substance that’s killing her.

For DCs Lowerson and Reed, there’s only one place to look for inspiration―the Poison Garden…

After a long and eventful winter, DCI Ryan and his team are looking forward to the joys of spring. But, when one of their colleagues is shot dead on her own doorstep and the brass think it’s an inside job, Ryan finds himself drafted in to investigate.

He’s barely scratched the surface when reports flood in of a terror explosion at Durham Cathedral. Chaos descends on the sleepy, historic city and, when the smoke clears, they find a priceless artefact that once belonged to Saint Cuthbert is missing.

With tensions running at an all-time high, unable to trust the local police, can Ryan and his team bring a killer to justice ― and restore Cuthbert’s cross to its natural resting place?

The stunning prequel to international bestseller HOLY ISLAND.

In the stifling summer heat of 2014, a killer has been stalking the streets of Newcastle causing city-wide panic. When the officer in charge of the case turns up dead, it falls upon Detective Chief Inspector Ryan to take up the baton and find the person responsible.

To the close-knit team of police in Northumbria CID, Ryan is still an outsider; aloof and uncompromising. He’s lived a charmed life and has an unbroken track record to match.

But, as The Hacker’s death toll rises, Ryan realises this is one adversary he’ll never bring to justice on his own…

When a man is found dead at the remote church of Heavenfield, DCI Ryan is the only other person for miles around. The police have no weapon, no motive and no other suspects.

Already suspended from Northumbria CID, Ryan must fight to clear his name. But soon, more than his career is at stake when prominent members of the mysterious ‘Circle’ begin to die. Somebody wants Ryan’s name to be next on the coroner’s list and to survive he must unmask the devil who walks among them – before it is too late.

Unfortunately for Ryan, the devil looks just like everybody else…

When an old man is burned alive in a sleepy ex-mining village, Detective Chief Inspector Ryan is called in to investigate.

He soon discovers that, beneath the facade of a close-knit community, the burn from decades-old betrayal still smoulders. When everyone had a motive, can he unravel the secrets of the past before the killer strikes again?

Meanwhile, back at Northumbria CID, trouble is brewing with rumours of a mole in Ryan’s department. With everyone under suspicion, can he count on anybody but himself?

Detective Chief Inspector Ryan’s worst nightmare has just become a reality. Notorious serial killer The Hacker has escaped prison and kidnapped one of his best detectives from her own home. His brutality is the stuff of legend – Ryan lost his sister and nearly his own life bringing the man to justice first time around. Can Ryan do it again to save his friend?

There’s a nationwide manhunt underway but the trail has gone cold and fear spreads like a virus. Ryan and his team must find The Hacker before he takes another life – but are they too late?

The clock is ticking…