Showing results by author "John Carson" in All Categories

DCI Liam Brodie is no stranger to horror. Seven years ago, he led the hunt for a murderer who killed seven women, leaving their bodies out on display like some kind of morbid exhibition. Never any witnesses; never any clue as to who he was. Now, seven years later, the killings have started again. Same method. Same pattern. Same nightmare. Brodie is called back to Fife to lead the investigation. But this time, the killer isn't just repeating the past—he's rewriting it. And Brodie isn't just hunting a serial killer… He's being hunted.

After putting a stop to one of Edinburgh's most notorious serial killers 3 years ago, DCI Liam Brodie is known as a man who can handle - and solve - the hardest of cases. When a child's bones are unearthed beneath the floorboards of an old house in Fife - the same house where his girlfriend, psychologist Ruth Calder, grew up as a foster daughter - Brodie uncovers a tangled web of lies and jealousy.

Soon to be seen in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, welcome to the casino city of Canto Bight. A place where exotic aliens, captivating creatures, and other would-be high rollers are willing to risk everything to make their fortunes. Set across one fateful evening, these four original novellas explore...

The body of a teenager is found near Portobello Beach in Edinburgh, wrapped in plastic. She went missing five years ago but it's obvious she only died recently.

Settling into his new life, Detective Chief Inspector Harry McNeil is being kept busy, but life is going to become a lot busier. The body of an MSP has been found slaughtered in an empty house in Edinburgh. But this is no ordinary crime scene. It’s one that Harry McNeil thinks he’s seen before. Down to the last detail, including the position of the bodies. As they start the hunt, they’re looking for a killer who seems to know far too much detail of what goes on behind the scenes at a kill site. Somebody who doesn’t want to stop.

Edinburgh DCI Harry McNeil isn’t easily intimidated. But after years investigating crooked cops, a promotion heading up a Major Investigation Team will put his reputation on the line. And he’s starting to sweat when the daughter of a rich and powerful family vanishes from the honeymoon suite in a Scottish Highlands castle….

A mythical man known as Nightmare haunted young children for years. Until he became real. DCI Harry McNeil knows the legend all too well. Growing up in the Highlands, Nightmare was on his and every other child's mind as they went to sleep. Then, Nightmare claimed his first victim. A young girl, found dead in an abandoned cemetery with the words, I am Nightmare, carved into her chest. Two more victims, the same words carved into them. Then Nightmare disappears. Now, years later, there have been reports of graffiti being sprayed around Inverness and on graves in old cemeteries.

A woman is found in a local cemetery, crushed to death under a gravestone. A production company is there, filming the remake of a classic sci-fi TV show on the grounds, making the investigation more difficult for DCI Harry McNeil. It's his first day in charge of the cold case unit in Edinburgh. After spending four years in Professional Standards, he has little choice but to take the promotion.

A woman is found dead, brutally murdered, her death made to look like an accident. DCI Sean Bracken is called in and discovers that the young woman has a very powerful father. Was somebody trying to get back at him, or has the woman's secrets finally caught up with her? Bracken also has to deal with the mysterious arson attack on his boss' house. And a name from the past resurfaces, a name that Bracken thought was dead and buried.

After a young man's body is discovered by a newlywed couple inside an abandoned caravan, the police initially speculate whether his death was accidental. However, the investigation takes a dramatic turn when they uncover the victim's true identity. The deceased has a deadly past, and barely paid the price for the heinous crime he committed. DCI Harry McNeil is assigned the task of identifying the victim’s killer, but the case soon becomes shrouded in secrecy. The man's past is far more complex than anyone had anticipated.

DCI Sean Bracken is about to buy a house, his ex-wife is talking about getting married, and his father drops a bombshell. He has very little time to get involved with solving a murder, but that's what is thrown into his lap. A young woman found beaten and burned in an old building will be taking up Bracken's every waking minute. He has seen victims like this before, battered almost beyond recognition, a crime that is more than personal. With the crime taking priority, it leaves time for little else and takes Bracken into a world he knew existed but hadn't navigated before.

Ailsa Connolly was a brilliant psychologist and a respected criminologist. She was also a serial killer. Six years ago, DCI Sean Bracken caught her just before he was about to become her seventh victim. Every year on the anniversary of her incarceration, she taunts him with a phone call, giving him one message: "When I get out, I'll kill you." Now, Bracken has transferred back to Edinburgh and is thrown into the deep end on his first day back on duty. There's a killer who is emulating Ailsa, threatening to surpass her body count.

DCI Harry McNeil knows the subzero temperatures can trigger the cruelest of crimes. But when he’s called out in the middle of a blizzard, he’s horrified at the sight of a frozen female corpse found hidden inside a snowman.

As the end of the year draws to a close, Detective Chief Inspector Sean Bracken is called to a murder scene near the Writer's Museum. The body of a woman is sitting on a bench in the square, her frozen hand holding a paperback. The book is by famous American professor of psychology and crime writer Edwin Hawk, who has just ended a book tour, culminating in Edinburgh. Knowing he is the number-one suspect, Hawk sets out to convince Bracken of his innocence. But Bracken has dealt with people like Hawk before. Is the man telling the truth or using psychology to get away with murder?

The lifeless body of a renowned author is found murdered within his residence, prompting DCI Harry McNeil to uncover the unsettling truth that not everyone held the man in high regard. Initially dismissed as a tragic mishap stemming from a misjudged publicity stunt, this incident swiftly transforms into a grim realization of foul play.

When the lifeless body of a psychiatrist is uncovered in the heart of Edinburgh, the responsibility of unraveling this murder falls upon DCI Harry McNeil and his dedicated team. This well-respected professional had maintained a thriving private practice, commanding deep respect within his field.

Detective Chief Inspector Harry McNeil had found himself back in CID after a leave of absence saw his team disbanded. Now he's been temporarily assigned to an existing Major Investigation team, working alongside his old friend, Detective Inspector Frank Miller, after Miller's DCI dies suddenly. A body is found in the city center, torn to pieces. It's reminiscent of a cold case from years ago and the victim is quickly identified, bringing the old murder enquiry back front and center.

Edinburgh DCI Harry McNeil’s dangerous job wasn’t made for relationships. So when a officer’s remains wash up in a canal, it feels like proof he was right to leave his long-time girlfriend. It looked like a simple murder case. But the victim’s false identity is just the beginning. And someone is determined to make certain those secrets never come to light.

They left him for dead. They made a mistake. On sabbatical from the force after a personal loss, DCI Harry McNeil spends his days renovating an old cottage he bought, and his nights down at the local bar. He's living in a small town where nothing much happens. Until it does. Harry meets a young woman who is searching for her brother who went missing in the area two years ago. He is special needs and she's convinced he wouldn't just run off.

When a body is discovered on a carousel at the fair in The Meadows in Edinburgh, it brings back memories for DCI Harry McNeil. He had history with the man, having arrested him many years ago. The victim was a high-flying politician, destined for great things, but did his secrets catch up with him? Or were the death threats he’d received not taken seriously enough?