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Well, you’ve made it this far, we might as well get acquainted.  You already know I write crime novels, though I suppose you could’ve stumbled on here by accident, in which case, why don’t you stay a while?  You’re very welcome. I suppose it’s on this page I tell you I’m widowed with two sons and a dog with a God complex but more about them later…

I write two crime series – A police procedural following DS Kevin Coupland who’s trying hard to hold onto his stripes while keeping the good people of Salford safe in their beds, and a gritty, hard-boiled series set in Edinburgh’s criminal underworld featuring loveable rogue Davy Johnson.

LATEST NEWS: ONE GOOD REASON, Book ONE in my new crime series featuring DS Chris Ashcroft (formerly Coupland’s sidekick) is out on 25 February. Read on, for more info:

Meet DS Chris Ashcroft, murder detective. He’s diligent, ambitious, and Black. Top Brass take advantage of that when they assign him to an investigation in an area simmering with racial tension and police mistrust.

‘We don’t want this turning into something it isn’t,’ claims his Chief Super.

It’s clear that he’s been brought in because of his ethnicity, rather than his ability – the very reason he left The Met and moved to Greater Manchester Police five years before. As he starts to investigate the double shooting of a young couple on the outskirts of a notorious estate, he realises there’s much more to the murder than his colleagues first thought. Is it possible the brutal killing of a child on a neighbouring estate six weeks earlier is connected?

If so, he must track down those responsible quickly to stop the reprisals that will surely follow. 

A plot simmering with tension, perfect for those who enjoyed DI Ray, Top Boy and The Wire.

Click on the image below to pre-order:

BREAKING NEWS: THE SOUL COLLECTOR, a gripping psychic detective novel, is out now.

A twisty, gripping tale, perfect for fans of supernatural crime thrillers from Dean Koontz, Ben Cheetham, Mark Edwards, John Connolly and Stephen King.

My stand-alone supernatural crime fiction novel featuring DCI Jack Curran stormed the charts on its release, remaining on Amazon’s MOST WISHED FOR list for several weeks. Looking for something different? Why not give it a go…Click on the image below to find out more.

What READERS are saying about my DS Coupland series:

‘Utterly brilliant!’

‘Un-put-down-able!’

‘I was awake until the early hours…’

‘Stories that live on in the memory long after they are finished…’

Fans of HAPPY VALLEY will be gripped by this exceptional crime series.

Available in eBook, paperback, and Kindle Unlimited.

Love Audiobooks? My DS Coupland series is available in audiobook and digital download, click on the link above to hear a sample.

BLOOD SWEAT AND TEARS (Book nine) is out now!

Here’s what readers have been saying:

‘Had me hooked’
‘So true to life I was shaken.’
‘A must for crime fiction enthusiasts’
‘Part of a series. Bliss.’

There is one predator who has eluded DS Kevin Coupland for the past five years. One predator who recruits like-minded sickos to do his bidding. One predator, with rich and powerful allies willing to do anything to protect his identity: The Dutchman.
Coupland, seconded to a specialist taskforce to track him down, doesn’t know when his nemesis will strike next, or where. All he knows is that he’ll stop at nothing to bring him in.
And now The Dutchman is back in the UK. More twisted and cunning than ever before, he is hell-bent on destroying anyone who gets in his way – and devastating Coupland in ways he cannot imagine…
Don’t miss out, order your copy here!

Here are the other books in my DS Coupland series:

Made To Be Broken (Book eight)

The investigation into the murder of an investment banker reveals a hidden side to sharp-suited victim Adam Sinclair – and a cast-iron reason why someone would want him dead. The problem is DS Kevin Coupland knows the chief suspect. Not a friend in the conventional sense, but certainly the closest he’s had to one. Coupland follows his gut and pursues a more likely suspect, but as he digs deeper into the investigation, he learns they are guilty of an entirely different crime, one that forces him to confront a trauma from his childhood.

When Darkness Falls

The body of a teenage girl is found two days after being reported missing. A discussion with the pathologist reveals that another girl was found in similar circumstances only her murder never made it into the press. When DS Kevin Coupland looks into the earlier case he finds out-dated views and social stereotyping have thwarted the investigation from the beginning.

Along with Acting DS Chris Ashcroft he lifts the lid on a world where victims are defined by their postcode, where certain crimes are written off as a ‘lifestyle.’ Yet beneath a layer of public indifference lies a world far darker than Coupland thought possible.

Just when Coupland thinks he’s getting closer to the perpetrators a child goes missing, blowing everything he thought he’d discovered out of the water.

The darkness keeps getting deeper…

Sticks and Stones

It’s as though Salford is under a permanent full moon, not helped by the fact DS Kevin Coupland is fighting to hold onto his career. Following an allegation that he was behind a prisoner’s murder in HMP Manchester, Coupland enlists the help of the one man everyone is certain has set him up – Kieran Tunney, a notorious crime boss already under investigation by the murder squad.

Flesh and Blood

The murder squad’s resources at Salford Precinct Station are stretched to the limit. DS Kevin Coupland is called out to a fatal fire at a local residential home for vulnerable people, and immediately suspects arson. One of the victims is the sister of local gangster Kieran Tunney, sparking revenge attacks which threaten to bring the city to a standstill.
For Coupland the clock is ticking. With a Professional Standards hearing to prepare for and an avenging gangster to contend with he makes a shocking discovery which has devastating repercussions – for the community, for the crime boss, and for Coupland himself.

Absent

When he stopped a serial killer in his tracks the year before, he thought that would be the end of it, but for DS Kevin Coupland his nightmare has just begun.
A child’s body is discovered in the bottom of a bag, kicking off a major investigation for Salford Precinct’s murder squad. Soon the National Crime Agency roll into town and Coupland is under strict instructions to play nice.
He’s got enough on his plate to worry about politics. A shock discovery in his personal life is starting to take its toll, causing him to make decisions that bring him to the attention of the powers that be for all the wrong reasons.
DS Alex Moreton returns from maternity leave to find her partner deeply troubled, but with a cold case to review she’s in no position to prevent him hitting the self-destruct button.
As he hunts down the child’s killer Coupland is forced to reflect upon his own life and find an answer to the question he’s long been avoiding. Will he ever step out from his father’s shadow?

One Bad Turn – No sooner has DS Kevin Coupland stepped off a plane from a family holiday than he gets a call that a woman’s body has been found on a path beside a recreation park in a smart suburb in Salford. Account Manager Sharon Mathers suffered a brutal blow to the head following a night out with friends from work. Teamed with DC Ashcroft who has transferred from the Met under a cloud, Coupland struggles to find a motive for the killing when two days later another body is found, this time at the bottom of a footbridge at Salford Station. Could the same person be responsible? When a third body is found Coupland discovers the killings are linked to a murder in ’92 when he was a probationer – could he be linked in some way to the killer?

A Place of Safety – A drive by shooting leaves a witness in fear for her life. At first the case looks like a local turf war gone wrong, but someone in power is doing everything they can to cover the killer’s tracks. What deadly secret are they trying to hide?

Fragile Cord – This was my debut novel, introducing Salford detectives Kevin Coupland and Alex Moreton as they investigate the murder-suicide of a young woman and her son.  Please browse some of the reviews I’ve had for this, others can be found on Amazon by clicking on the book icon above.
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My Coupland series is available in kindle, paperback and audiobook format.

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