British Noir

'A fantastic writer.' Donald Ray Pollock 'Nigel Bird is fast becoming one of the top writers in his genre.' Luca Veste DIRTY OLD TOWN is the debut collection from the prize-winning writer Nigel Bird. His brilliantly observed slices of life allow us to visit places we may not normally choose to enter and to walk a few miles in the shoes of others. Though his tales have darkness at their core, they are also full of a heart and spirit that one rarely finds in the world or ‘noir’ or ‘crime-writing’. There are 9 stories here: Drinking Wine (Spo-Dee-Oh-Dee); Dirty Old Town; Sea Minor; ...

An atmospheric noir thriller from the shadows of 1930s London. In a city gripped by secrets, former war hero turned disillusioned private eye Nick Valentine is trying to drown his demons in whisky and shadows. But when a beautiful nightclub singer turns up dead with compromising photographs in her possession, Nick is dragged into a world of espionage, betrayal and murder. As Europe edges towards war, Nick races to uncover the truth behind a series of stolen military documents, navigating the murky underworld of Soho, the corruption of Whitehall, and the ghosts of his own violent past. ...

'In the gritty streets of '90s Bristol, a former SAS soldier drowns his sorrows in alcohol, haunted by a past he can't escape. But when a cryptic message leads him to a chance at redemption, he must navigate a dangerous web of deceit and violence to find a missing girl and start over as a private investigator. With echoes of Bukowski and Chandler, John Bowie's Untethered is a dark and moody crime noir that will leave you breathless. Buy now before the price changes and get lost in this twisted, intoxicating world. If you enjoyed this book, you will also love James Ellroy's L.A. Confidential...

Chief Inspector, Lord Ralph McGinniss and Professor Claire Lane have conceded defeat and married. Then war is declared, and both are called on to help defend the Empire. Ralph to his Uncle’s regiment and Claire invited to Bletchley Park. A shift in the government’s plans for both results in the discovery of a German Spy embedded in an old murder case. They are running out of time. Will Ralph with Claire’s help unravel the mystery and prevent a National catastrophe? Or will Johannes Liebert be successful in a kidnap attempt which will change their lives forever?

A body is spotted bobbing in the tide close to the shore at Canvey Island Marina. But this doesn't look like a typical drowning... When Inspector Hogarth and DS Palmer are called to the scene, they discover that the body is wearing ‘concrete boots.' Jim Maddox was a local estate agent who earned good money by helping the town’s less reputable characters. Questions soon mount. Was Maddox murdered in a gangland execution? Or is Hogarth looking at signs of something else?As Hogarth investigates, the body count rises, and his world falls apart. And all the while, the Shadows are closing in....

A luxury home. A deadly dinner. A brutal execution. Property developer Grant Cooper had it all—wealth, power, enemies. But when he’s murdered mid-meal, DI Hogarth finds himself unravelling a crime that’s more than just blood and betrayal. Beneath the lies, beyond the crime scene—Hogarth is about to uncover a truth no one can bear to face. As rival forces close in, Hogarth must fight a war on two fronts. One deadly case. Two powerful enemies. Is this the end of the line? ★★★★★ “Fast paced! Cant wait for the next one!” If you love gritty crime thrillers, shocking twists,...

When DI Joe Hogarth is called to a snowbound country house, he discovers a body slumped by a broken boiler. What appears to be a tragic accident takes a sinister turn when Hogarth spots a telltale footprint nearby. On the hunt for a killer, he uncovers a web of motives among business rivals, a bitter ex-wife, a duplicitous groundskeeper, and perhaps even the dead man’s sons. But as Hogarth delves deeper into the victim's plans, he soon uncovers a motive that eclipses them all… Meanwhile, property developer Dina Cruxley is targeted by a dangerous criminal campaign that hits at the heart ...

When the body of a man is found dead in his remote, isolated home, DI Tom Janssen and his team struggle to understand what motive there could be to murder such an inoffensive, seemingly placid local character. The man lived alone and was well known in the community, but kept his distance from others, leading a haphazard way of life almost entirely off the grid. What secrets did he hide in his private life that might be worth killing for? As the team are about to understand, even the most nondescript of people can exist in a world darker than most of us will ever see....

Hogarth is called to the scene of a suspicious death. A young woman’s body is found in the garden pond behind a project designed to get young lives back on track. But something went badly wrong the night Natalie Brigforth lost her life… because while the angel of Brookmyre House is gone forever, a killer still roams free. Natalie Brigforth was loved by all. She did the hard work of fixing broken lives while her rehab bosses took the glory – and an easy ride. Hogarth and his team learn that Natalie was liked by the residents – but not by all. One wanted her for his lover. Did ...

Six weeks. Just forty-two short days. That’s all it takes to rip the heart out of a city and change the lives of those who live there. Forever. One such life belongs to Ryan Jarrod. In the early hours of a wet winter’s morning on Tyneside, Ryan Jarrod approaches the end of his second shift as a Special Constable when he stumbles across the body of a savagely beaten Teddy McGuffie, a down-at-heel taxi driver. On the same night, an explosion rips through the heart of Newcastle upon Tyne’s student community. Casualties are high; the city brought to a standstill. And the University blast ...

A brutal murder. A cop under pressure. A deadly game. When local farmer Nigel Grave is found brutally murdered, DI Joe Hogarth's judgment is questioned. Surrounded by motives and suspects, Hogarth must uncover the truth before a vicious killer strikes again. ★★★★★ “Fast paced - difficult to put down!” At the crime scene, Hogarth and DS Sue Palmer find a web of deceit. A drunken wife, an ambitious son, and the relentless Goodwells all become suspects. Amidst the greed and lies, Hogarth spots a crucial clue: mysterious black grains beneath the blood-spattered hay. ★★★★...

A mysterious suicide. A detective under pressure. A deadly investigation. DI Joe Hogarth planned to spend the weekend saving his superior, but when he's called to investigate Dina Corbett's death, everything changes. Locked alone inside her holiday park caravan, Dina died from a single gunshot wound to the head. A gun is found by her hand, but no suicide note is in sight. ★★★★★ “Fast paced - difficult to put down!” Suicide seems obvious, but nagging doubts lead Hogarth to suspect murder. With no evidence of foul play and every witness having a solid alibi, Hogarth can't let go...

He will find the truth. Even if it kills him. Five months ago, DCI Robert Kett’s wife Billie was snatched from a London street. Five months of no leads, no evidence, and no suspects. Until now. When a routine police search uncovers a chamber of horrors beneath one of the city’s most expensive houses, detectives find a clue that points to Billie’s fate, and to the identity of her kidnapper - an enigmatic killer known as the Pig Man.

Some people will do anything for family … even kill. After a frantic missing persons case goes wrong, private investigator Thomas Blume is facing a wrecked car and a disastrous winter when a mysterious invitation arrives, promising a big payday with only one catch … he must solve the case of a murdered billionaire. But when Blume realizes something far more valuable than money has been taken from the victim, he finds himself battling across country mansions, dark alleyways, and through layers of intrigue, family feuds, and corporate conspiracy, to enter a dangerous world of ...

When a top Hollywood Agent is found poisoned in the bathtub of her home, suspicion quickly turns to one of her two nieces. But Carol Childs, a reporter for a local talk radio station, doesn’t believe it. The suspect is her neighbor and friend, and also her primary source for insider industry news. After a media frenzy pits one niece against the other—and the body count starts to rise—Carol knows she must save her friend from being tried in the court of public opinion. Even the most seasoned reporter can be surprised, and when a Hollywood psychic shows up in Carol’s studio one night ...

From the moment John Black stepped foot in his hometown, he knew darkness would follow. The Northern England landscape held bittersweet memories for John - memories of childhood innocence and a lost love. But as he attends a family funeral, those memories are shattered by the discovery of a body in the dunes of Cross Hill, a place where John used to play as a child. And it's a body of a woman he once knew. Haunted by his past and driven by a set of mysterious coordinates left for him at a local pub, John races against time to confront the killer. But as the body count grows and the police ...

Betrayal cuts deeper than a blade… and this time, it’s personal. In the gripping finale to the DI Zennor trilogy, the Cornwall-based detective and her team face their most perilous challenge yet. When a daring operation unravels a sinister network with ties both local and international, DI Verity Zennor is thrust into a deadly game where trust is a luxury she can no longer afford. As the case takes a devastating twist, Zennor discovers a wicked betrayal that threatens not just her investigation—but the very core of her team. Meanwhile, DS Sam Cartwright is forced to confront a fear ...

1850: Charles Dickens is in Manchester, performing at the Queen's Theatre with his acting group. But his career on the stage is cut short when a man is shot dead - on set. With Dickens himself caught with the gun in his hands, he is immediately arrested. Along with the help of his good friend Superintendent Sam Jones, Dickens must do all he can to find the real killer, before he is locked up for a crime he didn't commit. Can Dickens convince the authorities of his innocence? Will he unmask the true assassin?

Inspector Hogarth is in deep trouble. The two men who once sought his blood now aim to eliminate each other. Only Hogarth stands between them. To stop them, he must plunge into deadly danger—and to protect his colleagues, he must do it alone. With the town teetering on the edge of a gang war, Hogarth faces a harrowing truth: he has become the catalyst for a new crimewave. He will fight on, alone. He will attempt to conceal the truth. But DS Palmer won’t stand idly by. Nor will the other woman in his life… The trouble is, their intervention might make things far, far worse… Against ...

A triple murder in Sterling sends Madison to the Northlands to be confronted by an old family friend. Now turned paid assassin. An assassin looking to kill Madison. Can the past hold the key to Madison’s future? Don't Miss The Whole Series!