DS Coupland

Tracey Kavanagh was her usual upbeat self - right up until the moment she drowned her son and tied a rope around her neck, killing herself and her unborn child. For Alex Moreton, this case couldn't have come at a worse time. Battling with her partner over whether to have another child, she is superstitious about pushing their luck - they're happy enough as they are...aren't they?

DS Kevin Coupland, still coming to terms with his wife’s illness, has a new DCI to contend with. DS Alex Moreton, due to start her maternity leave at the end of the week, has a replacement DC snapping at her heels. When another witness is murdered Coupland comes under increasing pressure to track down the killer but then tragedy strikes, testing him to the limits. Someone is intimidating the remaining witnesses with a cold-blooded callousness that smacks of a professional.

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 he stopped a serial killer in his tracks earlier in the year 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 hidden in 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.

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.

Following an allegation that he was behind a prisoner's murder in HMP Manchester, DS Kevin Coupland enlists the help of the one man everyone is certain has set him up - Kieran Tunney, a notorious crime boss already under investigation. When Coupland reviews several cases, he suspects they are linked in a way he cannot believe is possible. If his suspicions are correct, then he must act fast to stop the unthinkable from happening - even if that means putting himself in the firing line.

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.

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. Following his gut, Coupland pursues Dominic Neilson, a more likely suspect, and it helps that he keeps treading on Coupland's one remaining nerve.