Why Doctors Make Dangerous Storytellers

Patients rarely tell doctors the truth.

Not the whole truth anyway.

Over forty plus years in medicine, I learned that people conceal affairs, addictions, violence, shame, criminality and fear — sometimes behind charm, sometimes behind respectability, sometimes behind blood.

Doctors become experts in what is missing.

The hesitation before an answer.

The husband who speaks for his wife.

The bruise explained too quickly.

The child who blurts out what adults are trying desperately to hide.

Belfast, November 1983 and I was working at a GP practice in a downtown area. I’d just turned thirty-four. I’d finished postgraduate training and was planning my next move. I did a house call to a red-brick terrace in a strong paramilitary area. Cold stairwell. Damp wallpaper. Intimidating murals glaring from nearby gable walls. I trudged up a narrow staircase to the ‘good room’ at the front of the house. There, a ten-year-old boy sat up in bed. “He’s been poorly all day, doctor. Off his food, burning up and restless,” his mother told me. “I couldn’t risk taking him to the clinic.” 

I told her I understood. She left the room, and I examined him, clumsily dropping the thermometer. As I bent down, the boy called out. “Don’t look under the bed. That’s where Da keeps his guns.” 

I looked, and, sure enough, that was where Da kept his guns. 

There was worse to come. 

On my final day, a request for a sick cert was laced with menace. Around five o’clock, I called what I hoped was my last patient. 

He was a small, bulky man with a high forehead and bulbous nose. His sullen face was scarred by acne, and his greasy hair was slicked back in a ducktail. He was in a pin-striped double-breasted suit and a white open-neck shirt. He smelled of cheap aftershave. He spoke first, in a distinct Belfast accent.

‘Howsaboutye?’

I checked the name (Dxxx Mzzz), age (forty), and address (near the city centre). ‘What can I do for you, Mr Mzzz?’

‘Nathin’ much,’ he said. ‘Just sign me certificate.’

I was puzzled because he looked healthy. Ugly, yes, but not unhealthy. And I’d seen him chatting and laughing in the waiting room. His face stuck out. When I called him, he walked without difficulty.

I asked about the certificate. ‘What’s it for?’

‘It’s a sickness certificate,’ he said. ‘I’m sick. Just sign the certificate and I’m outa yer way.’

I asked him in what way he was sick.

‘In every way. Can’t walk with the pain. Can’t …’

I cut him short. “You walked in here without help,” I said. “I don’t see any walking aids. Am I missing something?”’

He was stunned. He stared at me, as if he couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. I looked through his file. There was nothing recorded to suggest he was unfit. I glanced across and Mzzz’s expression hardened. Disbelief was replaced with menace. That’s when I grasped what was going on. He was under the care of a Dr Q. But Dr Q had taken his own life weeks earlier. He’d left a note saying he could no longer live with extremist threats.

Mzzz completely lost it. He screamed at me to sign his certificate, “if ye know what’s good for ye”.’ 

I hated everything about the man. The bully-boy posturing, the threat of violence, the lying. I should’ve left it at that. I shouldn’t have given him any more time. But I did.

‘Why do you need this certificate?’

‘Till keep me outa court. I’m up on five murder charges.’

I’d heard enough. “See yourself out,” I said. “I’ll write to the courts confirming you’re fit for trial.”’

After he stormed out, I found a letter from the Northern Ireland Forensic Psychiatry Service. It stated, “Dxxx Mzzz is the most dangerous psychopath we’ve dealt with since civil unrest began here.”’ 

I read that twice. I was leaving the city that evening. In ninety minutes, to be precise. Ninety minutes worrying about what I’d done. Just as I was wrapping up the telephone rang. ‘Is that Dr Carson?’

‘Yes.’

‘I’m Dxxx Mzzz’s solicitor.’

‘And?’

‘He needs that certificate. If I don’t lodge that certificate by Monday he’ll have to stand trial. He’ll go down for a long time.’

‘And?’

‘Sign the fucking certificate.’

I hung up, collected my coat and cheque and made my way to my car. An hour later, I drove across the border to the south of Ireland. I thought about that encounter for years.

Not because I was brave. I wasn’t. I drove out of Belfast, genuinely frightened.

But medicine kept placing me in rooms where human beings revealed what they were capable of.

Sometimes the clues were obvious. Sometimes they sat quietly in plain sight.

A glance beneath a bed. A framed photograph turned face down. The smell of stale cooking oil, damp clothes and neglect. Used syringes on the floor.
Children silent beyond their years.

Doctors notice these things because we have to.

My writing came from necessity. After hospital and family medicine in Australia, I returned to Ireland and set up a practice. I wrote to newspapers and magazines, offering to be a health correspondent. All I’d written to that point were prescriptions that chemists had difficulty reading. One publication, Woman’s Way, wrote back: ‘We can do a weekly column if you’re any good.’ I wrote about heart disease, breathing difficulties, allergies – anything that filled a page and paid a fee. 

I eventually moved from journalism into fiction. My first medical thriller, Scalpel, became an Irish bestseller and opened unexpected doors into television development.

Around the same time, I developed leukaemia. 

In 2003, I started anti-cancer therapy. 

“You might live four more years.” Enter Rituximab, newly approved for specific cancers. And here I am, in 2026, still in remission and very well.

A chance encounter with a colleague during COVID challenged my idle notions of retirement. We swapped stories: “I remember a patient with… this woman told me… it was the little boy who warned me… I thought it was all in her head.” On and on we chatted, and by the end, I knew I had another novel. 

Write about what you know: is the usual advice for writers. Doctors see drama in hospitals and family practice. We hear stories that leave us reeling. We’re sometimes exposed to extremes of human behaviour – such as my tale above. A GP colleague told how he stood for an hour in the middle of a field trying to ‘talk down’ a mentally disturbed man who had a loaded shotgun pointed at his chest. And the GP’s sole protection was his doctor’s bag.

In my long medical career, hospital and general practice, I’ve seen and heard a lot. The full spectrum of human behaviour, good and awful. Vile and saintly.

Concealed pregnancies, children put up for adoption, hidden addiction, domestic violence, financial ruin, suicide – “an autopsy may show the cause of death, but will never reveal the thoughts coursing through a troubled mind.” That, I heard at an inquest. 

Hospitals and surgeries are strange theatres of trust - where we surrender control. We undress. We confess. We allow strangers to examine us, sedate us, cut us open and decide whether we live or die. Trust is implicit; abuse of trust is abhorrent.

That trust makes medicine fertile territory for thrillers — because betrayal in such places feels uniquely terrifying.

Now, in my 76th year, I’m using fiction to explore the dark side of medicine.

My next novel, Fatal Practice, deals with breach of trust in a medical setting. It follows one doctor’s struggle to understand what he uncovers in a rural GP practice. 

I started with simple questions:

What if the prescribing patterns suggest something more sinister than incompetence?

What if missing files are being hidden deliberately?

What if a doctor realises deaths in a rural practice are not natural causes?

In the nineties, publishers were said to be looking for someone to do for medicine what John Grisham had done for law. I never became that writer. But the territory remains rich, dark and largely unexplored.

 Fatal Practice by Paul Carson (Whitefox Publishing)

Don’t get involved, they said. It’s none of your business. County Cavan, Ireland. 1987. Dr Jakob Kane is looking for a fresh start when he takes on a rural locum position covering for Dr James Killan, a highly regarded GP who’s in hospital after an assault. The job seems like a perfect career opportunity and chance to shake off his bad guy reputation, but Kane can’t help but wonder – who’d attack a country doctor? And why? It’s not long before Kane realises something disturbing is going on. Strange phone calls. Missing files. Morphine addiction. With no one else stepping forward to uncover the truth, Kane must take matters into his own hands – even if it means risking everything. . .

Paul Carson is a retired GP and bestselling novelist. His latest medical thriller, Fatal Practice, is published by Whitefox. Follow his writing and reflections on medicine at: Paul Carson website (www.paulcarson.ie)

Shortlist for prestigious Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award 2026 announced

 

Thursday 18 June 2026: Harrogate International Festivals today announced the shortlist for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award 2026, the UK and Ireland’s most prestigious crime fiction award. The winner will be revealed on the opening night of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, Thursday 23 July.

www.harrogatetheakstoncrimeaward.com

#TheakstonsAwards #TheakstonsCrime 

The six books shortlisted for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award 2026, now in its twenty-second year, showcase ‘original’ and ‘entertaining’ storytelling as Tariq Ashkanani, Abigail Dean, Alice Feeney, Elly Griffiths, Mick Herron and Vaseem Khan compete for the coveted award. The winner, who receives £3,000 and a handmade, engraved oak beer cask provided by T&R Theakston Ltd, will be selected by a panel of seven expert judges, with the public vote representing the eighth judge. Readers are now invited to vote for their favourite book to win at www.harrogatetheakstoncrimeaward.com. 

The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2026 shortlist (in alphabetical order by surname) is: 

The Midnight King by Tariq Ashkanani (Profile Books, Viper) 

The Death of Us by Abigail Dean (HarperCollins, Hemlock Press) 

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney (Pan Macmillan, Pan Fiction) 

The Frozen People by Elly Griffiths (Quercus Books) 

Clown Town by Mick Herron (John Murray Books, Baskerville) 

Quantum of Menace by Vaseem Khan (Bonnier Books, Zaffre) 

 The Shortlist in more detail:

2022 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award winner and globally bestselling ‘Slow Horses’ author Mick Herron is shortlisted for Clown Town, the latest funny and fast-paced instalment in the Slough House series, which sees a gang of washed-up spooks entangled in a dangerous game of blackmail with its roots in the Irish Troubles. Highly commended for the award in 2023, crime fiction phenomenon Elly Griffiths receives an impressive eighth shortlisting for The Frozen People, the first in a new series with a time-travelling spin, as an unsolved mystery takes cold cases investigator Ali Dawson back to the frozen Victorian London of January 1850. Shortlisted for a second time, Vaseem Khan is nominated this year for Quantum of Menace, a witty James Bond spin-off mystery centring on one of Ian Fleming’s most beloved characters Q (aka Major Boothroyd) who investigates the suspicious death of a scientist friend, after being unexpectedly ousted from his job at MI6.

They face stiff competition from three hugely talented authors who are shortlisted for the Award for the first time. Scottish author Tariq Ashkanani is nominated for The Midnight King¸ a gripping dark thriller about the son of a famous author – and uncaught serial killer – who, after his father’s death, discovers an unpublished confessional manuscript – a chilling fictionalised account of his monstrous crimes. Alice Feeney’s Beautiful Ugly is a magnetic psychological thriller about marriage, grief and revenge as a once-successful writer retreats to a remote Scottish island after his wife’s disappearance, only to find himself drawn into a web of secrets and deception. Abigail Dean’s psychological thriller, The Death of Us, explores the long-term impact of a horrendous crime, as a couple’s lives are shattered when a masked intruder attacks them in their own home.

Simon Theakston, Chairman of T&R Theakston, said: 

“Congratulations to all of the incredible writers shortlisted for this year’s Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. The highly entertaining books on this year’s shortlist will take readers on an unforgettable roller-coaster ride from remote Scottish islands to frozen Victorian London, the down-at-heel offices of MI5 and far beyond. I’m looking forward to finding out who the public and the judges vote for and presenting the coveted beer cask trophy to the winner at the opening ceremony.”

Sharon Canavar, Chief Executive of Harrogate International Festivals, said:  

“We’re delighted to reveal the shortlist for this year’s Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. Showcasing the broad range of the world’s favourite genre - from spy thrillers to time travel mysteries, from James Bond spin-offs to twisty psychological thrillers - the six books on this year’s shortlist are hugely ambitious and innovative, but above all else, cracking great reads!  We encourage all readers to get involved and vote for their favourite novel on the list to win.”

The Award is presented by Harrogate International Festivals and sponsored by T&R Theakston Ltd, in partnership with Waterstones and Daily Express, and is open to full-length crime novels published in paperback between 1 May 2025 to 30 April 2026. The public are invited to vote to help choose the winner from 8am on Thursday 18 June at www.harrogatetheakstoncrimeaward.com with voting closing on Thursday 16 July at 23:59. The winner will be revealed on the opening night of Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, Thursday 23 July, at a special awards ceremony hosted by Steph McGovern. They will receive £3,000 and a handmade, engraved beer barrel provided by T&R Theakston Ltd.

Forthcoming Books from Little Brown Publishing

 July 2026

Your body. Their Choice. The Hope Party's new laws have transformed Great Britain: the countryside rewilded, children's rights prioritised, and births on the rise. But freedom is fading. Karen has learned to navigate this new world, keeping her head down as her fertility is constantly monitored. As her husband's career thrives, while hers stalls. As her son is drawn into misogynist groups. Like everyone else, she's too frightened to speak up. Until her teenage daughter reveals a life-changing secret: she's pregnant. With abortion and contraception banned, her future has gone up in flames. But Karen won't let this happen - Charlotte is going to have the life she lost. Karen turns to her sister Isobel, a doctor who's initially reluctant to help. But when they learn Charlotte's pregnancy is ectopic and life-threatening, the stakes skyrocket. The three women go on the run, getting deeper into danger with every hour that passes. With powerful enemies on their tail, they will risk everything in a desperate fight for freedom, and for life. The Quickening is by Claire McGowan.

The Shadow Step is by Mark Billingham. One taken simultaneously by a pair of dancers facing the same direction, one of them behind and slightly shifted leftwards ('in the shadow') Typically, such a step perfectly demonstrates synchronised elegance. It showcases a couple in near telepathic harmony with one another. It does not normally end with someone stone-dead in a lake. DS Declan Miller is a magnet for strange cases, but how can he catch a killer when the man confessing to the crime is clearly innocent? Things rapidly escalate when the murder that isn't really a murder at all attracts the unwanted attention of a drugs Queenpin, a deranged ex-squaddie and a lovesick gangland enforcer. Then a student is kidnapped... Throw in a wobbly dog, a pair of ceramic leopards and the distracting smell from a local biscuit factory, and - if he wants to save a young man's life - Miller has little choice but to waltz all the way into the shadows.

Leeds 1982. As a city struggles to break free of the past, evil finds a new place to hide.DS Mick Hunniford, tired and tainted by the botched Yorkshire Ripper investigation, is yesterday's man, his career hanging by a thread.Maureen, owner of Leeds's leading brothel, struggles to recover from a horrendous attack three years before. When notorious escort Lynda Brown is killed in front of Maureen's eyes, she and Mick find themselves drawn together once more. The pair must face a new killer, with new appetites, one which dwells among the city's elites. Can they put the past behind them once and for all, even if this investigation proves to be their last? The Burning Fears by Katy Massey.

The Venetian Redemption is by Philip Gwynne Jones. The city of Venice is alive with celebrations for Redentore, the most spectacular festival of the year. The streets are lined with revellers eating and drinking, and boats travel along the canals into the bacino of San Marco in anticipation of the firework display. It's going to be a night to remember, and all the more so for Nathan Sutherland and his wife Federica, who have been invited to an exclusive party in the company of the British Ambassador. The festivities take a turn, however, when Nathan suddenly finds himself struggling for breath and is rushed to hospital. Tests show he has all the symptoms of aconite poisoning, a toxin derived from the deadly wolfsbane plant. An unfortunate accident? Or a deliberate attempt to poison him? As Nathan investigates, he discovers many guests might just have had a motive for murder . . .

The Recruit is by L.D.Sharpe. The spy game has a brand new player . . . Sarah Black is startlingly smart and super frustrated . . . while her fellow fresh graduates are signing away their souls to square mile internships, she is sabotaging civil service exams and beating any chess opponent who dares face her. Surely there has to be more to life? Enter, Michael. Enigmatic, suave, and looking for a new recruit to his band of elite spies. His offer is irresistible, and Sarah leaps into the world of international espionage without hesitation. But when Michael hears rumours of a catastrophic attack on an oil pipeline in the Caucasus, he whisks Sarah from London to Georgia with a new identity, a meagre brief and no backup. Thrown into a hostile environment where nothing is as it seems, and no one can be trusted, Sarah must learn the rules of the game quickly, just to survive. But is she really a player, or merely a pawn?

A yacht full of suspects, on a sea of red herrings... Rosalind King, Caro Hooper and Posy Starling may be famous for each playing fictional detective Dahlia Lively on screen, but their growing reputation for solving real murder cases has prompted an offer that they can't refuse . . . Property mogul and billionaire, Percy Pendleton, has invited them for a two-week trip on his mega yacht this summer to investigate a case of expected murder. Percy doesn't believe that his father's recent death was natural, despite what the police say. In fact, he thinks he's going to be murdered too - and soon. Not being one to sit around waiting for things to happen, he's gathered all the people he suspects of wanting him dead for a luxury cruise around the Mediterranean. He's giving the three Dahlias the length of the voyage to investigate his father's demise, figure out who wants him dead, and stop them. It's a challenge unlike any they've ever tackled before. But at least they get to enjoy the sun, sea and a Limoncello Spritz while they're interviewing the suspects . . . Death on a Lively Sea is by Katy Watson.

August 2026

The Millionaire Waltz is by Anthony Quinn. London in the 1920s: a young woman treads the path between danger and desire. Against a backdrop of thuggish blackmail, constricting high society and a London still fragile from the war, Edie Greenlaw is trying to decide what she wants from the world. The closer the prospect of marriage with her handsome war hero fiance becomes, the less fulfilling it seems. Defying caution she goes to the aid of a friend and entangles herself in a dangerous demi-monde of sexual extortion and violence.

South Devon is returning to its usual calm after the summer tourist season when DI Wesley Peterson and his team receive a disturbing call. A mummified body has been discovered, hidden behind a wall, during the renovation of nearby Sycamore House.The body is that of Dr Aleric Donnal, an academic with a special interest in Devon's medieval history. Donnal was last seen over a decade ago, around the time that Sycamore House belonged to a new age commune who believed that the house occupied an ancient sacred site. While Wesley is seeking potential suspects for Donnal's murder, Dr Neil Watson is investigating the ruins of an ancient chapel nearby; a building once decorated with grotesque carvings of mythical creatures.As Wesley's team work on one of their most baffling cases yet, a new murder occurs in a nearby village. Could the two crimes be linked? Wesley needs to separate truth from myth in order to solve this mystery. The Chapel of Bones is by Kate Ellis.

The Butcher Legacy is by Alaina Urquhart. Dr. Wren Muller is back! But has the Bayou Butcher returned, too? Two months after the life-changing events on the tail of a serial killer known as the 'Bayou Butcher', forensic pathologist Dr. Wren Muller is back in the place she knows best: the New Orleans morgue. She buries herself in routine, reuniting with her closest ally, Detective John Leroux, and tries to convince herself that normality can be rebuilt. But in the weeks leading up to Halloween, shadows begin to shift again as young girls vanish in both cities where Jeremy Rose, the unmasked Bayou Butcher, once ran rampant. When bodies are discovered with all the hallmarks of Bayou Butcher killings, Wren and Leroux must mobilise. Hundreds of miles away in Massachusetts, Philip Trudeau stands behind a pulpit. He is the revered pastor of a close-knit congregation, but beneath his calm composure lies something sinister - he has history with Jeremy Rose, and a hunger that did not fade when the Bayou Butcher was jailed . . . Is Jeremy pulling the most gruesome of strings from behind bars? And will Wren ever be free of the Bayou Butcher's legacy . . . or will it be her downfall?

The Killer's Mark is by M.W.Craven. A Monster. A Mother. A Murder? When Vice Admiral Boyer, RN (retd) died without leaving a will, his estranged daughter inherited his- not inconsiderable - estate. Called home to sort through his belongings, she found an AegisBox - a tamper proof safe within a safe designed to self-destruct if anyone without the code attempts to open it. Faced with the choice of walking away or opening it, she opted for knowledge over silence and uncovered something so horrifying it launched the biggest investigation in the National Crime Agency's history. Five years later, Washington Poe is unwittingly, and unwillingly, sucked into its gravity well... Finally able to escape the authority they once railed against, Washington Poe and Tilly Bradshaw are enjoying their new jobs as private detectives or - as the sign on their door says - 'Gumshoes for Hire'. When a teenage girl walks into their office, looking for the mother she has long believed to be dead, they agree to take the case. As Poe and Tilly investigate the girl's claims, they find themselves drawn into a murky world of trafficking, pornography and prostitution. Will they be able to help the girl find her mother or will the dark forces at work, who will stop at nothing to protect themselves, get there first...

September 2026

The Big Cats Dance Party is by Alexander McCall Smith. "I am a fortunate woman to have such an eventful life," observes Mma Ramotswe of the No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. Perhaps, but there are times when rather too much seems to be happening, and a quieter life might seem rather attractive. This latest despatch from Botswana is certainly full of events, even if it starts with a leisurely trip to buy a pair of shoes as a birthday present for Mr J.L.B. Matekoni. As often happens in Mma Ramotswe's world, one thing leads to another, and we are soon caught up in an ill-thought-out plan hatched by Charlie, junior mechanic and enthusiastic trainee detective. Charlie has met up with two rising stars of the local musical world - jazz players known to their public as Lion and Leopard. He is keen to plan a big event with them, even though Mma Makutsi sees nothing but disaster ahead. Mma Ramotswe would like to keep an eye on the situation, but she has to go up north, to the wilds of the Okavango Delta, where her friends at an elephant sanctuary are battling with a campaign being waged against them. Mma Ramotswe's help is needed, and, of course, is given with all the generosity of spirit that illuminates the character of this most beloved of lady detectives. A happy ending? Of course.

The Occidental Book of the Dead is by T Geronimo Johnson. An  audacious, darkly funny and dazzlingly innovative literary crime masterpiece about a black police officer in Atlanta, Georgia - and the fatal shooting of a suspect. George Washington Jonson has been in the Atlanta police force for a decade, patrolling the streets he grew up on and managing to build relationships within the force - especially with Tucker, the veteran police officer and self-described 'redneck' who taught Jonson the ropes. Now it's 2005 and Jonson himself is tasked with training hot-headed rookie recruits. One night out on patrol with his trainee, Utner, a split-second confrontation with a white teenager takes a violent turn and Utner shoots the teenager dead. As the resulting furore mounts to a fever pitch, it threatens to expose the complex nest of lies that seethes beneath the entire city, and order must be restored. So far, so Hollywood. But then a dizzying somersault in the novel's structure upends the narrative and begins an even darker, more complicated and provocative story about racism, power and corruption - building to an unforgettable portrait of a nation divided.

I look along the road and notice how many people are standing outside their houses or watching from doorways and windows. Staring. Studying. 'Do you think this town will ever forgive me?' I ask. 'Not in a million years.' Small towns are quick to anger and slow to forgive, but Arlo Hackett doesn't expect mercy when he emerges from a twelve-year prison sentence and makes his way back to Yulara, a waypoint on Australia's Great Southern Road. The last time Arlo was home, his brother Luke was charged with a terrible crime and Arlo was found guilty by association. His return to the former goldrush town is like cracking open a time capsule full of hatred and violence, along with memories of the people he loved - the ones he couldn't save. Yulara wants Arlo gone, or worse, but every insult and humiliation pushes him to confront what really happened all those years ago. The truth will shock you, surprise you, and break your heart. Tell Me Something True is by Michael Robotham.

Crash and Burn is by Alison Bruce. Two bodies. Two decades apart. One deadly connection. When an arson attack reveals a fresh corpse alongside remains from nearly twenty years ago, DS Ronnie Blake and Cambridge's special investigations unit, known as the DEAD team, must investigate both to find the connection. Their only lead is Mariel Quinn, who, as a child, survived her mother's abduction and presumed murder. Mariel remembers nothing, except a single, haunting phrase she repeated over and over. Now, as long-buried secrets resurface, the team must untangle a mystery long thought lost, before the killer strikes again.

Agatha Raisin's Cotswolds village of Carsely is in uproar when word spreads that The Red Lion pub is preparing to close. The aristocratic owner of the local brewery plans to develop the land into luxury apartments. Taking it upon herself to lead the petition against the closure, Agatha sees a perfect opportunity to confront redeveloper Lord Ancombe when she is invited to his annual Civil War re-enactment at Ancombe Manor. Watching men ride around on horses with replica guns is far from Agatha's favourite pastime, so she is relieved to hear there will at least be afternoon tea. But before the scones can be served, Lord Ancombe is discovered shot dead. Suddenly Agatha has not just a pub to save, but a murder to solve. It seems her investigations are not everyone's cup of tea . . . Agatha has the distinct impression that someone is trying to silence her, for good. Agatha Raisin:Dead Before Teatime is by MC Beaton with R W Green.

Rogue Agency is by L D Sharpe. Agent Sarah Black is back, and she's done asking permission. Scarred by the events of her first official assignment, new recruit Sarah has cut all ties with the special liaison unit known as The Pelicans. Abandoning enigmatic leader Michael on the banks of the Thames and defying all orders, she vows to finish the mission he set her . . . alone. Her dogged pursuit of the mastermind who eluded her in Georgia takes her to searing heat and civil unrest in west Africa, to a lawless land rife with war profiteering. When she hears that her mark is bankrolling a ruthless rebel leader, the only surprise is that it's her one ally, Elias, who delivers the news. How did he earn his place in the inner circle? Can she trust the intelligence he shares, that the endgame is more deadly than she could ever have imagined? With doubt thrown on Elias and no backup from the Pelicans, Sarah must rely on raw instinct to neutralise the operation and burn the network to the ground. She needs to think three moves ahead to outmanoeuvre her ruthless opponent, and in a game without rules, every move counts. But when the game is being played on a global stage with catastrophically high stakes for peace, for democracy, and for everything Sarah believes in, how far will she go to win?

 Lt. Eve Dallas journeys into the darkness where murder is born... NYSPD homicide detective Eve Dallas has seen a lot in her time but even she is shocked by the savagery of a beating which leaves a wealthy biotech executive dead in his home office. The victim's corpse is so mangled and damaged it's hard to believe a lone assailant would be capable of this. The killer is clearly unnaturally strong. Or very, very angry. While the excessive violence leads Dallas to conclude that this was a deeply personal act, she can't ignore the suspicious bank account in the Cayman Islands, or the shadowy, profit-hungry company Chu worked for. The mystery only grows when it turns out Chu isn't the only victim of this furious killer. Dallas will need to tear through one layer of secrecy after another to reveal the terrible truth behind this series of rage-fuelled murders... Fury In Death is by J D Robb.

November 2026

No Good Deed is by Tom Wood. Victor's entire existence is dependent on caution and control. Every move is carefully considered. He avoids risks. He manages consequence. He is an assassin-for-hire, and yet staying alive is a full-time profession. Although not one for doing favours, he takes his debts seriously. So when the person who recently saved his life asks for help, he drops everything to pay what he owes. But delaying his current contract puts him on a blacklist with a client who tolerates no mistakes. If Victor doesn't deliver on his commitment, he's going to be next in the firing line. As the supposedly simple task spirals out of control, Victor must decide what's more important: the target on his back or repaying the favour. Worse still, his personal mission threatens to unearth a part of himself he buried long ago...

Faithful is by Roberta Kray. Kellston, East London When crime boss Terry Street is buried, his empire is buried with him. With his heir dead and his son unwilling, the borough is up for grabs. Gangs circle. Old loyalties crack. Violence is inevitable. Marianne Day knows this world well. She's lived on its edges for years, hiding in plain sight, waiting. Because the man who destroyed her life all those years ago, is now back in London. Connor Bond stole her son and vanished. Now, as Kellston teeters on the brink of war, Marianne sees her chance. She's waited eleven years. And she'll stop at nothing to get her child back...

Burning Season is by Martin Griffin. She left him to die.  Now, he's back from the ashes. Twelve years ago, firefighter Jade Bowyer watched a man burn. Curtis Hoole was a criminal - a killer - and although Jade didn't start the fire, she let it finish him. Now Jade has built a new life as a wildfire lookout in British Columbia, thousands of miles from the memories that haunt her. She has finally escaped her past. Until a plane crashes in the forest. As fire rages and a bear circles the dead, one survivor clings to life in the wreckage. Curtis Hoole. Jade's orders are simple: guard the wreck and protect the bodies. Until she knows the truth, she must keep him alive - because she can't kill the same man twice. No matter what secrets he carries . . .

Murder on the Mistletoe Express is by Katy Watson. Rosalind, Caro and Posy are planning to take a much-needed break from investigating murder cases this Christmas for a winter getaway with their partners in the Swiss Alps. They've been invited to spend three days on a glamorous new luxury sleeper train, the Mistletoe Express, which Posy's boyfriend Kit is planning to invest in. Travelling with them for the festivities are several other investors in the company. But the morning they depart, the company's administrative assistant, Olivia, is missing - just hours after warning Posy of a problem with the Mistletoe Express's accounts.  The three Dahlias' investigative minds are already whirring when, at their first destination, Olivia is discovered dead, despite never boarding the train . . . It seems that the Mistletoe Express is brimming with secrets, and murder suspects. Can the Dahlias catch a killer - and in time for Christmas?

Forthcoming Books from Oneworld Publishers Incl Point Blank Crime

 July 2026

Deliverance is by Saima Mir. She makes the rules, and God help anyone who dares to break them… Jia Khan has seized a power most only dare to dream of. In a world dominated by self-posturing men, she gave women a voice, and built a criminal empire that spans the globe. But now the time has come to legitimise her business. To protect the people she loves, she must escape the very chains her life was forged from. Freedom, however, is never easily won. Her blood runs too deep in the underworld, and powerful enemies have no intention of letting her walk away. When one of her own is murdered, the danger becomes more real than ever. Forced into uneasy alliances with those she once despised, Jia faces enemies pressing in from every side. Is her reign destined to end in blood? For Jia Khan, life has always been a fight, but this is the one battle she cannot afford to lose.

  

Seven days. Four deaths. One chance to catch a killer. Sixteen-year-old Robert arrives home late. Without a word to his dad, he goes up to his bedroom. Robert is never seen alive again. The discovery of a body on the coast of the Scottish Highlands plunges Detective Inspector Monica Kennedy into a murder investigation that won't begin and end with one death. Meanwhile, seventeen-year-old Nichol has been missing for seven days. His last message was to social worker Michael, who can't quite shake the suspicion that something is terribly wrong. As Monica is faced with catching a murderer who has been meticulously watching and waiting, Michael keeps searching for Nichol, desperate to find him before the killer claims another victim. From the Shadows is by G R Halliday. 

                                                              August 2026

Faculty of Liars is by R L Heber. When a woman's affair ends in murder, it threatens to expose a scandal at the heart of one of America's most powerful universities. Elizabeth Harker has a secret. On the day she hears the news that her husband is to be the President of one of the most prestigious universities in New England, she is in the arms of another man. Then, on presidential inauguration day and just moments before Elizabeth is due to step on stage and deliver a speech to be broadcast around the world, she learns her lover has been brutally murdered. As the university closes ranks, Elizabeth is forced to grieve in silence whilst protecting a secret that could destroy everything. But the harder she tries to contain the affair, the more she begins to see what lies behind the university's immaculate façade: a world where power is absolute and any threat to the institution is buried without hesitation. Because this was never just an affair. And this was never just a murder.

September 2026

Three mistakes. Two murders. One more victim to go... Annabelle speeds along a deserted mountain road in the Scottish Highlands, suddenly forced to swerve. The next thing she remembers is waking up in a dark, damp room. Scott is camping in the Scottish woodlands when he hears a scream. He starts to run. Scott is never seen again. Meanwhile DI Monica Kennedy has been called to her first Serious Crimes case in six months - a dismembered body has been found, abandoned in a dam. When another victim surfaces, Monica knows she is on the hunt for a ruthless killer; but her own dark past isn't far behind. Dark Waters is by G R Halliday.

October 2026

No mission is without its element of danger, and for Daphne Devine there is always the chance she would never see home again. But nothing had prepared her for this… Back in enemy territory, Daphne and one-time lover Jack have been sent to deliver The Grimoire, a centuries-old book filled with mysticism and spells. Posing as a rare book dealer, she will hand the book to a prominent SS officer and send the Nazi’s into a spiral where their very beliefs are turned against them. But this is war, and behind every corner a betrayal is lurking and your enemies are often closer than you think. There are some things we cannot foresee, and these are the things that can kill us. A Flight into Danger is by Syd Moore.

November 2026

Under The Marsh is by G R Halliday. She never confessed now she's ready to talk. Twelve years ago DI Monica Kennedy caught the notorious serial killer Pauline Tosh, imprisoning her for life. When Pauline asks Monica to visit her at the remote Highlands Carselang Prison, the detective thinks she's playing games. But then Pauline hands her a hand-drawn map with a cross marking the desolate marsh lands near Inverness and Monica can't ignore it - she was always convinced there were more victims out there. And when a body is discovered it looks like they've found a new name from Pauline's kill list. But things are never that simple...

The Dizzying Freedom of Standing Alone

Vertigo. U2 sang about it. We know what it is – that weird sensation of motion, a spinning or tilting feeling, where it feels like you or the world around you is moving even though you’re standing still. Vertigo plays a part in my latest novel All Of Them Lied – and not only in the story itself – but also in reality. Because though it’s my fourth book, this story is actually my first standalone novel. To write it was both liberating and terrifying. The blank page really was blank. None of my Garda friends from the Shaw and Darmody series could pop in to say hi. No catching up with their family dramas, their infighting and bickering. No hanging out with the lads from the Divisional Detective Unit. So even to write this story was to experience that strange, exposed, dizzying feeling. 

And as for the idea behind the story? Vertigo is there too. As writers, we are programmed to ask the What if question. It’s often the tiniest spark of curiosity, wonder, or just plain nosiness which will ignite the fire of creativity. And don’t we all just pray that there’s enough fuel to sustain our 80,000+ words? In my case, the What if question that brought All Of Them Lied into being was helpfully provided by the man to whom I am (still) married, who I’ll call Hiking Husband. 

The set up was as follows. The year was 2018. After many months of juggling elder family caring schedules and the emptying of the nest, a holiday beckoned, and we decided to go on a self-guided hiking trip in northern Italy. (The cold part.) In planning the holiday you were able to choose which level of difficulty you would be most comfortable with. As we prided ourselves on reasonable fitness levels (and we were then still whippersnappers in our fifties) we chose level four out of a possible five. Do you suffer from vertigo was one of the questions on the information sheet. ‘No,’ said he. ‘No,’ said I.

The fourth day into our trek after a sustained climb, we veered steeply up through beech woods onto the main ridge. To our right the ground rose even higher, flanked by deciduous trees and the remains of an old Roman wall. To our left, an abyss. A ravine. A cliff. A long, dangerous drop or, rather a view down and down, impossibly far down past the tops of tall trees and beneath them, more tall trees, to a bright scribble of water at the bottom of the valley. We were on a path that was so narrow you had to walk in single file and watch carefully where you stepped. Even the idea of using the poles became terrifying because of the fear that you could inadvertently shove yourself over the side. The thought of your backpack catching against a branch and causing you to stumble was another nightmare. 

Reader. It turned out that I did – I do – suffer from vertigo. Yes I know I’d signed a form saying I didn’t but now, here, I did. Hiking Husband hiked happily up ahead without a care in the world. He may have been humming. HHH? What the heck? Behind him, I began to experience all the symptoms of vertigo. My legs began to shake and my sweaty palms clutched the hiking poles for dear life. I counted my thumping heartbeats and narrowed my gaze to the path ahead of me, looking neither left nor right. Time stood still. I moved even slower. Eventually, HHH realised something was wrong. He frowned. 

‘Let’s take a breather,’ he said. Then he pointed to the bottom of the cliff and said (to lighten the mood he later claimed) ‘What if you wanted to murder someone? Wouldn’t that be a great way to do it? No one would ever find out.’

The idea for my story took root on that day. (No, not a plan to dispatch a HHH.) The character of Thea – a wealthy young woman – talented, trusting, a little spoiled and protected, and therefore vulnerable. I wondered what if Thea went on a fun adventure with the people she loves most in the world, not knowing that one of them wanted her dead? What if she had an ‘accident’ that was meant to kill her, but didn’t? 

And what if she remembered nothing of the accident? What if the accident had caused her to lose her most recent memories and she came back home to recuperate and rebuild her life with those same loved ones, not knowing who she could trust? 

Because All Of Them Lied. 

All of them Lied. By Gill Perdue (Penguin Books) Out Now

Thea wakes from a coma, having forgotten much of the recent past. As well as learning to walk again, she studies the list of ‘facts’ she keeps on her phone, hoping something will unlock her memory. Her top three facts are: I was in Italy I was with the people I love the most. I fell down a ravine and I’m lucky to be alive. But as Thea gets hazy glimpses of the lead-up to her fall, the facts stop adding up. Trapped at home in the middle of the Irish countryside, dependent on those who were on holiday with her – her fiancé, her brother, her sister-in-law and her best friend – terrifying questions surface: Was I pushed? Why are they lying? Who can I trust? As memories come tumbling back, Thea realises she is in race against time to figure things out – and that her life hangs in the balance.

More information about Gill Perdue and her books can be found on her website.

You can also find her on Facebook and on Instagram @gillperduewriter

Forthcoming books from Headline Publishing

 July 2026

Festival season. The streets are filled to bursting with tourists, and Edinburgh is gripped by a stifling heatwave. Not the best time for one of the most violent murders the city has witnessed in years. The victim of the murder cannot be identified; its brutal nature of the shocking both the public and the police. What could possibly have inflicted such gruesome injuries? Was it a wild animal on the loose, or the beginning of some horrific gang warfare? Another body is found on Musselburgh Beach: naked, comatose . . . but this time still alive. DI Tony McLean can't shake the feeling that there is a connection to the killing - but there are few leads for him and the team to go by. The police are at a loss, and the city is on edge - will the killer strike again? The Violent Hour is by James Oswald.

The Eyewitness is by Naomi Williams. Rachel Cartwright has a terrifying condition. Every 48 hours, her eyes shut tight - and stay that way for two long days. She can't work, can't go out. And, worse, when the world goes dark, she's certain someone is watching her. She can't prove it - but I believe her. And, as her doctor, I owe it to Rachel to help. I may not understand what's happening to her, but I've made it my job to protect her. To keep watch when she can't. But I can't help but feel there's something Rachel's not telling me. A shadow in her past she won't talk about. And now... I'm starting to feel it too. Like someone's watching me.

The Pandora Conspiracy is by Andy McDermott. Pandora's Box has long been thought a myth. But when archaeologist Nina Wilde and her husband, former SAS soldier Eddie Chase, are summoned to the White House for a secret meeting, it appears the legendary artefact is real, with the potential to bring great benefits to humanity - or unimaginable harm. Mistrustful of the motives of those who want to find it, Nina sets out with Eddie on a mission that is the opposite of her usual goal: to ensure the ancient treasure remains undiscovered for ever. But as more groups join the hunt - including one led by her own daughter Macy - Nina finds herself trapped in an ever more deadly race which, if she loses, could destroy the world as we know it - and if she wins will tear her family apart...

A perfect couple. But one of them is a killer. Which one? Patrick Vanderpool, son of a billionaire media mogul, is destined for power. But the affair he's having could ruin everything. Vanessa Vanderpool, married to one of America's most influential men, has her own ambitions. But the affair he's having could ruin everything. When the other woman is found brutally murdered, there are only two suspects... One of them is guilty. But which one? Conman-turned-defence lawyer Eddie Flynn must risk his life to find out... One of Us is Guilty is by Steve Cavanagh.

August 2026

The One Who Walked Away is by Karen Rose. Bounty hunter Elle Randolph is on the hunt for a fugitive in the wilderness of Mendocino County. She's also on the run from her past, and the accident she walked away from - but that killed her abusive husband. When the manager of the inn Elle is staying in is murdered, she and her boss Sara become people of interest to local detective Ronan Clarke. He needs to know exactly what placed these strangers at the scene of the crime. As Ronan questions Elle and Sara, he realises the fugitive they are tracking could be a suspect for the local murder. But to share information there needs to be trust. And, right now, is Ronan in a position to drop the bounty hunters from his enquiries? When another person turns up dead, Ronan sees there could be more to this investigation than he could have imagined. And that Elle Randolph isn't telling him everything . . .

You witnessed a murder. But no one believes you. When Ria moves with her husband to

Silverleaf Heights, a lavish gated community, she tries to settle in and recover from the accident that nearly took her life. On the surface, everything is perfect; the neighbours welcome her with open arms, even though she doesn't feel she belongs, and she is safe and secure with all the security cameras and the locked gate.  Or is she? Late one night, Ria witnesses a woman being murdered in the communal garden. When the police go to investigate, they find the neighbours away and no sign of disturbance. But Ria knows what she saw, and is determined to find out who the woman was - even if no one else believes her.Then an anonymous WhatsApp appears on her phone - a video of another woman being murdered. When she looks closely, she quickly realises the woman is her. The message disappears, as if it never existed, but the meaning is clear: stop looking for the dead woman, or you'll be next. I know What I Saw is by Kathryn Croft.

The Midnight Guests is by Alex Hay. 1926. Diana Gold, owner and impresario, throws open the doors to the most opulent new hotel in London. As the champagne flows and the chandeliers shimmer, millionaires and gamblers rub shoulders with film stars and royalty. Though, things at the Hotel Artemis aren't quite what they seem - including the two guests Diana expects at midnight. Powerful and dangerous, they've dragged her from the gutter and taught her all she knows. Now Diana must take perfect care of them - unless they take care of her first. But when a body is found in the hotel's finest suite, the lavish opening night begins to spiral out of control. And over twenty-four fateful hours, the staff and guests of the Artemis will find out why they are really there.

September 2026

Music to Die For at the Seaview Hotel is by Glenda Young. The A64 are reuniting for the gig of a lifetime at Scarborough's Open Air Theatre, and Helen Dexter is overjoyed when they book into her Seaview Hotel.  However, as old tensions rise within the band, it's clear each musician has something to hide. Why is lead singer Starr running away from her past? Why is Pete the drummer secretive about where he's been for the last forty years? And when guitarist Dave breaks his legs in a freak window-cleaning accident, a new guitarist arrives, causing even more discord for all. Then, as the band rehearse for their comeback gig, a dead body is found. Can Seaview Hotel landlady Helen Dexter and her rescue greyhound Suki hit the right note and solve the crime?

October 2026

When Johnny Raglan is sentenced to life imprisonment, his past catches up with him. Doing time runs in the family, and everyone knows the score. But prison life isn't easy and Johnny's wife Janey and their two young sons are about to learn the hard way what it takes to survive . .. The Stretch is by Martina Cole.

They have your wife and son, what would you do to save them. Luke Jones, his wife Sofia and beloved son Max are hiking in a remote Scottish forest when they stumble across the body of a murdered woman. They're even more terrified when the killers reappear, guns in hand. Managing to flee, they each get separated in the dense woods - with Luke stumbling and knocking himself unconscious. When he wakes, there's no sign of Sofia and Max. But when his phone starts ringing, the nightmare really begins... Luke will do anything to save his wife and son. But, as a pawn in a deadly game which drags up his buried past, can he even save himself? No One is Safe is by Simon Kernick