DC Ian Bradshaw Books

An unstoppable serial killer. A fifth girl missing. A long-buried secret. A gripping crime thriller perfect for fans of LJ Ross, Mel Sherratt and Mark Billingham . There's a serial killer on the loose in north-east England. Four bodies have already been discovered. A fifth girl, Michelle Summers, has just disappeared. When a body is discovered, everyone fears the worst. But this isn't Michelle - this corpse has been dead for over fifty years. Out-of-favor DC Ian Bradshaw is pulled off the main case to investigate the skeleton. But it soon becomes clear that dark secrets lay buried along with the body - and now the police have more than one killer to worry about... The beginning of the highly acclaimed series starring Ian Bradshaw and journalists Helen Norton and Tom Carney, this is a gripping crime thriller you won't be able to put down. SEE WHAT BESTSELLING AUTHORS ARE ALREADY SAYING ABOUT BRITAIN'S BEST NEW CRIME AUTHOR "Howard Linskey is one of the best new writers around and this is the start of a must-read series." — Mark Billingham "A new master of the gripping, gritty thriller. Howard Linskey takes you right to the heart of it." — Paul Finch "This is lacerating fare that makes most current crime fiction look like thin gruel." — Financial Times "Linskey has elevated this story to a level of complexity and humanity seldom approached by British writers previously . . . A new name on our criminal horizon." — Maxim Jakubowski "Gripping and convincing." — Kimberley Chambers "Brilliant . . . This is first class stuff, an unstoppable tale, a real page-turner not to be missed." — Sarah Broadhurst "Serial killer thrillers don't come much better than this. Old secrets and terrible new crimes woven into an immensely satisfying, utterly compelling narrative which keeps you constantly guessing. Fans of Linskey's critically acclaimed David Blake series will already know what an outstanding author he is, everyone else . . . prepare to add another name to your must-read list." — Eva Dolan "Linskey weaves together a compelling and twisty tale that gripped me from page one. If you like Val McDermid's thrillers, you'll love this." — Mark Edwards

A corpse is found: its identity extinguished in the most shocking manner imaginable. Detective Ian Bradshaw can't catch the killer if no one can ID the victim. Out there, somewhere, a missing young woman may hold the answers. Journalist Helen Norton is about to uncover a massive criminal conspiracy. She just needs the final piece of the puzzle. Soon, she will learn the price of the truth. True-crime writer Tom Carney receives letters from a convicted murderer who insists he is innocent. His argument is persuasive—but psychopaths are often said to be charming.

**Preorder the new novel from Howard Linskey now!** Someone knows where the bodies are buried... Little Susan Verity went missing during the heatwave of 1976. An unprecedented amount of police resource went into finding her, but to no avail. Until now. Convicted serial killer Adrian Wicklow was always the prime suspect. In the past, he's repeatedly lied to the police about where Susan's body is buried - playing a sick game from behind bars. But this time, he says, he'll tell the truth. Because Adrian Wicklow is dying. Detective Ian Bradshaw works with investigative journalists Helen Norton and Tom Carney to find the body. However, this is Wicklow's life's work. Would a murderer on death's door give up his last secret so easily...?

DS Ian Bradshaw and investigative journalists Helen Norton and Tom Carney must combine once more to unravel a chilling secret that links two generations of women who vanished without trace or explanation. These are not teenage runaways or drug users, vulnerable prostitutes or victims of domestic abuse, there is no strife at home or problems at school. There are no leads or explanations and, crucially, no bodies are found. The only thing that links these ordinary women is what they leave behind; distraught families, devastated partners, shocked friends, all longing for the same answer; what could have happened to The Disappeared? The disappearance of seemingly normal women. The blackmail of someone with a dark secret. The mind of a reluctant killer twisted by years of abuse. The Disappeared is the dark and compelling new novel from Howard Linskey.