Stephen Larkin Books

"London's dark heart has seldom been exposed with such surgical precision. Brutal, mesmerizing stuff."-Ian Rankin "Waites stands out in the crowded field of young British noir writers . . . with his bruised characters, raw-edged dialogue, and extraordinary night vision."-Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review " The Mercy Seat is a beautifully written and constructed thriller. . . . Raw -violence -explodes on almost every page, and there are some artfully awful villains."- Publishers Weekly (starred review) " Mary's Prayer is an assured, powerful debut from a writer sure to find his place in modern crime fiction. Contemporary noir with a distinctly Chandleresque flavor. A significant contribution to the genre."-Andrew Vachss "As John Harvey did for Nottingham and George Pelecanos does for Washington, Waites uses real places in a city he knows intimately to portray an underside even many residents wouldn't recognize. Highly recommended for adult mystery collections."- Library Journal (starred review) Disillusioned with London, journalist Stephen Larkin reluctantly accepts an assignment to cover a gangland funeral in Newcastle. While there, an old flame asks him to investigate an alleged suicide, which pushes Larkin into circumstances that spin dangerously beyond his control. From a powerful new voice in neo-noir-and available for the first time in the United States-Pegasus Books is proud to present Martyn Waites' debut crime novel.

"An ambitious, tautly plotted thriller that offers a stark antidote to P.D. James' cozy world of middle-class murder. A huge talent."- Time Out "Martyn Waites' lean, exhilarating prose is from the heart and from the guts, and that's exactly where it hits you."-Mark Billingham "Waites stands out in the crowded field of young British noir writers with his bruised characters, raw-edged dialogue, and extraordinary night vision."-Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review "London's dark heart has seldom been exposed with such surgical precision. Brutal, mesmerizing stuff."-Ian Rankin "A powerful writer who creates memorable characters who live in the memory as well as on the page. The skillful dialogue reminds me of Ken Bruen."-Otto Penzler, The New York Sun "A sometimes brutal, sometimes poetic journey through the dark heart of modern London, and confirms Waites as one of the brightest stars in British crime writing."-John Connolly In this stunning sequel to Mary's Prayer, we find journalist Stephen Larkin back in his native Newcastle, whose dark underbelly is fertile territory for men who live beyond the reaches of morality. To fill the empty space in his life, Larkin jumps at the chance to track down a child abuser with friends in high places. He thinks he's experienced all there is to know about the evil that men do. But nothing has prepared Larkin for the self-styled Minister for Youth . . . Martyn Waites , the author of six critically acclaimed crime novels, is emerging as one of the leading writers of British noir fiction. Little Triggers is the second novel in his Stephen Larkin trilogy. Waites lives in London.

When a friend’s HIV-positive sixteen-year-old daughter goes missing, investigative reporter Stephen Larkin is enlisted to help find her. Following a trail of warring drug dealers, child prostitution and born-again Christian gangsters, it soon becomes clear that they are not the only ones looking for the girl, and that others don’t care if she is found dead or alive.

A gritty crime thriller from the crown prince of 'Brit noir', centred around the 1984 miners' strike. The action takes place in a depressed mining town in the North East. Switching continuously between 1984 and the present day, the plot follows the interwined lives of a small group of characters, all linked in various ways to the miners' Tony Woodhouse, a professional footballer who can't escape his shady past; Tommy Jobson, cruising the streets of Newcastle, violently collecting debts, about to be sucked into something far more dangerous; Mick Hutton, a striking miner, increasingly desperate to find ways to support his wife and growing family; Stephen Larkin, an idealistic young journalist, determined to expose the truth about the strike - as he sees it; Stephen's sister, Louise, in love with Tony Woodhouse, stalked by a shadowy figure from her past. As the lives of these five characters unfold, it becomes clear the strike will have devastating repercussions - not only for those directly involved, but for future generations too.