Kirjahaku

Longlisted for the Boardman Tasker award. 'Intelligent and pacy thriller . . . A taut, keenly observed tale of revenge, perseverance and the struggle against injustice' Paula Hawkins 'Stunning . . . An exciting new addition to the world of crime fiction' Stephen Booth The first book in the critically acclaimed DCI Castle series Manchester. DCI Rick Castle is inspecting his bees when his boss phones. A minor cannabis dealer has been reported missing. His father's a war hero. Rick flies to Nepal, and heads up the trail. Through villages of staring children and fluttering prayer-flags. Brilliant blue skies, and snow-capped mountains. He finds a dead body. Then a second. Nothing in this world was ever straightforward. Nothing. Finally, he puts himself in the firing line, and has a decision to make. Is it the right one? The moral one? Three missing. Two continents. One detective.

‘Stylish, authoritative crime writing from someone who knows . . . vivid and gripping’ (Oliver Harris) ‘A gripping and clever thriller in a magnificent setting . . . I loved it’ (Sarah Ward) The second book in the critically acclaimed DCI Castle series. Against the rules, Manchester DCI Rick Castle removes a prisoner from Strangeways and returns to Nepal. His aim: to bring to justice his nemesis Hant Khetan, rumoured to be the next Osama Bin Laden. When the prisoner escapes, Rick and his small team must search for him along the paths of the Everest foothills. Trekking in the shadow of snow-capped mountains and through earthquake-flattened villages, Rick becomes increasingly desperate. If they can’t find him, Rick can’t even begin . . . DCI Rick Castle is back in Nepal. Let the manhunts begin.

‘A police procedural so action-packed it reads like a thriller – with a Nepalese twist.’ (Dr Andy Martin, Reacher Said Nothing: Lee Child and the Making of Make Me) ‘It's always a joy to catch up with Rick Castle! Cold Summer is the best book so far in this gripping series. James Ellson's books just keep getting better!’ (Samantha Brownley, UK Crime Book Club) The third book in the critically acclaimed DCI Castle series. A race against time as DI Castle hunts for two wanted suspects before they kill each other. Manchester, England, the European migration crisis rampant . . . On the site of a disused supermarket, the hidden compartment of an articulated lorry is being unloaded. At the same time, a prisoner escapes from Strangeways. Are the two things connected? DI Rick Castle, recently demoted but inspirational, starts to investigate . . . Nothing will be the same again.

‘Gallops along to a gripping climax. A cracking read.’ (Zoe Sharp) ‘All the authenticity you’d expect from a former DI, but with a command of pace and prose that’s a delightful bonus. Base Line grips from the very start.' (Oliver Harris) A routine case leads to a Russian cell operating in the UK. Investigating a tyre blowout on a school minibus is not what DCI Rick Castle had envisaged in his new job in charge of Special Investigations at South Manchester. He’d prefer to be making headway on a cold case murder, and following up leads from his recent press conference. Then drugs are found in his car, and he’s arrested. The fourth book in the critically acclaimed DCI Castle series.

A protected witness who’s been given a new identity has gone missing. The original case involved William Redman and his South Manchester organised crime group. DCI Castle travels to a remote part of Scotland to make enquiries, and makes an arrest, but discovers he is also being targeted. Are the two things connected? Is Redman involved? Rick is pushed to his limit, but is it enough? The fifth book in the critically acclaimed DCI Castle series.

A missing person enquiry leads Manchester DCI Rick Castle to Nepal. Manchester. DCI Rick Castle is inspecting his bees when his boss phones. A minor cannabis dealer has been reported missing… Three missing. Two continents. One detective.

Against the rules, Manchester DCI Rick Castle removes a prisoner from Strangeways and returns to Nepal. His aim: to bring to justice his nemesis Hant Khetan, rumoured to be the next Osama Bin Laden. DCI Rick Castle is back in Nepal. Let the manhunts begin.

A race against time as DCI Castle hunts for two wanted suspects before they kill each other. Nothing will be the same again.

A routine case leads to a Russian cell operating in the UK. Investigating a tyre blowout on a school minibus is not what DCI Rick Castle had envisaged in his new job in charge of Special Investigations at South Manchester. He'd prefer to be making headway on a cold case murder. Then drugs are found in his car, and he's arrested.The fourth book in the critically acclaimed DCI Castle series.

The Trail is a crime thriller. A missing person enquiry leads Manchester DCI Rick Castle to Nepal.Manchester. DCI Rick Castle is inspecting his bees when his boss phones. A minor cannabis dealer has been reported missing. His father’s a war hero. Rick flies to Nepal, and heads up the trail. Through villages of staring children and fluttering prayer-flags. Brilliant blue skies, and snow-capped mountains. He finds a dead body. Then a second. Nothing in this world was ever straightforward. Nothing. Finally, he puts himself in the firing line, and has a decision to make. Is it the right one? The moral one? "Intelligent and pacy thriller . . . a taut, keenly-observed tale of revenge, perseverance and the struggle against injustice." Paula Hawkins, author of Girl on a Train"The Trail is a stunning debut from an exciting new addition to the world of crime fiction. James Ellson combines depth of characterisation and authentic police procedural detail with a talent for evoking a sense of place, particularly in his vivid portrayal of Nepal. An original plot lifts Ellson's first book above the level of most contemporary crime novels. And readers will be longing to hear more from his complex protagonist DCI Rick Castle!" Stephen Booth, author of the Cooper and Fry crime fiction series

The second book in the critically acclaimed DCI Castle series. Against the rules, Manchester DCI Rick Castle removes a prisoner from Strangeways and returns to Nepal. His aim: to bring to justice his nemesis Hant Khetan, rumoured to be the next Osama Bin Laden. When the prisoner escapes, Rick and his small team must search for him along the paths of the Everest foothills. Trekking in the shadow of snow-capped mountains and through earthquake-flattened villages, Rick becomes increasingly desperate. If they can’t find him, Rick can’t even begin...

When private investigator Rockburn discovers an abandoned child in a bus stop, he’s drawn into a world of people traffickers. A truncated phone call from a distressed woman takes Rockburn to Fenwick Street in central Manchester. His first case after months of waiting. He discovers a young boy, but before he can ask questions, the two of them are being chased . . . Being a detective had been easy for him – regular wages, backup, forensic help, intelligence databases. Being a PI is far harder, but he has no choice. He has to make it work, not only for himself, but for the boy. The first in a new series from the author of The Trail.