Book 2

Kings of London

by William Shaw

Published 1 January 2015

A Book of Scars

by William Shaw

Published 4 June 2015

PEACE IS OUT. REVENGE IS ON.

'An emotional intensity found only in the very best crime fiction' Sunday Times Crime Book of the Year
'Unfolds a fascinatingly dark tale' Spectator

Never forgotten

Teenager Alexandra Tozer was murdered on her family's farm. Five years later, her sister Helen will return.

Never suspected

As soon as DS Breen tracks down the original investigating sergeant, the man goes missing. And so does Helen.

Never revealed

The only connection between the suspects is the Kenya Emergency - a nightmare that Englishmen prefer to forget.

But others remember. Every bloody detail. And when another woman is taken, Breen fears that history - in all its shame and horror - is coming back to haunt them.


A Song from Dead Lips

by William Shaw

Published 1 August 2013

FREE LOVE. DEADLY PRICE.

'A first-rate police thriller set amidst the seamy underside of the swinging sixties' C. J. Sansom
'A gripping story, impeccably researched' Guardian

The Runaway

A nameless young woman is found naked and strangled in an alley on Abbey Road.

The Reject

DS Cathal Breen, an outcast in the Marylebone CID, struggles to make sense of the case.

The Rookie

Until new recruit WPC Helen Tozer - the first woman to join the team - makes a breakthrough.

And as hippies slam doors in their face, and locals suspect the new African neighbours, Breen and Tozer tread down a perilous path, closing in on a cruel conspiracy that goes far beyond class, colour and creed.


A House of Knives

by William Shaw

Published 5 June 2014

GET HIGH. FALL FAR.

'An elegy for an entire alienated generation' New York Times
'Utterly nails the myth of the Swinging Sixties' Sun

The Black Sheep

The wayward son of a rising MP is mutilated and burnt in suspicious circumstances.

The Honest Detective

DS Cathal Breen dodges political embargo and death threats to pursue the case.

The Rolling Stone

Notorious art dealer Robert Fraser may provide the only clue - if only he will talk.

And as Breen slips deeper into London's underground of hippies and heroin, he edges nearer to the secrets of those at the very top. Banished from a corrupt and fracturing system, he will finally be forced to fight fire with fire.


Sympathy for the Devil

by William Shaw

Published 4 May 2017

'Big treat in store for fans. And if you're not a fan yet, why not?' Val McDermid
'William Shaw is one of the great rising talents of UK crime fiction' Peter James

London 1969: A detective in love. A crime of passion

The devil: She made a profit from rich men. They paid for her youth. She paid with her life.

The angel: To investigate the prostitute's murder, DS Cathal Breen isn't scared to question powerful suspects.

The fall: But when a mysterious man from MI6 calls, Breen begins to fear he's uncovered a spy scandal.

And then Breen's girlfriend Helen Tozer, with her ex-copper instincts, gets dangerously involved. Right or wrong, Breen knows he has too much to lose. He can have no sympathy for the devil.