Book 1

Artefacts of the Dead

by Tony Black

Published 9 July 2014
'It's a dead man...Can't you see someone's put a bloody great spike through him?' The discovery of a dead banker sends shock waves through the sleepy coastal town of Ayr. And it's up to DI Bob Valentine - recently back on the force after his near-fatal stabbing - to find the killer. But leads are hard to find and the pressure is on from an anxious Chief Superintendent who is being hounded by the media and still has serious concerns about her DI's mental health. And as it becomes clear that there's a serial killer on the loose, Bob Valentine must battle the demons of his post-traumatic stress, an investigation team that's leaking like a sieve and frightening visions that might just be the key to unlocking the mystery. Valentine is close to breaking point, but can he crack the case before he cracks up?

Book 1

Artifacts of the Dead

by Tony Black

Published 30 July 2019

Book 2

A Taste Of Ashes

by Tony Black

Published 24 September 2015
When DI Bob Valentine returns to duty after a narrow escape with death, he is faced with the discovery of a corpse on a kitchen table with a horrific neck wound and a mystery surrounding the victim's missing partner and her daughter. It's all too close to his own near-fatal stabbing. When the murder investigation begins to reveal a tragic family drama, Bob Valentine struggles to deal with the rapidly unfolding events and the terrifying visions that haunt him. As he starts to uncover the illicit secrets of the family's past, can he keep a grip on the case and on his own sanity before the body count starts to rise? "Tony Black is my favourite British crime writer." IRVINE WELSH

Book 3

Summoning the Dead

by Tony Black

Published 6 October 2016
"We have a dead child, and a crime scene that has been remarkably well kept for us." A young child lies mummified in a barrel. His hands, cable-tied, appear to be locked in prayer. As forensic officers remove the boy they are in for an even bigger shock -- he is not alone. With his near-fatal stabbing almost a memory, DI Bob Valentine is settling back into life on the force but he knows nothing will ever be the same. Haunted by unearthly visions that appear like waking dreams, he soon understands he is being inducted into one of Scotland's darkest secrets. When the boy in the barrel is identified as a missing child from the 1980s, it re-opens a cold case that was previously thought unsolvable. When further remains are unearthed, the facts point to a paedophile ring and a political conspiracy that leads all the way to the most hallowed corridors of power.

Book 4

Her Cold Eyes

by Tony Black

Published 24 April 2018
Abbie is missing. Her mother knows who's to blame.
But nobody is listening.When the case falls to DCI Bob Valentine, he has no choice but to listen. Haunted by the girl's cold gaze and her mother's hurt, Valentine finds himself at the centre of the most harrowing investigation of his police career.

As he uncovers a ring of ritualistic abuse that circles up to the highest echelons of a degraded, Satanic society, the detective wonders how the world can contain such evil.

And then the bodies start to mount up. And the demons defenders appear. Has Valentine any hope of finding the missing, never mind the guilty?