What do you think?
Rate this book
Derailed: A Hobbs & Stirling Mystery
A missing teenager. An exotic locale. Two detectives who will stop at nothing to uncover the truth.
In this gripping tale of mystery, Thailand serves as the enigmatic backdrop for a thrilling journey that will keep you guessing until you reach your final destination...Thailand - The Land of Smiles - a tropical paradise that conjures up images of idyllic beaches, glittering temples and exotic cuisine. That image is shattered, however, when the 15-year-old daughter of the British Ambassador mysteriously vanishes during a routine train journey towards the iconic Bridge over the River Kwai.
From the bustling streets of Central London, Frank Hobbs and Debra Stirling - a duo of renowned Missing Persons detectives - are drafted in to aid in the desperate search for the Ambassador's daughter. In their pursuit of the truth, they discover a more sinister underbelly lurking beneath the tranquil surface of the sleepy south-east Asian nation; a side to Thailand that few tourists ever see.
With each step towards the truth, Hobbs and Stirling navigate treacherous terrain; exposing a world tainted by secrets and corruption with unforeseen dangers laying around every curve.
As they delve deeper, the line between right and wrong blurs, testing their resolve and the boundaries of their own morality.
Will they unravel the mysteries hidden within the tropical tourist paradise, or will they see their investigation DERAILED?
In this gripping tale of mystery, Thailand serves as the enigmatic backdrop for a thrilling journey that will keep you guessing until you reach your final destination...Thailand - The Land of Smiles - a tropical paradise that conjures up images of idyllic beaches, glittering temples and exotic cuisine. That image is shattered, however, when the 15-year-old daughter of the British Ambassador mysteriously vanishes during a routine train journey towards the iconic Bridge over the River Kwai.
From the bustling streets of Central London, Frank Hobbs and Debra Stirling - a duo of renowned Missing Persons detectives - are drafted in to aid in the desperate search for the Ambassador's daughter. In their pursuit of the truth, they discover a more sinister underbelly lurking beneath the tranquil surface of the sleepy south-east Asian nation; a side to Thailand that few tourists ever see.
With each step towards the truth, Hobbs and Stirling navigate treacherous terrain; exposing a world tainted by secrets and corruption with unforeseen dangers laying around every curve.
As they delve deeper, the line between right and wrong blurs, testing their resolve and the boundaries of their own morality.
Will they unravel the mysteries hidden within the tropical tourist paradise, or will they see their investigation DERAILED?
354 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 6, 2024
2 people are currently reading
8 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 6, 2025
A good read!
Frank Hobbs and Debra Stirling are missing persons investigators from the UK who travel to Thailand to track down an ambassador’s missing teenaged daughter. Many twists and turns await them as they pull the threads to unravel the mystery.
I enjoyed the book a lot, and will look for other books from this author.
Frank Hobbs and Debra Stirling are missing persons investigators from the UK who travel to Thailand to track down an ambassador’s missing teenaged daughter. Many twists and turns await them as they pull the threads to unravel the mystery.
I enjoyed the book a lot, and will look for other books from this author.
July 31, 2024
Very descriptive great story line. Loving the new author a must read.
August 7, 2025
A M Riley's detective novel DERAILED follows two British missing-persons detectives as they travel from the UK to Thailand to investigate a disappearance. The British Ambassador's daughter has gone missing on a train. What follows is an intriguing mystery that builds tension and suspense as it barrels along, train-like, towards a thrilling, and quite profound, destination.
One of the most compelling aspects of DERAILED is the way it immersed me into the culture of Thailand and used the cultural dissonance between Thai and British ways to throw obstacles in the way of the two detectives as they try to navigate the complexities of the Thai police system, and the Land of Smiles in general.
This novel is rich in texture. I felt like I was there, on the streets of Kanchanaburi and Bangkok with these characters, experiencing the humidity, the food, the hustle and bustle, the trains, the roads, the restaurants, the bars and clubs and the sweltering need for air-conditioning or the respite of a hotel swimming pool. As the story moved on, this enveloping context for the narrative speaks to Riley's strength in his ability to replicate just what is needed to make the locations feel authentic on the page. Honestly, this heightened sense of the reality of the locale is a true highlight of the book. It is clear from this work that Thailand is a beloved, admired and formative location for the writer.
But perhaps most interestingly, Riley isn't shy about showing us the nastier side of the Thai police, and the drama comes front and centre here. Punctuated by moments of shocking violence, often out of nowhere, he really doesn't hold back when it comes to peeling away the layers of corruption in the police, and in the country as a whole, to show us how difficult it is to move forward legitimately in this eco-system. As with another of Riley's books, Afterlife Inc, the ending points to something more profound, and underlines how fiction works best when it exposes previously un-thought-of aspects of humanity's highs and lows. But amongst the nasty characters that propell the plot, there is beauty in others, and Riley takes time to show us how kindness prevails amongst the majority of people that call this vibrant country home. DERAILED is a great, propulsive page-turning mystery/thriller, with characters to root for, and I'd love to see another outing for Hobbs and Stirling.
One of the most compelling aspects of DERAILED is the way it immersed me into the culture of Thailand and used the cultural dissonance between Thai and British ways to throw obstacles in the way of the two detectives as they try to navigate the complexities of the Thai police system, and the Land of Smiles in general.
This novel is rich in texture. I felt like I was there, on the streets of Kanchanaburi and Bangkok with these characters, experiencing the humidity, the food, the hustle and bustle, the trains, the roads, the restaurants, the bars and clubs and the sweltering need for air-conditioning or the respite of a hotel swimming pool. As the story moved on, this enveloping context for the narrative speaks to Riley's strength in his ability to replicate just what is needed to make the locations feel authentic on the page. Honestly, this heightened sense of the reality of the locale is a true highlight of the book. It is clear from this work that Thailand is a beloved, admired and formative location for the writer.
But perhaps most interestingly, Riley isn't shy about showing us the nastier side of the Thai police, and the drama comes front and centre here. Punctuated by moments of shocking violence, often out of nowhere, he really doesn't hold back when it comes to peeling away the layers of corruption in the police, and in the country as a whole, to show us how difficult it is to move forward legitimately in this eco-system. As with another of Riley's books, Afterlife Inc, the ending points to something more profound, and underlines how fiction works best when it exposes previously un-thought-of aspects of humanity's highs and lows. But amongst the nasty characters that propell the plot, there is beauty in others, and Riley takes time to show us how kindness prevails amongst the majority of people that call this vibrant country home. DERAILED is a great, propulsive page-turning mystery/thriller, with characters to root for, and I'd love to see another outing for Hobbs and Stirling.
April 16, 2025
A great read! I was hooked into the characters from the get go. You really get a feel for there personalities. There were a few twists and turns, one that I definitely didn't see coming! The description of the places they were in and the around were very well described and you can get a real sense of being there with them. I love Hobbs and Stirling and the way their characters were slowly built up as you read through the book. And as for Chai; is he a corrupted policeman or not? It's a story that kept me gripped right until the end. I can't wait to see if there will be a book 2.
March 27, 2025
A fast paced thriller that delves into the corruption and seedy underbelly of Thailand. British detectives Debra Stirling and Frank Hobbs are great main characters who are flown out to help to look for the British Ambassadors missing daughter.
The mystery is gradually unravelled leading to a tense conclusion. The book paints a realistic picture and the reader really gets it feel that they are immersed in the sweaty streets.
I can’t wait for the next instalment for Hobbs and Stirling.
The mystery is gradually unravelled leading to a tense conclusion. The book paints a realistic picture and the reader really gets it feel that they are immersed in the sweaty streets.
I can’t wait for the next instalment for Hobbs and Stirling.
November 2, 2025
Really enjoyed this one! It centers on two clever UK detectives who are sent to investigate the disappearance of a diplomat’s daughter in Thailand.
The prose is crisp and polished. The pacing is spot-on, carrying you cleanly from clue to clue. And I especially loved the dynamic between Stirling and Hobbs, this pit bull-meets-collie pairing that I found very endearing.
The prose is crisp and polished. The pacing is spot-on, carrying you cleanly from clue to clue. And I especially loved the dynamic between Stirling and Hobbs, this pit bull-meets-collie pairing that I found very endearing.
August 5, 2025
This was a truly enjoyable read. The excellent storytelling and well-developed character relationships made the book an absolute pleasure to read
February 19, 2025
A.M. Riley did a fantastic job with this book. It grabbed me from the opening chapters with a style that was easy to understand, well-written, and contained interesting characters. If you're looking for a story that will keep your attention from beginning to end, look no further -- this is it!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews