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DCI Liam Doyle #2
Witch Hunt
Murder, witchcraft, and a race against time – welcome to Pendle Hill.
A young woman is found brutally murdered and mutilated at the foot of Pendle Hill and the local police are in no doubt who the killer is. Newly released from a psychiatric unit, Will Perkins has delusions that the victim is a witch. When DCI Liam Doyle and his team are brought in to investigate, the suspect is already in custody and the case apparently wrapped up. Except for one key detail – evidence.
Is it really possible the origins to this murder lie in Pendle’s infamous past?
Recently returned to work, DS Anna Morgan is battling her own demons. The physical wounds from her last case have healed, but the psychological trauma still haunts her. When another body turns up the investigation is blown wide open and Doyle has to face up to the horrifying possibility that he could have prevented this killing.
Can Doyle overcome his own doubts and track down the killer before they strike again? Will Morgan be able to conquer her fear before it destroys her?
Set in and around Lancashire’s legendary Pendle Hill, Witch Hunt is a gripping British crime thriller with dark humour and a nail-biting climax. This fast-paced novel, the second in the series featuring DCI Doyle and DS Morgan, will have readers on the edge of their seats.
If you have enjoyed books by authors such as Val McDermid, MW Craven, JD Kirk and Alex Smith, you won’t want to miss Witch Hunt.
A young woman is found brutally murdered and mutilated at the foot of Pendle Hill and the local police are in no doubt who the killer is. Newly released from a psychiatric unit, Will Perkins has delusions that the victim is a witch. When DCI Liam Doyle and his team are brought in to investigate, the suspect is already in custody and the case apparently wrapped up. Except for one key detail – evidence.
Is it really possible the origins to this murder lie in Pendle’s infamous past?
Recently returned to work, DS Anna Morgan is battling her own demons. The physical wounds from her last case have healed, but the psychological trauma still haunts her. When another body turns up the investigation is blown wide open and Doyle has to face up to the horrifying possibility that he could have prevented this killing.
Can Doyle overcome his own doubts and track down the killer before they strike again? Will Morgan be able to conquer her fear before it destroys her?
Set in and around Lancashire’s legendary Pendle Hill, Witch Hunt is a gripping British crime thriller with dark humour and a nail-biting climax. This fast-paced novel, the second in the series featuring DCI Doyle and DS Morgan, will have readers on the edge of their seats.
If you have enjoyed books by authors such as Val McDermid, MW Craven, JD Kirk and Alex Smith, you won’t want to miss Witch Hunt.
396 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 31, 2025
5 people are currently reading
6 people want to read
About the author
B.D. Spargo
2 books6 followersFast approaching fifty; without enough money for a sports car, BD Spargo decided to express his mid-life crises by turning to crime …
Thankfully for pretty much everyone this meant writing crime fiction rather than anything more nefarious. Originally from London, he spent his early career working in television and theatre including on the Ruth Rendall Mysteries broadcast on ITV.
A life changing accident necessitated retraining and a change of direction going on to work in mental health services. This culminated in ten years managing a groundbreaking forensic psychiatric service. He now lives in Lancashire with his family and is getting acclimatised to the rain.
Thankfully for pretty much everyone this meant writing crime fiction rather than anything more nefarious. Originally from London, he spent his early career working in television and theatre including on the Ruth Rendall Mysteries broadcast on ITV.
A life changing accident necessitated retraining and a change of direction going on to work in mental health services. This culminated in ten years managing a groundbreaking forensic psychiatric service. He now lives in Lancashire with his family and is getting acclimatised to the rain.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 13, 2025
I really enjoyed Cut Short, the first in the Liam Doyle series and was sold on the second book because it took place in Pendle, my favourite witchy place.
Set in Lancashire, the story catches up With Doyle several months after the first book and throws him straight back into the thick of the action.
I thoroughly enjoyed the story. It was well paced, has a cast of engaging characters, and just the right amount of mystery.
Roll on book three.
Set in Lancashire, the story catches up With Doyle several months after the first book and throws him straight back into the thick of the action.
I thoroughly enjoyed the story. It was well paced, has a cast of engaging characters, and just the right amount of mystery.
Roll on book three.
July 17, 2025
Witch Hunt by B D Spargo is a fast-paced contemporary murder suspense which I enjoyed. It is the second book in the DCI Liam Doyle thriller series but can be read as a stand-alone. I recommend reading book one first for character development, background and progression.
I enjoyed meeting with familiar faces, and witnessing their interactions, and seeing their support for each other. The inclusion of nick names shows that the characters feel secure with each other.
After an attack in book one, it was good to see the return of an officer. It was easy to empathise with the feelings of fear and uncertainty. B D Spargo certainly puts the reader in the minds of his characters.
The characters are an eclectic mix. The villains are menacing. The law enforcement officers are relentless in their pursuit of justice.
All the characters are fully rounded and believable. The homelife of some is included. We see the pressure of police work on home lives. Doyle’s young son who has autism was extremely well drawn. He brought out the mothering instinct in me.
We witness characters struggling with their mental health. There is support and kindness offered by many, and abuse by a few without scruples.
B D Spargo has created an intricate plotline that had me glued and guessing from the start. The crime scenes are rather gruesome, needing strong stomachs from both the characters and the reader.
Witch Hunt would make a marvellous Netflix series – any producers out there, please take note.
I received a free copy via Rachel’s Random Resources. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.
I enjoyed meeting with familiar faces, and witnessing their interactions, and seeing their support for each other. The inclusion of nick names shows that the characters feel secure with each other.
After an attack in book one, it was good to see the return of an officer. It was easy to empathise with the feelings of fear and uncertainty. B D Spargo certainly puts the reader in the minds of his characters.
The characters are an eclectic mix. The villains are menacing. The law enforcement officers are relentless in their pursuit of justice.
All the characters are fully rounded and believable. The homelife of some is included. We see the pressure of police work on home lives. Doyle’s young son who has autism was extremely well drawn. He brought out the mothering instinct in me.
We witness characters struggling with their mental health. There is support and kindness offered by many, and abuse by a few without scruples.
B D Spargo has created an intricate plotline that had me glued and guessing from the start. The crime scenes are rather gruesome, needing strong stomachs from both the characters and the reader.
Witch Hunt would make a marvellous Netflix series – any producers out there, please take note.
I received a free copy via Rachel’s Random Resources. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.
August 11, 2025
Following on a few months after the dramatic events in book one, Cut Short, there’s a new investigation for DCI Liam Doyle’s Lancashire Major Crimes team of DI Geoff Hayes (The Pearl), DS Anna Morgan and DCs Derrick Nelson (Birdseye) and Zach Washington (Gadget) along with intelligence analyst Shaima Asif. This time they relocate to a station in Nelson where the body of a young woman, Mia Wright has been found at Pendle Hill with a cut throat and a mutilated stomach. The local CID are keen to keep the case for themselves and a swift battle ensues before Doyle emerges triumphant, but then it starts to look unlikely that the initial suspect, a schizophrenic man with an obsession with the Pendle Witch trials of 1612 and who had told Mia she should be hanged as a witch during one of his episodes, is really responsible. When another dead body turns up, Doyle realises these killings must be firmly rooted in the present and not the past, but could the truth lie closer to home than anyone would wish?
All the detectives were great, Doyle, Gadget and Birdseye and the two local officers being particularly likeable. Even their boss “Mr Burns” can be relied upon when it counts. Despite problems at home with his autistic young son Harry, Doyle is a good and caring leader and his relatively new team work well under him. An excellent and well written police procedural, full of twists and turns with a little humour thrown in for good measure, I very much enjoyed this second story in the series which has less action but just as much suspense and intrigue as the first. It was easy to dive in and stay gripped to the pages right through to the end and I can’t wait to read the next one!
All the detectives were great, Doyle, Gadget and Birdseye and the two local officers being particularly likeable. Even their boss “Mr Burns” can be relied upon when it counts. Despite problems at home with his autistic young son Harry, Doyle is a good and caring leader and his relatively new team work well under him. An excellent and well written police procedural, full of twists and turns with a little humour thrown in for good measure, I very much enjoyed this second story in the series which has less action but just as much suspense and intrigue as the first. It was easy to dive in and stay gripped to the pages right through to the end and I can’t wait to read the next one!
August 14, 2025
Pendle Hill is more than just a backdrop in BD Spargo’s Witch Hunt—it’s a living, breathing presence. Its history seeps into the soil, curling around the murder investigation like the mist that shrouds its slopes. When Mia is found brutally mutilated, the case appears solved before it begins. But Doyle and Morgan quickly discover that in Pendle, nothing stays buried for long. The story unfolds as it thrums with the uneasy energy of a place where folklore and fact have always been tangled, and the question becomes not just who killed Mia, but what might have driven them to do so.
Morgan’s return to duty, scarred in ways only she can feel, adds a quiet fragility beneath the grit. Doyle’s certainty wavers in the shadows of old stories and new horrors, and the rhythm of their partnership—part steel, part empathy—is one of the novel’s strengths. Spargo balances the brutality of the crimes with flashes of dark humour and humanity, a gallows wit that feels earned rather than forced. It makes the grim moments hit harder, because you’ve glimpsed what’s worth saving.
There are beats where the investigation moves with almost uncanny speed, yet the sustained tension and rich sense of place more than compensate. By the time the final pieces fall into place, the ending feels both surprising and inevitable—a truth revealed with the weight of history behind it.
A thriller steeped in superstition and shadow, where the wind over Pendle still carries the whispers of the condemned.
Morgan’s return to duty, scarred in ways only she can feel, adds a quiet fragility beneath the grit. Doyle’s certainty wavers in the shadows of old stories and new horrors, and the rhythm of their partnership—part steel, part empathy—is one of the novel’s strengths. Spargo balances the brutality of the crimes with flashes of dark humour and humanity, a gallows wit that feels earned rather than forced. It makes the grim moments hit harder, because you’ve glimpsed what’s worth saving.
There are beats where the investigation moves with almost uncanny speed, yet the sustained tension and rich sense of place more than compensate. By the time the final pieces fall into place, the ending feels both surprising and inevitable—a truth revealed with the weight of history behind it.
A thriller steeped in superstition and shadow, where the wind over Pendle still carries the whispers of the condemned.
May 25, 2025
Witch Hunt by BD Spargo is book 2 in the DCI Liam Doyle series. I thoroughly enjoyed book 1 in this series, Cut Short, and was keen to read the new book. This series is set in Lancashire. A body is found at Pendle Hill. Will Perkins has mental health issues so is an easy target to arrest for the brutal murder of Mia Wright. There had been an incident a few months previously where Will had accused Mia of being a witch and said she should be hanged. However, the arresting officer had jumped the gun, as it was not his case and there was a lack of evidence. It was a case for the MIT, so Liam and his team take over. DS Anna Morgan is back on duty after she was seriously injured during their previous case and is keen to get involved, but at the same time nervous. Then there is DI Geoff ‘Pearl’ Hales, DC Derrick ‘Birdseye’ Nelson and DC Zack ‘Gadget’ Washington. I love the names. Birdseye comes out with some great trivia, which adds some humour and relief to the story. This is a well-written story which flows along at a good pace, with all the investigation such a case requires adding interest and tension. I have loved learning more about the characters as they flesh out. I really like the thread running through the book of Liam’s son, Harry, who is autistic.
August 4, 2025
“Witch Hunt” is book two in the DCI Liam Doyle crime series following on from book one, “Cut Short”. The story is set in Lancashire, specifically around the Pendle Hill area, infamous for its connection to the 1612 witch trial. Ten people stood trial at Lancaster Assizes, charged with offences related to witchcraft and using demonic magic to murder and cause harm to others and their livelihoods. It is some of these real life people that the author has incorporated into the story, highlighting the injustice these innocent people suffered. Also ensuring that the setting is atmospherically depicted, the author has created a basis for a murder story that is just perfect, with an ambience suited to the history of the area and the current crimes committed.
As much as this book reads perfectly well as a stand-alone, due to the fact that this series is as much character as plot driven, reading them in order allows for the character background and progression, especially since DCI Doyle has a backstory from where he was previously based, his personal life with his autistic son Harry and the mental health of one of the other officers, recovering from an serious incident at work in the previous book.
With some gruesome deaths, an intriguing and entertaining plot, electric characters and a possible mole within the police department, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story. BD Spargo is definitely an author to watch out for, he’s already proving he’s a force to be reckoned within the crime fiction world and I for one will be following him and his further rise to fame as he writes even more gripping and engaging novels.
#WitchHunt - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
As much as this book reads perfectly well as a stand-alone, due to the fact that this series is as much character as plot driven, reading them in order allows for the character background and progression, especially since DCI Doyle has a backstory from where he was previously based, his personal life with his autistic son Harry and the mental health of one of the other officers, recovering from an serious incident at work in the previous book.
With some gruesome deaths, an intriguing and entertaining plot, electric characters and a possible mole within the police department, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story. BD Spargo is definitely an author to watch out for, he’s already proving he’s a force to be reckoned within the crime fiction world and I for one will be following him and his further rise to fame as he writes even more gripping and engaging novels.
#WitchHunt - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
August 15, 2025
Witch Hunt by BD Spargo is book number 2 in the DCI Liam Doyle thriller/mystery series. This book follows our Doyle our MMC has a new crime to investigate, a young woman is found murdered at the base of Pendle Hill. There is one definite suspect, Will, who is a troubled young man who is not all the way there in the head and is on medications. Who is the real killer, Will or someone else with more nefarious reasons for the young woman's murder? The writing is great as was the first book, I love the author and the British English language that the story is written in, as I am a huge fan of British speak. Doyle is a great character with his son who is ASD, which I can totally relate to with my own son and I love that this is just so relatable, even with police procedural in the midst. And I love that this story centered around witches and Pendle Hill, which is a real place in Britain with a real history bathed in witch trials in the 1600's and more. The book also follows DS Anna Morgan who from the last book, has some serious trauma with what happened to her and she is trying to move past that in this book. I loved the ending and I can honestly say that you will be guessing until the very end!
August 15, 2025
Thank you to @rachelsrandomresources + @bdspargo for the gifted copy.
Another book by BD Spargo that I've enjoyed. DCI Doyle is the exactly the kind of detective you'll like to read about. He's just the guy trying to do his job, at the same time just living his life doing real-life things. It makes the book feel more wholesome and relatable. What's great about this book is the blend of psychological suspense without it going completely supernatural. Just enough to make you question exactly what you're dealing with. There was a lot of thought that was placed into each part of this book and it shows. It wasn't overly done, which is what I enjoyed most about this book and it still keeps it's charm. There's enough dark humor to keep you going.
Another book by BD Spargo that I've enjoyed. DCI Doyle is the exactly the kind of detective you'll like to read about. He's just the guy trying to do his job, at the same time just living his life doing real-life things. It makes the book feel more wholesome and relatable. What's great about this book is the blend of psychological suspense without it going completely supernatural. Just enough to make you question exactly what you're dealing with. There was a lot of thought that was placed into each part of this book and it shows. It wasn't overly done, which is what I enjoyed most about this book and it still keeps it's charm. There's enough dark humor to keep you going.
June 22, 2025
I really enjoyed this. Well paced, good characterisation and very evocative of its location. Looking forward to the next one
October 10, 2025
BOOK 34/52 READ FOR THE 52 BOOK CHALLENGE 2025.
PROMPT 8: SET IN AUTUMN
A Blog Tour read, a thousand apologies I have as yet been able to provide a review.
PROMPT 8: SET IN AUTUMN
A Blog Tour read, a thousand apologies I have as yet been able to provide a review.
August 12, 2025
What a fab book this was, this is book 2 in this series, I’ve not read the first and that didn’t spoil the story or leave me feeling I’d missed out on some information. We learn enough about the main characters in the force to get a good idea of what they went through before. I really enjoyed this, I love a good police procedural and murder mystery and this didn’t disappoint.
Doyle is in charge of the investigation which seems to put some other members of the force’s back up, does he care? No. There is a body found on a hill, and things escalate quickly from there. Another murder, more suspects, and no idea where it’s all going.
I didn’t solve it, not sure if I missed the clues or they weren’t there but I thoroughly enjoyed this one. I feel like I now want to read the first one, find out more about these interesting characters and read more from this great author.
Doyle is in charge of the investigation which seems to put some other members of the force’s back up, does he care? No. There is a body found on a hill, and things escalate quickly from there. Another murder, more suspects, and no idea where it’s all going.
I didn’t solve it, not sure if I missed the clues or they weren’t there but I thoroughly enjoyed this one. I feel like I now want to read the first one, find out more about these interesting characters and read more from this great author.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews