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THE DEVIL'S CUT: A BELFAST CRIME SERIES CASE-FILE
Belfast is reeling.
A brutal strangler stalks the streets, their weapon of choice—a length of barbed wire torn from sectarian barricades. Each death serves as a grim reminder of fractured loyalties and reopens old wounds.
Detective Constable Charlie Whittaker is no stranger to darkness. Haunted by personal tragedy and drowning in whiskey, his grip on the case—and his career—is slipping. With the killer always a step ahead, the pressure to deliver justice mounts, but in a city where trust is as fragile as peace, Whittaker’s greatest adversary might be himself.
As the strangler closes in on their next victim, Whittaker must confront his demons and navigate a tangled web of betrayal, lies, and hidden motives. Can he find redemption in time to stop the killings, or will the Devil take a cut of his soul?
A gripping crime thriller set against the shadowy backdrop of Northern Ireland’s Capital city, The Devil’s Cut is a tale of obsession, redemption, and the thin line which separates justice and despair.
Praise for THE BELFAST CRIME SERIES★★★★★ "Dark, magnetic and gripping..."
★★★★★ "The city looms like a lead protagonist..."
A brutal strangler stalks the streets, their weapon of choice—a length of barbed wire torn from sectarian barricades. Each death serves as a grim reminder of fractured loyalties and reopens old wounds.
Detective Constable Charlie Whittaker is no stranger to darkness. Haunted by personal tragedy and drowning in whiskey, his grip on the case—and his career—is slipping. With the killer always a step ahead, the pressure to deliver justice mounts, but in a city where trust is as fragile as peace, Whittaker’s greatest adversary might be himself.
As the strangler closes in on their next victim, Whittaker must confront his demons and navigate a tangled web of betrayal, lies, and hidden motives. Can he find redemption in time to stop the killings, or will the Devil take a cut of his soul?
A gripping crime thriller set against the shadowy backdrop of Northern Ireland’s Capital city, The Devil’s Cut is a tale of obsession, redemption, and the thin line which separates justice and despair.
Praise for THE BELFAST CRIME SERIES★★★★★ "Dark, magnetic and gripping..."
★★★★★ "The city looms like a lead protagonist..."
175 pages, Paperback
Published May 28, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 31, 2025
The Devil’s Cut by Phillip Jordan is a Belfast Crime Series Case File. The number of victims is rising and there are no leads until DS Charlie Whittaker uncovers one, while manning the hotline, which leads him to The Devil’s Cut, a working-class pub. He is sure the pub is central to the case. He is determined to redeem himself in his own eyes, and in his team-mate’s eyes. He cuts a sad and sorry figure after the death of his brother leaves him alone. I couldn’t help feeling sorry for him, but he has tenacity and empathy. DS Jack Collins does his best to look out for him. As he gets closer to the truth, the tension ramps up as does the pace. Loved the interesting story on what the pub name is referring to. It was great to see the appearance of DI Ronnie Taylor and DS ‘Doc’ Macpherson as I love this pair. What an ending, an ending I certainly wasn’t expecting. I am certainly keen to read the next book to see what happens.
August 15, 2025
The Belfast Crime Series resumes with another case file, a complete story in a novella. The full-length novels in the series are great, but the author also has a real talent for the stripped back concise form. Being just a single case with no diversions it works well in this format. It may be direct, but readers also get a flavour of life in Belfast, albeit the gritty life on the grimy streets, a place of hard drinking, petty crime and domestic violence.
The story is the search for a serial killer, dubbed the ‘Barbed Wire Strangler’, who’s ‘signature’ is to garrotte his victims with a length of barbed wire, hence the cover design. It becomes one man’s search for redemption. Following the death of his brother Mickey and the isolation of covid, DC Charlie Whittaker is in a downward spiral. Losing his anchor to a real life, he lives for the job and alcohol, lots of booze, and this is affecting how he functions as an officer. He even has emergency vodka in is car’s glovebox. He’s had his share of pep talks, dilemmas and ‘last chances’ from above and now he is fixated on this killer. A phone line tip off sets the hare running and Whittaker gives chase.
It's relatively short in length so it moves along briskly, following Whittaker on his quest, which takes him to the decidedly dodgy back street boozer called The Devil’s Cut. An ideal location for a man who likes a drink to rub shoulders with low level petty criminals of the city, plus the odd hard man, allowing the author to bring out local colour.
There is also plenty of room for twists and surprises packed in as the story progresses.
The author manages to make Whittaker a sympathetic but also tragic character, which I found appealing. Empathy means we are naturally on his side, he’s had a tough time and has a difficult job, but this is a man who cannot or will not help himself and most people eventually run out of sympathy.
The ‘troubles’ may be over but there remains an undercurrent of violence in Belfast, as is remarked “Nobody gets murdered for no reason in this city.” This violence comes with a shock and results in a brutal and bloody but compellingly written fight scene.
The dialogue captures some of this hard life and dour observations, with DS Robert ‘Doc’ MacPherson popping in a cameo up to deliver the blackest of dark humour.
A direct, tightly written novella with a real feel for the streets
The story is the search for a serial killer, dubbed the ‘Barbed Wire Strangler’, who’s ‘signature’ is to garrotte his victims with a length of barbed wire, hence the cover design. It becomes one man’s search for redemption. Following the death of his brother Mickey and the isolation of covid, DC Charlie Whittaker is in a downward spiral. Losing his anchor to a real life, he lives for the job and alcohol, lots of booze, and this is affecting how he functions as an officer. He even has emergency vodka in is car’s glovebox. He’s had his share of pep talks, dilemmas and ‘last chances’ from above and now he is fixated on this killer. A phone line tip off sets the hare running and Whittaker gives chase.
It's relatively short in length so it moves along briskly, following Whittaker on his quest, which takes him to the decidedly dodgy back street boozer called The Devil’s Cut. An ideal location for a man who likes a drink to rub shoulders with low level petty criminals of the city, plus the odd hard man, allowing the author to bring out local colour.
There is also plenty of room for twists and surprises packed in as the story progresses.
The author manages to make Whittaker a sympathetic but also tragic character, which I found appealing. Empathy means we are naturally on his side, he’s had a tough time and has a difficult job, but this is a man who cannot or will not help himself and most people eventually run out of sympathy.
The ‘troubles’ may be over but there remains an undercurrent of violence in Belfast, as is remarked “Nobody gets murdered for no reason in this city.” This violence comes with a shock and results in a brutal and bloody but compellingly written fight scene.
The dialogue captures some of this hard life and dour observations, with DS Robert ‘Doc’ MacPherson popping in a cameo up to deliver the blackest of dark humour.
A direct, tightly written novella with a real feel for the streets
June 5, 2025
This is my new favourite out of the author's novella's (previously was "Behind Closed Doors").
After taking a few days to process the ending, I can now hopefully attempt to review it.
This was darker and grittier than previous novellas. My interest was peaked from the start as it had a change in the main protagonist with the introduction to DS Charlie Whittaker. Charlie's character takes the troupe of a bedraggled, alcoholic police officer with issues due to his personal life that's been sidelined in a major investigation to a different level.
I was really hoping that Charlie would get on the wagon, get redemption from his demons, and hopefully be part of solving the Strangler case. I really hoped that the tip he was investigating might not necessarily bag him the killer but would help his soul by being part of the escape by a lady who was a victim of domestic violence.
The bar, The Devil's Cut, that he begins to frequent as part of his enquiry is well drawn and sounds very like some local bars in areas of NI where the sectarianism of the past still casts a long shadow over the clientele.
Jordan continues to vividly portray the people and places of Northern Ireland and it's "unique" policing requirements, even twenty plus years after The GFA, so that they are easily imagined for those who are new to NI and aids remembrance for those of us, like myself, who grew up there.
I appreciated the nods to events in "The Crossed Keys" which were done without spoiling the plot, likewise the appearance of Doc & Ronnie near the end allowed readers, such as myself, to touch base with them after events in that novel.
I had got an inkling where the story was going, perpetrator-wise but I had not foreseen how it was going to play out,(Hence needing time to process) I did like the darkness of the ending and how the book ended (not sure how to further explain without spoiling).
Highly recommended reading, it could be read as a standalone or as a first book to try by the author. This one won't disappoint.
It's been great to follow this author on his writing journey, seeing the progression from his first book (my old favourite, mentioned above) to now, has been an absolute pleasure, looking forward to the next book.
After taking a few days to process the ending, I can now hopefully attempt to review it.
This was darker and grittier than previous novellas. My interest was peaked from the start as it had a change in the main protagonist with the introduction to DS Charlie Whittaker. Charlie's character takes the troupe of a bedraggled, alcoholic police officer with issues due to his personal life that's been sidelined in a major investigation to a different level.
I was really hoping that Charlie would get on the wagon, get redemption from his demons, and hopefully be part of solving the Strangler case. I really hoped that the tip he was investigating might not necessarily bag him the killer but would help his soul by being part of the escape by a lady who was a victim of domestic violence.
The bar, The Devil's Cut, that he begins to frequent as part of his enquiry is well drawn and sounds very like some local bars in areas of NI where the sectarianism of the past still casts a long shadow over the clientele.
Jordan continues to vividly portray the people and places of Northern Ireland and it's "unique" policing requirements, even twenty plus years after The GFA, so that they are easily imagined for those who are new to NI and aids remembrance for those of us, like myself, who grew up there.
I appreciated the nods to events in "The Crossed Keys" which were done without spoiling the plot, likewise the appearance of Doc & Ronnie near the end allowed readers, such as myself, to touch base with them after events in that novel.
I had got an inkling where the story was going, perpetrator-wise but I had not foreseen how it was going to play out,(Hence needing time to process) I did like the darkness of the ending and how the book ended (not sure how to further explain without spoiling).
Highly recommended reading, it could be read as a standalone or as a first book to try by the author. This one won't disappoint.
It's been great to follow this author on his writing journey, seeing the progression from his first book (my old favourite, mentioned above) to now, has been an absolute pleasure, looking forward to the next book.
June 2, 2025
My word. Talk about high impact. Found myself so wholly invested in The Devil’s Cut that I struggled to put it down. Not many books hook me so entirely.
This is a remarkably powerful story that centers on a Belfast detective, DC Charlie Whittaker, overwhelmed with personal tragedy who is unravelling, emotionally and physically.
His behaviour is that of a man in trouble with his only relief found in the bottom of a bottle. And such is the frequency and extent of his absolute loss of control, he has caught the attention of his superiors and vitally, his colleagues are no longer trusting his judgment.
With his reputation and career in the balance he blindly focuses his entire being on a case to bring to justice a killer who brutally murders his victims by strangling them with barbed wire. Charlie is a good detective, when sober, but having lost the trust of those around him, he finds few supporters when he claims to have compelling evidence that will lead to the capture of the ruthless murderer.
Phillip Jordan is a remarkable author for bringing to life a City, Belfast, still haunted by it’s past. He is a master in making his characters as much the heart of his stories as the plot itself. And the plot in The Devil’s Cut is full on, edge of your seat and a totally gripping page turner.
Phillip Jordan is a now a permanent author on my ‘go to’ author list.
This is a remarkably powerful story that centers on a Belfast detective, DC Charlie Whittaker, overwhelmed with personal tragedy who is unravelling, emotionally and physically.
His behaviour is that of a man in trouble with his only relief found in the bottom of a bottle. And such is the frequency and extent of his absolute loss of control, he has caught the attention of his superiors and vitally, his colleagues are no longer trusting his judgment.
With his reputation and career in the balance he blindly focuses his entire being on a case to bring to justice a killer who brutally murders his victims by strangling them with barbed wire. Charlie is a good detective, when sober, but having lost the trust of those around him, he finds few supporters when he claims to have compelling evidence that will lead to the capture of the ruthless murderer.
Phillip Jordan is a remarkable author for bringing to life a City, Belfast, still haunted by it’s past. He is a master in making his characters as much the heart of his stories as the plot itself. And the plot in The Devil’s Cut is full on, edge of your seat and a totally gripping page turner.
Phillip Jordan is a now a permanent author on my ‘go to’ author list.
May 30, 2025
This was a riveting intense read. The body count is rising and DS Charlie Whittaker finds a lead via a hotline and sets out to prove that he is still capable of doing his job despite his battle with the bottle. He finds himself in a pub called The Devil's Cut. The background to the name of the pub is fascinating.
Charlie is a great character that I felt sorry for but I was rooting for him all the way to catch the killer and redeem himself in the eyes of his colleagues. I found the story riveting and the tension ramps up throughout as Charlie gets closer and closer to the truth. There is a shocking twist towards the end that I loved. It was totally unexpected and made the book even more enjoyable. I look forward to reading more in this series.
Charlie is a great character that I felt sorry for but I was rooting for him all the way to catch the killer and redeem himself in the eyes of his colleagues. I found the story riveting and the tension ramps up throughout as Charlie gets closer and closer to the truth. There is a shocking twist towards the end that I loved. It was totally unexpected and made the book even more enjoyable. I look forward to reading more in this series.
June 5, 2025
Mourning the death of his brother and drinking too much even for police standards, Charlie Whittaker is seen by his superiors as only good for manning the confidential tip line.
Chasing a lead lands Charlie in the Devil’s Cut pub with an unlikely chance at professional and personal redemption.
A brisk but engaging novella, The Devil’s Cut is suitably gritty and fits the Belfast locale perfectly.
Chasing a lead lands Charlie in the Devil’s Cut pub with an unlikely chance at professional and personal redemption.
A brisk but engaging novella, The Devil’s Cut is suitably gritty and fits the Belfast locale perfectly.
June 8, 2025
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed all of the books in the Belfast Crime series. They are only let down by some grammatical errors, and change of surname of one victim in this one, however, that won’t stop me from reading further books by this author. This kept me on edge until the end.
June 20, 2025
Interesting read
July 13, 2025
an intriguing read, well plotted with a pacy story. a great introduction to philips writing as it can be read as a standalone. 4.5* from me
June 5, 2025
A novella length story with a sting in the tail. It's gritty and horribly credible. To tell you more would spoil the story, but it's one you must read. Jordan's characters are always well drawn and believable, which draws you in to the story. Excellent stuff.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews