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Double Debit:
Bales is back—and trouble’s not far behind.
Peter “Bales” Bailey is riding high. His new accountancy firm is booming, life with Katie is better than ever, and there’s just one loose end left—her outstanding tax bill.
But when Bales visits HMRC Cambridge, he’s pulled into a case for the Morley Pub Group. Then comes another a missing person case with only a set of strange, handwritten box files for clues.
As the pressure mounts, Bales finds himself drawn into a web of deception and danger stretching from London’s darkest corners to the far side of Europe.
Two cases. One shot at the truth. And this time, even Katie might be in over her head.
Double Debit is the second gripping instalment in the Bales &Co series. If you enjoy twisty plots, razor-sharp dialogue, and financial thrillers with heart, this one’s for you. Perfect for fans of Lee Child, John Grisham, Harlan Coben, Michael Connelly and John Sandford.
Peter “Bales” Bailey is riding high. His new accountancy firm is booming, life with Katie is better than ever, and there’s just one loose end left—her outstanding tax bill.
But when Bales visits HMRC Cambridge, he’s pulled into a case for the Morley Pub Group. Then comes another a missing person case with only a set of strange, handwritten box files for clues.
As the pressure mounts, Bales finds himself drawn into a web of deception and danger stretching from London’s darkest corners to the far side of Europe.
Two cases. One shot at the truth. And this time, even Katie might be in over her head.
Double Debit is the second gripping instalment in the Bales &Co series. If you enjoy twisty plots, razor-sharp dialogue, and financial thrillers with heart, this one’s for you. Perfect for fans of Lee Child, John Grisham, Harlan Coben, Michael Connelly and John Sandford.
324 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 1, 2025
About the author
Lee Timms
3 books3 followersLee Timms writes thrillers about money, murder, and the occasional missing biscuit tin. His Bales & Co series introduces Peter “Bales” Bailey, a forensic accountant with a Jaguar and too much curiosity, and Katie Taylor, his dynamic partner who knows how to land a punch when audits don’t cut it.
Lee lives near Cambridge with his partner Vanessa and dog Luna, and insists his own accounts are mostly reconciled.
Lee lives near Cambridge with his partner Vanessa and dog Luna, and insists his own accounts are mostly reconciled.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 5, 2026
enjoyable oh los of laugh
Bit far fetched but a good read. Looking forward to reading the next one. Put it on your books to read
Bit far fetched but a good read. Looking forward to reading the next one. Put it on your books to read
August 2, 2026
This might not be quite the book for you if you don’t enjoy the type of humour that’s based on straight men fancying their lesbian friends. But if you do, then grab a copy because it’s an entertaining and well-written read.
It’s the second outing for Bales, the Cambridge-based forensic accountant and his lesbian sidekick Katie. This time he manages to engineer a shared bed with Katie overnight, having only managed a shared room in the first book of the series. And when she starts dating a new girlfriend, Bales asks them who is the man in their relationship and is regretful that he cannot in some way “be included”.
Brexit-voting Bales, ever sensitive about his receding hairline, made his dislike of Minis apparent in the first book of the series, and in this book he is just as dismissive of things as diverse as SUVs, gardening, and vegan cookery. He probably thinks himself a bit of a lad, but he isn’t exactly the bravest, hanging back when Katie falls into physical danger; as Bales justifies it to himself, he is trained as an accountant to be prudent. He’s also the kind of man who sees an unwanted female admirer’s broken hand (broken, natch, in his defence) as an opportunity to dump her. This might all make Bales sound like an unpleasant character, but it is to the author’s credit that he writes about him in such a way, with a nice undercurrent of dry humour, that it’s impossible (or at least was impossible for me) not to be on his side as he seeks to help the good guys overcome the bad ones.
The plot is about something called diversion smuggling. No, I’d never heard the term before either, but then I’m not a forensic accountant (and note that Bales likes to call himself a forensic accountant, rather than just an accountant, as he thinks the word ‘forensic’ makes him seem more important). The author gives just the right amount of technical detail to make it smell like he knows what he’s talking about, without risking it becoming boring. The story takes us as far afield as Croatia, and there is all the breaking and entering, fisticuffs, and pursuits that you’d expect if you have read the first book. Occasionally, the author’s keenness to entertain means that the action teeters on the slapstick, with the result that the tension isn’t always maintained as much as it might have been, but it kept me reading right up until the end.
It’s the second outing for Bales, the Cambridge-based forensic accountant and his lesbian sidekick Katie. This time he manages to engineer a shared bed with Katie overnight, having only managed a shared room in the first book of the series. And when she starts dating a new girlfriend, Bales asks them who is the man in their relationship and is regretful that he cannot in some way “be included”.
Brexit-voting Bales, ever sensitive about his receding hairline, made his dislike of Minis apparent in the first book of the series, and in this book he is just as dismissive of things as diverse as SUVs, gardening, and vegan cookery. He probably thinks himself a bit of a lad, but he isn’t exactly the bravest, hanging back when Katie falls into physical danger; as Bales justifies it to himself, he is trained as an accountant to be prudent. He’s also the kind of man who sees an unwanted female admirer’s broken hand (broken, natch, in his defence) as an opportunity to dump her. This might all make Bales sound like an unpleasant character, but it is to the author’s credit that he writes about him in such a way, with a nice undercurrent of dry humour, that it’s impossible (or at least was impossible for me) not to be on his side as he seeks to help the good guys overcome the bad ones.
The plot is about something called diversion smuggling. No, I’d never heard the term before either, but then I’m not a forensic accountant (and note that Bales likes to call himself a forensic accountant, rather than just an accountant, as he thinks the word ‘forensic’ makes him seem more important). The author gives just the right amount of technical detail to make it smell like he knows what he’s talking about, without risking it becoming boring. The story takes us as far afield as Croatia, and there is all the breaking and entering, fisticuffs, and pursuits that you’d expect if you have read the first book. Occasionally, the author’s keenness to entertain means that the action teeters on the slapstick, with the result that the tension isn’t always maintained as much as it might have been, but it kept me reading right up until the end.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews