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DCI Gawn Girvin #1-8
The Detective Girvin Belfast Mysteries Books 1–8
Eight gripping Northern Irish mysteries packed with wry humour, dark secrets — and a detective who doesn’t flinch when facing some of Belfast’s worst criminals.
DCI Gawn Girvin doesn’t do small talk. She doesn’t play office politics. And she definitely doesn’t share what’s going on behind that steely gaze — even with the husband who writes bestselling thrillers inspired by her life.
Whether it’s a man murdered mid-flight or a young woman found dead in a church with the word SORRY carved into her skin, it’s Gawn the PSNI turn to. With a tight-knit team at her side, she peels back layers of lies to expose trauma buried deep in Belfast’s past — and its uneasy present.
Each case brings her closer to a reckoning of her own — the trauma she carries, the choices she questions, the scars no one else can see.
Dark, atmospheric, and deeply human, these page-turning procedurals are full of action — and reveal a Belfast few outsiders ever truly understand.
Included in this 8-book box set:
• Book 1: The Perfume Killer
• Book 2: Mid-Air Murder
• Book 3: False Appearances
• Book 4: The Funeral Murder
• Book 5: The Dark Staircase
• Book 6: The Hidden Past
• Book 7: The Burning Secrets
• Book 8: The Station Murder
DETECTIVE PROFILE
Detective Chief Inspector Gawn Girvin is everything a Belfast copper needs to composed under pressure, dogged in pursuit, and quietly subversive in the face of bureaucracy. Before joining the force, she served in the British Army, two tours of Afghanistan — an experience that left her unflinching in a crisis. She doesn't suffer fools or sentiment, but beneath the armour is someone shaped by pain.
Gawn is married to Sebastian York, a famous crime writer whose books borrow a little too freely from her cases. Their marriage is a puzzle — part affection, part friction — but it works. Just.
She trusts her small team. Keeps her enemies close. Haunted by her past, managing PTSD, and now facing the realities of impending motherhood, Gawn is a woman constantly pulled between duty and self-preservation.
SETTING
Belfast — sharp-edged, shifting, and never quite settled.
These novels move through all layers of the grand homes, grim tower blocks, country roads, empty warehouses. It’s a place where old wounds still throb under new glass facades, and where memory can be as dangerous as motive.
Linda Hagan’s Belfast feels lived-in — not just gritty but human, full of dry wit, political tension, and emotional depth. Every murder unearths more than just a killer.
DCI Gawn Girvin doesn’t do small talk. She doesn’t play office politics. And she definitely doesn’t share what’s going on behind that steely gaze — even with the husband who writes bestselling thrillers inspired by her life.
Whether it’s a man murdered mid-flight or a young woman found dead in a church with the word SORRY carved into her skin, it’s Gawn the PSNI turn to. With a tight-knit team at her side, she peels back layers of lies to expose trauma buried deep in Belfast’s past — and its uneasy present.
Each case brings her closer to a reckoning of her own — the trauma she carries, the choices she questions, the scars no one else can see.
Dark, atmospheric, and deeply human, these page-turning procedurals are full of action — and reveal a Belfast few outsiders ever truly understand.
Included in this 8-book box set:
• Book 1: The Perfume Killer
• Book 2: Mid-Air Murder
• Book 3: False Appearances
• Book 4: The Funeral Murder
• Book 5: The Dark Staircase
• Book 6: The Hidden Past
• Book 7: The Burning Secrets
• Book 8: The Station Murder
DETECTIVE PROFILE
Detective Chief Inspector Gawn Girvin is everything a Belfast copper needs to composed under pressure, dogged in pursuit, and quietly subversive in the face of bureaucracy. Before joining the force, she served in the British Army, two tours of Afghanistan — an experience that left her unflinching in a crisis. She doesn't suffer fools or sentiment, but beneath the armour is someone shaped by pain.
Gawn is married to Sebastian York, a famous crime writer whose books borrow a little too freely from her cases. Their marriage is a puzzle — part affection, part friction — but it works. Just.
She trusts her small team. Keeps her enemies close. Haunted by her past, managing PTSD, and now facing the realities of impending motherhood, Gawn is a woman constantly pulled between duty and self-preservation.
SETTING
Belfast — sharp-edged, shifting, and never quite settled.
These novels move through all layers of the grand homes, grim tower blocks, country roads, empty warehouses. It’s a place where old wounds still throb under new glass facades, and where memory can be as dangerous as motive.
Linda Hagan’s Belfast feels lived-in — not just gritty but human, full of dry wit, political tension, and emotional depth. Every murder unearths more than just a killer.
2234 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 26, 2025
About the author
Linda Hagan
14 books27 followersLinda Hagan was born in Belfast. but for many years has lived in the town of Carrickfergus on the shores of Belfast Lough and overlooked by the magnificent Norman castle.
After a career in education and academic research, retirement has enabled her to indulge her passion for crime fiction. A lifelong reader of the genre, she has now turned writer and her first two novels, 'The Perfume Killer' and 'Murder Sky High' were well-received leading to a further six novels in the series .
The central character of all her novels is DCI Gawn Girvin, ex-army and now PSNI officer with the nickname "The Ice Queen". Gawn often battles her own demons from her past as well as the criminals she is investigating and her sense of duty can often lead her into dangerous situations.
When not reading or writing crime, Linda enjoys Formula 1, researching her family history and spending time with her grandchildren.
After a career in education and academic research, retirement has enabled her to indulge her passion for crime fiction. A lifelong reader of the genre, she has now turned writer and her first two novels, 'The Perfume Killer' and 'Murder Sky High' were well-received leading to a further six novels in the series .
The central character of all her novels is DCI Gawn Girvin, ex-army and now PSNI officer with the nickname "The Ice Queen". Gawn often battles her own demons from her past as well as the criminals she is investigating and her sense of duty can often lead her into dangerous situations.
When not reading or writing crime, Linda enjoys Formula 1, researching her family history and spending time with her grandchildren.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 30, 2025
highly recommend these books
Well written and keeps you guessing you never know who did it till the end. You won’t want to put them down.
Well written and keeps you guessing you never know who did it till the end. You won’t want to put them down.
September 11, 2025
I liked the development of the main characters including their flaws. The plots in the series were complex and interesting and challenging figuring out the guilty party. Well done.
February 28, 2026
This was a great read. Filled with excitement.
May 3, 2026
Boring
SlOw and far too long and frankly
Doreen
Typical day if the Yahoo and msn but not of ring. Referendum on
SlOw and far too long and frankly
Doreen
Typical day if the Yahoo and msn but not of ring. Referendum on
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews