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No Further Action: Ten Short Stories
Book 3 in the Kate Ellis Detective Series
Kate Ellis is a woman who happens to be a detective - not a detective who happens to be a woman.
After a turbulent start in Mercia Police’s Rape and Domestic Violence Unit, DC Kate Ellis has found her footing. With a trusted boss and a team she believes in, it’s the system that wears her down - the compromises, the loopholes in the law, the cases that don’t lead anywhere. She’s learnt how to bring about justice her way.
In No Further Action, a composite novella, ten interlinked episodes explore what happens when justice falls short. A girl in a forced marriage pleads for help. A teacher is accused of grooming, but the evidence won’t stick. When an old friend from CID draws Kate into a murder investigation, the full horror of an inadequate system becomes all too clear. In the midst of all this frustration Kate finds a new love, perhaps the one which will last.
While Kate’s instincts grow sharper, her defiance comes at a cost. A sense of duty brings her face-to-face with her greatest enemy. And when new management threatens the values the unit was built on, Kate faces her hardest decision yet.
No Further Action is a collection about frustration, principle, and what happens to a detective who refuses to look away - even when the system already has.
What readers are saying about Detective Kate Ellis
"It’s billed as a collection of short stories, but honestly it reads more like a beautifully crafted novel told in linked episodes. Every story digs a little deeper into Kate Ellis - not just the detective, but the woman, the survivor, the person trying (and often failing) to hold it together."
— Reader review of Minor Injuries
"The scenes between Kate and Alice were so beautifully written. My eyes actually leaked at the sad parts."
— Reader review of Love and Anger
"...this is a rattlingly good police procedural along with a heart-felt romance and will be much enjoyed by lovers of the genre."
— Reedsy Discovery review of Love and Anger
"The protagonist Kate Ellis is a totally real and sympathetic character… The characters are brilliantly drawn so the reader really cares about them. I was moved to tears several times!"
— Goodreads review of Love and Anger
"I’ve read just two other books in five years that gripped me like this. I couldn’t put it down."
— Reader review of Love and Anger
"It’s incredibly relatable in the best and worst way. Best because it makes me feel seen. Worst because it makes me feel seen nearly 30 years after it’s set."
— Reader review of Love and Anger
"She dates a man, she dates a woman - and that’s just how it is. It’s so refreshing. It’s jarring how well he’s captured the awe of women that women who love women experience."
— Reader review of Love and Anger
Kate Ellis is a woman who happens to be a detective - not a detective who happens to be a woman.
After a turbulent start in Mercia Police’s Rape and Domestic Violence Unit, DC Kate Ellis has found her footing. With a trusted boss and a team she believes in, it’s the system that wears her down - the compromises, the loopholes in the law, the cases that don’t lead anywhere. She’s learnt how to bring about justice her way.
In No Further Action, a composite novella, ten interlinked episodes explore what happens when justice falls short. A girl in a forced marriage pleads for help. A teacher is accused of grooming, but the evidence won’t stick. When an old friend from CID draws Kate into a murder investigation, the full horror of an inadequate system becomes all too clear. In the midst of all this frustration Kate finds a new love, perhaps the one which will last.
While Kate’s instincts grow sharper, her defiance comes at a cost. A sense of duty brings her face-to-face with her greatest enemy. And when new management threatens the values the unit was built on, Kate faces her hardest decision yet.
No Further Action is a collection about frustration, principle, and what happens to a detective who refuses to look away - even when the system already has.
What readers are saying about Detective Kate Ellis
"It’s billed as a collection of short stories, but honestly it reads more like a beautifully crafted novel told in linked episodes. Every story digs a little deeper into Kate Ellis - not just the detective, but the woman, the survivor, the person trying (and often failing) to hold it together."
— Reader review of Minor Injuries
"The scenes between Kate and Alice were so beautifully written. My eyes actually leaked at the sad parts."
— Reader review of Love and Anger
"...this is a rattlingly good police procedural along with a heart-felt romance and will be much enjoyed by lovers of the genre."
— Reedsy Discovery review of Love and Anger
"The protagonist Kate Ellis is a totally real and sympathetic character… The characters are brilliantly drawn so the reader really cares about them. I was moved to tears several times!"
— Goodreads review of Love and Anger
"I’ve read just two other books in five years that gripped me like this. I couldn’t put it down."
— Reader review of Love and Anger
"It’s incredibly relatable in the best and worst way. Best because it makes me feel seen. Worst because it makes me feel seen nearly 30 years after it’s set."
— Reader review of Love and Anger
"She dates a man, she dates a woman - and that’s just how it is. It’s so refreshing. It’s jarring how well he’s captured the awe of women that women who love women experience."
— Reader review of Love and Anger
187 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 6, 2026
About the author
S.C. Langley
6 books1 followerS.C. Langley is the pen name of Simon Langley-Evans.
Simon is a retired academic who lives in Leicestershire with his wife and several cats who regard him as a disappointing member of staff. After many years writing about nutrition, he now spends his time watching wildlife and inventing crimes that fortunately never happen in real life.
In his previous life he wrote textbooks for students of nutrition and dietetics, including Nutrition, Health and Disease: A Lifespan Approach (Wiley, 2021). Thousands of students have been forced to read at least some of it, which he considers a respectable achievement.
Since escaping academia, Simon has described himself as a recovering academic. He occasionally relapses by writing about research culture or explaining how to survive the ordeal of publishing a scientific paper.
His fiction includes several short story collections, among them Death Comes to Cockburn and Other Stories, After Dark, Gods and Monsters, and Lectures on Death. These range from revenge stories and ghost tales to satire and the occasional piece of science fiction.
At some point he wrote a short story about a detective called Kate Ellis. This turned out to be a mistake, as Kate immediately took over the writing. She has since appeared in multiple collections and a novel, and shows no sign of giving the job back.
The Kate Ellis series comprises five novels and five composite novellas:
Love and Anger (October 2025 novel)
Minor Injuries (October 2025 composite novella)
No Further Action (January 2026 composite novella)
Brutal Country (composite novella April 2026)
Dark Waters (novel July 2026)
Fresh Lead (composite novella August 2026)
Lost Souls (novel Winter 2026)
Altered States (Summer 2027)
What Becomes of the Broken-Hearted (Winter 2027)
Lectures on Death (composite novella, originally published as Simon Langley-Evans)
Simon is a retired academic who lives in Leicestershire with his wife and several cats who regard him as a disappointing member of staff. After many years writing about nutrition, he now spends his time watching wildlife and inventing crimes that fortunately never happen in real life.
In his previous life he wrote textbooks for students of nutrition and dietetics, including Nutrition, Health and Disease: A Lifespan Approach (Wiley, 2021). Thousands of students have been forced to read at least some of it, which he considers a respectable achievement.
Since escaping academia, Simon has described himself as a recovering academic. He occasionally relapses by writing about research culture or explaining how to survive the ordeal of publishing a scientific paper.
His fiction includes several short story collections, among them Death Comes to Cockburn and Other Stories, After Dark, Gods and Monsters, and Lectures on Death. These range from revenge stories and ghost tales to satire and the occasional piece of science fiction.
At some point he wrote a short story about a detective called Kate Ellis. This turned out to be a mistake, as Kate immediately took over the writing. She has since appeared in multiple collections and a novel, and shows no sign of giving the job back.
The Kate Ellis series comprises five novels and five composite novellas:
Love and Anger (October 2025 novel)
Minor Injuries (October 2025 composite novella)
No Further Action (January 2026 composite novella)
Brutal Country (composite novella April 2026)
Dark Waters (novel July 2026)
Fresh Lead (composite novella August 2026)
Lost Souls (novel Winter 2026)
Altered States (Summer 2027)
What Becomes of the Broken-Hearted (Winter 2027)
Lectures on Death (composite novella, originally published as Simon Langley-Evans)
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