Now You Bleed

by Gareth Crocker

Some secrets can’t be burnt away. Cops are being murdered all over the city, each falling victim to a designer poison that causes them to bleed out. Unable to make a breakthrough in the case and with the bodies piling up, detectives Ruben and Zander recruit counsellor Melissa to help them. Hoping that her unique insights into the human psyche might help trigger a discovery, they’re expecting to hunt down some kind of deranged lunatic. The real murderer, however, is a devilishly intelligent professor of human physiology, an academic icon standing on the brink of a groundbreaking discovery. Why is he killing them? How many more will fall victim to his brilliance? And who’s next?

259 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 1, 2025

About the author

Gareth Crocker was born in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1974. He has a degree in English, Psychology and Communications and has worked as a journalist, copywriter, news editor, public relations manager, publishing editor and, most recently, head of communications and spokesperson for a multinational corporation. Writing is done at night, in a dark room, next to a small window, under a bright moon. Leaving Jack is his first novel, which he wrote in the company of his three dogs, Jill, Rusty and Jack. A new US hardcover version of Leaving Jack, entitled Finding Jack is due for release on February 15, 2011.

Reviews

[Anschen Conradie]

#NowYouBleed – Gareth Crocker
#PenguinRandomHouse

The essential challenge of a whodunnit is to establish the identity of the murderer. In a few instances the author elects to reveal the identity of the baddy to the reader, but not to the investigators, and in rare cases the identity is revealed to both, but the motivation is withheld and/or challenges to arrest and convict will ensure that the armchair detective remains glued to the pages.

The prologue to this fast-paced thriller divulges that a highly intelligent murderer, John Morton, is the “who” when the last breath of one of his victims is described. The victim is a police officer, and the murderer callously explains to him the horrific way that the designer poison he had been subjected to, will kill him, whilst piling chilling philosophical arguments onto the ominous narrative: “And when all the light is gone, your brain turns to other things. Memories. Nightmares. Hallucinations. That’s why people are afraid of the dark. It’s not what’s hiding out of sight that scares them. They’re haunted by themselves.” (7)

Detectives Ruben Ellis and Zander Malan are tasked with the investigation of the murders of police officials, including the one described in the prologue. They are assisted by psychiatric counsellor, Melissa Grove. The identity of the suspected culprit is soon discovered to be the iconic academic, Professor John Morton, but his motivation remains shrouded in uncertainty, and his divergent thinking allows him to remain one step ahead of the investigators. Unknown to them, but disclosed to the reader, the gruesome acts are not limited to the murders of police officers, as he boasts a secret laboratory of horrors in his basement, employing an ingenious manner to dispose of the evidence.

The pace is fast, perspectives shift often, and the chapters are short, emphasising the urgency experienced by the investigators to stop the modern-day doctor Frankenstein in his tracks. Humour provides breathing space and relieves the tension in a realistic and appropriately timed manner, especially in scenes involving “Mad” Mara, the bodyguard tasked with the safety of Ruben’s daughter, Kayla. Mara is rumoured to be more than capable of living in a tree and creates the impression that she is measuring those that she engages with for their awaiting coffins. (The prequel to this novel, Now you Suffer, was published in 2024 and provides the reason for the presence of a bodyguard but is not essential reading to enjoy the sequel as a standalone.)

Now you Bleed is a thrill-a-minute novel, interspaced with humoristic quirks, engaging the reader as sleuth, whilst placing the spotlight on one of South Africa’s most relevant legal conundrums of the modern day.

#uitdieperdsebek

[Melissa Delport · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marvelous, as always.

Gareth's short chapters, explosive pacing, and witty banter is the PERFECT style to compete with the screens that keep us from reading. And this series is so easily devoured. This was an adventure I'll remember. Bravo! 👏🏻

Ps: I suppose I shall now have to wait a year to discover the mystery behind the Melissa breadcrumb 😅 ...twists and turns to be expected.

[Leah_bookstuff · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a few chapters to get into it - I'm glad i kept reading. There's so many OMFG moments.

[Katinka Steyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've really been looking forward to the next book by this author, after having enjoyed its predecessor, Now you Suffer, so much. This book was equally good! And, the fact that it plays off in my home country, makes it even more enjoyable of course.
It is the sequel to Now you Suffer and the second book in the Ruben Ellis series.

All over Johannesburg cops are being murdered - brutally murdered by using poison. As Ruben and Zander struggle to make headway in finding the killer, Ruben decides to call in the help of his psychologist friend, Melissa Grove. She has a particularly sensitive sixth sense and years of experience, which may be useful in profiling the murdered. Then, a young, first-year university student, Amy, is reported missing, and a sudden breakthrough leads the team straight to a well-known professor, who was the last person to have seen her.
Does this help them solve the murders of the cops? And find Amy? You're going to have read this thrilling page-turner yourself to find out. But have the cooking and washing done, because you won't want to stop reading until the very end!