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Down These Streets: A dark and compelling Belfast Noir thriller with a fearless female lead
Book 5 of the DI Harriet Sloane series.
‘No good deed goes unpunished.’A young man is found beaten to death in an East Belfast alley, yards from a homeless shelter. His name is Evan Flavelle. He is twenty-three. He had a family. He had nowhere to sleep.
DI Harriet Sloane takes the case and quickly realises how easily it could be dismissed. No fixed address. No phone. No obvious witnesses. The kind of death people expect not to be solved.
As Harriet traces Evan’s last movements through the city, she is drawn into a world of shelters, street rivalries, quiet violence and well-meaning neglect. At the same time, pressures at work and fault lines at home begin to close in, forcing her to confront how much of herself she can afford to give.
Because some deaths are easier to ignore than others. And some streets remember everything.
‘No good deed goes unpunished.’A young man is found beaten to death in an East Belfast alley, yards from a homeless shelter. His name is Evan Flavelle. He is twenty-three. He had a family. He had nowhere to sleep.
DI Harriet Sloane takes the case and quickly realises how easily it could be dismissed. No fixed address. No phone. No obvious witnesses. The kind of death people expect not to be solved.
As Harriet traces Evan’s last movements through the city, she is drawn into a world of shelters, street rivalries, quiet violence and well-meaning neglect. At the same time, pressures at work and fault lines at home begin to close in, forcing her to confront how much of herself she can afford to give.
Because some deaths are easier to ignore than others. And some streets remember everything.
220 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 4, 2026
About the author
Kelly Creighton
30 books60 followersKelly Creighton is a Northern Irish novelist, crime writer, short story writer, playwright and poet.
She is the author of the Belfast based DI Harriet Sloane series (Friday Press):
THE SLEEPING SEASON, Sloane #1,
PROBLEMS WITH GIRLS, Sloane #2,
THE TOWN RED, Sloane #3.
The fourth instalment is coming in spring 2023.
SOULS WAX FAIR, a Me Too literary thriller set against the beautiful backdrop of South Dakota, will be released in May 2022.
Kelly has two short story collections:
BANK HOLIDAY HURRICANE (Doire Press), longlisted for the Edge Hill Prize and shortlisted for a Saboteur Award.
EVERYBODY'S HAPPY (Incubator Editions) was supported with a SIAP award.
THE BONES OF IT (Liberties Press; reissued by Incubator Editions) was the San Diego Book Review novel of the year 2015.
She co-edited UNDERNEATH THE TREE: Twelve Christmas stories from Writers in Northern Ireland; a multi-genre anthology.
Kelly is the founding editor of The Incubator, an online literary journal showcasing the contemporary Irish short story.
Kelly lives with her family in Co Down where she teaches English as a foreign language, facilitates creative writing workshops for community groups and schools, and mentors new writers.
She is the author of the Belfast based DI Harriet Sloane series (Friday Press):
THE SLEEPING SEASON, Sloane #1,
PROBLEMS WITH GIRLS, Sloane #2,
THE TOWN RED, Sloane #3.
The fourth instalment is coming in spring 2023.
SOULS WAX FAIR, a Me Too literary thriller set against the beautiful backdrop of South Dakota, will be released in May 2022.
Kelly has two short story collections:
BANK HOLIDAY HURRICANE (Doire Press), longlisted for the Edge Hill Prize and shortlisted for a Saboteur Award.
EVERYBODY'S HAPPY (Incubator Editions) was supported with a SIAP award.
THE BONES OF IT (Liberties Press; reissued by Incubator Editions) was the San Diego Book Review novel of the year 2015.
She co-edited UNDERNEATH THE TREE: Twelve Christmas stories from Writers in Northern Ireland; a multi-genre anthology.
Kelly is the founding editor of The Incubator, an online literary journal showcasing the contemporary Irish short story.
Kelly lives with her family in Co Down where she teaches English as a foreign language, facilitates creative writing workshops for community groups and schools, and mentors new writers.
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Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I really enjoyed this book, which is set in Belfast and has a strong, troubled female lead. DI Harriet Sloane is a complex character, fighting with her own personal issues whilst investigating the murder of a young homeless man. I liked the team dynamics and the plotting, with it's steady pace and the insight into Harriet's personal life as well as professional. I do hope there will be more to come from Harriet and this might be the first in a new series. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review