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Dr Jack Cuthbert Mysteries #5
The Last Gifts to the Dead
The scales of justice are easily tipped . . . A brutal murder, a complex investigation, a safe conviction. Or so everyone thinks until D.C.I. Mowbray hears the condemned man's last words just before he is hanged.
Now he needs Dr Jack Cuthbert to reopen the forensic investigation and prove that they have not been responsible for a tragic miscarriage of justice. But months after the crime, with no new evidence and both the victim and the killer now in their graves, where can the pathologist begin?
Cuthbert had already worked hard on the case and is ninety-nine per cent sure he was right. But what about that last one percent? Might the unthinkable be true? Have they hanged the wrong man? It is now up to the pathologist to uncover the real truth.
Now he needs Dr Jack Cuthbert to reopen the forensic investigation and prove that they have not been responsible for a tragic miscarriage of justice. But months after the crime, with no new evidence and both the victim and the killer now in their graves, where can the pathologist begin?
Cuthbert had already worked hard on the case and is ninety-nine per cent sure he was right. But what about that last one percent? Might the unthinkable be true? Have they hanged the wrong man? It is now up to the pathologist to uncover the real truth.
- GenresCrime
268 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 3, 2026
About the author
Allan Gaw
36 books59 followersAllan Gaw is a Scot who lives and works near Glasgow. He studied medicine and is a pathologist by training but a writer by inclination. Having worked in the NHS and universities in Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and the US, he now devotes his time to writing.
Most of his published work to date is non-fiction. These include medical textbooks and regular magazine articles on topics as diverse as the thalidomide story, the medical challenges of space travel and the medico-legal consequences of the Hillsborough disaster.
More recently, he has been writing short stories, poetry and novels. He won the UK Classical Association Creative Writing Competition, the International Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize, the International Globe Soup 7 day Writing Challenge and was runner-up in the Glencairn Glass/Bloody Scotland Short Crime Fiction Competition. He has also had prose published in the literary anthologies, From Glasgow to Saturn and anthologies and the Edinburgh Literary Salon.
His poetry has been published by Dreich, Soor Ploom Press, Black Bough Poetry, SCAP and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. His debut poetry collection, Love & Other Diseases, was published in 2023 by Seahorse Publications. His second poetry collection, The Sounds Men Make, was published in 2025, also by Seahorse.
His debut novel, The Silent House of Sleep, won the 2024 Bloody Scotland Debut novel of the year. His second novel, The Moon’s More Feeble Fire, was longlisted for the McIlvanney Prize The third book in the Dr Jack Cuthbert series, To the Shades Descend is out now and the fourth, The Shadows and the Dust, will be released in January 2026.
You can read more about him and his work at his website: https://researchet.wordpress.com
Most of his published work to date is non-fiction. These include medical textbooks and regular magazine articles on topics as diverse as the thalidomide story, the medical challenges of space travel and the medico-legal consequences of the Hillsborough disaster.
More recently, he has been writing short stories, poetry and novels. He won the UK Classical Association Creative Writing Competition, the International Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize, the International Globe Soup 7 day Writing Challenge and was runner-up in the Glencairn Glass/Bloody Scotland Short Crime Fiction Competition. He has also had prose published in the literary anthologies, From Glasgow to Saturn and anthologies and the Edinburgh Literary Salon.
His poetry has been published by Dreich, Soor Ploom Press, Black Bough Poetry, SCAP and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. His debut poetry collection, Love & Other Diseases, was published in 2023 by Seahorse Publications. His second poetry collection, The Sounds Men Make, was published in 2025, also by Seahorse.
His debut novel, The Silent House of Sleep, won the 2024 Bloody Scotland Debut novel of the year. His second novel, The Moon’s More Feeble Fire, was longlisted for the McIlvanney Prize The third book in the Dr Jack Cuthbert series, To the Shades Descend is out now and the fourth, The Shadows and the Dust, will be released in January 2026.
You can read more about him and his work at his website: https://researchet.wordpress.com
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
October 20, 2026
This series just gets better and better! Another brilliant addition to the Jack Cuthbert series. Always blown away by how Gaw addresses important themes in such a slim page count, and loved the reveal of Madame Smith's backstory centred on wartime Belgium. Roll on book 6!
September 14, 2026
Superb. I’ve been waiting months for the release of book 5 in the Dr Jack Cuthbert series and it was worth the wait. An interesting story line intertwined with a return to Liege/Belgium at the start of WW1, explaining more about Dr Cuthbert’s housekeeper and friend Madame Smith.
September 6, 2026
I really like this series about Dr Jack Cuthbert a Scottish pathologist in London between the wars. This wasn’t my favourite in the series hence 4⭐️ rather than 5 but still a good read and filled in some background on Madame Smith.
September 15, 2026
Audiobook. Easy listening, deep voices suit the story. The difficulties of murder investigations before the advanced forensics of today. We learn more about the housekeeper
August 2, 2026
4.25⭐️
Book 5 Dr Jack Cuthbert mysteries
I had the audiobook of this historical crime fiction read by Ciaran Saward who is excellent and very easy to listen to.
Detective Mowbray attends an exect*on for a Capital crime the accused’s last words makes him question the validity of the conviction. He calls on Forensic expert Dr Jack Cuthbert for help reexamining the case.
I’m late to this series with this being my first book. It’s got good plot complexity with a decent pace. I like the detective but Jack is my favourite character, it’s all combined with good historical detail giving an interesting enjoyable listen. I’m keen to listen to the preceding books especially if it’s the same narrator.
I had this book for free from NetGalley
Book 5 Dr Jack Cuthbert mysteries
I had the audiobook of this historical crime fiction read by Ciaran Saward who is excellent and very easy to listen to.
Detective Mowbray attends an exect*on for a Capital crime the accused’s last words makes him question the validity of the conviction. He calls on Forensic expert Dr Jack Cuthbert for help reexamining the case.
I’m late to this series with this being my first book. It’s got good plot complexity with a decent pace. I like the detective but Jack is my favourite character, it’s all combined with good historical detail giving an interesting enjoyable listen. I’m keen to listen to the preceding books especially if it’s the same narrator.
I had this book for free from NetGalley
Review of advance copy received from Author
In this fifth Dr Jack Cuthbert mystery, for the first time Jack has to retrace his steps. Did he miss a vital piece of evidence? Was he hasty in reaching conclusions? Did he influence his police partners incorrectly? Was an innocent young man executed?
As Dr Jack, DCI Jim Mowbray, Sergeant Baker and Simon Morgenthal dig deeper into what really happened, it's enjoyable to see these characters and the relationships between them develop. Allan Gaw writes convincing dialogue, giving each character a distinctive voice; you know who is speaking without being told.
The plot moves along at good speed with the fascinating forensic detail at just the right level.
Madame Marie Smith, Cuthbert's housekeeper, has been, herself, a mystery in the previous books. Here, some of her history is sympathetically revealed, taking us to another time and place - Belgium, on the cusp of WW1.
Adding to what we already know about Cuthbert's ongoing struggle to live with memories of battle, the insight into the war's impact on Madame Smith gives more depth to the series of books. As well as being excellent period crime thrillers, they also tell of the deeply scarring, long lasting effects of human conflict.
As this book ends in June 1932, I wonder how close to WW2 Gaw will take us in the rest of the series? And what that looming catastrophe will do to these characters who I've come to like so much.
As Dr Jack, DCI Jim Mowbray, Sergeant Baker and Simon Morgenthal dig deeper into what really happened, it's enjoyable to see these characters and the relationships between them develop. Allan Gaw writes convincing dialogue, giving each character a distinctive voice; you know who is speaking without being told.
The plot moves along at good speed with the fascinating forensic detail at just the right level.
Madame Marie Smith, Cuthbert's housekeeper, has been, herself, a mystery in the previous books. Here, some of her history is sympathetically revealed, taking us to another time and place - Belgium, on the cusp of WW1.
Adding to what we already know about Cuthbert's ongoing struggle to live with memories of battle, the insight into the war's impact on Madame Smith gives more depth to the series of books. As well as being excellent period crime thrillers, they also tell of the deeply scarring, long lasting effects of human conflict.
As this book ends in June 1932, I wonder how close to WW2 Gaw will take us in the rest of the series? And what that looming catastrophe will do to these characters who I've come to like so much.
Review of advance copy received from Author
The Last Gifts to the Dead by Allan Gaw is book 5 in the Dr Jack Cuthbert series. It is published on 3 September. The story opens in 1932 at the execution of a young man for murder. It is attended by DCI Jim Mowbray. He leaves there with doubts and decides to quietly review the evidence with the assistance of Jack and DS Baker. As soon as I started reading this addition to the series, I felt I was back with good friends. This series is so much about the characters. The writing is superb and just carries you along, and you become engrossed in the story and immersed in the lives of the characters. It was emotional at times and was also a very informative read. Along with the main characters, there is Jack’s assistant Simon Morgenthal, who is gaining in confidence, and Baker, who takes on a more prominent role in this book. I really like Madame Smith, his Belgian housekeeper. We learn a bit more about her, and this case brings back some horrific memories from the past. Jack and Mowbray are two very different people, but both are not satisfied unless they get to the truth. They are fabulous characters and are the backbone of the books. This was such a wonderful read, a brilliant read.
Review of advance copy received from Author
This book is set not just in the early 1930's but also just before the eruption of WW1 where we are given more background to Cuthbert's housekeeper Mme. Smith who came from Belgium originally. I loved the historical background which Allan gives as it is not really a period which was taught in schools - we just went in at the assassination of Ferdinand !! For me personally there were dates which I related to along with Dr Matheson ! The book raises the question of capital punishment and whether or not the wrong twin has been hanged. A great addition to this series and an excellent read on its own.
Thanks to the author for the ARC to review.
Thanks to the author for the ARC to review.
September 5, 2026
The latest in the Jack Cuthbert series serves the same perfect mix of history, mystery and forensic detail that we have become accustomed to from Allan Gaw’s work. This instalment is particularly enjoyable with its deeper dive into the characters we already know - I absolutely adored the exploration of Madame Smith’s earlier life. Yet an another unputdownable book set in this thrilling world Gaw has created.
September 3, 2026
Great! Best one yet
September 6, 2026
Loved this latest book in the Jack Cuthbert series. The characters are always complex and intriguing and this one was no exception.
Review of advance copy received from Author
“The Last Gifts to the Dead” is a gripping tale where Cuthbert must retrace his steps and ensure justice has been served in a complex case. This is the fifth book in this brilliant series, and in my opinion, it is the best one yet! You could easily pick this up as a stand-alone story, but I thoroughly recommend reading the whole series. These books are some of the best historical crime being written out there at the moment. They are thoughtful, full of heart, packed to the rafters with accurate historical and scientific details. It is simply a joy to pick up one of Allan’s books.
When a young man is hanged for murder, DCI Mowbray is there as a witness to justice. But when he hears the man’s last words, he realises that he and Dr Jack Cuthbert will need to retrace their steps and make sure that all the details of the case are sound.
The main plot point for this book is, of course, the above, but we also learn a lot more about Cuthbert’s housekeeper, Marie. There has always been a touch of mystery about how she came to England and her past. Unfortunately, it is not a happy story. We learn of how her country, Belgium, was occupied by the Germans during the beginning stages of WWI and how it affected her family. There is something magical when Allan writes about the trauma of war. He doesn’t sugarcoat the brutal aspects and its lasting horrors. Maybe, I resonate so much with these narratives because I feel the same about war. It’s nothing to be romanticised.
As ever, Allan’s writing is top-notch, and I was instantly captivated by the story. There is a lot of heart and empathy in these books, and this is definitely the case in this one. Of course, it has been meticulously researched, and because of Allan’s old profession (pathologist), they ring true right down to the tiniest details! Roll on book six as I need more Cuthbert in my life.
Let me know if you pick this one up!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews