Dead Wrong

by Stuart Doughty

Two coordinated killings and a bizarre theft kick off PI John Kite’s most twisty, puzzling case. Chasing a criminal who’s evaded him twice before, Kite heads to eastern Europe where everything seems both wrong and dangerous. Kite and ex-FBI buddy Hudson discover a complex conspiracy centred on a secretive professor, who has something the whole world wants and is hunted by three separate forces. In a hostile nation, under drone attack, Hudson and Kite must attempt a knife-edge rescue act.

280 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 10, 2026

Reviews

[Ryan Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read all of Doughty’s John Kite series and this novel is my all time favorite. For us longtime readers, it’s like a family reunion of the main characters. What I enjoyed most about it is that in addition to being a thriller, it is heavily influenced by mystery. There are many twists and turns which occur in a crescendo effect but instead of soft becoming loud, it’s slow that becoming fast. If you enjoy a novel where you cannot guess what happens next and are unable to guess the climax, this novel is for you. Nemesis, murder, botany, herpetology, foreign travel, secrecy, stolen art, universities, suppression, ecology, corporations. Is the stolen art the focus of the novel or a distraction? Kite and partners are extremely busy, yet the plot remains truly complicated. What’s this about orchids? Enjoy!

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another cracker of a John Kite story and, while different in the sense of art being more tangential than normal, still just as fascinating, gripping and fast paced, the mysteries and the miscreants unfolding gradually as Kite and Hudson worked through the twists and turns. I thoroughly enjoyed and recommend it.