Boy B: Don’t miss this gripping psychological suspense thriller, perfect for fans of the hit Netflix drama Adolescence, in 2026! (The Cate Austin Casefiles)

by Ruth Dugdall

384 pages, Paperback

Expected publication February 23, 2027

About the author

Ruth Dugdall is a crime novelist and Royal Literary Fellow. She holds a Doctorate in Creative Writing and her specialism is the role if probation and rehabilitation in crime narratives.
Ruth was a probation officer, and has worked in prison with offenders guilty of serious crimes, including stalking, rape and murder.
The Woman Before Me won the CWA Debut Dagger & the Luke Bitmead Bursary.

Reviews

[Laura Connelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 3 in the Cate Austin and this time, she’s probation officer for Boy B. Boy B was sentenced to 8 years in prison when he was only 10 years old…after killing another child! Once he’s released from prison, Cate’s job is to reintegrate him into society, with him being granted anonymity. But when Cate finds out more about what happened on that awful day, is boy B guilty?

I found this a really interesting read. As horrendous as the crime was, I found myself feeling sorry for Ben (aka boy B) as he tries to reintegrate into society. Possibly because I knew there was more to the story though!! I felt this story showed how the justice system and outcomes can be dependent on money ie who can afford the best lawyer and that we can be forced into believing a certain narrative. The story is mostly set in the present but we do have chapter based on “that day” let us see what really happened and the back story leading to the murder. The only downside is I feel we aren’t really getting to know Cate more than we did in the first two books, although the ending did allude to us maybe learning more about her childhood in book 4. Another good book by Ruth and looking forward to reading book 4!