A Taste of Murder: A Flesch & Stone novel

Flesch & Stone #3

by Iain Rob Wright

Six residents. One care home. All dead within minutes of each other.

★★★★★ "Iain Rob Wright scares the hell out of me!" — J.A. Konrath

When six elderly residents die during the same night at a care home in Bishop Auckland, DI Sarah Stone knows immediately that something is wrong.

The victims were vulnerable. Defenceless. And someone wanted them dead.

Alongside brilliant profiler Richard Flesch—a man with a horrifying past of his own—Sarah begins hunting a killer who can move unnoticed among the people trusted to care for society’s weakest.

But the deaths are only the beginning.

As the investigation widens, a disturbing pattern emerges. Someone has been watching. Someone has been waiting. And behind the murders lies a grievance years in the making.

While Richard’s darkest secrets threaten to become public and Sarah pursues a dangerous obsession of her own, the killer is preparing to deliver one final message.

Because sometimes the people who promise to keep you safe are the ones who fail you most.

And somebody has decided it’s time they were held accountable.

A TASTE OF MURDER is a dark, gripping British crime thriller packed with mystery, psychological suspense and shocking twists—perfect for readers who like damaged detectives, morally complex killers and cases where nothing is quite as simple as guilt or innocence.

259 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 6, 2026

About the author

With over 50 novels written over 16 years, Iain Rob Wright is the well-respected British horror author with a reputation for reliably scaring his readers. His books have sold millions of copies worldwide, earned tens of thousands of reader reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, and are being translated into multiple languages.

He is currently best known for the Cursed Manuscripts shared horror universe, the apocalyptic Hell on Earth series, and many stand-alone chillers such as The Room Upstairs and Scrapbook.

J. A. Konrath, New York Times bestselling thriller author, claims, "Iain Rob Wright scares the hell out of me!"

Born and raised in England's West Midlands, Iain now lives in the beautiful, gothic County Durham with his family, 2 pugs, and a cat named Tigz. When he is not writing horror, he is reading horror, watching horror, or playing Stardew Valley.

WHERE TO START: If you have never read Iain Rob Wright before, try Witch - the first Cursed Manuscript and the entry point to the universe - or The Gates, the opener of the Hell on Earth saga. Both are available FREE with Kindle Unlimited.

For new releases, free stories, and the occasional confession of authorial despair, readers can find Iain through his author page on Amazon or by visiting his website (where you can download 6 of his books absolutely FREE).

Iain's work has been compared to Stephen King, Richard Laymon, and James Herbert - the three writers he credits with making him want to scare people for a living.

Reviews

[Matt Egan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Truly Outstanding Serial Killer Thriller!

A Taste Of Murder, book 3 in the Flesch & Stone series, finds Sarah and Richard investigating mass murder by poisoning at a Hospice Center and the body count rises quickly as the poisonings continue. This book, like the others in the series, have a very unique viewpoint due to the defining histories of Sarah, Richard and, now, Francis. The writing has the trademark tension that Wright manages to infuse everything he writes, regardless of the genre, making A Taste Of Murder simply an outstanding example of the serial killer genre. The development of the characters is truly impressive as well. 5/5 stars! Highly recommended to any reader of serial killer thrillers, horror thrillers, police procedural thrillers and really any adult reader who enjoys meticulously plotted thrillers!

[Kaye Nutman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Iain Rob Wright is a fantastic writer, and thankfully, he has a very good proofreader too; I didn't spot one error to pull me out of the story. It was another gripping tale in the Flesh and Stone universe, with a captivating ending and many hints of moral undertones, which exist in our world. Can't wait for the next instalment.

[I C Douglas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite enjoyed this, a little different from the authors more usual stories, but still a damn good story with the usual strong characters, I enjoyed the previous Flesch and Stone novels and this didn’t disappoint.

[Hilton Alligood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

I'm really liking the Flesch and Stone novels. I'm glad there will be more. Eagerly looking forward to reading more Iain Rob Wright

[Nikki Heaton · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

I prefered the other Flesch and Stone books to be honest felt like there was more action. Took me longer to read this than I usually do with his books