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The Step Down
Could you sacrifice yourself for your brother?
“Forest and McLean could well become one of my all-time favourite detective duos.”
A predator is bringing terror to the underclasses of Stirling.
Acting Detective Inspector Forest is the man leading the hunt. He wants it resolved quickly; as well as the law, he has a reputation to uphold, especially with Detective Sergeant Senga McLean. First Minister Jack Collie wants independence for Scotland. Superintendent Hargreaves wants Forest’s plumbs on a skewer. The killer wants victims. And much more!
As the body count rises, the press is having a field day, and everyone is getting it in the neck.
The First Minister needs to save the independence campaign and massage his ego. He has to act.
The Superintendent needs Forest to fail and have normal order restored to the ranks. Action must be taken.
Forest needs to catch the killer, stop the killings and get his girl. And he could murder a pint!
But how do you stop a killer who knows your every move? How do you fight your own department? How do you sway public opinion? How do you get the girl?
And how do you keep laughing in the face of increasing adversity?
From the fans.
"...a fast-moving rollercoaster of how police investigations actually happen. Can't wait for book 2..."
"Gripping and funny."
"...deliciously dark humour combined with an edginess that made for a fantastically fast- paced thriller..."
Interview with the author.
So why crime fiction?
As a former UK police officer, police procedurals, mysteries and crime fiction were the obvious choices. I mean, who better to write thrillers about serial killers than someone who was in the life. As a cop, that is, not as a killer!
What spurred you on to write?
Well, there are many great British and Irish crime fiction writers, and the Scottish crime fiction market is burgeoning. As a boy, I was an avid reader. Mysteries and thrillers to begin with, before graduating on to crime fiction. When I eventually gave in to my burning desire to write, it was inevitable, given my police background, that detective fiction was the stand I’d hang my author’s hat on.
How would you define your genre?
Humorous Scottish crime fiction. There are a multitude of fantastic police procedurals out there, with a lot of focus on the actual police processes, and there’s a tendency to assume that murder fiction, noir crime, mysteries, thrillers, etc have to be serious books. But trust me, the reality is that murder detectives rely on their humour to get them through the day. Without it, they’d probably end up serial killers themselves.
*The New Edited and Revised August 2020 Edition*
“Forest and McLean could well become one of my all-time favourite detective duos.”
A predator is bringing terror to the underclasses of Stirling.
Acting Detective Inspector Forest is the man leading the hunt. He wants it resolved quickly; as well as the law, he has a reputation to uphold, especially with Detective Sergeant Senga McLean. First Minister Jack Collie wants independence for Scotland. Superintendent Hargreaves wants Forest’s plumbs on a skewer. The killer wants victims. And much more!
As the body count rises, the press is having a field day, and everyone is getting it in the neck.
The First Minister needs to save the independence campaign and massage his ego. He has to act.
The Superintendent needs Forest to fail and have normal order restored to the ranks. Action must be taken.
Forest needs to catch the killer, stop the killings and get his girl. And he could murder a pint!
But how do you stop a killer who knows your every move? How do you fight your own department? How do you sway public opinion? How do you get the girl?
And how do you keep laughing in the face of increasing adversity?
From the fans.
"...a fast-moving rollercoaster of how police investigations actually happen. Can't wait for book 2..."
"Gripping and funny."
"...deliciously dark humour combined with an edginess that made for a fantastically fast- paced thriller..."
Interview with the author.
So why crime fiction?
As a former UK police officer, police procedurals, mysteries and crime fiction were the obvious choices. I mean, who better to write thrillers about serial killers than someone who was in the life. As a cop, that is, not as a killer!
What spurred you on to write?
Well, there are many great British and Irish crime fiction writers, and the Scottish crime fiction market is burgeoning. As a boy, I was an avid reader. Mysteries and thrillers to begin with, before graduating on to crime fiction. When I eventually gave in to my burning desire to write, it was inevitable, given my police background, that detective fiction was the stand I’d hang my author’s hat on.
How would you define your genre?
Humorous Scottish crime fiction. There are a multitude of fantastic police procedurals out there, with a lot of focus on the actual police processes, and there’s a tendency to assume that murder fiction, noir crime, mysteries, thrillers, etc have to be serious books. But trust me, the reality is that murder detectives rely on their humour to get them through the day. Without it, they’d probably end up serial killers themselves.
*The New Edited and Revised August 2020 Edition*
250 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 16, 2020
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 5, 2020
Took me to familiar places
As a local to Stirling it felt strange to read about places I knew so well being used for murder scenes.
Was a bit slow in places but I enjoyed it none the less.
Looking forward to book two!😀
As a local to Stirling it felt strange to read about places I knew so well being used for murder scenes.
Was a bit slow in places but I enjoyed it none the less.
Looking forward to book two!😀
Read
December 10, 2020Excellent book obviously written by an ex police officer like me , I recognise with glee the non-pc humour loved by all before the superintendent Hargreaves of this world took over with their bowing and scraping to the so called politicians etc. Exactly as I remember 'the job's and the author keeps you going between the humour with an excellent plot and true to live police characters in a fast moving rollercoaster of how police investigations actually happen. Can't wait for book 2.
October 7, 2020
Proofreader needed
The unbearable number of grammatical errors and malapropisms kept interrupting the flow of the story and became increasingly annoying to the point where I gave up reading.
The unbearable number of grammatical errors and malapropisms kept interrupting the flow of the story and became increasingly annoying to the point where I gave up reading.
February 19, 2021
Living in Stirling, I loved this book. Knew exactly where events in book took place. Great plot, characters and dialogue. Very funny. Watch out for the Alsatian dog story. Look forward to more novels from this author.
May 23, 2021
Perfect
Brand new to this author and within the first chapter I was hooked. Perfect blend of tense thriller mixed with not only police humour, but Scottish police humour which in my opinion is unrivalled. Keeping you guessing to the very end. Bring on the next book
Brand new to this author and within the first chapter I was hooked. Perfect blend of tense thriller mixed with not only police humour, but Scottish police humour which in my opinion is unrivalled. Keeping you guessing to the very end. Bring on the next book
May 18, 2020
Great First Book
Great read from start to finish. Well worth giving this Arthur a try. Can't wait for his second book. Could not put it down
Great read from start to finish. Well worth giving this Arthur a try. Can't wait for his second book. Could not put it down
April 15, 2021
Good read
I enjoyed this book and the plot and the characters. I hope it's the first in a series with this lot.
I enjoyed this book and the plot and the characters. I hope it's the first in a series with this lot.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews