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The Killing Boys
Two vicious ex-cons are now walking free—and one cop is close behind—in a novel by the author who “knows the London crime scene like the back of his hand” (The Times). In 2005 London, two teenage boys commit a crime so horrendous that the entire nation is shocked and outraged. When Abigail Riley’s body is found in an underground shelter, DS Fraser Harvey finds himself hunting her killers—whose depravity is matched only by their naivety. Eleven years later, when the young murderers are released to faraway countries with new identities, Harvey remains haunted by the case, convinced that one—or both—will kill again. Concerned that he is the only thing standing in the way of more deaths of innocents, he must decide how far will he go to stop them—and at what cost to himself and all the others whose lives were changed forever by Abigail’s terrible fate. Praise for the crime thrillers of Luke “The feeling of being at the heart of a police investigation seeps from every page.” —Daily Mail “Scary authenticity.” —The Sun Addictive . . . captivates and chills.” —Richmond Times-Dispatch
410 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 28, 2021
52 people are currently reading
223 people want to read
About the author
Luke Delaney
39 books290 followersLuke Delaney joined the Metropolitan Police Service in the late 1980s and his first posting was to an inner city area of South East London notorious for high levels of crime and extreme violence. He later joined CID where he investigated murders ranging from those committed by fledgling serial killers to gangland assassinations.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
June 3, 2023
4.5 Stars
I've never read this author before, but it's a good story.
Two 15 yr old boys are accused of murdering a 14 yr old girl.
They both blame each other for the brutal murder.
They are not given an adult sentence and are out in a few years.
Both go into witness protection or different identities in another country.
Are they both reformed, and is someone after both of them?
Gripping story of two young boys who committed a terrible act
I've never read this author before, but it's a good story.
Two 15 yr old boys are accused of murdering a 14 yr old girl.
They both blame each other for the brutal murder.
They are not given an adult sentence and are out in a few years.
Both go into witness protection or different identities in another country.
Are they both reformed, and is someone after both of them?
Gripping story of two young boys who committed a terrible act
December 15, 2023
Audio - 3.5 Stars
Story - 3.5 Stars
Story - 3.5 Stars
September 28, 2021
Eleven years ago, two young teenage boys force a young teenage girl into an abandoned bunker where they committed a crime so horrifying that the entire nation is beyond belief. It is only because another person saw them headed for the place where the girl's body would later be found that the police found the killers.
After serving only a few years behind prison walls because of their ages, the young (now) men are being released. They are each given documents with a new name, a new background... one man will go to Canada, the other to New Zealand.
They will be subject to intense scrutiny until the day they die .. and someone wants to make sure that day comes.
The story takes the reader from the boys themselves, to the crime to their arrest to charges filed to a guilty sentence. In alternating chapters, the reader is given a look at what is happen today ... the cops who were on the original investigation are still on the case now they the boys have been released.
DS Fraser Harvey cannot let this crime go. It just about kills him to have to release these monsters certain they will commit new crimes in the same fashion. The girl's family is also fed up with the "justice" and they, too, will do whatever they can to find a way to live without the little girl that everybody loved.
As the author, himself, joined the Metropolitan Police Service in the late 1980s , I expected a great deal of credibility. I was not disappointed. This is well-written with a complex plot and an intriguing story line. There are twists and turns that are brain benders and lead to a most surprising, unexpected conclusion. This author is well worth following.
Many thanks to the author / Bloodhound Books for the digital copy of this British crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
March 13, 2022
I was attracted to this book by the concept of how children who commit a heinous crime progress into adulthood and after their release from prison and The Killing Boys explores this from many different angles. With a dual timeline - present and back to the time of the murders, this allows us access to the investigation, the lead investigators views on the two perpetrators and the community and media reactions., but also allows us to consider how these boys with new identities have developed. It raises many questions about culpability, joint enterprise, psycopathy and more.
This was an intriguing read which kept me engrossed. It really pulled on my emotions and kept me on my toes trying to work out how I felt about the child killers and each of their parts in the murder, but it also considered the anguish of the victim's family and the officers involved in the investigation.
Multi faceted and compelling this, despite a couple of slightly unbelivable coincidences had me hooked throughout.
This was an intriguing read which kept me engrossed. It really pulled on my emotions and kept me on my toes trying to work out how I felt about the child killers and each of their parts in the murder, but it also considered the anguish of the victim's family and the officers involved in the investigation.
Multi faceted and compelling this, despite a couple of slightly unbelivable coincidences had me hooked throughout.
September 25, 2021
I loved this book.
Having read most of Luke Delaney’s other books, it’s great to have a new one from him.
This is a great crime thriller but is not for the faint hearted with some of the descriptions of the murder.
A fourteen year old was raped and then brutally murdered by two teenage boys.
They are quickly caught and the story follows what happens after their release eleven years later.
They are both given new identities and sent to live in different countries abroad but the family of the murdered girl feel they have got off too lightly.
With chapters from the investigation back in 2005 and New Zealand in the present day, this is a story that will definitely have you hooked.
A brilliant book from Luke Delaney.
Thanks to Bloodhound Books for the opportunity to read this book.
Having read most of Luke Delaney’s other books, it’s great to have a new one from him.
This is a great crime thriller but is not for the faint hearted with some of the descriptions of the murder.
A fourteen year old was raped and then brutally murdered by two teenage boys.
They are quickly caught and the story follows what happens after their release eleven years later.
They are both given new identities and sent to live in different countries abroad but the family of the murdered girl feel they have got off too lightly.
With chapters from the investigation back in 2005 and New Zealand in the present day, this is a story that will definitely have you hooked.
A brilliant book from Luke Delaney.
Thanks to Bloodhound Books for the opportunity to read this book.
November 11, 2022
This was a well written crime novel. Funny how the most disturbing people are the ones you least expect
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 1, 2024
I am sorry but I wanted more to happen, I thought this was an incredible slow book for an end I kinda already guessed. The first part is very exciting, the crime is heinous, but after a while, it just goes around and around without no big progress.
The characters are a little flat, but thats not a problem.
The characters are a little flat, but thats not a problem.
October 1, 2021
This story is told in several different timelines, incorporating the 2005 original murder investigation into the slaying of 14 year old Abigail Riley, 2016 when the killers are released and relocated to the far reaches of the planet with new identities, 2020 when Jimmy Riley receives anonymous help to locate them and the present day Canada and New Zealand where they are making new lives, not realising that their days may be numbered. The switches back and forth are well labelled and never become confusing, as we read about the shocking murder and the lasting effects it has on all those involved, family and detectives alike. After Abigail’s body is discovered in an underground bunker on waste ground in North London, the murder team, led by DS Fraser Harvey of the Metropolitan Police, believes they are looking for a man, a disturbed individual who has committed some form of crimes before, building up to this horrific murder. No one even thinks the impossible – that a child or children may be responsible for the brutal rape, multiple stabbing and mutilation of a sweet innocent girl. However the two young suspects are quickly found, and present a very odd couple. Of the two differing personalities, it is hard for the detectives to judge which one is the leader. One thing is for sure though – one of them is a very good actor, but as the storyline twists back and forth, will the truth ever emerge?
It was hard not to draw comparisons with a certain real life case where two children murdered another younger child. The shock and public outrage there is evident in this story too, as is the need to forge new identities and the knowledge that if ever the killers were outed, they would be in immediate danger from a large number of people wanting revenge and retribution. Also similarly present is the worry that they will offend again when released into the world. It is very interesting that the author can generate such a feeling of hatred for the original killers but not so for the vigilante – does that say more about the victim and type of crime than the killer themselves? A need for natural justice to prevail?
This isn’t so much a whodunit, as the reader knows the details of the case in 2005, also the identities of the culprits then and now, and also the name of the person hunting them. But who has divulged that all-important information? And will the true details of Abigail’s murder ever be revealed?
This story is skilfully told, making it easy to like, empathise and hate the various different characters in turn. The subject matter may be difficult for some readers to stomach but for those who can, this is a chilling and engrossing book with a very satisfying outcome for all. 5*
It was hard not to draw comparisons with a certain real life case where two children murdered another younger child. The shock and public outrage there is evident in this story too, as is the need to forge new identities and the knowledge that if ever the killers were outed, they would be in immediate danger from a large number of people wanting revenge and retribution. Also similarly present is the worry that they will offend again when released into the world. It is very interesting that the author can generate such a feeling of hatred for the original killers but not so for the vigilante – does that say more about the victim and type of crime than the killer themselves? A need for natural justice to prevail?
This isn’t so much a whodunit, as the reader knows the details of the case in 2005, also the identities of the culprits then and now, and also the name of the person hunting them. But who has divulged that all-important information? And will the true details of Abigail’s murder ever be revealed?
This story is skilfully told, making it easy to like, empathise and hate the various different characters in turn. The subject matter may be difficult for some readers to stomach but for those who can, this is a chilling and engrossing book with a very satisfying outcome for all. 5*
September 27, 2021
Having very much enjoyed the Sean Corrigan novels, I was interested to see in which direction Luke Delaney's career would go, and I am grateful to Bloodhound Books for letting me have an ARC of The Killing Boys. This an excellent novel which is engrossing from the start, well written with a fascinating premise and interesting characters. Two teenagers killed a girl in horrible circumstances and are now free, having been given new identities and countries of residence. The book splits between the original case and the new lives of the perpetrators. I loved it!
October 3, 2021
Couldn’t get into this book. Didn’t like the writing style, it didn’t seem to flow very well. It was quite clumsy
May 21, 2022
Nope, this wasn’t good. A little disclaimer first, I really hate dialogue driven books, so the starting point wasn’t really good when I realised that this was one of them. But I’ve really enjoyed some of his earlier books and wanted to give it a chance. The concept in it self was promising, but all the different timelines and pov‘s made it difficult to keep the thread. One of my major peeves with dialogue driven books is that it doesn’t really ring true, people don’t really talk that way in real life. There also were a lot of filler text, one example is that the painstakingly way to conduct a police interview by who’s present was repeated in every interview they did. I mean one time is ok to show the procedure, but using two pages each time to identify who’s there kinda grates me, I mean how hard is it to write something like “they quickly went through the motions before starting the interview proper”.
I also felt a lot of the way different police officers behaved was somewhat unbelievable, I’ve seldom seen police carelessly sharing so much information with others. I mean, one officer shares very confidential and jarring info with his damn housekeeper and young daughter, like wtf. I also felt that too many people knew about the real identities, especially in New Zealand. Also, quite predictable.
I also felt a lot of the way different police officers behaved was somewhat unbelievable, I’ve seldom seen police carelessly sharing so much information with others. I mean, one officer shares very confidential and jarring info with his damn housekeeper and young daughter, like wtf. I also felt that too many people knew about the real identities, especially in New Zealand. Also, quite predictable.
November 13, 2021
A 15 year old girl is brutally raped and murdered in a London park, her body horribly dismembered. Two teenage boys are quickly identified, arrested and convicted. Because of their age their sentences are short and 12 years later they're released, given new identities and relocated overseas. The victims brother has spent his life seeking revenge and an anonymous phone call gives him the opportunity. One murderer is quickly eliminated, the other proves more difficult partly thanks to a disgraced former Met Police detective who is convinced all is not as it seems. The ending is nailbiting and bloody. Only four stars because despite everything the secrets are actually pretty obvious, and the climax somewhat inevitable. Still a worthwhile read however..
September 13, 2022
Should be made into a movie!!!
This amazing book was my first read by Luke Delaney, whom has now become one of my new favorite authors. The story grabs your heart and squeezes it right from the start, and still, you read on, knowing it will never be one you forget. Like Truman Capote's In Cold Blood, this is a tale that takes you into the mind of a truly sadistic killer. It makes one realize that there are those whose brains aren't wired right, making them inherently different from the rest of us. It should also put us on guard, ever watchful to not being at the wrong place, wrong time. I rarely give out 5 star ratings. But this book? Absolutely!!! 👏
This amazing book was my first read by Luke Delaney, whom has now become one of my new favorite authors. The story grabs your heart and squeezes it right from the start, and still, you read on, knowing it will never be one you forget. Like Truman Capote's In Cold Blood, this is a tale that takes you into the mind of a truly sadistic killer. It makes one realize that there are those whose brains aren't wired right, making them inherently different from the rest of us. It should also put us on guard, ever watchful to not being at the wrong place, wrong time. I rarely give out 5 star ratings. But this book? Absolutely!!! 👏
March 31, 2022
This book was excellent from the start.
The way it’s written is fantastic. Going back and forth between present day and historical moments.
I couldn’t put it down.
Just the right amount of graphic detail, that I guess some people may find too much. But if you enjoy crime dramas on the TV and things like criminal minds. Then this is for you.
Sometimes in this type of book I often feel that authors can have the tendency to round the story up in a believable fashion. But not here.
I very much look forward to more books by Luke as this was my first.
The way it’s written is fantastic. Going back and forth between present day and historical moments.
I couldn’t put it down.
Just the right amount of graphic detail, that I guess some people may find too much. But if you enjoy crime dramas on the TV and things like criminal minds. Then this is for you.
Sometimes in this type of book I often feel that authors can have the tendency to round the story up in a believable fashion. But not here.
I very much look forward to more books by Luke as this was my first.
June 10, 2022
I loved it! I had my doubts at first because it seemed like an open-and-shut case without any mystery. We have a dead girl that has been tortured and killed and we have two boys who were seen with the victim just before the time of death. DNA evidence confirms it is them who have committed this heinous, premeditated crime. But who was the leader. We do not find out until the very last pages. This book was so realistically written that I had to google to find out whether or not it was based on a true story. I wholeheartedly recommend it.
May 7, 2023
This book had me gripped from start to finish. There is a particularly vicious murder committed and the 2 that committed it were caught and put away fairly quickly. The story is that if the family who are then torn apart having lost their daughter and the impact on their lives. Then the unspeakable happens when they are time served and released . The story goes back and forward in time. It will have you on the edge of your seat. I worked out midway through who was the leader but if you like books like this you will love this o e
May 26, 2023
This author was new to me and it was a good read! It's well written, and although I prefer a book without different timelines, in this however, I got through it without any irritated moaning. It's a rough read as well as provoking because of the subject that is really heavy to read about.
Likewise, it is filled with dialogue and a lot of interviews or interrogation if you like, and I usually don't like that very much, but this time it was very well executed. Well, I think it's a solid three stars book despite all my whining.
Likewise, it is filled with dialogue and a lot of interviews or interrogation if you like, and I usually don't like that very much, but this time it was very well executed. Well, I think it's a solid three stars book despite all my whining.
November 2, 2025
I loved this book!
The story being told across different time blocks and from different perspectives really kept me interested and constantly trying to work out who was the guilty party.
The story was very clever and had twists and turns throughout making sure I was never bored with the content, always on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happened next.
You can definitely tell Luke was in the force, his books are written with such knowledge of police workings and deep feeling you feel as if you are genuinely there
The story being told across different time blocks and from different perspectives really kept me interested and constantly trying to work out who was the guilty party.
The story was very clever and had twists and turns throughout making sure I was never bored with the content, always on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happened next.
You can definitely tell Luke was in the force, his books are written with such knowledge of police workings and deep feeling you feel as if you are genuinely there
November 8, 2021
No his greatest work
To be honest I'm not sure what to say about this book. Luke Delaney is one of my favourite authors and I adore the Sean Corrigan series. And The Rule of Fear but this book was just not to that standard for me, so t get me wrong it was a good read but I think I'd like to read a bit more of the darkness that came with Sean Corrigan and the corruption of Rule of Fear. I've waited a long time for a new Delaney book and I was a little disappointed.
To be honest I'm not sure what to say about this book. Luke Delaney is one of my favourite authors and I adore the Sean Corrigan series. And The Rule of Fear but this book was just not to that standard for me, so t get me wrong it was a good read but I think I'd like to read a bit more of the darkness that came with Sean Corrigan and the corruption of Rule of Fear. I've waited a long time for a new Delaney book and I was a little disappointed.
June 6, 2023
This is between a 2 and a 3 star. Lots f shock factor and it's interesting that the main action is after the murder is solved. I guess sin an interesting exercise in construction and in getting into the mind of the perpetrators but mostly I didn't feel like the book really impacted me in any way. Can't really explain it but it felt like a far away story, something that's there, that doesn't bother me, but doesn't really gather my attention either 🤷🏻♀️.
October 10, 2021
Absolutely brilliant! I have read quite a few of Luke Delaney’s earlier books and I was really looking forward to reading this and it didn’t disappoint. I felt that it was really well written and it certainly kept me guessing from beginning to end. The only disappointment is that this looks like a standalone novel but I feel sure that the author can provide many more hard to put down stories.
November 16, 2021
Brilliantly written.
So many twists and turns, this book will keep you up at night as you just won’t want to put it down.
Heartbreaking in its story line, but the characters will pull you in as you feel their pain and confusion and their need to right the wrongs. Evil is never far away.
So many twists and turns, this book will keep you up at night as you just won’t want to put it down.
Heartbreaking in its story line, but the characters will pull you in as you feel their pain and confusion and their need to right the wrongs. Evil is never far away.
May 16, 2022
I've enjoyed previous novels by Luke Delaney so it was a no brainer to read this. I loved the premise, and it was on course to be a solid 4 star effort. However, it nearly lost me in the middle. Chapters and chapters of uninteresting story building, felt like page fillers. Finished stronger thankfully. No rapport built with characters at all.
April 27, 2024
I'm in the minority here, I know... but this really didn't hit the spot for me as much as I expected. I saw every twist coming from a mile away, including who the real psycho was, who leaked information and why, and how it was going to end.
The story itself was well told, but I feel like the slow pace required some psychological suspense that never really came.
The story itself was well told, but I feel like the slow pace required some psychological suspense that never really came.
October 26, 2021
Great read
nice to see a strong writer amongst the dross that abounds on kindle unlimited - great, though harrowing, story, very well-written, author clearly know his police stuff - am actually going to buy the paperback version for my non-kindle unlimited friends
nice to see a strong writer amongst the dross that abounds on kindle unlimited - great, though harrowing, story, very well-written, author clearly know his police stuff - am actually going to buy the paperback version for my non-kindle unlimited friends
November 1, 2021
Keeps you guessing this one. Books about child killers fascinate me and this one was no exception, are they rehabilitated? Did they even do it in the first place? Jumping from present day to the past worked well as the story is gradually revealed and true evil is revealed.
November 6, 2021
Brilliant
I loved this book! So intriguing. I was hooked from page one right to the final sentence. The characters were good, the storyline was tense. 5 out of 5. Will be reading more by this author for sure.
I loved this book! So intriguing. I was hooked from page one right to the final sentence. The characters were good, the storyline was tense. 5 out of 5. Will be reading more by this author for sure.
November 7, 2021
The truth will always out
It has been such a while since the last book. This did not disappoint. The story line was gripping and such a page turner. Let's hope we don't have to wait too long for the next
It has been such a while since the last book. This did not disappoint. The story line was gripping and such a page turner. Let's hope we don't have to wait too long for the next
January 26, 2022
The writing started a bit clumsy but the more I got into it the more suspenseful it got. It did the multiple point of views very well with very definite character voices for all of them. I can't say much without spoiling it but it was a great read.
June 25, 2022
Even though I read this out of sequence (read the next in this series before this one) it was still a thoroughly gripping read and cleared up some of the references in Senseless. This is a smashing thriller!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews