The critically acclaimed, internationally bestselling Declan Walsh series continues...
"No one's laughing now..."
Every February, the clowns of Britain gather at All Saints Church in Haggerston for the Grimaldi Memorial Service. When this year's service ends, one Joey remains seated in a pew near the back. By the time anyone realises he isn't sleeping, he's been dead for over an hour.
Over a hundred witnesses. Every one of them in full clown makeup. And a murderer among them.
When DCI Declan Walsh and the Temple Inn team scrub the makeup from the victim, the mystery deepens – his face is nowhere on the Clown Egg Register. He's not a clown at all. What he is, and why he died holding a slice of cake from a service held a decade ago, pulls the team into the secretive world of Britain's clowning fraternity – to a musical grave in Islington where mourners still dance, to a two-hundred-year-old story of a daughter ordered to sever her father's head, and to a theft from the Clowns' Gallery in Dalston that was never reported to the police.
While Doctor Rosanna Marcos receives a visit from a face she hasn't seen in years – and is forced to face a promise she thought she'd already repaid – in a church full of laughter, the killer is sitting in plain sight.
Declan has faced killers who hide in shadows before. But this one is hiding behind a smile – and the show isn't over yet...
The twenty-sixth book in the critically acclaimed, internationally bestselling series of procedural crime thrillers featuring DCI Declan Walsh and the team of the Last Chance Saloon, Tears Of A Clown is perfect for fans of J.D. Kirk, L.J. Ross, Ian Rankin, Alex Smith, Rachel McLean, J.M. Dalgliesh, and Ann Cleeves, among others.
The series
In the gritty, rain-soaked streets of London, Detective Inspector Declan Walsh hunts for justice in a world where nothing is ever quite as it seems. The Detective Inspector Declan Walsh series follows Walsh and his team of skilled investigators as they navigate a maze of cold cases, twisted motives, and dark secrets that threaten to unravel everything they believe in. The series is a thrilling journey through the city's underworld, where morality is murky and the lines between right and wrong are constantly shifting.
Read full series description
What sets this series apart is its unflinching realism and the emotional depth of its characters. Walsh is no ordinary detective; he’s a man marked by the weight of his past, driven by an unrelenting desire for justice that borders on obsession. His team, including the sharp and compassionate DS Anjli Kapoor and the ever-resourceful DC Billy Fitzwarren, adds layers of complexity to each case, bringing their own struggles and personal demons into the investigation. Their chemistry, the highs and lows of their relationships, and their relentless pursuit of the truth form the emotional backbone of each book.
The Detective Inspector Declan Walsh series explores more than just crime—it delves into the psychology of those who commit it and the toll it takes on those who chase after it. The mysteries are not just puzzles to be solved, but reflections of human nature, fear, and the sometimes terrifying choices people make when pushed to their limits. Every case is more than a murder or a missing person; it's a window into the darkness that exists in all of us.
From the first chilling moment in Letter from the Dead, to the complex web of deceit in Murder of Angels, each book is a masterclass in suspense. The series doesn’t shy away from the brutal realities of policing and the moral quandaries that come with seeking justice. As Walsh and his team peel back the layers of each case, they uncover far more than they ever bargained for, leading them to questions that challenge their own identities and sense of duty.
For readers who crave gritty, character-driven mysteries with a touch of psychological depth, the Detective Inspector Declan Walsh series offers an unforgettable experience. With each page, the stakes grow higher, the mysteries more entangled, and the characters more real. Get ready for a journey that will stay with you long after the last page is turned.
#1 · 2020Letter From The Dead 
#2 · 2004Murder Of Angels 
#3 · 2021Hunter Hunted 
#4 · 2021Whisper For The Reaper 
#5 · 2021To Hunt A Magpie 
#6 · 2021A Ritual For the Dying 
#7 · 2021Killing The Music 
#8 · 2021A Dinner To Die For 
#9 · 2022Behind The Wire 
#10 · 2022Heavy Is The Crown 
#11 · 2022Stalking The Ripper 
#12 · 2022A Quiver Of Sorrows 
#13 · 2022Murder By Mistletoe 
#14 · 2023Beneath The Bodies 
#15 · 2023Kill Your Darlings 
#16 · 2023Kissing A Killer 
#17 · 2023Pretend To Be Dead 
#18 · 2024Harvest For The Reaper 
#19 · 2024Crooked Was His Cane 
#20 · 2024A Pocket Full Of Posies 
#21 · 2024Cheating My Destiny 
#22 · 2025Stand And Deliver 
#23 · 2025We Play With Death 
#24 · 2025His Dead Man's Hand 
#25 · 2026Digging Your Grave 
#26 · 2026Tears Of A Clown 
#27 · 2026A Model For Murder Be the first reviewer
Sign in and write the first reader review.
