The next BRAND NEW gripping instalment in John Carson's DCI Liam Brodie series.

Some fires never truly go out.

They just wait for the right moment to burn again.

On a busy Halloween night in Fife, a woman is murdered in plain sight – her body left in a shallow grave and a theatrical dress left hanging above her - preserved, positioned and meant to be seen.

Five years earlier, a dress just like it was worn by a young actress named Nancy, who died in a devastating Bonfire Night fire that tore through a local theatre. DCI Liam Brodie knows the dress is a message… but for who?

His investigation soon leads him to the heavy blast doors of a nuclear bunker. Deep underground, where two broken men guard the memory of Nancy - the woman they lost. But they aren't the only ones with secrets…

While suspicion falls on those closest to the victim, the real killer is watching, waiting, and preparing his final act. The stage is set. The fuse is lit. In the countdown to Bonfire Night, Brodie must discover who is pulling the strings before the final curtain falls in blood.

Published
October 4, 2026
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Additional book details

Author

John Carson

John started writing in the early 1990’s, starting with 3 horror novels. In 1997, he then decided to switch to writing crime novels. He started a series with a detective called DCI Justice. He attended a weekend writing course in Edinburgh, with Ian Rankin as the tutor, at the end of 1997. Early in 1998 when the first Justice novel was finished, Ian read the book and gave John a written report on it, encouraging him to write more. After 2 more Justice books, John created DI Frank Miller, and decided to self-publish those books in 2014. In 2019, John Created and published DCI Harry McNeil. After that success, John found the original notes for…