Always The Quiet Ones
When teenager Heather Ross disappears in rural Fife, it evokes dark local folklore about the Shadow Watchers—figures that supposedly guard buried secrets in the Scottish hills. DCI James Craig catches the case, and it quickly becomes clear this is no ordinary missing persons investigation. With DS Leanne Chalmers newly assigned to his team, the pressure to solve it intensifies quickly.
Craig's Major Investigation Team uncovers more than they anticipated. Significant money is involved in local land deals, stolen artefacts appear in unusual places, and individuals are prepared to kill to keep old sins hidden.
His evolving relationship with pathologist Dr. Annie Keller offers a fresh perspective on the investigation. Her forensic expertise uncovers vital details about the case, while their personal connection provides Craig with stability amidst the turmoil.
As people begin to die and the Shadow Watchers appear more fact than fiction, Craig realises he is running out of time. An ancient and dangerous force is awakening in the hills.
Always the Quiet Ones is a hard-hitting Scottish crime novel where ancient legends clash with modern murder, and everyone's got something to hide. DCI Craig's about to learn that the worst monsters aren't the ones in folk tales—they're the ones hiding in plain sight.
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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 his DCI Justice series, and decided to rewrite them, tweaking the original storylines, and changing the character’s name. DCI Justice became DCI Sean Bracken. There are five books in that series.
As well as the detective novels, John published several thrillers. The Max Doyle series, set in New York, and a novel featuring Scott Marshall, also set in New York.
John moved from Edinburgh, Scotland to the Hudson Valley in New York State back in 2006, where he lives with his wife and family. And two dogs. And four cats. Where there’s never a dull moment…
DCI James Craig
DCI James Craig consists of eight books. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.
