A scarily realistic 'cat and mouse' thriller. Very unsettling with unexpected twists that will keep your stomach in knots. A very clever forensically aware serial killer is on the loose in London. But on his trail is the emotionally damaged DI Sean Corrigan who has an uncanny ability to identify darkness in others.
The author is an ex Detective Sergeant in the London Police and we think he has found his new calling. Perfect for fans of Mark Billingham, Peter James and Stuart MacBride.
A 'Piece of Passion' from the publisher... 'As a former police officer, it’s not surprising that Luke Delaney’s writing has an incredible sense of authenticity. But what really hooked me on first reading Cold Killing was the almost visceral sense of menace and threat that pervades the novel. And I fell in love with D I Sean Corrigan, a brilliantly drawn and fascinating character with a dark history that gives him the ultimate edge when it comes to catching bad guys.' – Sarah Hodgson, Deputy Publishing Director, HarperFiction
DI Sean Corrigan is not like other detectives. The terrible abuse he suffered in childhood hasn't stopped him enjoying family life with his wife and two daughters, or pursuing an impressive career with South London's Murder Investigation Unit. But it has left him with an uncanny ability to identify the darkness in others - a darkness he recognises still exists deep within his own psyche and battles to keep buried there. Now Sean's on the trail of the most dangerous killer he's ever encountered. The perpetrator has no recognisable MO, leaves no forensic evidence and his victims have nothing in common. But Sean knows they were all murdered by the same man. Now all he has to do is find the evidence, convince his bosses and stop the killing ...before his adversary gets too close to home...
'A striking debut from a former Murder Squad Detective, Delaney is not his real name, but there is no doubt about his inside knowledge and ability to convey it' Daily Mail
'A confident, aggressive and very promising debut by a former Met detective' The Times
'An authentic voice on how the police operate with a stone-cold killer striking randomly around London ... scary authenticity' The Sun
Author
About Luke Delaney
Luke 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 was later asked to join the CID where he investigated murders ranging from those committed by fledgling serial killers to gangland assassinations.
Why I wrote Cold Killing, by Luke Delaney... 'I had an unbelievable sixteen years in the Police, the vast majority of which was spent in the CID, and loved every minute of it. But eventually the low pay and difficult working conditions drove me to resign, and I decided to fulfil a lifelong ambition to write a novel. My dad always said the great novelists write about what they know – so it was always going to be a crime novel from me.
With Cold Killing I wanted to write something that accurately portrayed the atmosphere of a murder investigation, while having the scope and pace of a contemporary American crime thriller. I also really wanted the main police protagonist to have a believable dark side that he uses as a tool to help track down the killers he hunts, and so DI Sean Corrigan came to be. Along with his team of detectives, he faces real-life police problems, such as dealing with dilapidated equipment and working from uncomfortable, crowded offices, instead of the high-tech, super-modern places you seen on TV. The book also seeks to show the pressures the detectives are constantly under: from time, their seniors, the media and public. During an investigation, time is always the enemy…'
