Iain McDowall

Page Updated: 11/04/02

Iain McDowall

Making A Killing

A Study in Death

WebPage: http://www.crowby.co.uk

and

Books By Iain McDowall

About the Author

Bibliography

First British Edition Piatkus (2001)

Making A Killing
Chief Inspector Jacobson is back from holiday and starting to wish he’d stayed away permanently. Firstly, the Crowby Crawler, a notorious serial rapist, is - legally - back on the streets with a mob of baying vigilantes at his heels. And secondly, Jacobson’s boss is retiring and his replacement seems to be on a personal mission to remodel Crowby CID as a Jacobson-free zone. It’s almost a relief - professionally, at least - when Mrs Jennifer Mortimer is found murdered in what Jacobson tells DS Kerr is an open and shut case.
Bored, adulterous Jenny Mortimer lies dead on the driveway and her jealous, domineering husband Gus hasn't the shred of an alibi. Even when DS Kerr casts doubt on the simplicity of the case, Jacobson isn't overly concerned. If Gus hasn't done it, Jacobson has his eye on another suspect just as close to home and just as much in the frame: Jenny's youthful, bohemian lover, Kevin Holland.
But as the summer heatwave continues and Jacobson's stress levels soar, things that he could really do without start to happen. Things like the Crawler evading police surveillance. And discoveries about Gus Mortimer turn the investigation of his wife's murder into Jacobson's darkest, most complex case yet ...
‘Does McDowall end his story with a double bluff, a triple bluff or no bluff at all? Read and enjoy.’ The Scotsman

First British Edition Piatkus (2000)

A Study in Death
Dr Roger Harvey, a high-flyer headed for the academic first division, has pursued his career and women with equal passion. But now he's just another murder statistic; his body has been lying in his flat for four days when a small-time burglar stumbles over it on his way out with the stereo.
DCI Jacobson and DS Kerr can see no obvious motive for the killing. Harvey didn't do serious drugs, didn't have a criminal record, definitely wasn't gay.
Despite Jacobson's dependence on booze and fags, and the fact that Kerr's marriage is disintegrating faster than his boss's liver, the two men are good coppers. But to solve the case they have to untangle the dark threads of a mystery which threatens to unravel in seemingly every direction: from Crowby University to Amsterdam; from million dollar machinations in the software industry to New Age cultists in the English Lake District.
‘McDowall expertly manages a complicated plot and has created realistic, albeit troubled characters ...a compelling, fast-moving story that leaves the reader wondering where he will go from here’ Publishers Weekly, USA
‘Smart cop, tough cop combinations seem to be all the rage just now and DS Ian Kerr and DCI Frank Jacobson of Crowby CID are no exception. McDowall has come up with a pair who could hold their own with Dalziell and Pascoe.’ The Northern Echo, UK
‘The pace is pounding enough ...But it's the author's observations that make this a stand-out. 'McCulloch tried a smile as slight as his huddled frame, as slender as his future.' ‘ Editor's Choice, The Boston Globe

About The Author
Born in Scotland, Iain McDowall is now a resident alien in the English Midlands where his fictional town of Crowby is also located. Iain worked as a philosophy lecturer and as a computing specialist before turning to crime (writing). His dark police procedural series chronicles the investigations of DCI Jacobson and DS Kerr

Bibliography
N.B. dates and publishers in dark red indicate British First Editions. Dates and publishers in black indicate recent reprints.

Making A Killing (Piatkus, 2001) St Martin's USA 2002 Piatkus Pbk Jan 02 ( Jacobson & Kerr)

A Study in Death (Piatkus, 2000) St Martin's USA 2001 Piatkus Pbk Jan 01

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