A Song from Dead Lips

Breen & Tozer Book 1

Published in the US as She’s Leaving Home

The Runaway

A nameless young woman is found naked and strangled in an alley on Abbey Road.

The Reject

DS Cathal Breen, an outcast in the Marylebone CID, struggles to make sense of the case.

The Rookie

Until new recruit WPC Helen Tozer – the first woman to join the team – makes a breakthrough.

And as hippies slam doors in their face, and locals suspect the new African neighbours, Breen and Tozer tread down a perilous path, closing in on a cruel conspiracy that goes far beyond class, colour and creed.

“A gripping story, impeccably researched” The Guardian

“Shaw skilfully recreates an era of social turmoil and class conflict” The Sunday Times

Best Crime of 2013 The Evening Standard

“Excellent debut” The Mail on Sunday, paperback of the week

“Missed the sixties? Then grab a copy of William Shaw’s superb A Song from Dead Lips. This is a terrific mystery novel that moves at the speed of a sixties three minute single. Has the best female character this side of Salander in many a year You can literally hear the Beatles as this andrenalined narrative jets along. The most startling, original crime of the year.” Ken Bruen

“This outstanding novel is a reminder of the multiple joys of [a] police procedural with quirky characters, crisp dialog, and, in this case, a healthy dose of period detail. . . . Spread the word so that this satisfying debut will end up in the right hands.”Library Journal (starred)

“Slick, stylish and suspenseful – read it now!” Essentials

“Convincing atmosphere, lively dialogue and a fun cop duo unites Beatlemania, English racism and the Biafran war. ” The Times

“London-set police thriller William Shaw’s powerful debut novel is searing suspense and a haunting look at the 60’s. Murder, politics, international intrigue – the brutal death of a young woman set against the dark background of Abbey Road. The dialogue is razor-sharp and the London scene is brilliantly authentic. A Song From Dead Lips is thriller-writing at its best.” Linda Fairstein

“Over the course of a thrilling plot, William Shaw succeeds in recreating all the political tension and cultural upheaval of an explosive time .” Le Figaro

“All is impeccably researched. Shaw has imbued his London and its people: natives, incomers, transients, with the crude and frenetic aura of a decade, a time when pop culture was only the face of revolt, when, behind the façade, the old guard attempted to shore up the barricades, and people died violently… We have a new detective to join Brunetti and Sergeant Chee, and a debut to celebrate.” Shots Magazine

“Entertaining and thought-provoking in equal measure, with its wonderful description of sixties London.” Raven Crime

“The ending is action packed… a neat take on an over-examined decade. A sort of Magical Murder Mystery Tour.” Daily Express

A House of Knives

Published in the US as The Kings of London

Breen & Tozer Book 2

The Black Sheep

The wayward son of a rising MP is mutilated and burnt in suspicious circumstances.

The Honest Detective

DS Cathal Breen dodges political embargo and death threats to pursue the case.

The Rolling Stone

Notorious art dealer Robert Fraser may provide the only clue – if only he will talk.

And as Breen slips deeper into London’s underground of hippies and heroin, he edges nearer to the secrets of those at the very top. Banished from a corrupt and fracturing system, he will finally be forced to fight fire with fire.

“Excellent period yarn that tackles bent police, the dark side of hippiedom and utterly nails the myth of the Swinging Sixties” The Sun

“Insightful… an elegy for an entire alienated generation” The New York Times

“A distinctive British crime drama, which benefits from a clear moral sense – not altogether common in an era more used to Fifty Shades of Grey” The Daily Mail

“Well-drawn characters and a well-told plot keep the action taut and the pages turning” Choice magazine

“It’s a far out read, man. You’ll dig it” Weekend Sport.

“William Shaw makes his sentences sing” New York Daily News

“Cathal Breen is altogether the most welcome crime solver in British fiction” Toronto Star

“Breen and Tozer come across as fallible human beings, not razor-sharp law enforcers, and it’s their relationship—both professional and personal—that makes this a winner” Publisher’s Weekly

“Shaw makes the gritty English capital come alive” Kirkus

“Shaw improves on this series’ strong debut” Booklist

A Book of Scars

Published in the US as A Song for the Brokenhearted

‘An emotional intensity found only in the very best crime fiction’ Sunday Times Crime Book of the Year

Never forgotten

Teenager Alexandra Tozer was murdered on her family’s farm. Five years later, her sister Helen will return.

Never suspected

As soon as DS Breen tracks down the original investigating sergeant, the man goes missing. And so does Helen.

Never revealed

The only connection between the suspects is the Kenya Emergency – a nightmare that Englishmen prefer to forget.

But others remember. Every bloody detail. And when another woman is taken, Breen fears that history – in all its shame and horror – is coming back to haunt them.

“Superb crime novels… A Book of Scars combines nostalgic period detail with an emotional intensity found only in the very best crime fiction.” Sunday Times Crime Book of the Month, June 2015

“A first-rate mystery” The Guardian

“The question of why a killer kills is always central. William Shaw delivers a perfect motive in the third of his excellent Breen and Tozer mysteries…” Jeff Noon, The Spectator

“Superb . . . Shaw picks up multiple plot threads, expertly weaving them into a complex story . . . Shaw perfectly captures the end of an uneasy era, and the utterly terrifying final scene will leave readers breathless.” Publishers Weekly (starred)

“Gripping . . . Echoes Robert Galbraith’s crime novels, and neither author suffers by the comparison. This is a totally engaging series.” Library Journal (starred review)

“Shaw raises the bar with each entry in this series. . . . A genre-bending psychological thriller, perfect for those who like Elizabeth George’s Lynley novels.” Booklist (starred review)

“Thoroughly gripping . . . Shaw draws incisive attention to little-known historical events and crafts a wholly satisfying thriller.” Kirkus Reviews

Sympathy for the Devil

Breen & Tozer Book 4

Published in the US as Play With Fire

London 1969: A detective in love. A crime of passion

The devil: She made a profit from rich men. They paid for her youth. She paid with her life.

The angel: To investigate the prostitute’s murder, DS Cathal Breen isn’t scared to question powerful suspects.

The fall: But when a mysterious man from MI6 calls, Breen begins to fear he’s uncovered a spy scandal.

And then Breen’s girlfriend Helen Tozer, with her ex-copper instincts, gets dangerously involved. Right or wrong, Breen knows he has too much to lose. He can have no sympathy for the devil.

“William Shaw is a superb, flowing writer, both of police procedure and personal relations, and perhaps England’s most adept at using dialogue to propel his always intelligent stories.” Marcel Berlins, The Times

“This book contains the kind of writing – silky, seductive, unobtrusive – that carries one along almost willy-nilly. I picked the book up to get a taste of it and an hour later was still reading this clever, absorbing police procedural.” Jessica Mann Literary Review

“Shaw’s talent for sensuous storytelling comes to the fore as he sets this fourth book in the series in the summer of 1969 . . . A first rate drama. Shaw goes from strength to strength, while making it all seem effortless.” Geoffrey Wansell Daily Mail

“The debate about whether or not crime fiction should aspire to literary values rumbles on, but when a writer demonstrates a consummate use of language and can also incorporate the key imperative of the thriller – page-turning – it’s a cause for celebration. William Shaw is in that select breed.” Barry Forshaw Financial Times

“A gripping, complex plot, the subtle period details and well-drawn characters make this a real winner.” Simon Cooper, The Sun

“Teenager’s violent, evasive killer and Cathal and Helen’s evolving, unsettled relationship create a new level of suspense for this must-read series of detail-saturated procedurals.” Booklist

"William Shaw is a superb, flowing writer, both of police procedure and personal relations, and perhaps England's most adept at using dialogue to propel his always intelligent stories." Marcel Berlins, The Times

"This book contains the kind of writing – silky, seductive, unobtrusive – that carries one along almost willy-nilly. I picked the book up to get a taste of it and an hour later was still reading this clever, absorbing police procedural." Jessica Mann Literary Review

"Shaw's talent for sensuous storytelling comes to the fore as he sets this fourth book in the series in the summer of 1969 . . . A first rate drama. Shaw goes from strength to strength, while making it all seem effortless." Geoffrey Wansell Daily Mail

"The debate about whether or not crime fiction should aspire to literary values rumbles on, but when a writer demonstrates a consummate use of language and can also incorporate the key imperative of the thriller – page-turning – it's a cause for celebration. William Shaw is in that select breed." Barry Forshaw Financial Times

"A gripping, complex plot, the subtle period details and well-drawn characters make this a real winner." Simon Cooper, The Sun

""Teenager's violent, evasive killer and Cathal and Helen's evolving, unsettled relationship create a new level of suspense for this must-read series of detail-saturated procedurals." Booklist

"William Shaw is a superb, flowing writer, both of police procedure and personal relations, and perhaps England's most adept at using dialogue to propel his always intelligent stories." Marcel Berlins, The Times

"This book contains the kind of writing – silky, seductive, unobtrusive – that carries one along almost willy-nilly. I picked the book up to get a taste of it and an hour later was still reading this clever, absorbing police procedural." Jessica Mann Literary Review

"Shaw's talent for sensuous storytelling comes to the fore as he sets this fourth book in the series in the summer of 1969 . . . A first rate drama. Shaw goes from strength to strength, while making it all seem effortless." Geoffrey Wansell Daily Mail

"The debate about whether or not crime fiction should aspire to literary values rumbles on, but when a writer demonstrates a consummate use of language and can also incorporate the key imperative of the thriller – page-turning – it's a cause for celebration. William Shaw is in that select breed." Barry Forshaw Financial Times

"A gripping, complex plot, the subtle period details and well-drawn characters make this a real winner." Simon Cooper, The Sun

""Teenager's violent, evasive killer and Cathal and Helen's evolving, unsettled relationship create a new level of suspense for this must-read series of detail-saturated procedurals." Booklist

"William Shaw is a superb, flowing writer, both of police procedure and personal relations, and perhaps England's most adept at using dialogue to propel his always intelligent stories." Marcel Berlins, The Times

"This book contains the kind of writing – silky, seductive, unobtrusive – that carries one along almost willy-nilly. I picked the book up to get a taste of it and an hour later was still reading this clever, absorbing police procedural." Jessica Mann Literary Review

"Shaw's talent for sensuous storytelling comes to the fore as he sets this fourth book in the series in the summer of 1969 . . . A first rate drama. Shaw goes from strength to strength, while making it all seem effortless." Geoffrey Wansell Daily Mail

"The debate about whether or not crime fiction should aspire to literary values rumbles on, but when a writer demonstrates a consummate use of language and can also incorporate the key imperative of the thriller – page-turning – it's a cause for celebration. William Shaw is in that select breed." Barry Forshaw Financial Times

"A gripping, complex plot, the subtle period details and well-drawn characters make this a real winner." Simon Cooper, The Sun

""Teenager's violent, evasive killer and Cathal and Helen's evolving, unsettled relationship create a new level of suspense for this must-read series of detail-saturated procedurals." Booklist