BLACK WATER RISING

Shortlisted for the McDermid Debut Award at the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival 2025.

“Sean Watkin brings Liverpool to life in all its rich dark colours…”
– Val McDermid

Time is running out to catch a killer...

Teenage girls are going missing across Liverpool. When the body of the third victim is discovered on the banks of the Mersey, the search for the culprit intensifies, and DCI de Silva is called back to work.

Still reeling from the recent suicide of her husband and dragged down by the undertow of PTSD, de Silva has been struggling in self-imposed exile. In her fragile state, is she ready to win in a race against the clock?

This case should have been DS Barclay’s opportunity to finally show himself to be more than what everybody assumes – an exercise in diversity, a gay man employed to tick boxes.

De Silva and Barclay must exorcise their own demons to stop more victims suffering, all while dealing with a traumatised and escalating killer, who is hellbent on finding somebody from their past.

You can buy the book from independent bookshops like Pritchard’s Bookshop, News From Nowhere and more, as well as Waterstones, Amazon, and TG Jones.

BETTER OFF DEAD

Some secrets are best left buried.

“Even darker and more gripping than the first. De Silva and Barclay are wonderfully tortured, complex characters you can’t help but follow into the darkest corners of Liverpool. Twisty, dark, and a beautifully-handled portrayal of living with PTSD.”
– Daniel Aubrey

The emotional fallout from their last case has left DCI de Silva and DS Barclay’s lives in tatters. Barclay’s marriage has failed and de Silva is still haunted by the loss of her husband and wondering whether she ever really knew him.

When the National Crime Agency takes over their investigation, the duo are reassigned to a cold case. A dismembered body found in Formby woods. Hidden for decades. And then, another body is discovered.

As they dig deeper into the identities of the victims, they uncover a tangled web of awful crimes. And they learn that they can’t trust anyone – even those closest to them.

A dark and gritty crime thriller set in Liverpool, perfect for fans of Luca Veste, M. W. Craven and Russ Thomas.

You can buy the book from independent bookshops like Pritchard’s Bookshop, News From Nowhere and more, as well as Waterstones, Amazon, and TG Jones.

NO PLACE LEFT

Sometimes the end is just the beginning.

A young person is found dead on Southport Pier. Less than an hour later, a patient who recently vanished from a secure mental health facility is discovered in the sand and February snow.

DCI de Silva and DS Barclay are back, but as the biting snow settles across Merseyside, they find themselves pulled into an all-too familiar nightmare. Is this a tragic series of coincidences, or is it inextricably linked to their ongoing investigation into The Woulds app and the conspiracy that began long ago at Rainford Lane School for Boys?

As the snow falls, the duo must navigate a trail that is rapidly growing cold. But when the case hits devastatingly close to home, de Silva and Barclay realise the truth will demand a price neither of them is prepared to pay.

In a heart-pounding race against an invisible enemy, they are headed for a confrontation that will change everything.

No Place Left will be released on Thursday 17 September 2026.

You can pre-order a copy now from wherever you purchase your books.

C-5, L-6, G-5

It’s a secret.

“People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones”.