The Lying Man
A famous victim. A locked room. Dark secrets. For DS Ballantyne, murder isn’t black and white.
DS Kat Ballantyne came to the crime-writing festival for an escape. Instead she’s walked straight into a murder scene.
Moments before he’s due on stage, a famous novelist is found dead in a locked room. It looks like natural causes, but Kat sees tiny clues that suggest murder. As she investigates, she uncovers literary rivalries, personal vendettas and hidden agendas. Is there anyone who didn’t have a motive to murder Mark Swift?
As the case takes a turn for the darker, Kat finds herself in a world where the line between right and wrong is blurred. Can she bring Swift’s killer to justice? And, if so, should she?
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Andy Maslen
Andy Maslen is an author whose gripping thrillers and sharp, fast-paced narratives have captivated readers around the world. With a knack for creating high-octane, edge-of-your-seat plots, Andy's novels draw readers into a world where danger lurks around every corner and nothing is quite as it seems.
Born and raised in the UK, Andy's early career was in marketing and advertising, where he honed his skills as a writer, learning how to grab attention and keep people hooked. But after years of crafting ads, he decided to turn his hand to something more personal—fiction. His transition from the world of advertising to the realm of suspense and thriller writing was a natural one. The same instincts that made him a successful copywriter—an understanding of pacing, suspense, and compelling characters—became the backbone of his novels.
Detective Kat Ballantyne
In the gritty underbelly of the city, where corruption runs deep and danger is never far behind, Detective Kat Ballantyne stands as an unflinching force of justice. The Detective Kat Ballantyne series invites readers into a dark world of suspense, where every case is a puzzle, and no one is as innocent as they seem.
Kat is a seasoned detective with a razor-sharp mind and an unwavering moral compass—traits that both serve her well and complicate her personal life. Tasked with solving cases that range from heart-stopping murder mysteries to complex conspiracies, Kat’s determination to uncover the truth often pushes her into dangerous territory, where she must confront not only the criminals she pursues but the ghosts of her own past.
Detective Kat Ballantyne consists of six books and series is set to expand with the upcoming release of one more book. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.
