Detective Sergeant Harry Belltree, back on the job after a near-fatal confrontation with corrupt colleagues, has become a departmental embarrassment. The solution is a posting away from Sydney and a quiet life in Newcastle.

Or maybe not so quiet. A body’s been found buried just offshore on Ash Island; there may be more. There's also Harry's unfinished business. The car crash that killed his parents and blinded his wife happened not far from Newcastle. And Harry knows it was no accident.

The other unfinished business is Jenny's longed-for pregnancy. Which means that now the stakes are higher than ever.

Barry Maitland was born in Scotland, studied architecture at Cambridge University and went on to work as an architect and urban design expert. In 1984 he moved to Australia to head the architecture school at the University of Newcastle in New South Wales. In 1994 The Marx Sisters, the first in his Brock and Kolla crime series, was published. Barry now writes fiction full time. He is published throughout the English-speaking world and in translation in a number of other countries, including Germany, Italy, France and Japan. He lives in the Hunter Valley.

‘This is crime fiction at its very best with a local twist.’ Newcastle Herald

‘A well-constructed and enjoyable mystery that moves at brisk pace. The characterisations are convincing and Maitland, who lives in the Hunter Valley, invests the book with a good sense of place and a nice social conscience.’ Beaudesert Times

‘Maitland does not flinch from a brutal denouement…Prepare for a long and gripping haul.’ Age/Sydney Morning Herald

‘Ash Island is a tense, plot-driven and absorbing novel that features a strong main character. It’s a skilful police procedural in which alarming risks are taken and thrilling developments will unnerve readers.’ Good Reading 

Homicide detective Harry Belltree wouldn't usually be looking too hard at an elderly couple's suicide pact. Especially now, when his brother-in-law Greg has just been stabbed to death. But it seems Greg and the old couple had ties to the same man, a bent moneylender with friends in high places - and low.

Harry can't get officially involved in Greg's murder, but he suspects a link with two other mysterious deaths: his parents'. And when he goes off-grid to investigate, that's when things start to get dangerous

Set in Sydney, this dark, morally ambiguous and adrenaline-charged new series is a triumphant change of direction for Barry Maitland.

Barry Maitland was born in Scotland, studied architecture at Cambridge University and went on to work as an architect and urban design expert. In 1984 he moved to Australia to head the architecture school at the University of Newcastle in New South Wales. In 1994 The Marx Sisters, the first in his Brock and Kolla crime series, was published. Barry now writes fiction full time. He is published throughout the English-speaking world and in translation in a number of other countries, including Germany, Italy, France and Japan. He lives in the Hunter Valley.

‘Arguably one of the top five crime writers in the world.’ Australian

‘An unqualified triumph and Aussie hardboiled crime fiction at its very best.’ West Australian

‘Pacy and punchy.’ Sunday Age

‘Top-quality mystery.’ Manly Daily

‘A terrifically exciting novel.’ Canberra Times

‘Maitland just gets better, and he’s long been, if quietly, one of the very best…the writing is lean and top-knotch as always.’ Weekend Herald

‘Crucifixion Creek…takes off at a frantic gallop towards a heart-thumping finale that promises only a brief respite. Be prepared to stay up late.’ Saturday Age

‘An adrenalin filled ride through Sydney’s seedy underbelly.’ AustCrimeFiction.org

‘A hard-boiled plummet into damaged lives.’ Weekend Australian

‘Recommend this bare-knuckle tale to fans of Peter Temple, another hard-boiled Aussie who likes it rough.’ Booklist

‘Maitland starts a new trilogy set in Sydney, featuring an aboriginal detective. Well written with an elaborate plot, this fast-paced novel explores some aspects of the racial divide in Australia. Recommend for Claire McNab readers or anyone who likes police procedurals.’ Library Journal, starred review

‘Unlike the 12 cases Maitland set Kolla and Brock, this one expresses its moral complications through nonstop action. First of a series. Though you’ll wonder early and often how Harry can possibly survive for any sequels, you’ll hope again and again to be proved wrong.’ Kirkus Reviews, starred review