A Long Dead Thing

From the multimillion-copy bestselling author of the DCI Robert Kett series Alex Smith, comes the first in a brand-new mystery series filled with the gripping action and hilarious comedy fans have come to love. Welcome to Southwold!

It may be heaven on earth, but all hell has broken loose... When a raid on a gang of people smugglers in Aberdeen goes wrong, impulsive Police Scotland detective DI Harrison Baird faces the worst punishment imaginable: relocation to England. Posted in the sleepy seaside town of Southwold, and partnered with the apparently clueless DC Connie Connell, Baird finds himself in a world that’s totally different to the gritty Scottish streets he’s used to. Here, the biggest problem seems to be what topping to put on his ice cream, and how to avoid eating DI Henry Crump’s awful fish pie. But beneath the surface, the Suffolk coast hides a terrifying darkness. One night, a body is washed ashore—a long-dead thing—and in its eye is a silver coin. When more bodies follow, each murdered more brutally than the last, Baird realizes that he’s arrived just in time to face a ruthless serial killer—one who seems to be targeting members of a powerful local crime family. It’s clear that things down south are not always what they seem. And sometimes, even in the most peaceful of places, you need to play hardball.

© 2026 Simon Maverick (Audiobook): 9781668189641

Release date

Audiobook: 28 April 2026