Detective Shona Oliver Series

Rocky seas lie ahead…

DI Shona Oliver is at a professional and personal crossroads. The National Crime Agency is coming for her over the murder of her former boss, determined to charge someone. Her current boss insists she keeps a low profile, sending her to Galloway.

There, she meets DI Kenneth Dalrymple who is on compassionate leave to care for his terminally ill wife, Isobel. He asks Shona to look into a cold case the murder of his wife’s sister, Ailsa. A talented young artist, she was killed while painting at the nearby lighthouse in Portpatrick. All leads led to dead ends. Isobel desperately wants to know the truth about her sister’s death, before it’s too late.

But with the NCA closing in and a sudden active murder case to investigate, Shona has to put her cold case on hold. Can she deliver justice and bring answers, and maybe closure, to a dying woman?

An atmospheric and gripping Scottish detective novel. Perfect for fans of Neil Lancaster, JD Kirk and Val McDermid.

How do you solve a murder when you don’t have the body?
A blood-soaked hammer is discovered in a lorryload of wood delivered to a local pub. DI Shona Oliver appears to have a murder weapon, but where is the victim?
Then a call comes in that local forest ranger and ex-soldier John MacFarlane isn’t answering his phone. There’s no sign of MacFarlane at his cottage, and the only clue the team have to go on is a bloody trail in the snow which ends abruptly and leads to nowhere. A manhunt begins.
It seems something from MacFarlance’s past may have caught up with him. But what exactly is unclear. And Shona has her own past to contend with when someone from long ago makes an unexpected reappearance. Can she keep her head in the game?
A fast-paced, twisty Scottish crime thriller. Perfect for fans of Lin Anderson, Val McDermid and Neil Lancaster.
Praise for The Winter Dead
‘McEwan crafts yet another atmospheric thriller, blending police procedural detail, human drama and the perils of rural crime detection. In The Winter Dead, nothing is as dangerous as the weather. Except a cold hearted killer.’ Caro Ramsey

The threat has never been so close to home

DI Shona Oliver’s fellow officer PC Hayley Cameron drowns during a triathlon in the Solway Firth. The post-mortem reveals drugs in Hayley’s system, perhaps self-administered performance enhancers. But a puncture wound in the back of her wetsuit suggests foul play.

Shona and her colleagues investigate, but those closest to Hayley grapple with the truth and risk letting personal feelings cloud their judgement. Could the answers to Hayley’s death lie within Shona’s own ranks?

As the case hits the buffers, Shona clashes with her daughter and also faces difficult questions about the murder of her old boss. Will Shona keep her head above the water long enough to see justice done, and what will it cost her if she does?

The latest thrilling instalment in the unputdownable police procedural series by Lynne McEwan. Perfect for fans of Val McDermid, Ann Cleeves and Neil Lancaster.

Praise for A Troubled Tide

‘One of the best series I have ever read… Lynne McEwan has delivered an excellent police procedural’

‘A page-turner. There are plenty of surprises and twists along the way’

‘I love this series so much! In Shona Oliver you have a multi-faceted character’

‘A rollercoaster ride of emotions! Twists galore I was totally hooked from start to finish’

‘I am a long term fan of this series exceptionally well crafted’

‘One of my favourite authors well written with good plot lines and strong characters’

There are no easy choices when the dark clouds gather

DI Shona Oliver’s past and present collide when James McGowan, her ex-classmate now a famous actor comes to the area to make a Robert Burns biopic. Shona is tasked with keeping him safe during filming on an isolated island in the Solway Firth, and her job is made much harder when a dead man wearing James’s coat is found on the beach in suspicious circumstances. It seems someone wanted James out of the picture.

Meanwhile, Shona has her hands full at home too; her husband is on trial for a crime he claims he did not commit, but if he speaks out he risks his wife and their teenage daughter coming to harm. Can Shona keep her head above the waves and protect those around her?

A compulsive, atmospheric crime thriller set in Scotland, perfect for fans of Val McDermid, Ann Cleeves and Neil Lancaster.

Praise for The Gathering Storm ‘A page turner. The atmospheric setting draws the reader in to the extent that I felt that I was a spectator, chilled by the rain’ Reader review

‘An interesting plot. Characters are well written and likeable with a strong female detective’ Reader review

‘An excellent addition to the DI Shona Oliver series. The setting is described perfectly and I really like the characterisation. There is plenty of action and it’s full of atmosphere I highly recommend’ Reader review

‘Wow what a book, I could not put it down. Would definitely recommend to others’ Reader review

‘This was a brilliant story that kept me captivated. I was hooked from start to finish’ Reader review

‘This series gets even better with each story. Whilst there is a lot going on the threads are clear, well-defined and well contextualised compelling reading’ Reader review

‘I loved this book! I only just started reading Lynne McEwan’s books and can never put them down’ Reader review

‘A thrilling new voice in Scottish fiction’ Marion Todd

If the dead could speak, what secrets would they tell?

With her daughter on an archaeological dig, the only bodies DI Shona Oliver expects to find are long-dead. But when a corpse from the 1980s is unearthed, Shona quickly realises that it may be one of the missing “Girls in the Glen”, victim of a notorious serial killer.

Shona’s superiors want her to stop looking to the past, and focus on a fresher crime scene. The attempted shooting of a local politician who likes to stoke controversy.

As Shona finds herself pulled between crimes past and present, she soon realises that the secrets buried on Beild Moss are reaching into the present day.

But when even her own officers are keeping things from her, who can she trust? Especially when more lives may be at stake

The third instalment in the thrilling DI Shona Oliver series, perfect for fans of Neil Lancaster, G. R. Halliday and Ann Cleeves.

Praise for The Girls in the Glen ‘A gripping murder mystery and a must-read for fans of Scottish crime. The landscape is beautifully drawn and becomes a character in this tale of dark reprisal’ Stuart Johnstone, author of Into the Dark

What readers are saying about the DI Shona Oliver series

‘Full of twists and turns’ Reader review

‘Shona Oliver is the real McCoy exceptional leader, mother and wife fighting crime and personal family issues in equal proportions with heart, skill, compassion, integrity and humanity’ Reader review

‘Great twists and turns and a shocking climax. A brilliant read, I really enjoyed this one’ Reader review

‘A haunting and absorbing novel set against the backdrop of a notoriously stunning but dangerous landscape’ Reader review

‘Fast paced, unexpected turns and great character development’ Reader review

‘The sort of read that keeps you glued and up all night’ Reader review

‘This book has so many elements I enjoy; a strong, intelligent woman, an atmospheric setting and the history of this wild area. Lynne McEwan makes her characters come alive’ Reader review

‘Unputdownable! I was absolutely entranced with this and quickly read the whole book on tender hooks. One of the best I’ve read this year’ Reader review

‘Well written and plenty of interesting characters woven through a clever plot’ Reader review

Nothing stays buried forever

Lifeboat volunteer DI Shona Oliver receives a Mayday call coming from Kilcatrin Island. Upon the beach is the badly burned body of a man, and a boy lies gravely injured nearby. Strewn around them are scores of Second World War incendiary bombs, presumably washed up by the tide from Beaufort’s Dyke, an offshore arms dump deep in the Irish Sea.

The dead man is a local fisherman his son the other victim and it rocks the tight-knit community on the shores of the Solway Firth. As lead detective, Shona has to maintain a professional distance. But she can’t ignore the hardship that her neighbours who make a living at sea are experiencing. Anger is directed at the Ministry of Defence when the fallout threatens tourism, and livelihoods including Shona’s own family B&B business are at risk.

Suspicious behaviour seems to be found at every turn. It’s impossible for Shona to get to the truth unless she can gain the trust of those who know more than they’ve been willing to reveal. But blind loyalty may mean she’s too late to save those still in danger including herself.

The second instalment in an exciting new Scottish crime series featuring a detective with nerves of steel. Perfect for fans of Neil Lancaster, G. R. Halliday and Ann Cleeves.

Praise for Dead Man Deep

‘A real cracker of a book. Combining police procedural with the perils of volunteer lifeboat crew and some dodgy MOD arms dumping thrown in for good measure…’ Reader Review

‘I absolutely loved this book. So much so I read it in one sitting. The twists kept the pages turning and left me shocked at the end. I definitely recommend this series to all crime fiction fans!’ Reader Review

‘Fun page turner, this one will have you pining for the Scottish coast!’ Reader Review

‘A very well-written and likeable character this had the makings of a cracking series.’ Reader Review

‘Shona Oliver is flawed but hard working and always with good intentions. Lynne McEwan has created a captivating character and I hope more books follow!’ Reader Review

‘Excellent storyline and characters, so what more do you need? The next title can’t come quickly enough.’ Reader Review

‘A riveting Scottish police procedural.’ Reader Review

Beneath the surface lie deadly secrets…

DI Shona Oliver agreed to move to Dumfries with her ex-banker husband when their teenage daughter got in with a bad crowd in London. As a Glasgow native, she’s back on home turf.

Living on the shores of the Solway Firth allows Shona to continue as an RNLI volunteer, and a call out to recover a woman’s body indicates foul play. Police in Cumbria take the case but links back to Scotland keep Shona’s team involved. As they investigate, reports of people trafficking and a spate of thefts from local shops compete for attention with a large scale drug bust. But Shona’s work may all be in vain when those close to her threaten to tear the case apart and ruin Shona in the process.

An unforgettable debut novel by a Scottish crime writer to watch, for fans of Val McDermid, Marion Todd and Lin Anderson.

Praise for In Dark Water

‘A stunning and beautifully observed novel. Shona Oliver is a well drawn figure, engaging a lot of empathy from the reader in this absolutely fantastic debut.’ Caro Ramsay, author of Absolution

‘A thrilling new voice in Scottish crime fiction.’ Marion Todd, author of See Them Run

‘A fast-paced debut detective novel set on the shores of the Solway Firth’ The Herald

‘Being an avid reader, particularly in Scottish Crime fiction, this book, not to mention the author, is up there with the best and in Shona Oliver, we have a character in whom I hope there is considerable mileage.’ NetGalley review

‘What a ride! Lynne McEwan pulled me in and wouldn’t let me go!’ NetGalley review

‘In Dark Water is a very well written suspense novel. There are enough twists and turns to keep you interested until the very end… The descriptions were so vivid it made me feel as if I was right there in Scotland. The characters were well-crafted and the ending was a surprise.’ NetGalley review