Company of Rogues Series

Jonas Flynt returns from the Caribbean to London to claim revenge against an old enemy…

Dead thieves tell no tales…

Jonas Flynt’s stepmother, Mercy, has been abducted from Edinburgh and carried back to the West Indies by her former owner.

Gideon Flynt his father, has followed in hot pursuit, but Cassie, Jonas’s first love, knows he is not the man he once was and appeals to Flynt for help. Naturally, he agrees.

Against Colonel Nathaniel Charters’ wishes, he sails for the Caribbean, where he will unwittingly join forces with the most notorious pirate of all time, Blackbeard.

But this time he may be out of his depth.

An utterly gripping historical crime thriller set on the high seas from the McIlvanney Prize longlisted author of An Honourable Thief.

‘Flynt is as bold and ruthless a killer-agent as James Bond, and even more resourceful’ Scotsman

A city on the brink of civil war. A madman pulling the strings.

A family is found butchered in a dismal room in Whitechapel. Not even the small children are left alive.

Most of the authorities pay scant attention, except for Thieftaker General Jonathan Wild. Intrigued by this development, Colonel Nathaniel Charters tasks his most trusted operative, Jonas Flynt, with discovering why.

When another family is murdered just as brutally, Flynt uncovers evidence of a simmering conflict between rival gangs, with Wild seemingly desperate to keep a lid on the slaughter.

The question for Flynt is how deep is his new friend the Admiral, a gang leader, involved, and is he capable of killing innocents? Or is there someone else in London, more dangerous and more deranged, with blood on their hands?

A scintillating serial killer thriller set amidst the dirt and grime of Georgian London, the next thrilling instalment in the McIlvanney longlisted Company of Rogues series.

Praise for A Thief’s Blood

A Glasgow Times Book of 2024

‘Skelton has the storyteller’s essential gift: the ability to lead you on, ever eager to know what happens next’ Yorkshire Post

‘Skelton’s eighteenth-century London is, as always, exquisitely rendered and thoroughly immersive …. In a solidly-plotted historical thriller with danger lurking around every corner and intrigue brewing from the lowest dungheap to the highest palace in the land, the realisation that these murders are inflaming existing rivalries to the point where an epic confrontation is almost unavoidable raises the stakes even further. There’s no sign here that the dark and brooding Jonas Flynt’s adventures are running out of steam yet’ Herald

England, 1716. The only certainty in a thief’s life is death.

Christopher Templeton is a lawyer whose conscience troubles him. He knows many of the secrets of The Fellowship, the shadowy group profiting from the civil unrest in the nation, and has intimated to the Company of Rogues that he is willing to share them.

The problem is, he has vanished. Jonas Flynt thief, gambler, killer still recovering from a duel with death upon the frozen Thames, is tasked with finding him.

The trail takes him from the dark slums of London to a quiet village in the north of England, where all is not as it seems. But while he hunts for the missing man, someone else may be stalking him someone with murder in their heart.

The new gripping historical mystery from the author of An Honourable Thief, longlisted for the McIlvanney Prize 2023. Perfect for fans of Abir Mukherjee, Craig Russell and S.G. MacLean.

London, 1716. Revenge is a dish best served ice-cold

‘An immersive, action-packed thriller with intrigue in the air and threats around every corner’ The Herald

‘Great fun … the language is colourful and the action never stops’ Laura Shepherd-Robinson

The city is caught in the vice-like grip of a savage winter. Even the Thames has frozen over. But for Jonas Flynt thief, gambler, killer the chilling elements are the least of his worries

Justice Geoffrey Dumont has been found dead at the base of St Paul’s cathedral, and a young male sex-worker, Sam Yates, has been taken into custody for the murder. Yates denies all charges, claiming he had received a message to meet the judge at the exact time of death.

The young man is a friend of courtesan Belle St Clair, and she asks Flynt to investigate. As Sam endures the horrors of Newgate prison, they must do everything in their power to uncover the truth and save an innocent life, before the bodies begin to pile up.

But time is running out. And the gallows are beckoning…

A totally enrapturing portrayal of eighteenth-century London, and a rapier-like crime thriller, perfect for fans of Laura Shepherd-Robinson, Antonia Hodgson and Ambrose Parry.

Introducing Jonas Flynt. Gambler. Thief. Killer. Man of honour.

Longlisted for the McIlvanney Prize 2023’Fast, furious and with a glint of gallows humour, this is high-octane historical fiction’ Daily Mail

‘Swashbuckling action against a vivid historical backdrop. I loved this book’ Ian Rankin

‘High adventure meets espionage thriller as Jonas Flynt battles the tide of history and the deadly secrets of his own past’ D. V. Bishop, author of City of Vengeance

1715. Jonas Flynt, ex-soldier and reluctant member of the Company of Rogues, a shady intelligence group run by ruthless spymaster Nathaniel Charters, is ordered to recover a missing document. Its contents could prove devastating in the wrong hands.

On her deathbed, the late Queen Anne may have promised the nation to her half-brother James, the Old Pretender, rather than the new king, George I. But the will has been lost. It may decide the fate of the nation.

The crown must recover it at all costs.

The trail takes Jonas from the dark and dangerous streets of London to an Edinburgh in chaos. He soon realises there are others on the hunt, and becomes embroiled in a long overdue family reunion, a jail break and a brutal street riot.

When secrets finally come to light, about the crown and about his own past, Jonas will learn that some truths, once discovered, can never be untold

An atmospheric and utterly compelling blend of crime, history and thriller, to delight fans of S. J. Parris, Andrew Taylor and C. J. Sansom.

Praise for An Honourable Thief ‘Reads like a genuine eighteenth century spy novel. I see a long future for Jonas Flynt’ Ambrose Parry, author of The Way of All Flesh

‘Anyone who enjoys a good historical mystery and likes an edgy, charismatic protagonist is going to love the adventures of Douglas Skelton’s new hero, Jonas Flynt’ S.G. MacLean, author of The Seeker

‘An absolute triumph … Five stars from me, and I look forward to reading more of Jonas’s adventures’ James Oswald, Sunday Times bestselling author

‘Historical crime fiction at its absolute best. I loved it!’ Marion Todd, author of the Detective Clare Mackay series

‘Pitch-perfect stuff. Like all great historical novels you’ll feel you’re there! This is a departure for Skelton, who seems born to write high-end historical fiction’ Denzil Meyrick, author of the DCI Daley thrillers

‘Uniquely combines a page-turning thriller with a perfectly evoked sense of time and place. Powerful stuff from a master of his craft’ Craig Russell, author of Hyde

‘Skelton’s mastery of time and place inhabited with richly drawn characters is a delight. It held me to the last tantalising page’ David Gilman, author of The Englishman

‘Jonas Flynt is one of those characters you’ll be rooting for from the very first chapter … it looks like Skelton has found a new home writing first-class historical fiction’ Alison Belsham, author of The Tattoo Thief

‘This is a fascinating, totally engrossing historical novel. Flynt is a most attractive, three-dimensional character and the same is true of the world he moves through. A brilliant, most enjoyable read’ Paul Doherty, author of The Nightingale Gallery

‘A cracking historical drama with breathless pacing and knuckle-chewing tension, all shot through with Skelton’s deft characterisation and flashes of pitch-black humour. The perfect read to lose yourself in’ Neil Broadfoot, author of Falling Fast