DI Ripath Crime Thriller Series

A web of lies. A confusion of secrets. A maze of murder.

In a quiet Manchester suburb, a man sets himself on fire in a petrol station. Nearby, a fourteen-year-old girl murders her mother in cold blood.

At the Coroner’s Officer, Detective Inspector Ridpath is called in to investigate both of these baffling deaths. Is one a suicide and and the other an unexplained murder? Or does something more sinister link the two seemingly unconnected tragedies?

As Ridpath delves deeper, he must confront the darkness lurking in the most unexpected places, where even innocent facades can hide the darkest of truths. Can he prevent more deaths?

An unputdownable and suspenseful crime thriller from the bestselling author, perfect for fans of Mark Billingham and Trevor Wood.

Praise for What the Dark Whispers

‘The best in the series so far, with the tension turning with every page’ Reader review

‘Gripping I was drawn in very quickly, unable to put the book down’ Reader review

‘Keeps you on the edge of your seat once again MJ Lee serves up another masterpiece’ Reader review

‘Wow, a fantastic suspenseful crime thriller!! I highly recommend reading this book’ Reader review

‘Absolutely brilliant story. Grabs you from the beginning. I can’t wait for the next book’ Reader review

‘Another superb Ridpath book by the brilliant MJ Lee. I love this series of books, and as soon as I have finished one I am desperate to read another’ Reader review

‘Well-crafted, realistic characters and a twisted plot’ Reader review

They are waiting for death. He is waiting to kill them.

In May 2020, fourteen-year-old Andrew Golding went out for a walk following a row with his mum. He was never seen again.

Four years later, when the press discovers police errors in Andrew Golding’s case, DI Ridpath is called in to investigate.

As Ridpath delves into the case, he slowly discovers something much bigger and far more brutal than he ever expected a murderer from the past who threatens his career and the lives of those close to him. Can he unravel the secrets before the killer strikes again?

The latest tense and gripping DI Ridpath thriller set in Manchester. Perfect for fans of Mark Billingham and Damien Boyd.

Praise for What the Dead Want

‘A riveting read with a finale that has your heart pounding. Yet again Mr Lee has written a book that is immensely thrilling and entertaining’ Reader review

‘Everything anyone could possibly want from a tension-filled thriller and then some! Ridpath is one of my favourite main protagonists I’ve read some excellent books recently and this is right up there with the best of them’ Reader review

‘Another highly suspenseful and ultimately satisfying book in the DI Ridpath series. Highly, highly recommended’ Reader review

‘A fabulous twisty turny plot Cannot wait for the next in this series!’ Reader review

‘It was with a big sigh that I finished this book I had tried so hard to make it last but the plot was so damn good I just had to know how it was all going to end and what an ending it was!’ Reader review

‘If you like twisty mysteries with imperfect British police protagonists, give this series a try. You won’t regret it’ Reader review

‘This book had me hooked from the start with a shocking and edge-of-your-seat ending!’ Reader review

‘Relentlessly brilliant’ Reader review

To love and to cherish, till death did them part…

‘A brilliant thriller’ The Sun

Two desiccated bodies are found in each other’s arms in the bricked up room of a derelict Victorian warehouse. After six months of work, the police have nothing and Ridpath is finally called in to investigate. Dubbed the Romeo and Juliet murders by the press, so many questions remain unanswered.

Who are they? Why were they there? Who killed them? And why was the coroner so keen for him to work on this particular case?

Ridpath is plunged into his most difficult investigation yet, in a race against time to discover the truth. Has an unknown serial killer been operating in Manchester for the last twenty years?

Fast-paced, vicious and utterly compelling, the latest Ridpath novel is perfect for fans of Mark Billingham and Damien Boyd.

A death in custody. A life in jeopardy.

When Ben Holdsworth dies alone in a police cell, riots erupt in Manchester. But after a post mortem, the authorities have decided nobody was to blame.

DI Ridpath is asked to investigate by the coroner before an inquest, and immediately uncovers some discrepancies in the witness statements.

Why was the CCTV not working that night? Where was the custody sergeant, and did he know the victim? Wherever he turns there are lies and gaps. It’s a dangerous game and the net is closing On Ridpath himself.

There is only one way out: uncover what really happened in the prison cells on that dark Manchester night.

A stunning crime thriller from a master of the genre, perfect for fans of Mark Billingham, Val McDermid and Ian Rankin.

Three severed hands. No clues. A race against time.

Three embalmed hands are discovered in a disused Victorian house. Is it a gangland ritual? The work of a cult? Or just a prank played by Medical Students? And what happened to the bodies?

Meanwhile the Coroner needs to issue a Presumption of Death certificate on a teenage girl who vanished eleven years ago in mysterious circumstances.

As hints emerge the two cases are connected, DI Ridpath pushes himself to the limit to find out what really happened. It soon emerges the house is a former children’s home. When another woman, a local social worker, disappears, he is under immense pressure to find answers. What really happened at Daisy House Children’s Home all those years ago?

He has just one week to discover the truth

The latest in the #1 bestselling DI Ridpath crime thriller series, perfect for fans of Mark Billingham and Peter James.

A child’s body in an unmarked grave. A killer waiting to strike again.

A young boy’s body is found in a meadow beside the River Mersey. No DNA. No witnesses. No clues. It brings back painful memories of the Moors Murderers.

After two weeks, the police have made no progress finding the killer. The one thing they do know; he will kill again. It is a race against time and they are losing.

DI Thomas Ridpath has just returned to work. Diagnosed with PTSD and undergoing supervised psychological therapy, he is dragged into the case against his better judgement. When another child is kidnapped, Ridpath must confront his own demons to stop a killer before he strikes again.

A nail-biting thriller that takes the Ridpath novels to new heights, this is perfect for readers of Peter James and Damien Boyd.

The past is never over. It’s just waiting for an opportunity to return

When the notorious serial killer the Beast of Manchester was captured, the streets should have been safe. Except the police got the wrong man. An innocent person was convicted, and only later was the culprit put away.

Now, those connected to the case are being targeted. Someone wants revenge. DI Thomas Ridpath has to relive the horrors all over again. As the bodies stack up once more, Ridpath knows the answers lie in the mistakes made the first time round.

But as he is searching for clues from years ago, fresh terror awaits. While Ridpath seeks to save lives, he risks overlooking the greatest danger of all and losing more than he can stand.

Don’t miss this unputdownable crime thriller featuring one of Britain’s best-loved fictional detectives, perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Mark Billingham and Cara Hunter.

What readers are saying about When the Past Kills

‘A fabulous read, the plotting is genius and the characters, even the nasty ones, are so true to life’ NetGalley review

‘Totally riveting, don’t start it if you have things to do later that day as I promise it’s unputdownable’ NetGalley review

Nowhere is safe. No one can be trusted.

A bloodied body is found in a Manchester Immigrant Removal Centre. The investigating officer and the pathologist seem certain: a suicide. But for DI Ridpath something doesn’t add up.

As the evidence starts to unravel, and with few leads, the pressure is on to find answers before the Inquest is closed. Caught between the police, the coroner and a system that doesn’t care, Ridpath isn’t making any friends.

And at the centre of the case Ridpath will find a heart of darkness. Innocent people are suffering. How many more will die before Ridpath discovers the truth?

The fourth instalment of the unputdownable DI Ridpath series is perfect fans of Mark Billingham and Patricia Gibney.

Play with fire, and you’re going to get burned. The unputdownable new Ridpath crime thriller

In Manchester, a block of flats is burning. The only victim is a middle-aged man, sat watching TV. Are the fire and the man’s death an accident or is something more frightening at work?

Meanwhile, DI Ridpath is back with his wife and enjoying work at the Coroner’s Office, his myeloma still in remission. But the quiet life is soon shattered by a new threat.

More corpses start appearing; charred, burnt, silent bodies, strewn in the streets and lodged in buildings. Next to each one is a chilling message sprayed in orange ink.

Fighting on all fronts, Ridpath will be drawn into the dark past of his city and the youth football clubs of the 1990s. He must find the link before any more people die. Before the flames come close to home…

An absolutely gripping, nerve-shredding crime thriller from master storyteller M J Lee, perfect for fans of Mark Billingham, Robert Bryndza and Patricia Gibney.

One chance encounter, one murder, will change everything.

DI Thomas Ridpath is in the process of getting his life back together when everything goes wrong. Caught in a gruesome motorway incident, one question remains: why did nobody else see what happened?

Ridpath’s investigations soon pulls the police force itself into question, and hints at something even more sinister.

With Manchester on the brink of violence unlike anything seen in decades, Ridpath must battle this unprecedented conflict alongside his own demons

A nail-biting crime thriller, MJ Lee’s Where the Dead Fall is an absolute must-read, perfect for fans of Mark Billingham and Peter James.

The case was closed. Until people started dying

DI Thomas Ridpath was on the up in the Manchester CID: a promising detective who captured a notorious serial killer. But ten years later he’s recovering from a serious illness and on the brink of being forced out of the police. Then the murders began, in an uncanny echo of his first case.

As the death count grows, old records, and bodies, go missing. Caught in a turf war between the police and the coroner’s office, Ridpath is in a race against time. A race to save his career, his marriage, and innocent lives.

When a detective disappears everything is on the line. Can Ridpath save his colleague?

A nail-biting crime thriller, perfect for fans of Mark Billingham, Peter James and D. S. Butler.