'A must-read for murder mystery lovers' DAILY MAIL
'Ellis conjures up an immersive, authentic world in this evocative series' FINANCIAL TIMES
'Gripping...expertly combining a crime mystery with a wartime thriller' ALEX GERLIS

***BEST CRIME FICTION NOVEL 2025 - BLOODY BARNES CRIME FESTIVAL***
***AN ASPECTS OF CRIME BOOK OF THE YEAR***

London. Spring 1943. While Europe continues to suffer under the iron fist of Nazi occupation, Britain remains battered but unbowed.

DCI Frank Merlin, already contending with a booming wartime crime wave in the capital, is confronted with a baffling case: the brutal murder of a respected doctor.

Following a puzzling trail that leads him into the hidden corners of clubland - and which appears to be linked to the disappearance of both British and American officers - Merlin must untangle a dark web of shocking secrets.

'A beach read that will make your holiday' DAILY MIRROR
'An outstanding historical mystery, with richly described period detail, vivid characters, and a great detective in Frank Merlin' JOSEPH FINDER, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR
'A pitch perfect example of a police procedural' ASPECTS OF CRIME
'An immersive and authentic-seeming tale of criminality in WWII London'' ROBERT J. LLOYD
'A gripping mystery with a wartime setting so redolent that you wonder where your ration book is' DOUGLAS SKELTON
'Very well paced and plotted, ably written and with a good cast' THE CRITIC
'A truly remarkable historical mystery series' TOM MEAD
'Compelling and absorbing historical crime fiction' TIM SULLIVAN
'Well paced and intriguing murder mystery...Ellis has really made his mark as a crime writer' ASPECTS OF HISTORY
'A terrific book with pace, colour and drama aplenty. DCI Merlin is turning into one of the great literary detectives' PHIL CRAIG
'Fantastic...the way in which Ellis creates the context of wartime London is really superb.' ROBERT LYMAN
'Nothing short of miraculous' SHOTS MAGAZINE
'A satisfying read for anyone who likes a World War Two whodunit' HISTORICAL NOVEL SOCIETY

Praise for Mark Ellis:

'This is to my shame the first Mark Ellis book I've read. If the others evoke a vanished London so impressively, are graced with such complex plots and deep characterisation, and, above all, are written so well I shall have to read them all.' THE TIMES

'Masterly . . . compelling . . . one of the most attractive characters to emerge in recent detective-thriller fiction' ANDREW ROBERTS, SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR

'Against the backdrop of Blitz-hit London, this stylish thriller sees Scotland Yard's Frank Merlin investigate a tangled conspiracy' SUNDAY MIRROR

'An atmospheric, compelling evocation of war-torn London' GEOFFREY WANSELL, Crime and Thriller Reviewer, DAILY MAIL

'Unputdownable' ROBERT LYMAN

'An intriguing, masterly juggling of an intricate plot and an enviable command of detail.' JOHN LAWTON

'Extraordinarily atmospheric and compelling' CHRIS LLOYD, HWA Gold Crown Award winner.

'...historical noir at its best. Mark Ellis's talents as a writer are many' GARY DONNELLY

Mark Ellis is a thriller writer from Swansea and a former barrister and entrepreneur. Mark grew up under the shadow of his parents' experience of the Second World War. His father served in the wartime navy and died a young man. His mother told him stories of watching the heavy bombardment of Swansea from the safe vantage point of a hill in Llanelli, and of attending tea dances in wartime London under the bombs and doodlebugs.

In consequence, Mark has always been fascinated by World War II and, in particular, the Home Front and the fact that while the nation was engaged in a heroic endeavour, crime flourished. Murder, robbery, theft and rape were rife.

Author of the DCI Frank Merlin series, Mark is also a member of the Crime Writer's Association.

He lives in London.