James Ellson – författare

A British crime thriller featuring a Manchester detective, an international kidnapping investigation, and a deadly trail stretching from England to the mountains of Nepal.One missing man leads to a deadly trail across two continents.Manchester. DCI Rick Castle is inspecting his bees when his boss calls. A minor cannabis dealer has been reported missing, and his father is a decorated war hero demanding answers.Castle follows the trail to Nepal, through villages of staring children and fluttering prayer flags, beneath brilliant blue skies and snow-capped mountains.Then he finds a body.Then another.Nothing about the case is straightforward. To uncover the truth, Castle must put himself in the firing line and make a decision that could cost lives.The Trail is Book 1 in the DCI Castle series. Perfect for readers who love British crime fiction in the style of J.D. Kirk, Ian Rankin, and Peter James.___________________________________________________________________Praise for the DCI Castle Series:★ ★ ★ ★ ★ A fresh take on the crime genre.★ ★ ★ ★ ★ One of the best crime fiction novels I have read.★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Well paced, nice character development… I would definitely read more by Ellson.★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Fast paced, enjoyable, hard to put down.★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Wonderful descriptions of the Nepalese trail that stay with you.

A British crime thriller featuring a Manchester detective, a high-stakes international manhunt, and a deadly pursuit through the mountains of Nepal.To catch his most dangerous enemy, DCI Rick Castle must break the rules.Manchester DCI Rick Castle makes a decision that could end his career. Against orders, he removes a prisoner from Strangeways and returns to Nepal.His target is Hant Khetan, a dangerous fugitive rising among the world’s most wanted men.When the prisoner escapes in the Everest foothills, Castle and his small team are forced into a desperate search through remote mountain trails and earthquake-damaged villages.If they cannot find him, Castle will lose the only chance he has to bring Khetan to justice.Cold Dawn is Book 2 in the DCI Castle series. Perfect for readers who love British crime fiction in the style of J.D. Kirk, Ian Rankin, and Peter James.__________________________________________________________________Praise for the DCI Castle Series:★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Very engaging, fast paced, and hard to put down.★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Many twists and turns.★ ★ ★ ★ ★ An ending with enough loose ends to start another book.★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Completely different… with many twists and turns.★ ★ ★ ★ ★ I finished this book and within ten minutes had ordered Book 3 in the series.

A British crime thriller featuring a Manchester detective, a prison escape, and a deadly race through the criminal underworld during Europe’s migration crisis.Two fugitives. One city. Only one will survive.Manchester is on edge. On the site of a disused supermarket, a hidden compartment in an articulated lorry is being unloaded under cover of darkness.At the same time, a prisoner escapes from Strangeways.DI Rick Castle, recently demoted but still impossible to ignore, begins to ask questions. The two events may be connected, and if they are, the consequences could be deadly.As Castle follows the trail through Manchester’s criminal networks, he realises he is chasing two dangerous suspects. If he cannot reach them first, they will find each other.And when they do, someone will die.Cold Summer is Book 3 in the DCI Castle series. Perfect for readers who love British crime fiction in the style of J.D. Kirk, Ian Rankin, and Peter James.___________________________________________________________________Praise for the DCI Castle Series:★ ★ ★ ★ ★ A tense game of cat and mouse.★ ★ ★ ★ ★ The authenticity lends to how believable the tension is throughout.★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Ellson’s strong command of place… I felt like I was there.★ ★ ★ ★ ★ A stellar introduction.★ ★ ★ ★ ★  Superb police realism and a great story.

A British crime thriller featuring a Manchester detective, a shadowy Russian network, and a dangerous investigation inside the UK’s criminal underworld.A routine case is about to destroy DCI Rick Castle’s career.Investigating a tyre blowout on a school minibus is not what DCI Rick Castle expected in his new role heading Special Investigations in South Manchester.He would rather be working the cold case murder he has just taken public. Instead, a routine enquiry begins to reveal something far more serious.Then drugs are discovered in Castle’s car.Arrested and under suspicion, Castle must clear his name while uncovering the truth behind a criminal network operating in plain sight. If he fails, his career will be over before the real investigation even begins.Baseline is Book 4 in the DCI Castle series. Perfect for readers who love British crime fiction in the style of J.D. Kirk, Ian Rankin, and Peter James.___________________________________________________________________Praise for the DCI Castle Series:★ ★ ★ ★ ★ The best yet.★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Strong characterisation and plenty of plot twists.★ ★ ★ ★ ★ A terrific read.★ ★ ★ ★ ★ A cracking story that keeps you on your toes the whole time.★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Fully familiar with police procedure.

A high-stakes British crime thriller where a protected witness vanishes and the detective hunting her is already being tracked.In South Manchester, duty does not take days off.Days before his wedding, DCI Rick Castle is pulled into the one case he cannot refuse—finding a missing protected witness who could finally bring down an untouchable Mancunian crime lord.The trail leads him to the desolate Scottish Highlands and explodes into violence and conspiracy, revealing a suspected leak within the police. Cut off from support, and fearful he's being watched, Rick pushes on.But the closer Rick gets to the witness, the closer his family gets to danger, turning his obsessive investigation into a fight he cannot walk away from—and a battle for survival he may not win.If the case does not break him, they will go after the one thing that will.Rule of Threes is Book 5 in the DCI Castle series. Perfect for readers who love British police procedurals, relentless detectives, and gritty, high-stakes crime thrillers.___________________________________________________________________Praise for the DCI Castle series:★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Richly drawn characters… in a world of moral shades of grey.★ ★ ★ ★ ★ I felt like I was there, on the streets, in every room.★ ★ ★ ★ ★ A gripping crime novel… with complex characters and a story that keeps you hooked.★ ★ ★ ★ ★ A fresh take on the crime genre.★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Not many writers create a detective with vulnerabilities beyond the usual cop tropes.

A missing person enquiry leads Manchester DCI Rick Castle to Nepal. Manchester. DCI Rick Castle is inspecting his bees when his boss phones. A minor cannabis dealer has been reported missing…Three missing. Two continents. One detective.

Against the rules, Manchester DCI Rick Castle removes a prisoner from Strangeways and returns to Nepal. His aim: to bring to justice his nemesis Hant Khetan, rumoured to be the next Osama Bin Laden. DCI Rick Castle is back in Nepal. Let the manhunts begin.

A race against time as DCI Castle hunts for two wanted suspects before they kill each other. Nothing will be the same again.

A routine case leads to a Russian cell operating in the UK.Investigating a tyre blowout on a school minibus is not what DCI Rick Castle had envisaged in his new job in charge of Special Investigations at South Manchester. He'd prefer to be making headway on a cold case murder. Then drugs are found in his car, and he's arrested.The fourthbook in the critically acclaimed DCI Castle series.

Whenprivate investigator Rockburn discovers an abandoned child in a bus stop, he’sdrawn into a world of people traffickers.A truncated phonecall from a distressed woman takes Rockburn to Fenwick Street in centralManchester. His first case after months of waiting. He discovers a young boy, butbefore he can ask questions, the two of them are being chased . . .Being a detectivehad been easy for him – regular wages, backup, forensic help, intelligencedatabases. Being a PI is far harder, but he has no choice. He has to make itwork, not only for himself, but for the boy.The first in a newseries from the author of The Trail.

The Trail is a crime thriller. A missing person enquiry leads Manchester DCI Rick Castle to Nepal.Manchester. DCI Rick Castle is inspecting his bees when his boss phones. A minor cannabis dealer has been reported missing. His father’s a war hero.Rick flies to Nepal, and heads up the trail. Through villages of staring children and fluttering prayer-flags. Brilliant blue skies, and snow-capped mountains.He finds a dead body.Then a second.Nothing in this world was ever straightforward. Nothing.  Finally, he puts himself in the firing line, and has a decision to make. Is it the right one? The moral one? "Intelligent and pacy thriller . . . a taut, keenly-observed tale of revenge, perseverance and the struggle against injustice." Paula Hawkins, author of Girl on a Train"The Trail is a stunning debut from an exciting new addition to the world of crime fiction. James Ellson combines depth of characterisation and authentic police procedural detail with a talent for evoking a sense of place, particularly in his vivid portrayal of Nepal. An original plot lifts Ellson''s first book above the level of most contemporary crime novels. And readers will be longing to hear more from his complex protagonist DCI Rick Castle!" Stephen Booth, author of the Cooper and Fry crime fiction series