Detective Kat Ballantyne – serie

She thought he was gone. She was wrong.Fifteen years ago, a serial killer was on a rampage murdering young women in Middlehampton. Then, suddenly, the killings stopped, and the murderer was never found…So when the body of another young woman is found bearing the twisted killer’s unique hallmark—the overpowering stench of lavender and an origami heart—DS Kat Ballantyne knows this can only mean one thing: the killer is back.For Kat, whose best friend was the killer’s last victim all those years ago, this is deeply personal. She’ll stop at nothing to prevent more women dying and bring her friend’s murderer to justice. But the scent has gone cold once before. Kat will need all the help she can get in her investigation as she hunts down leads and encounters dead ends and horrifying twists.With time running out, can she finally crack the case and put a stop to the killings—or will she be the next victim?

A journalist’s final words lead Kat Ballantyne into a deadly game of power, corruption and terror.A bomb threat at Middlehampton’s Powerhouse music venue sends DS Kat Ballantyne spiralling into a nightmare—her husband and son are inside. As the city reels in terror, Kat fights to keep her family safe while being pulled into another deadly case that may well be connected…A journalist investigating a controversial football club takeover makes a chilling 999 call before collapsing. Hours later, he’s dead. His apparent murder marks the beginning of a dangerous trail of corruption leading to a foreign royal family. Or is the killer closer to home? With a murder to solve, a terrorist plot unfolding and rival agencies vying for supremacy, Kat must untangle the truth before it’s too late.Justice always comes at a price—and this time, it could cost her everything.

How do you stop a killer no one believes exists?DS Kat Ballantyne wants to know why a perfect girl like Rosie Duggan would jump to her death from a multistorey car park.Everyone is saying she took her own life. But Kat is unconvinced. Girls like Rosie—bright, popular, well adjusted, and with her whole life ahead of her—don’t fall from tall buildings.Unless someone pushes them.When a second student dies the same way, Kat is the only one asking the hard questions.As she digs deeper, a disturbing pattern begins to emerge. With loyalties fracturing and powerful enemies circling, shocking DNA evidence leads to a surprising suspect.But has Kat really found the killer? Or has she just been played?

A ritualistic murder. Sacred ground. Powerful enemies. DS Ballantyne’s trials are only just starting.Christopher Piper, Middlehampton Cathedral’s fiery artist in residence, is found crucified at the altar, a bloody message daubed at his feet.DS Kat Ballantyne knows this will be no ordinary case. The killer’s message was deliberate. The staging was precise. Who hated Christopher enough to desecrate this holy place?The cathedral is preparing for its 500-year celebrations. Church leaders want the crime scene cleared and the scandal contained. Her own superiors demand results. But someone wants the truth buried.Teaming up with brilliant, quirky forensic specialist Dr Hannah Fellowes, Kat begins to unravel a tangled web of religious symbolism, church politics, corruption and human weakness. As powerful forces close ranks, the investigation becomes a race against time.An invitation to join a powerful group offers hope. What she discovers there shakes Kat’s faith in who she can trust—and who she should suspect. Because in a cathedral of lies, even the most sacred truths can be deadly.© 2026 by Andy Maslen, all rights reserved.