John Steele Knihy

Set in New York City during 1995, the narrative explores the vibrant cultural and social landscape of the era. It delves into the lives of diverse characters navigating the challenges of urban life, including personal struggles, relationships, and the impact of the rapidly changing world around them. Through their intertwined stories, themes of identity, resilience, and the quest for belonging emerge, painting a vivid portrait of a city in transition. The backdrop of the 90s adds a unique flavor to the characters' journeys and experiences.

Belfast, 1993: Jackie Shaw is a young tearaway running with paramilitaries in Belfast. He treads a fine line keeping psychotic hard-man Rab Simpson in check while sleeping with gang leader Billy Tyrie’s beautiful wife on the side. When a bomb claims nine lives, he is given the role of getaway driver in a planned reprisal killing, a key role in a major operation. But Jackie may not be who he seems... Twenty years later, Jackie returns to the city for his father’s funeral after disappearing in mysterious circumstances. He wants to mourn then leave, but when figures from his past emerge, he is left with no choice but to revisit his violent former life. The first in the Jackie Shaw series, RAVENHILL is a gripping début novel from a brilliant new voice in crime fiction. The second in the series, SEVEN SKINS , is coming soon. ‘Tense, unsparing, compassionate and exceptionally well-written, this brilliant thriller brings vividly to life East Belfast in war and peace, its self-appointed community defenders turned brutal predators, and the security forces who struggled to contain them.’ Ruth Dudley Edwards

'HARD-BOILED AND CRACKLING WITH INTENSITY. JOHN STEELE GETS UNDER THE SKIN OF THE NYPD AS WELL AS ANYONE WRITING TODAY' T. J. English 'DARK, HARD-HITTING AND FAST MOVING' Thomas Mullen *** HIS BIGGEST CASE YET. BUT IT COULD BE HIS LAST... NYPD officer Callum Burke is on a routine drugs raid when he bursts in on a scene of monstrous horror - and two killers about to get away. The men are caught but they won't talk. All the cops learn is that they're Russian and extremely dangerous which means this could be the start of a savage new gang war. Callum Burke is assigned to the investigation. It's Manhattan in 1997 and the city is being cleaned up. The pressure is on. But when Callum discovers there might be more to the Russian involvement than just criminal gangs, he finds himself in deeper trouble than he's ever known... *** 'Hard and intriguing. Callum Burke is a cop on the edge' David Albertyn 'The Sky Turned Black will make your head spin' T. J. English 'A crime saga that combines gritty detail with a global scope' Thomas Mullen