(Reuben Maitland: book 4): a heart-stopping and engrossing nightmarish thriller that you won’t be able to stop reading

Control

The new thriller featuring ex-CID detective Reuben Maitland.

Fans of Kathy Reichs, Karin Slaughter and Patricia Cornwell will love this hard-hitting and riveting forensic thriller by bestselling author John Macken. 
 
"Cutting -edge forensics, an all-too-human hero and a nightmarish scenario: Control is one you won't put down" - Simon Beckett 
"Tense and absorbing" - OBSERVER 
"This kept me engrossed from start to finish" -- ***** Reader review 
"Has everything a good crime thriller should have: killings, suspense, terror..." -- ***** Reader review 
 
******************************************************** 
 
IF YOUR CHILD WAS KIDNAPPED, HOW FAR WOULD YOU GO TO GET THEM BACK? 
 
Two murders, days apart but clearly linked. Each victim has had the tips of their fingers removed with a hacksaw. The killer is sending a message and wants his next victim to know who they are - and be very afraid. But beside the gruesome nature of their deaths there is no obvious connection between the two victims. 
 
Reuben Maitland, freshly returned to GeneCrime, must investigate the case. The forensics come in, DNA is sampled, the clues begin to mount up. 
 
Then the killer strikes again. Reuben's young son, Joshua, is snatched from his pram. The murderer sends Reuben a message: 'Stop hunting me. I will kill again, a third and final victim and you must not stop me. Come after me and your son will die.

Cutting-edge forensics, an all-too-human hero and a nightmarish scenario: Control is one you won't put down

John Macken works as a scientist in a large windowless building. He is married with two children. He is the author of three previous books featuring Reuben Maitland - Dirty Little Lies, Trial by Blood and Breaking Point.

(Reuben Maitland: book 2):  A powerful and riveting thriller that will keep you hooked

Trial By Blood

A stunning second novel from one of Transworld's most promising thriller writers, continues the story of Reuben Maitland and Genecrime.

If you like Kathy Reichs, Karin Slaughter and Patricia Cornwell, you'll love this edgy and engrossing forensic thriller by bestselling author John Macken. 
 
"A terrific forensic thriller, which real flesh and blood characters and a plot that never lets up" - PETER ROBINSON 
"Tense and absorbing" - OBSERVER 
"A great page-turner" -- ***** Reader review 
"Fast and furious...and full of intrigue" -- *****Reader review 
"Kept me hooked right to the last page" -- *****Reader review 
 
****************************************** 
 
FOR AN EX-COP, PRISON IS A DEATH SENTENCE... 
 
Reuben Maitland has lost everything: his job, his marriage, his reputation. Fired from CID's elite forensic investigation unit, he is forced to turn to the other side of the law to find work. 
 
Michael Brawn is currently enjoying the hospitality of Her Majesty at Pentonville maximum security prison. He is not who he claims to be and has been placed there on forged genetic evidence. Evidence that was submitted to the court on Reuben's authority. But who is he, and why is he there? 
 
Reuben is offered one chance to clear his name. He needs to discover Brawn's real identity and, more importantly, his reason for falsely entering prison. And there is only one way of getting to him. Reuben is going to have to enter Pentonville. 
 
But as he is about to find out, prison is a very dangerous place for an ex-copper.

Macken speaks with authority about the science and knows how to put a tense and absorbing story together

John Macken works as a scientist in a large windowless building. He is married with two children. His first novel, Dirty Little Lies, is also published by Corgi Books.

If you like Kathy Reichs, Karin Slaughter and Patricia Cornwell, you'll love this edgy and engrossing forensic thriller by bestselling author John Macken. 
 
"A terrific forensic thriller, which real flesh and blood characters and a plot that never lets up" - PETER ROBINSON 
"Tense and absorbing" - OBSERVER 
"A great page-turner" -- ***** Reader review 
"Fast and furious...and full of intrigue" -- *****Reader review 
"Kept me hooked right to the last page" -- *****Reader review 
 
****************************************** 
 
FOR AN EX-COP, PRISON IS A DEATH SENTENCE... 
 
Reuben Maitland has lost everything: his job, his marriage, his reputation. Fired from CID's elite forensic investigation unit, he is forced to turn to the other side of the law to find work. 
 
 Michael Brawn is currently enjoying the hospitality of Her Majesty at Pentonville maximum security prison. He is not who he claims to be and has been placed there on forged genetic evidence. Evidence that was submitted to the court on Reuben's authority. But who is he, and why is he there? 
 
 Reuben is offered one chance to clear his name. He needs to discover Brawn's real identity and, more importantly, his reason for falsely entering prison. And there is only one way of getting to him. Reuben is going to have to enter Pentonville. 
 
But as he is about to find out, prison is a very dangerous place for an ex-copper.

(Reuben Maitland: book 1):  A hard-hitting, powerful thriller you won’t be able to put down

Dirty Little Lies

Waking the Dead meets CSI in a hard-hitting, powerful thriller that takes us to the forefront of forensic crime.

This compelling and gripping novel by bestselling author John Macken takes the forensic thriller to the next level. Perfect for fans of Kathy Reichs, Karin Slaughter and Patricia Cornwell. 
 
"A tense and absorbing story..." - OBSERVER 
"I was gripped from start to finish." -- ***** Reader review 
"A cracking read" -- ***** Reader review 
"This was dark at times...but kept me hooked and interested all the way. More please!" -- ***** Reader review 
"I spent two days gripped unable to put it down. It is a well written, well constructed forensic thriller, which leaves you guessing until the final pages and then you are given a final shock..."-- ***** Reader review 
 
***************************************************** 
THE HUNTERS HAVE BECOME THE HUNTED... 
 
Reuben Maitland runs the UK's most elite crime squad, working only on the highest-profile cases, tracking down the country's most vicious criminals. The squad have always made enemies but now they're in danger: a killer is using their own techniques against them. 
 
Reuben must find the killer before his team is eradicated. But the more questions he asks, the more complex the answers become. And as the case unravels, so his own personal life collapses... 
 
Not only is he fighting to save the lives of his colleagues, he is fighting for his own professional and personal survival. 
The choices he makes will determine his future. When he makes the wrong one, he finds himself alone on the outside of the law, at the mercy of a seemingly unstoppable killer...

A terrific forensic thriller, with real flesh and blood characters and a plot that never lets up.

A tense and absorbing story...As auspicious as debuts get

John Macken works as a research scientist in a large windowless building. He is married with two children.

John Macken

(Reuben Maitland: book 3): an engrossing and distinctive thriller that you won’t be able to forget

Bestselling author John Macken takes the forensic thriller into unchartered genetic territory in this gripping thriller. Fans of Kathy Reichs, Karin Slaughter and Patricia Cornwell won't be disappointed. 
 
'Macken speaks with authority about the science and knows how to put a tense and absorbing story together' - OBSERVER 
 
'You always get something different from John... he takes it to a new extreme' -- ***** Reader review 
 
'A cracking story... it is eminently readable' -- ***** Reader review 
 
'A very intelligent book' -- ***** Reader review 
 
******************************************************** 
 
PUSHED TOO FAR, EVERYONE BREAKS... 
 
There is a killer loose on the London Underground. He kills without leaving any forensic trace, and seemingly without motive. Genecrime, the UK's elite forensic unit, are stretched to the limits trying to find one usable clue. 
 
And there is another problem facing Genecrime. Before he was sacked as head of the unit, Reuben Maitland developed a system to predict latent homicidal behaviour from people's DNA. Now rogue elements in the police, believing that prevention is better than cure, are using Reuben's research to hunt down and incite latent psychopaths beyond their breaking point. 
 
Reuben must track down whoever is misusing his technology and stop them before more lives are destroyed. But what he cannot know is that his investigation will lead him directly into the path of the Underground killer...

John Macken

Books by John Macken

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