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A Private Investigation
  • Published: 25 August 2026
  • ISBN: 9781804961490
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 304
  • RRP: $28.00
Categories:

A Private Investigation

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A million-copy-selling crime writer comes into print for the first time. In the eighth book of A DC Smith / Kings Lake Investigation Series, DC Smith is ready to retire. But first, he must take one last look into the eyes of a serial killer.

When fourteen-year-old Zoe Johnson doesn’t come home on a Monday night in early December, the alarm bells in Kings Lake Central police station do not ring straight away – after all, she’s from the Dockmills, one of the toughest estates in the town. But for Detective Sergeant DC Smith, due to retire in just three weeks’ time, there are some strange echoes of the case that has haunted him for the past thirteen years. Maybe it’s simply his over-developed sense of irony, or maybe, in his final days as a police officer, Smith must look once more into the eyes of a serial killer.
  • Published: 25 August 2026
  • ISBN: 9781804961490
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 304
  • RRP: $28.00
Categories:

About the author

Peter Grainger

Peter Grainger is the 'creator of the greatest fictional sleuth you’ve probably never heard of' (FT magazine). A former sixth-form English teacher, Peter is the author of 23 self-published novels, 19 of which are now scheduled for release by major British and North American publishers. Peter lives with his wife, sometimes a grandson and a dog in a cottage in the Cambridgeshire fens. He travels as often as possible to the Norfolk coast he once called home.
PG

Also by Peter Grainger

Some Sort of Justice
Roxanne
Songbird
The Truth
On Eden Street
In This Bright Future
The Rags of Time
See all

Praise for A Private Investigation

If you love British crime fiction such as Morse, then this is a brilliant series for you.

***** Reader Review

I read a LOT of murder mysteries and this series is one of the best!

***** Reader Review

An excellent, intelligent and believable crime series which just gets better.

***** Reader Review

Had me gripped from the very start to the extremely satisfying ending.

***** Reader Review

Engaging characters, intriguing plots and occasional humour make for a page-turning read.

***** Reader Review