Gus Freeman now heads up a newly-formed Crime Review Team charged with investigating cold cases that puzzled his former colleagues. 

In ‘Fatal Decision’ Gus soon found his feet after three years in retirement. A murderer awaits sentencing and another cold case file has landed on his desk.

‘Last Orders’ follows the case of Trudi Villiers, a 26-year old barmaid murdered as she walked home from the Ring O’Bells pub in October 2003. Trudi may have been a good-time girl with a string of lovers, but she was someone’s daughter and Gus wants his team to find the truth about what happened to her on that fateful night.

“Gus Freeman shows a dogged determination to hunt down the killer in a complex police procedural with a shocking final twist”

Gus Freeman is 61 years old. The retired Detective Inspector lives in a village on the outskirts of a West Country town that lies approximately ten miles from the Roman city of Bath.

Freeman has spent the past 3 years tending his allotment. As he surveys his handiwork sitting outside his garden shed he ponders his night-time reading. He’s a fan of Kierkegaard the existentialist philosopher. Gus’s wife, Tess, died from a brain aneurysm six months to the day after his retirement. He is still coming to terms with his enforced solitary existence.

His old boss wants Gus to head up a Crime Review Team investigating cold cases. The trips to the allotment would be curtailed. His musings would be clouded by old witness statements and freshly unearthed clues… the hunt would be on. Freeman wonders whether his superiors really need his old style methods. Is the request out of pity; to occupy his mind with fruitless digging into cases their best young brains failed to crack? 

Gus can't resist the chance to enter the fray for one last hurrah. In this first case the team tackle the brutal murder of Daphne Tolliver in June 2008. The sixty-eight-year-old widow was killed while walking her dog, Bobby in woodland close to her home. 

A vote of confidence at Westminster. 

Which way will it go? Will the government fall?   

Could the forces of evil take advantage of the vacuum in the lead-up to a General Election?

Can Olympus continue to thwart the ambitions of the all-powerful Grid?

Will the authorities uncover the truth behind the Olympus Project?

Can the Larcombe families survive the troubled waters that lay ahead? 

“He who does not punish evil commands it to be done.” (Leonardo Da Vinci)

“Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.” (Benjamin Franklin)

“When unpalatable decisions are not taken, evil smiles and continues to flourish.” (The Phoenix) 

These are the unanswered questions. Many dangers face the Olympus agents before the climactic conclusion of this final book in The Phoenix Series. It will be as unpredictable as the others. Strap yourselves in. It’s going to be a ride to remember.

The Islamist terror attacks resume.

The Grid wields its power with sustained bursts of criminal activity. 

Government resources are stretched to breaking point as austerity cuts hamper their response. 

Olympus agents, with the help of the Irregulars, try to help without revealing their involvement. They are unaware of the Grid’s plan to use a Trojan Horse to breach their security. 

What will become of the Project if that happened?

Tyrone O’Riordan and his mother Colleen are at the heart of the action once more. Phoenix and Rusty target the menace of the moped gangs and then race back to the West Country as danger walks the streets close to home at Larcombe. Will they be in time?

To balance the chaos generated by terror and organised crime those living at Larcombe Manor have cause for celebration. There are both long-overdue and surprise announcements.

Orion (Phil Hounsell) makes a shocking discovery in his first task for Olympus. He brings news from Scotland that rocks the Project to the core.

Packed with current issues of political and economic concern this eleventh book retains the intensely realistic feel of the whole Phoenix Series.

The Grid becomes all-powerful under its new leadership. The UK is on the brink. 

An onslaught from organised crime combined with attacks by Islamist extremists takes its toll. 

Can Olympus stem the tide without revealing its hand?

Step by step the true nature of the main protagonists becomes clearer. Olympus has always operated in secret. Will its security be breached at last?

The bombers focus on the rail network and early strikes in London and Edinburgh have a catastrophic effect. Larcombe Manor is in mourning yet Olympus has to respond. As the ice-house teams hunt down the bombers and determine which station is their next target, Phoenix and Rusty travel north. The lessons of the grooming gang menace in the past had not been learned. Action is required.

Hugh Fraser and Ambrosia press forward with her plans to move closer to the summit of Olympus. Her suggestion that homeless veterans be offered a lifeline by Olympus has been fast-tracked by Zeus. The Irregulars move into Birmingham New Street for their first mission. Can they help Olympus prevent a third tragedy? 

These are some of the story threads in this tenth Phoenix book. The pace is relentless. There’s enough passion, excitement and tragedy to last a lifetime. All squeezed into three weeks.

Justice and revenge are to the fore. 

A senior Grid meeting has a dramatic conclusion. 

Colleen O’Riordan strengthens her grip in the capital. 

Who is her secret assassin?  What does the future hold for Hugo Hanigan?

Olympus agents strike in Scotland. Phoenix meets Hugh Fraser, ex-Army logistics expert. The ideal person to take over that role from him at Larcombe.

The pressure is starting to tell. It’s not easy balancing family life and vigilante justice.

In the North East, hate crimes are on the increase, particularly against Muslims. Phoenix and Rusty take the necessary action. A ruthless loan shark has dozens of operatives on the rundown city estates. Phoenix goes undercover to get the evidence to put them out of business.

In every Phoenix story, there’s balance. To counter the darker moments, can Henry Case and the Reverend Sarah Gough’s romance flourish? Will Hope’s christening be an occasion to enjoy?

Piya Adani, an Indian firebrand has joined the Gods. Ambitious, arrogant and looking for an ally. Sparks fly when she meets Hugh Fraser. Opposites do attract.

The excitement never slows as the vigilante organisation battles organised crime. Step by step, the Olympus story moves closer to its final instalments.

The drama unfolds over forty days and forty nights across the UK.   

The Grid’s story continues as death becomes a constant companion to Phoenix and his colleagues. 

Can Olympus halt the reign of terror perpetrated by The Grid?

Direct actions against gangs in the North and South of the country help Phoenix deliver telling blows. Drug cartels are targeted in Manchester. Gangs trafficking illegal immigrants through southern ports to be sold into domestic slavery and massage parlours are on the agenda too.

In London, Hugo Hanigan is a worried man. Who is behind these attacks? The police? Impossible. Rival gangs? They wouldn’t dare.

As the megalomaniac banker wrestles with these problems, Colleen O’Riordan has assumed control of her husband’s gang. Tommy languishes in HMP Belmarsh. His appeal is doomed to fail, but a transfer to Durham offers a possible opportunity for a prison break.

Colleen has begun her ascent to the summit. She wants to grab the reins of the all-powerful Grid. Is there a place for Tommy in her plans?

A prison break brings a further twist in the tale. A darker force emerges. One that threatens to become the final opponent for Olympus. So much can change in such a short time. 

When this story reaches its conclusion one thing is certain, what follows next promises to be even more exciting and unpredictable.

Newly-weds Phoenix and Athena battle The Grid and its leader Hugo Hanigan. 

Olympus seeks fresh faces to join the Gods and provide finance for its missions. 

Grid gang leader, Tommy O’Riordan, is convicted of murder. Hugo Hanigan immediately takes bloody revenge. 

Every resource at Larcombe Manor’s disposal is at full stretch. All twelve jurors from the trial are at risk. Phoenix and Rusty lead teams to offer protection. The High Court Judge and his family aren’t safe either.

Hugo Hanigan and the network of organised crime gangs dubbed the Grid attempt to pervert the course of justice. Will the judge reach the Old Bailey to pass sentence on O’Riordan? It’s a race against time.

Phil Hounsell and Wayne investigate a serial stalker. The already tenuous links between the security services firm and Larcombe Manor grow stronger. After they identify the culprit, Henry Case, the Chief of Security at Larcombe does the rest.

If only Olympus could find the elusive madman who heads the Grid. Action needs to be taken to flush Hanigan out. Phoenix and Rusty lead the retaliatory strikes.

In this seventh book, Tommy O’Riordan’s wife emerges from the gangster’s shadow. Colleen O’Riordan promises to be a formidable adversary for both Hanigan and Olympus.

A nostalgic trip to Dublin for Hugo Hanigan brings the curtain down on this part of The Grid’s story. It continues in the eighth book ‘Evil Always Finds A Way’.  

A rogue cosmetic surgeon causes the deaths of several patients. 

Drug dealers target even younger children. The school gates are the latest point-of-sale.   

The Project’s leaders need to strengthen the organisation after the recent attempted coup. 

The Titans may have been defeated, but a new era dawns. The nightmares are far from over. 

Larcombe Manor adjusts to the arrival of baby Hope as New Year celebrations began at the Project’s HQ. In the first months of 2014, Phoenix must consider the future. Can he continue to risk his life in the field now he has a daughter?

Olympus agents confront domestic crises which carry them across England, Wales, and the Irish Republic in pursuit of their prey. The action is intense; danger only a moment away.

Elements in this sixth story fit together like pieces of a jigsaw. Olympus faces the insidious growth of a major criminal network with branches in every major city in the UK. 

Who is the mastermind behind this network? Can Olympus prevent it gaining a stranglehold? Time will tell.

The Olympians and the Titans are in a power struggle. 

A traitor inside Larcombe Manor must be uncovered.  

There’s new life to protect as Athena prepares to become a mother.

The Phoenix needs all his skill and intelligence to keep his colleagues and loved ones safe. If the final battle is lost, the Titans will take the organisation in a darker direction altogether. Their ultimate aim is to overthrow democracy in the UK.

A disillusioned DCI Phil Hounsell leaves the police. With a new colleague in Wayne Sangster, their security firm hunts down missing persons and provides bodyguards for celebrities.

A tour of the UK keeping watch on a Sixties female pop star seems lucrative; but Honey B has a dark secret. Could Phil have leapt from the frying pan into the fire? 

All these story threads in book five are woven together to produce a rich tapestry of good and evil. Life’s all about balance, isn’t it? Who will win the day to face ‘A New Dawn’ that awaits?

Olympus battle vicious gangsters on home soil. The body count rises. 

Dimitar Marinov cements his reputation as the most brutal criminal to have set foot on UK soil. 

Phoenix and Athena attend their first meeting with Zeus and the other Gods.

They sense factions within the Project are plotting to take it in a different, more sinister direction. Who can they trust?

The opening scenes at Glastonbury 2013 to the closing chapter of this fourth Phoenix adventure cover little more than a month. Yet in that time, the landscape surrounding the Project is altered forever.

The action is non-stop as it switches from the West Country to Windsor, then from England to the Mediterranean.

Rusty Scott and DS Zara Wheeler met on the streets of Bristol. In an instant they both knew nothing would ever be the same. As Artemis, Zara now takes her place in the ice-house, the underground nerve centre of the Project.

A deadly gun battle near Windsor leaves Olympus with losses. There’s more dramatic news to come yet. Some welcome, some not. The future is rightly described as being in the lap of the gods.

If you’re a fan of savage, underworld criminals, fast-paced action and intense characters then you’ll enjoy following the Olympus Project and its fight against evil.

Take a deep breath; once you start you’ll want to keep turning pages until the end.

The action never slows. The tension never slackens. 

The Phoenix stares death in the face once more. 

Detectives Hounsell and Wheeler return. The past threatens to catch up with Phoenix.

Rusty Scott works alone in London on the trail of a rogue foreign diplomat.

An Olympus crew responsible for the disposal of bodies from an earlier operation leave evidence that could endanger the work of the Project. Phoenix and Rusty are sent to clean up the mess.

The excitement level never dips in this third book in the series. Whether it’s during the Somerset floods or the Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

A terrorist cell arrives in South Wales via the Irish Republic and as members of the Royal Family drive through the crowded streets of Bristol the suicide bombers lie in wait.

There are police personnel everywhere, but they are unaware of the threat. The Olympus agents move unnoticed into position. Can Phoenix and his team save the day?

Erebus, the figurehead of Olympus retires to the island of Ibiza. Athena takes control at Larcombe Manor with Phoenix by her side. 

What will the future hold for the Project? What dramas lie ahead? After all, nothing is ever forever.

The eyes of the world are on London 2012. 

British security services anticipate an organised terror attack. 

Safety is paramount. What if the real danger comes from a lone wolf?

Don’t miss the second action-packed thriller featuring vigilante killer The Phoenix. He and fellow agents from Olympus bring swift closure for victims of criminals who appear above and beyond the law.

In the run-up to the Games, action is taken against a banker whose lavish lifestyle was financed by his unwitting clients.

A grooming gang exploiting vulnerable teenage girls in Swindon has to be stopped and there’s the curious case of the missing security van.  

There’s scarcely time to take a breath. At Larcombe, Athena and Phoenix grow close. Could this prove a distraction?

Will they be alert to the dangers in the capital and the Games sites across the country? Could a bomber slip through the net? 

You won’t want to miss the page-turning intensity of the second story in this gripping series.

Rescued by strangers from a watery grave and given a new identity. 

The Phoenix is a stone-cold killer. 

An ideal fit for the Olympus Project, a secret organisation fighting injustice.

In the first story in this thriller series, Phoenix meets the five senior Olympians who occupy the Project’s HQ at Larcombe Manor. Erebus, the elderly gentleman who started the Project. Athena, his beautiful lieutenant. Minos, Alastor and Thanatos, all of whom have a personal reason to join the cause.

Phoenix receives specialist training from ex-SAS operative, Rusty Scott and has cosmetic surgery to mask his true identity even further. To prove to Erebus he can match the Project’s high standards he undertakes three solo missions.

Phoenix demonstrates his ability to exact revenge and right wrongs in his inimitable style. Erebus is content but is concerned whether his protégé can take the final step.

Always a loner, can Phoenix work as part of a team to prevent a terrorist attack in Central London?

With hard, fast action and a cast of characters you can reach out and touch, this is the thriller series for which you’ve been searching.  

‘Conception’ – The birth of ‘The Phoenix’ (July 2015), is a compilation of the two novels that preceded ‘The Phoenix’ series. ‘The Final Straw’ and ‘Unfinished Business’.

Catch up with the story so far. What moulded the character of the main male protagonist of the series that features this vigilante killer?

After a decade abroad Colin Bailey returns to the UK. With a new name and a new face he has scores to settle.

His meticulous planning lets him slip unnoticed across the country ticking names off his list. The police are clueless. DCI Phil Hounsell has pitted his wits against Colin before. He drives to Durham to team up with super intelligent young DS Zara Wheeler. Together they track Bailey to Manchester and then eventually south to Bath.

In the final scenes on the streets of the Roman city, Phil Hounsell’s family is threatened. A dramatic struggle, reminiscent of Holmes and Moriarty at the Reichenbach Falls, ensues above the historic Pulteney Weir.

Two men plunge into the foaming waters. Who will survive?

A collection of twelve short stories.

Each with an unexpected twist.

Tales of love, revenge, ghosts and schooldays.

All sprinkled with a touch of humour.

Something for everyone.

The elderly bookshop owner with an unusual talent and his summer of love with a young schoolteacher. The haunting journey on the last bus to town from the heart of the countryside. Each story has characters and situations you will recognise. But will you identify the 'sting in the tale' before you turn that final page?

Colin Bailey is bitter and emotionally damaged.

An only child who was unloved and unwanted.

A devastating family tragedy proves the final straw.

Now he’s hell-bent on revenge.

Detective Phil Hounsell has battled for years to stop his quiet West Country town falling into the grip of two rival gangs. Suddenly, he has other problems to solve. A series of unexplained deaths. Will he find the killer, or will he become another victim?

This tale of revenge spans almost two decades and builds in pace and tension to a thrilling climax.

We'd Like to do a Number Now' is a fascinating insight into the world of bands in the 60s and 70s.

This book goes behind the scenes and details some of the most unusual people and events you are ever likely to come across.

From the The Krowats, Heart 'N' Soul, The Copperpot Band,  Elijah and the Goat and Bucephalus. Read about their adventures in Ross on Wye, Bristol, Chippenham and London.

If you like reading about classic bands and their struggling musicians in that great musical period then you'll enjoy this detailed and informative read.

Perfect for those with an interest in Rhythm and Blues, Blues, Soul and Progressive Rock.