A Violent Heart

THRILLER OF THE YEAR at the 2025 Capital Crime Fingerprint Awards

'One of the most compelling characters in UK crime fiction' - M.W. CRAVEN

'As ever with Fennell, the creation and manipulation of suspense is machine-tooled and satisfying' - THE FINANCIAL TIMES

'Frighteningly convincing... Well worth reading' - THE SUNDAY TIMES

'A chilling treat to be savoured' - WILLIAM HUSSEY


KILLERS DON'T FOLLOW THE RULES. SO WHY SHOULD SHE?

The stunning new crime thriller from one of British crime writing's brightest talents.
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Elena Zoric is murdered, her body concealed beside a stream in North London. Her phone lies nearby, the last number dialled was to the woman who had rescued her from sex trafficking: Metropolitan Police Detective Inspector Grace Archer.

Archer desperately wants to lead the murder investigation but her new boss, Chief Inspector Les Fletcher, makes it very clear its out of her jurisdiction.

Then the thirty-year-old remains of a woman are found in the attic of an abandoned house, the victim dying in similar circumstances to Elena Zoric.

But Archer's North London colleagues have bigger priorities than the murder of 'a drugged-up prostitute.'

Archer needs answers. Who killed Elena? Why did she call Archer moments from her death? And what rules must she break to stop a killer in his tracks?
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What your favourite crime authors are saying about David Fennell:

'A truly extraordinary crime novel' - LYNDA LA PLANTE

'A stunning start to a fantastic new series' - M.W. CRAVEN

'Involved me in a way that few thrillers do, kept me alert and on-edge right up through the deeply satisfying finale' - AJ FINN

'I flew through it . . . Tense, gripping and brilliantly inventive' - SIMON LELIC

'Unsettling, fast-paced, suspenseful and gripping . . . Excellent' - WILL DEAN

'A serial killer thriller with the darkest of hearts' - FIONA CUMMINS

'A tense-as-hell high-body count page turner, but a rarer thing too - one that's also full of genuine warmth and humanity' - WILLIAM SHAW

'Chilling, unsettling and wonderfully atmospheric' - BRIAN McGILLOWAY