Early Reviewers

Kate Ellis is a woman who happens to be a detective - not a detective who happens to be a woman.

Newly promoted and working with the Soar Valley Murder Squad, DS Kate Ellis is trying to find her place among unfamiliar faces, on unfamiliar ground, and with a caseload that doesn’t give time to catch up.

Brutal Country is a composite novella presenting ten episodes that follow Kate through rural villages, market towns, and isolated farms where violence hides behind closed doors and rages in plain sight. A shotgun-wielding farmer turns vigilante. A man is stabbed on a village green but with no witnesses, finding justice seems impossible. Military secrets, an old foe, and petty violence all present a challenging case-load as Kate pushes deeper into her cases -and into herself.

Haunted by her past and increasingly hardened by what she sees, Kate must navigate power games within the team, moments of unexpected connection, and a personal relationship that may not survive what the job demands.

From cold cases and violent cover-ups to the quiet decisions that shape a life, Brutal Country is a collection about the weight of history, the cost of truth, and the loneliness of doing the right thing when no one else will.

What readers are saying about Detective Kate Ellis:

"It’s billed as a collection of short stories, but honestly it reads more like a beautifully crafted novel told in linked episodes. Every story digs a little deeper into Kate Ellis - not just the detective, but the woman, the survivor, the person trying (and often failing) to hold it together." — Reader review of Minor Injuries

"The scenes between Kate and Alice were so beautifully written. My eyes actually leaked at the sad parts." — Reader review of Love and Anger

"...this is a rattlingly good police procedural along with a heart-felt romance and will be much enjoyed by lovers of the genre." — Reedsy Discovery review of Love and Anger

"The protagonist Kate Ellis is a totally real and sympathetic character… The characters are brilliantly drawn so the reader really cares about them. I was moved to tears several times!" — Goodreads review of Love and Anger

"I’ve read just two other books in five years that gripped me like this. I couldn’t put it down." — Reader review of Love and Anger

"It’s incredibly relatable in the best and worst way. Best because it makes me feel seen. Worst because it makes me feel seen nearly 30 years after it’s set." — Reader review of Love and Anger

"She dates a man, she dates a woman - and that’s just how it is. It’s so refreshing. It’s jarring how well he’s captured the awe of women that women who love women experience." — Reader review of Love and Anger