A daughter's death A teenage girl is found brutally murdered in her squalid flat. A mother's love Her mother is devastated. She gave her child up to the care system, only to lose her again, and is convinced that the low-life boyfriend is to blame. Two ordinary women, one extraordinary job DC Rachel Bailey has dragged herself up from a deprived childhood and joined the Manchester Police. Rachel's boss thinks her new recruit has bags of raw talent but straight-laced DC Janet Scott, her reluctant partner, has her doubts. Together Scott and Bailey must hunt a killer, but a life fighting crime can be no life at all...
Scott & BaileySeries
This series delves into the complex lives and careers of two female detectives navigating the gritty realities of police work in Manchester. It explores their personal struggles and professional challenges as they tackle intricate cases while balancing demanding jobs with personal lives. The narrative offers a compelling look at friendship, resilience, and the harsh truths of law enforcement.



Recommended Reading Order
- 1
- 2
A family man The bodies of a man, woman and child are found, lying in pools of blood. The owner of the inn where the bodies are discovered has fled. But he's not alone - he's taken his two young sons with him. No one knows what he's going to do next... A professional front DC Janet Scott has survived a terrifying attack, and is now having second thoughts about her life and steady marriage - but if she acts on her feelings she risks tearing her family apart. Her best friend DC Rachel Bailey is reeling from a love affair that could have killed her - literally. It's hard to stay focussed. A united force Gill Murray has enough of her own problems without the team falling apart. She knows they must work together if they are to find the desperate man before he makes his final move. But one question haunts her: what will they have to do to stop him?
- 3
Ruthless
- 384 pages
- 14 hours of reading
Real women, gritty lives, gruesome murders--following on Dead to Me, this is a prequel to the Scott & Bailey TV series, and a gritty standalone crime novel in its own right A blaze at an abandoned chapel on the impoverished Walton Estate turns out to be more than just arson when the body of a man who has been shot twice is discovered in the ashes. For the Manchester Metropolitan police team it's the start of a grueling and complex case that exposes the fractures and fault lines of a community living on the edge. DC Rachel Bailey, recently married, is trying to come to terms with her new status and deal with the fallout from her chaotic family. She throws herself into work but her compulsion to find answers and see justice done leads her into the deepest jeopardy. DC Janet Scott's world is shaken to its foundations when death comes far too close for comfort and she finds one of her daughters on the wrong side of a police investigation. DCI Gill Murray's ex Dave, a Chief Superintendent, crashes back into her life, out of control and bringing chaos in his wake. Gill attempts to get Dave to face the truth of his situation, and to stay the hell away from her, but things are about to get a whole lot worse. And then a second building goes up in flames.