When Stars Grow Dark — Scott Hunter

A fatal crash. A corpse that shouldn't be there. A trail no one wants followed. When a motorway collision leaves three dead, DCI Brendan Moran is called in to assist. But one of the victims was already dead before the crash—and the lorry involved raises more questions than answers. As Moran digs deeper, connections surface: a stolen van, a missing driver, and a string of similar deaths from Scotland to the South Coast. Then comes a troubling lead—the name of an undercover agent who vanished without a trace. Samantha Grant isn't just a missing colleague. She's part of Moran's past. When traces of Semtex are found in the wreckage, the investigation stretches to Rotterdam and a smuggling network that crosses borders and buries secrets. This time, the threat is closer than Moran realizes. When Stars Grow Dark is the seventh novel in The Irish Detective: DCI Brendan Moran series—a gritty British detective mystery perfect for fans of Ian Rankin, Val McDermid, and the Shetland TV series. _________________________________________ Praise for The Irish Detective: DCI Brendan Moran series: ★★★★★Ranks up there with the masters and must be destined for a TV series. ★★★★★So many twists and turns that I could hardly put it down. ★★★★★Gripped by the grizzled Irish detective! ★★★★★Well-written, tight plotting and pacing, snappy dialogue, well-developed, likeable characters, and a cracking good mystery. ★★★★★Great British Mystery! ★★★★★He's honest and upstanding…He has a line he won't cross, even though he comes close from time to time. ★★★★★A really great read in a genre I love—the atmospheric British murder mystery! ★★★★★Moran's mind is as sharp as ever…leading us through the crime while exposing us to his inner turmoil and self-doubt. ★★★★★Tautly-woven story, making you want to do something violent to the bad guys while yelling at the good guys to do something.