All coppers have a first case. His might also be his last.

Inverness, December 2015.

The streets are frozen, the days are short, and Constable Tyler Neish is entirely out of his depth.

Fresh out of training, Tyler is desperate to make a good impression. He wants to seem capable, commanding, and professional. Unfortunately, he’s mostly known for falling over in the snow and being terrified of his own shadow.

But when sixteen-year-old Laura Wilder goes missing, the job suddenly gets personal. To the weary brass at Burnett Road Police Station, Laura is just a low-risk repeat runaway who’ll be home by dinner time. To Tyler, she’s his best mate’s little sister, and he knows that something is wrong.

Ordered to stay in his lane by the bureaucratic nightmare that is Chief Inspector “Snecky” Grant, and threatened with grisly dismemberment by the terrifying Detective Superintendent Hoon, Tyler must make a choice: follow orders and keep his job, or go rogue and save a life.

For Tyler, that isn't a choice at all.

Armed only with a notebook, damp trousers, and a near total lack of common sense, the rookie constable plunges headlong into the freezing city to uncover the truth.

But in the Highlands of Scotland, the truth is like ice—slippery, dangerous, and liable to break if you push it too hard.

First Among the Dead is a standalone prequel novella following the early adventures of fan favourite character DC Tyler Neish from the DCI Jack Logan series, and the perfect introduction to the world and characters of bestselling Scottish crime fiction author, JD Kirk.

PLEASE NOTE: This is a novella of around 36,000 words, around half the length of an average DCI Logan Novel.