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David McGlone
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Ashes and Bone (A DCI Marlin Thriller Book 1) Kindle Edition

by David McGlone (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.8 out of 5 stars 117 ratings
Dr Aldous ‘Al’ Andrews is psychologist famous for a book he’s written on serial killers…

In 1998, he helped DCI Peter Marlin catch Mark Rennie, a serial killer, who targeted young women at the University of East London.

Now Dr Al spends his time in the company of prostitutes and drinking far too much.

Then one day, DCI Marlin reappears, needing help.

A series of murders is rocking London, and the only thing they have in common is how cleanly they have been executed.

Thinking he might get a book out of it, Andrews agrees to help.

Al is having a hard time putting a profile together due to the lack of clues.

At first it looks like there have been seven deaths in seven days, and he wonders if there is a connection to the religious meanings for each day.

It’s all he’s really got to share with Marlin.

Then he gets an email from a man called the Phantom. It brings back memories of the Phantom of Texarkana, a serial killer from 1946 who was never caught.

With the Phantom taunting him, now Dr Al is a target, and Marlin arranges for a patrol car to sit outside his home, where he is holed up with Lara, a prostitute who is now his girlfriend.

The body count rises as Al remains behind locked doors, meanwhile, something is not adding up.

Marlin doesn’t think the prostitutes who are being murdered are connected to the Phantom’s victims.

Neither does his girlfriend, Detective Sue Scott, who is becoming more and more convinced that besides being a criminalist, Dr Al might also be a criminal.

And when Lara’s roommate is murdered in her flat, the case comes close to home.

Dr Al’s fingerprints are at two murder scenes, but is someone trying to frame him, or is he a serial killer, too?

Marlin's not buying that and Sue Scott is certain the Phantom is not the only killer, but will either one be caught?

Ashes and Bone is a chilling psychological thriller that makes you question everything you think you know.

Praise for David McGlone



‘A suspenseful thriller’ – Thomas Waugh

David McGlone is a Scottish author based in London. From short stories to novellas and novels, he has covered a wide range of genres from humour to thriller via tragedy and sci-fi. David has a wide range of other published works in a varied range of genres.
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  1. Book 1 of 3
    A DCI Marlin Thriller
  2. Print length
    222 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Accessibility
    Learn more
  5. Publication date
    February 20, 2017
  6. File size
    1.7 MB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B06W5BXSGY
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Lume Books
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 20, 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.7 MB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 222 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Book 1 of 3 ‏ : ‎ A DCI Marlin Thriller
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.8 out of 5 stars 117 ratings

About the author

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David McGlone

David McGlone

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David McGlone is a 60 year-old Scottish author of novels across various genres. Perhaps best known as a writer of psychological thrillers, his DCI Marlin trilogy, Ashes and Bone, Deadly Intent and Written in Blood, are published by Lume Books. His latest book is the dramatic The Photograph Album.

David has also published a series of novels and novellas. Mind Games and Bleed to Love Her are exciting journeys into dreams and darkness. Undressed to Kill and The Satan Clause are light, funny explorations of the absurd.

Light or dark David McGlone is committed to making the reader keep turning to the next page.

Customer reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars
117 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • D. Zendel
    3.0 out of 5 stars Slogged through most of this, but that ending - WOW.
    Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    When DCI Peter Marlin was on patrol, he was involved in the capture of a serial killer who targeted young women at the University of East London. He personally chased down the man later convicted of the crimes, the man who fit the profile created by Dr. Al Andrews. Thus began a friendship of sorts. Fast forward to current times and Marlin is faced with a baffling series of murders with no obvious connections, and mounting pressure to solve them. He calls on Dr. Andrews, who now spends his time in the company of prostitutes and his favorite whiskey. Andrews thinks this case might be his ticket back to the big time.

    I was intrigued by the plot (I am a huge fan of British police procedurals), but initially found this kind of boring. Andrews and Marlin seemed to both be stock characters – Andrews, aging, riding the backside of fame, a shell of what he once was; and Marlin, middle-aged, vaguely disillusioned, frustrated, and no life but The Job. Three-quarters of the book is formulaic slogging – Andrews looking at his whiteboard, obsessively going over the details of the crime, Marlin talking to Andrews and getting more frustrated with Andrews, Marlin getting upbraided by his supervisor for relying on Andrews and not making progress, blah-blah-blah. The book is told in alternating view points (Andrews, Marlin, the victims, the killer), and that kind of annoyed me too.

    I mostly stuck with it because I was on the elliptical and I didn’t want to slow down to choose another book. Something happened in the last quarter, however, when Marlin made a connection with one of his team, and Andrews found himself in peril. I was suddenly interested in seeing Marlin’s human side, and in the burgeoning relationship between him and Detective Sgt. Sue Scott. That relationship made him more interesting to me. I don’t like to see characters I care about in peril, but I didn’t really like Andrews, and him being in peril moved the plot along tremendously.

    The Amazon blurb describes this book as says this is a “ … chilling psychological thriller that makes you question everything you think you know.” I don’t think I’d go that far, but the ending was non-stop action, with surprising twists and turns. No spoilers here, but people did turn out to be other than what I first anticipated, and I was surprised by the finale. Would I read this again? No, but the ending was such that I decided I was interested enough in what happens next to buy book 2 in the series.
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  • V. E. M.
    5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent read, do not miss it!
    Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    The story description can be found in Amazon under this title. I am a very demanding reader as far as plot and the way the writer uses the English language. Five stars on all counts ! The story has very interesting turns and very interesting "real" characters. I can easily live with endings that do not solve all questions. In fact I rather like it that way.
    Readers who expect an ending that explains everything and "everyone lived happily ever after" won't like the ending too much. Personally I find the full explanations attached to the end of so many stories to be rather naive and boring. But that is my personal point of view. To each of us his/her own opinion !
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Julie SC
    5.0 out of 5 stars Serial Killer On The Loose!
    Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    I liked this book a lot! From the beginning, you get sucked into the plot so quickly that you just can't stop reading! The storyline starts right away with action, suspense, and violence! Some profanity is involved but not too vulgar! I will not give out the plot because you need to read for yourself what it's all about! I give it a very good review, you will not be disappointed!
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  • Maryloup
    1.0 out of 5 stars Skipping Around
    Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    I didn't care for the discontinuity in place, dialogue or scenes in this story and skipped from around the seventh chapter to the end without getting to like anything or anyone in it.
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  • Amazon Customer
    1.0 out of 5 stars Good until the end
    Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    I was thoroughly enjoying this book until the end. This may be the worst ending I have ever read and I have read thousands of books.
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  • Sashadoo
    5.0 out of 5 stars A great five star review
    Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2018
    A superb psychological thriller, totally gripping and extremely 'edgy'. The central characters, psychologist Aldous (Al) Andrews and policeman DCI Marlin are shown as totally realistic yet flawed personalities, each weighed down by the baggage of their personal histories. Alone and dependent on the company of prostitutes and the whisky bottle for his love life, and daily sustenance Al is called in by Marlin to assist him in tracking down a brutal serial killer. Marlin, with his own personal demons has to fight his own superiors to keep Andrews on the case as the pressure mounts on him to prevent future killings. Marlin's assistant, Sue Scott has her own thoughts on the case and doesn't have the same faith in her boss's friend. The end result of this tension filled novel will take some readers breath away. It certainly pushed all the right buttons for me.
    Incidentally, to the person who tried to turn his review into a politically correct diatribe against smoking and drinking, please get a life. In the real world, many people do drink and smoke too, particularly in high stress occupations.
    A great five star read!
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Top reviews from other countries

  • katurner
    5.0 out of 5 stars Really enjoyed the book
    Reviewed in Canada on April 16, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    I will definately have to read more from the author. Really enjoyed the book.
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  • Esspeearr
    5.0 out of 5 stars I was genuinely looking forward to the next time I could read it
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 12, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    First, a confession - David's a mate. That said, I'll give a fair and balanced review.

    No book is flawless, and this one has the odd niggle - a couple of loose threads, the odd unexplained action or clunky turn of phrase - but counter to that, as a whole it's a bloody good book. I read on the train to/from work and at lunch, and I got to the point where I was looking forward to reading some more at the next available opportunity. I won't give any plot away but suffice that it's well written, properly paced, and you can picture it all in your minds' eye - that's important, it helps with immersion in the story. It's the sort of book you could read, stick on a shelf for a few months, then re-read and have that experience rewarding too.

    I'm going to re-read it in the Spring I think. Good work, chap.
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  • Ann
    4.0 out of 5 stars Intriging
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 18, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Well written and good mystery but just a bit slow in places...too much unnecessary detail
    A little muddled for the reader
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  • Cheryl E
    4.0 out of 5 stars Psychological Suspense
    Reviewed in Australia on May 31, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Stunning new author discovered via a freebie on Kindle, I was glued to the pages of what was a well written, fast paced read. The whole psychology of the crimes had me hooked even though you knew from the start there was definitely something hinky about the Doc. Reading the second in the series to find out what happens next is a must. So entertaining and definitely recommended.
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  • BGS
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 30, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Another new author for me during lockdown, picked this book up by chance and thoroughly enjoyed it. I shall certainly be looking out for David McGlone in future and his character DCI Marlin. The book is about a serial killer on the loose so the police request a psychological profiler called Dr Andrews to assist in the case.
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