An Eye for a Lie

DCI Harry Cole Crime Thrillers: Book 1

Advance Reader Copy

Genres

Suspense Thriller, Noir, Crime Thriller, British Crime, English Crime, British Detective, Crime Mystery, Vigilante Justice, Novels, and Debut

Trigger Warnings

Death, Violence, Profanity, Abuse, Sex, and Rape

Type of Ending

Series

DCI Harry Cole Crime Thrillers — Book 1

Author Prefers A Review On

Goodreads, Amazon, BookBub, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Google Play, or Apple Books

Reader Spots Remaining

Number of days to read

Publication Date

May 1, 2026

Page Length

364 pages

Available Formats

ePub and PDF

An Eye for a Lie

DCI Harry Cole Crime Thrillers: Book 1

Advance Reader Copy

Blurb

When the law fails, only DCI Harry Cole can get justice. His Justice.

In a Britain where the justice system is crumbling, criminals no longer fear the law—they simply laugh at it.

Tired of watching villains walk free while their victims serve life sentences of fear and pain, DCI Harry Cole has had enough. If the Crown cannot deliver justice, he will.

The DCI Harry Cole Crime Thrillers centre on a detective pushed to his limit by overcrowded jails, judicial loopholes, and the failure of non-custodial sentences. Cole is an anti-hero defined by a difficult choice: obey the rule of law, or serve true justice. To his colleagues, he is a respected senior police officer leading high-stakes investigations. But behind the scenes he plots the downfall of dangerous criminals. No juries. No appeals. No soft sentences.

If you enjoy gritty British crime stories, then you’ve found your next obsession.

Perfect for fans of Simon Kernick, Lee Child, Luther, and gritty British crime thrillers where the line between right and wrong is often drawn in blood.

Details

Genres

Suspense Thriller, Noir, Crime Thriller, British Crime, English Crime, British Detective, Crime Mystery, Vigilante Justice, Novels, and Debut

Trigger Warnings

Death, Violence, Profanity, Abuse, Sex, and Rape

Type of Ending

Series

DCI Harry Cole Crime Thrillers — Book 1

Author Prefers A Review On

Goodreads, Amazon, BookBub, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Google Play, or Apple Books

Reader Spots Remaining

Number of days to read

Publication Date

May 1, 2026

Page Length

364 pages

Available Formats

ePub and PDF

Author

Phil Bagnall writes dark, complex crime thrillers that challenge the reader's own perception of right and wrong.

A lifelong observer of the British legal system, the author believes that the most gripping stories are to be found not in simple whodunits, but in the grey space where good cops are forced to ignore the rules to secure justice.

When he's not murdering his characters he passes his time taking photographs and illustrating.

Prior to writing novels, he spent many years writing features for magazines such as New Sientist, Astronomy, Earth, The Great Outdoors and Focus, to name but a few, and has published three science books:

The Meteorite & Tektite Collector's Handbook.

The Star Atlas Companion.

Atlas of Meteor Showers.