Well, that took me a while, didn't it?

​First of all, a big apology for having to re-direct you from the newsletter email to my website. I logged into my usual newsletter programme... and discovered it had deleted all of the templates I've created over the last 4 years and erased most of my tools –– so that was an encouraging start! While I try and figure out a good place to head next, I hope you're okay to settle in here.

​Secondly, this newsletter is so hideously late that I didn't just miss the summer, I've managed to bypass most of autumn entirely too. I'm really sorry this has taken me so long to write. I'd make up an excuse about not knowing where the time has gone but, in truth, I know exactly where it's gone:

✅ Doing the final, final tweaks to February's THE LOST WOMEN
✅ Finishing DAVID RAKER 16 (out early 2027)
✅ Being trapped in an inescapable loop of TV script revisions
✅​ Writing a short story that you'll be able to read in Spring 2026

I cover off all of those things (and more) below and also extend an invitation to you to a special David Raker 15th birthday celebration in February...

THE LOST WOMEN IS OUT ON
THE 26TH FEBRUARY 2026...

I know it's been a bit of a wait, but the brand new David Raker book is less than 4 months away now! That means you can pre-order your copy in the beautiful hardback edition, on ebook or in audio form right now (and –– bonus! –– as tends to be the way, if you pre-order the hardback, you'll likely get it a few days early from retailers as well). As with all the Raker books, THE LOST WOMEN can be read without any prior knowledge of the other novels in the series... but if you're a newsletter subscriber, I'm hoping you might have read some of the other David Raker books by now, and I'll just say this: THE DEAD TRACKS and THE MISSING FAMILY could be worth a re-read (or re-listen) in the time between now and February 26th, if you find time 😉 If you want to discover more about THE LOST WOMEN's story, click here, and for those of you asking on social media about whether signed copies will be available to pre-order, I haven't as of yet had any news on that. I'm hoping so, but I can't confirm yet. Of course, one sure-fire way of getting your copy signed is to come along to one of the events I'll be doing around publication –– more of which below.

… AND THERE'S MORE TO COME
​IN 2026 AND 2027 AS WELL
First of all, despite the fact that it's not due out until early 2027, I've finished the David Raker book that will follow THE LOST WOMEN… or, at least, the first draft is done. There's tons of editing work to be finished on it yet but this is one of the major reasons why I'm so late in sending out this newsletter. The second reason is that, in the summer I was invited to contribute a brand new short story to a collection coming out in Spring 2026. My story, THE LINE, doesn't feature Raker... but does have subtle Rakerverse connections for the eagle-eyed among you. More details on this as soon as I have them.

COME AND CELEBRATE DAVID RAKER'S 15TH BIRTHDAY WITH ME
A couple of weeks before THE LOST WOMEN comes out, myself and Penguin are throwing a big 15th birthday bash for David Raker –– and we would love you to come. I'll be chatting about the THE LOST WOMEN, the Raker series, there will be some exclusive news on a potential TV series, giveaways, a goodie bag for every attendee with Raker gear inside, and you'll be able to pick up a copy of THE LOST WOMEN hardback two weeks early. We want this to be stacked with Raker fans, so that we can make it a brilliant celebration –– and even better, give me a chance to say a big personal thank you for supporting my writing and allowing me to make up these stories.

​Now... finding a location that's central to everyone is the hardest part and we've tried to be as fair as possible –– which is why we've chosen to lay on the event slap bang in the centre at Waterstone's in Nottingham. I know, for some of you, this will still be too far to come, and I do apologise, but we're going to do it on a Friday night so that you don't have to get up for work in the morning if you come a little bit of a distance and decide to stay over. It's going to be brilliant and really worthwhile, I promise! If you're interested in attending, and think you can get to Nottingham for the evening of Friday 13th February, please do keep the date free and as soon as I have more information, including where to get the tickets, I will post it on my Facebook and Instagram channels. There's limited capacity at Waterstone's, but I'm hoping we can accommodate everyone who wants to attend.

FINALLY... THE LATEST TV NEWS
There's not too much to report since the last newsletter, sadly. My original scripted series with Jed "Line of Duty" Mercurio and his production company is bubbling under and in active development at a UK TV network, but there's nothing new to report at the time of writing... The adaptation I've done of my standalone MISSING PIECES has moved a little further forward as we now have two fantastic actors circling... And, finally, the Raker TV series is a little further along the road… but not much. I'm expecting to be able to talk more openly about it next year, which is why you should pencil in the 15th birthday celebration in Nottingham on Friday 13th February. In conclusion, all three projects are still a fair way off ever making it onto your screens but they are slowly inching forward, which is much better than them stalling.
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