Serial Investigations by Rhiannon D’Averc
Serial Investigations follows a private detective duo, Will and Ram, through tricky cases, mortal danger, and the horror of (maybe) unrequited love for your best friend – with plenty of demons to battle along the way.
The stories need to be read in order.
Overall Heat Rating for the series: 2 flames
Warning: All books contain depictions of alcoholism, anorexia, and violent crime/murder.
BOOK 1
Book Title: Bloodless
Length: 70 000 words/ 240 pages
Release Date: April 29, 2019
Genre/s: M/M Crime/thriller
Trope/s: Slow burn friends to lovers
Themes: Identity struggle, murder, unrequited love
Buy Links – Available on Kindle Unlimited
How do you solve a murder…
… When you’re the prime suspect?
Blurb
A body cut up into pieces and left in Highgate Wood. It sounds like the most exciting case that private detectives Ram and Will have had to deal with since leaving their FBI training and returning to London.
As each new body is piled up amongst the trees, the stakes get higher – and Serial Investigations London embraces their first real challenge.
But Ram’s lifestyle – staying out all days of the week, drinking too much, and having sex with a different man every night – soon catches up with him when the police realise there’s just one link that connects the bodies.
And it’s him.
Will faces a battle around the clock to prevent his best friend from being put away for life – and while the two of them face their own demons, there’s a secret hanging over their heads that might just bring it all crashing down.
If you’re a fan of BBC’s Luther, Jo Nesbo’s Harry Hole, or sharply witty gay men, you’ll love Serial Investigations. Jump into the action from the very beginning with Bloodless, the first book in a series you won’t dare to put down.
BOOK 2
Book Title: Blood Evidence
Length: 63 000 words/ 200 pages
Release Date: August 15, 2019
Genre/s: M/M Crime/thriller
Trope/s: Slow burn friends to lovers
Themes: Coming out, murder, unrequited love
Buy Links – Available on Kindle Unlimited
A missing person’s case…
… A murder investigation?
Blurb
Private detectives Ram and Will got their name in the news by catching a high-profile serial killer, and now they’re getting more clients. When they’re hired to find a missing person, all they’re worried about is having to spend a night away from home. They go to check his last known sighting in Kent, staying in a quaint country inn.
Little do they expect that Serial Investigations London are about to get thrust into a new murder investigation – one that happens right under their noses.
A confession seems to solve the case, but is it genuine? With suspicions running high, the duo still have to find time to sniff out the whereabouts of their client – and avoid getting arrested themselves.
With Ram hitting the bottle harder than ever and Will fighting to stay in control, they might be about to lose more than just the case.
BOOK 3
Book Title: Blood Alcohol
Length: 60 000 words/ 173 pages
Release Date: November 30, 2019
Genre/s: M/M Crime/thriller
Trope/s: Slow burn friends to lovers
Themes: Coming out, murder, inner demons
Buy Links – Available on Kindle Unlimited
A horrific torture case with a ticking clock.
All he can see is the bottle.
Blurb
Private detectives Ram and Will thought they’d wrapped everything up when they found Ray Riley’s body in Sevenoaks. But it turns out that things aren’t what they seemed – and Riley may be the latest victim of a torture-happy murderous duo.
For the second time, Serial Investigations London are called in to assist as civilian consultants with DI Alex Heath’s team at the Met – but they have their own personal problems getting in the way of clear thinking.
Will has something to get off his chest, and it’s related to that kiss they shared – the one they both tried to forget. But Ram can’t stop drinking to push away the confusion, and this time he’s going to land himself in more trouble than ever before.
Can they get over their issues for long enough to stop another murder – or even keep themselves alive?
BOOK 4
Book Title: Blood Sucker
Length: 65 000 words/ 191 pages
Release Date: March 28, 2020
Genre/s: M/M Crime/thriller
Trope/s: Slow burn friends to lovers/misunderstandings
Themes: Conflict, murder, trust and loyalty
Buy Links – Available on Kindle Unlimited
A dead body posted on social media.
A vampire stalking the streets of London?
Blurb
Will and Ram’s private detective partnership seems to be unravelling. After they ended up sleeping together, the tension between them is at an all-time high – and the unsolved Simon Shystone case is haunting them and their police contacts.
DI Alex Heath normally wants their help, but when a murderer posts images of his victim on social media, the chase is on to trace his digital footprint. With his superiors breathing down his neck, he might not be able to bring Serial Investigations London in on one of the biggest cases of their career.
They should be focusing on the artist who seems to have disappeared without a trace from his home studio. Could his latest commission have something to do with it? And will they be able to handle finding another client turned up dead?
Things are spiralling out of control for Will and Ram – and this time, they might not have each other to rely on.
BOOK 5
Book Title: Blood Sport
Length: 164 pages
Release Date: June 30, 2020
Genre/s: M/M Crime/thriller
Trope/s: Slow burn friends to lovers/misunderstandings resolved
Themes: Murder, kidnap, vanquishing the big bad
Buy Links – Available on Kindle Unlimited
A copycat killer who knows every detail.
A locked room with no escape.
Blurb
Serial Investigations London is officially closed for business – with private detectives Will and Ram still not talking to one another after an explosive argument. Even when a copycat killer springs up, seemingly targeting only their own cases, they can’t see eye to eye.
Little wonder, given that they both have something more important on their minds. Someone knows about San Francisco – about the man who died on a rooftop at their feet. Who has discovered their deepest secret? And what will they do to keep it buried?
That’s when another mystery piles up on top of the rest: a traditional trope that every seasoned detective must face, the locked room. But this one has a deadly twist, and if they don’t come to terms with their differences and work together, one of them might not live to regret it.
Will and Ram face the most pressing and personal danger yet – but the question is, who’s behind it? And will they realise they’ve been set against one another before it’s too late?
If you’re a fan of BBC’s Luther, Jo Nesbo’s Harry Hole, or sharply witty gay men, you’ll love Serial Investigations. The story continues with Blood Sport, a nail-biting series of twists and turns that will have you questioning how they’ll ever survive.
Click ‘Buy Now’ to enter the minds of troubled yet brilliant detectives as they struggle inside an interconnected web of lies – and the spider is getting hungry…
Praise for Serial Investigations:
“The front cover didn’t lie; Bloodless is exciting and thrilling.”
“Sets up a really great atmosphere right from the start and constantly leaves you wanting to find out what happens next.”
“A punchy storyline makes it difficult to put down and leaves you wanting more.”
“Just the right amount of action, plenty of intriguing deception and detective work.”
“Love the plot twists! Can’t wait for the next book to see what happens next to Will and Ram.”
FROM BLOOD SPORT – BOOK 5 IN THE SERIAL INVESTIGATIONS SERIES
I put my hands on the top of his head and gently push him away.
“What?” he asks, looking up at me with wide eyes and swollen lips. “Did I do something wrong?”
“No,” I tell him, reaching for the belt on my jeans to do it up. “You didn’t.”
“Woah – just wait,” he says, still on his knees, attempting to grab at my hips. “Just tell me how you like it. I can do it like that.”
“Unfortunately, I don’t think you can.” I hesitate, looking down at the heartbroken look on his face. “I’m sorry. You’re very… talented. Pretty, too. But my heart’s not in it.”
He swallows hard, then quickly gets to his feet. Like something inside him has been turned off. “Right.”
I stop moving, then reach out and hook his chin with my fingers. I make him look at me, even though he doesn’t want to. His half-moon eyes flicker with doubt and confusion, and deep hurt. I’ve forgotten what his name is. “I shouldn’t have got you into this,” I say. “It wasn’t fair. I’m just trying to get over someone.”
“And you don’t think I could help you do that?” he pouts. He shakes his head slightly, tossing dark black hair back out of his eyes.
I smile, lean forward and plant a light kiss on his lips. “I’m not sure anyone can help me do that,” I tell him. “You made a damn good try, though.”
He sighs and turns to grab his jacket from the back of the chair. “Guess so.” He starts to walk out but hesitates in the doorway. “If you change your mind…”
“I know where to find you,” I say, lifting my phone and waving it in his direction.
He taps his fingers on the doorframe, once, then is gone, the door slamming closed behind him without anyone there to ease it shut gently.
I let out a heavy breath, unsure of how or why I allowed myself to get into this situation. Scrolling through singles on Grndr always seems to be my go-to fill-in for dead time, awkward feelings, and a hole inside myself I can’t seem to satisfy.
It’s just that this time, it doesn’t seem to work anymore.
I throw my phone down onto the sofa in frustration, letting it skid and fall against one of the cushions. It can’t help me right now. There’s only one person in the world I actually want to talk to, and Will hasn’t been home for over a week.
Will, my former best friend and business partner. My housemate. The person that, up until recently, I spent almost every waking moment with. Since we came back to London from our FBI training in San Francisco, the tension had slowly built between us. I thought it would go away after he came out to me and we finally slept together, and that we might become something more than just friends. I wanted it, actually. But then we couldn’t stop fighting, right up to the point that he declared our business to be over along with our friendship.
He’s screening my calls, ignoring my messages. It’s been unbearable radio silence since he walked out with a bag hastily stuffed with essentials and a muttered remark about picking up the rest of his stuff once he’d found a new place. I don’t even know where he’s been staying – although I have my suspicions.
I walk into our kitchen – just my kitchen now, maybe – and switch on the kettle. Every time I get the urge to have a drink, I’ve resorted to making a coffee. It is nothing at all like a replacement, and I still get the cravings that are so hard to resist, but at least it gives me something to focus on instead.
It’s become a calming routine for me: turn on the kettle, get out the instant coffee, spoon, mug, pour the water, mix until ready. Then, after enough runs through the routine, I get jittery and have to walk around the block or go out on my bike for a while to get rid of some of the excess energy.
If I had some work to do, it might be better, but with the closure of Serial Investigations London, I’m effectively unemployed. All I’ve been doing for the past week is sitting here, feeling sorry for myself, trying not to drink, and wondering how I’m going to pay the rent on this place without resorting to asking my parents for help.
And trying to get over Will.
Fuck it. I slump down on the sofa and fish out my phone. For some reason, I still always sit on the right side, as if Will is still in his usual place on the left, with his legs folded under him and his laptop balanced across his knees. My eyes linger on the ghost of the space he used to fill for a moment before I start going through my messages, looking in vain for so much as a tick indicating Will has even read them.
Nothing.
I should know better, but I can’t help myself.
I sigh, rub my face, and switch over to my emails. Maybe there will be something exciting there, like an overdue bill warning or a message from my bank saying they’re cutting me off on my overdraft.
I sit up straight, one of the new email headers catching my eye. A new payment to the joint Serial Investigations London bank account? What the hell?
I open the message and read the attached note, and every single muscle in my body goes stiff with fear.
Rhiannon D’Averc is a crime writer based in the UK. She works as a ghostwriter and author under her own name as well as under pseudonyms. As a professional writer for over a decade, she also keeps herself busy as Chief Editor of London Runway, an indie fashion magazine. Her short stories have been published in Litro, Devolution-Z, Storgy, Literati, and more.
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