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New crime fiction alert! The Portugal News article

20 April 2025

Steve and the team are back again with not one but two very puzzling murders to solve.

The latest enthralling book in the DCI Steve Burt series, The Scottish Murder, by local crime fiction author, John Reid, was released on the 21 March.

In The Scottish Murder, John Reid takes fans on another gripping journey with DCI Steve Burt. Expect a thrilling mix of suspense, mystery, and unexpected twists.

The author kindly shared a blurb of the book with The Portugal News: “Two killings 500 miles apart seem to be unconnected. A girl’s body discovered in a doorway in London cannot surely be connected to another body discovered in Dundee. When the Scottish body vanishes from the mortuary, Police Scotland wash their hands of the investigation. As the murdered girl found in Scotland had recently travelled from London, DCI Steve Burt is given both cases.

During the investigation, the team battles political greed, a ruthless killer and major corruption as they unearth a devious plan that would give the UK complete world domination and make a government minister very rich. However, in order to protect his expected wealth, the minister must eliminate anyone who gets in the way. Steve and his team have to deal with a succession of apparently unrelated murders before the two cases finally come together.”

Behind the story:

When asked about the inspiration behind his book, John explained, “I have long thought of writing a detective series based on my hometown of Dundee in Scotland. I have in fact started writing this new series and characters. So when sketching out the plot for my ninth DCI Steve Burt novel, which opens in a northern city, it seemed natural to move further north and set the opening in Dundee. Plus, I am obviously familiar with the place, which made character identification and scene setting easier.”´

John also shared how this latest novel differs from previous installments: “I have always tried not to follow the same formula when adding to the DCI Burt collection. The ninth book builds on previous characters plus introduces new ones who hopefully add a new dimension together with some humour. Having a two jurisdiction plot sets number nine apart.”

Finally, without giving too much away, book ten in the beloved series is scheduled for release in 2026 with the title “The Set Up” and sees Steve Burt having to consider his future in the Met.

Many thanks to Cristina for this article