A killer is loose on the streets of York, posing his victims like scarecrows and removing their eyes, hands and feet. The victims are not hugely sympathetic characters yet the police must bring the killer to justice…
The Scarecrow is the 18th book in the Jason Smith series and I am a HUGE fan of this author’s work! There are mentions of events from previous books but I would recommend reading the whole series as it is sooooo good.
As always with this author’s books, the pace was fast and furious. I was hooked immediately as the police start their investigation straight away. The injuries to the victims are extensive and grisly. Motive is unclear but the victims have all profited from financial activities that have been detrimental to others. The police suspect a vigilante and know that many people will be relieved by the demise of the victims.
There are personal issues is Smith’s life that are developed in this book. This adds an emotional dimension to his character which also reinforces the authenticity of his relationship with Whitton. He also has a good rapport with his other colleagues in contrast to the savage and gruesome crimes they are investigating.
The atmosphere is tense as the killer taunts Smith. There were some great plot twists to maintain the suspense and anticipation. I read this book quickly as I couldn’t put it down and now need to wait for the next in the series…
The Scarecrow was a great read: fast paced, dramatic and with a fabulous police team.
THE SCARECROW (Detective Jason Smith book 18)
From bestselling author: Stewart Giles comes another brilliant addition to the Detective Jason Smith series
The Scarecrow (Detective Jason Smith #18) by Stewart Giles
How do you stop a psychopathic killer when they’re always one step ahead of you?
A new kind of murderer has caught the attention of the people of York. His attention is focused on the low-lifes and the bottom-feeders of society.
He calls himself The Scarecrow.
The citizens of York are calling him a hero – a killer ridding society of the undesirables, but Detective Jason Smith can’t accept this.
And when he finds himself first on the scene of this maniac’s first horrific murder, and sees for himself what this self-proclaimed deterrent to crime is capable of, he takes it upon himself to stop The Scarecrow at any cost.
But as the brutal murders continue, Smith finds himself wondering if this is a fight he can actually win.
The Scarecrow refuses to be stopped.
Is this the first killer Smith is unable to beat?
What readers are saying about WISHBONE
Classic Stewart Giles, an engrossing fast paced murder mystery. This is no ordinary killer. We have a dead man dressed as a scarecrow and a fake police officer! The interesting saga/drama of Smith’s personal life continues. I enjoyed the vivid descriptions of the crime scenes. Read it in one sitting and loved it!. – Carol
Every riveting chapter keeps you on the edge of your seat. Intense turmoil develops as surprising information comes to light leading to a shocking conclusion. THE SCARECROW IS A MUST READ!.– Eileen
It is a very easy to read book with a few red herrings and I really enjoyed it. The characters are easy to like too and it is great to have a bit of the family life of Jason and Erica as well. Would recommend it. – Maureen
DC HARRIET TAYLOR SERIES
Book 1-The Beekeeper
Book 2-The Perfect Murder
Book 3-The Backpacker
Trotterdown a box set of DC Harriet Taylor books 1-3
DS JASON SMITH &DC HARRIET TAYLOR SERIES
Book 1 – The Enigma
Book 2 – Dropzone
Book 3 – The Raven Girl
Trilogy: The DS Smith & Harriet Taylor box set
THE MIRANDA TRILOGY (psychological thrillers)
Miranda
Mistress
Medusa
STANDALONE NOVELS
Horror – The Divide
Thriller – The Ghostwriter
Thriller – The Guests
Stewart Giles – Author Bio
After reading English at 3 Universities and graduating from none of them, I set off travelling around the world with my wife, Ann, finally settling in South Africa, where we still live.
In 2014 Ann dropped a rather large speaker on my head and I came up with the idea for a detective series. DS Jason Smith was born. Smith, the first in the series was finished a few months later.
3 years and 8 DS Smith books later, Joffe Books wondered if I would be interested in working with them. As a self-published author, I agreed. However, we decided on a new series – the DC Harriet Taylor: Cornwall series. The Beekeeper was published and soon hit the number one spot in Australia. The second in the series, The Perfect Murder did just as well.
I continued to self-publish the Smith series and Unworthy hit the shelves in 2018 with amazing results. I therefore made the decision to self-publish The Backpacker which is book 3 in the Detective Harriet Taylor series which was published in July 2018.
After The Backpacker I had an idea for a totally new start to a series – a collaboration between the Smith and Harriet thrillers and The Enigma was born. It brought together the broody, enigmatic Jason Smith and the more level-headed Harriet Taylor.
The Miranda trilogy is something totally different. A psychological thriller trilogy. It is a real departure from anything else I’ve written before. In addition, I have a new series featuring an Irish detective who relocated to Guernsey. The first 5 books in the Detective Liam O’Reilly series are now available. There are also 3 stand alone novels.
