Dead Water (Rees and Khan thriller, Book 3)

By: Simon Toyne

Narrated by: Shazia Nicholls

A gripping new serial killer crime thriller from Simon Toyne featuring criminologist Dr Laughton Rees and DCI Tannahill Khan

‘As fast flowing and threatening as the Thames itself’ Daily Mail

'Packed with danger and suspense … Loved it!' Sam Holland

'Simon Toyne is one of the best storytellers writing today' M. W. Craven

A brutal murder

When a headless corpse washes up on the bank of the Thames, DCI Tannahill Khan knows this wasn’t accidental – the killer wanted the body found. This is just the beginning.

A deadly warning

The post mortem reveals a shocking discovery. Written on the dead man’s arm is Forensic Criminologist Dr Laughton Rees’ home address.

A fatal game

With her life in danger and more bodies washing up along the river, Laughton and Tannahill are in a race against time to stop the killer before Laughton’s own name reaches the top of his list

READERS LOVE DEAD WATER

‘Kept me guessing all the way through. I loved it’⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘This is one heck of a thriller’⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Wow. What an amazing read’⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Simon Toyne is fast becoming one of my favourite authors’⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Absolutely brilliant I was hooked!!’⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘A fast paced read with main characters I've grown to love’⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Masterfully plotted and told with verve and humour’⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Simon Toyne is a master of the police procedural. 5 stars’⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘This book has fantastic suspense, gruesome murders, mystery, chilling moments, a fabulous whodunit and some wild twists and turns!’⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

©2025 Simon Toyne (P)2025 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

Written with Toyne’s practiced flair for suspense, the story is as fast flowing and threatening as the Thames itself

Rees and Khan are back! Packed with danger and suspense, Dead Water follows a DCI and a forensics expert as they attempt to solve the case when a headless body washes up on the bank of the river Thames. No one is safe in this gritty thriller. Loved it – can’t wait for the next!

(Sam Holland)

Praise for Simon Toyne

Nail-biting and as haunting as the forest itself

Beginning with a creepy abduction that unnerved me to my core, The Clearing follows an unsettling case where old myths and new greed collide. A welcome return for Laughton Rees and DCI Tannahill, getting to know them again as they reach the next stage of their budding relationship

(Sam Holland)

Everything you would expect from a thriller and then some’

Scared the bloody daylights out of me. The very definition of haunting. Toyne is a guru of suspense writing, and this is him at the top of his craft. Makes for a breath-taking read

(Helen Fields)

Simon Toyne is one of the best storytellers writing today, but even by his high standards, The Clearing is something really special … The pacing is frantic but not rushed, the tension is almost unbearable, and the ending is genuinely one of the most jaw-dropping ones I’ve read in a long time. Absolutely superb

(M.W. Craven)

In the spirit of Patricia Cornwell’s Kay Scarpetta… Toyne makes the most of her creepy setting, and effectively conceals the truth behind the legend of the Cinderman until she’s ready to reveal it. Everything here suggests that Rees merits a long series run

A spine-chilling, creepy-suspenseful mystery masterpiece! … This book had me hooked right to the end. I loved it!

(Steph Broadribb)

Rees and Khan are back! Packed with danger and suspense, Dead Water follows a DCI and a forensics expert as they attempt to solve the case when a headless body washes up on the bank of the river Thames. No one is safe in this gritty thriller. Loved it – can’t wait for the next!

(Sam Holland)