The Midnight King: Winner of the McIlvanney Prize

Our summary description

As Independent Scottish booksellers, we write all of our descriptions personally, we hope you enjoy this one.

Lucas Cole was many things. A bestselling novelist. A gentle presence in his small town. A man people trusted without question. He was also a serial killer.

His son Nathan has always known the truth. For years he has carried the weight of his father’s secret, choosing silence over justice. When Lucas is found dead, Nathan believes the past may finally be buried. He is wrong.

Hidden among his father’s possessions is a manuscript titled The Midnight King. Part fiction, part confession, it documents Lucas’s crimes alongside a box of stolen trinkets taken from his victims. One item stands out. A ribbon belonging to a girl who vanished just days before Lucas’s death.

As Nathan searches for answers, the manuscript reveals secrets he never intended to confront. Others are hunting for the truth too, and they are closer than he realises.

The Midnight King is a tense, emotionally charged psychological thriller about legacy, guilt and the cost of silence. Twisting and deeply affecting, it explores how far the sins of a parent can reach into a child’s life.