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Better The Devil
A gripping Scottish crime thriller
Series: DCI Logan Crime Thrillers
Brief Description
In the Highlands, the devil you know might just be the most dangerous of all… After years behind bars, former drug kingpin Bosco Maximuke is back on the streets, insisting he’s turned over a new leaf, and determined to win back the trust of his daughter....
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Releases
28th
July 2026
(Approx. Date)
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Better The Devil
$3799
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Description
In the Highlands, the devil you know might just be the most dangerous of all…
After years behind bars, former drug kingpin Bosco Maximuke is back on the streets, insisting he’s turned over a new leaf, and determined to win back the trust of his daughter.
But when members of the criminal network that replaced him start turning up dead, suspicion falls squarely on Bosco. With old enemies closing in, and a trail of bodies stretching from Inverness to the most remote corners of the Highlands, one thing is clear - someone is settling scores.
And then Bosco does the unthinkable. He asks DCI Jack Logan for help.
Logan wants nothing to do with him. Their history is bloody, bitter, and far from buried. But complicating matters is the fact that Bosco’s teenage daughter, Olivia, now lives under Logan’s roof.
With pressure mounting and the line between justice and revenge growing ever thinner, Logan must navigate a case where nothing is as it seems, and where trusting the wrong person could cost him everything.
Better The Devil by JD Kirk is a gripping read that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Series: DCI Logan Crime Thrillers
View all-
A Litter of Bones
A missing child. A tormented detective. A ticking clock. Ten years ago, DCI Jack Logan stopped the serial child-killer dubbed 'Mister Whisper,' earning himself a commendation, a drinking problem, and a broken marriage in the process. Now, he spends his days working in Glasgow's Major Investigations Team, and his nights reliving the horrors of what he saw. And what he...Paperback$2499Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Pre-orderBetter The Devil
In the Highlands, the devil you know might just be the most dangerous of all… After years behind bars, former drug kingpin Bosco Maximuke is back on the streets, insisting he’s turned over a new leaf, and determined to win back the trust of his daughter. But when members of the criminal network that replaced him start turning up dead,...Paperback$3799Unit price /UnavailableOut 28 Jul 2026Pre-order -
Ahead of the Game
When a body is discovered at a popular Highland landmark, it seems like just another day on the job for DCI Jack Logan and his team. Except this body is missing a very vital component, and given its location—The Well of Seven Heads—it seems like someone is trying to send a message. But why? And to whom? With pressure mounting...PaperbackSold Out -
An Isolated Incident
Do you know who's knocking at your door? After a violent home invasion in the remote wilds of Glen Coe leaves a family of four dead, DCI Jack Logan and his team are brought in to lead the manhunt. But, when one of the victims is revealed to be one half of legendary 1980s Glasgow-based comedy double act, ‘Neeps &...PaperbackSold Out -
City of Scars
Some scars don’t heal. Some killers don’t forget. Life has been good for DCI Jack Logan lately. Happily settled down with the woman of his dreams and a dog he begrudgingly tolerates, things are finally going Jack's way. All that is about to change. When a murderer on a misguided revenge mission begins picking off victims on the streets of...PaperbackSold Out -
Colder than the Grave
She left him for dead. Now, he’s back to repay the favour. DCI Jack Logan should’ve known things were going too well. Genuinely happy for the first time in years, Jack has almost fooled himself into believing that the world is a decent place. But, when the discovery of a mutilated body kicks off a series of grisly murders, Jack’s...PaperbackSold Out -
Come Hell or High Water
An isolated location. A violent murder. Something’s wild out west… When a badly burned body is found near the remote Ardnamurchan Lighthouse on the west coast of Scotland, it feels like just another day on the job for DCI Jack Logan and his team. But the victim’s list of enemies—including a diminutive loan shark and a powerful local politician—is far...PaperbackSold Out -
Here Lie the Dead
How many more will die? When the body of a teenager is discovered near Eilean Donan Castle several months after she disappeared, DCI Jack Logan and his team journey across the Highlands to investigate. As they start to unpick the young woman's life, the secrets and lies they expose soon threaten to tear the small, rural community apart. But, when...PaperbackSold Out -
One For the Ages
Has DCI Jack Logan finally met his match? When a blood-soaked old man is spotted wandering through a sleepy fishing village in the far north of Scotland, his neighbours think he's been in an accident. Until he leads them to his home, and to the mutilated remains of his late wife. It is the first murder that the remote Highland...PaperbackSold Out -
A Rock and a Hard Place
Rock 'n' roll never dies. But its stars do. When washed-up 80s rock legend Johnny Freestone is found dead in a cave off Scotland's North Coast 500 tourist route, it looks like a tragic accident—another celebrity lost to a reckless lifestyle. But detective—and secret Freestone fan—Jack Logan is convinced he was murdered. As Logan delves into Johnny's final days, he...PaperbackSold Out
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781835986646
Publisher: Canelo
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 30 July 2026
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Canelo Crime
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Width: 153.0mm
Height: 234.0mm
Weight: 250g
Pages: 304
About the Author
JD Kirk is the author of the multi-million bestselling DCI Logan series, set in the Highlands of Scotland. He also does not exist. Instead, JD is the pen name of former children's author and screenwriter, Barry Hutchison, who was born and raised in Fort William. He still lives in the Highlands with his wife and children. He has no idea what the JD stands for.
Also by JD Kirk
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My Daughter Is Missing
My little girl has vanished. And I can't tell anyone... My nine-year-old daughter Hollie should be leaving school smiling and laughing with all the other children, but she's not here. I run frantically, checking everywhere, but I can't see her. Pure panic washes over me. This is my worst nightmare. Her teacher asks if she should call the police. My...Paperback$2799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
A Litter of Bones
A missing child. A tormented detective. A ticking clock. Ten years ago, DCI Jack Logan stopped the serial child-killer dubbed 'Mister Whisper,' earning himself a commendation, a drinking problem, and a broken marriage in the process. Now, he spends his days working in Glasgow's Major Investigations Team, and his nights reliving the horrors of what he saw. And what he...Paperback$2499Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
The Woman Downstairs
Hi, she says, I'm your new neighbour. She seems friendly. But soon I'll discover her dangerous secret... On the first day I meet my new neighbour, we share a glass of wine and talk into the night. But as I get closer to her, I discover she isn't who I thought she was. Then when I step into her home,...Paperback$2799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Ahead of the Game
When a body is discovered at a popular Highland landmark, it seems like just another day on the job for DCI Jack Logan and his team. Except this body is missing a very vital component, and given its location—The Well of Seven Heads—it seems like someone is trying to send a message. But why? And to whom? With pressure mounting...PaperbackSold Out -
An Isolated Incident
Do you know who's knocking at your door? After a violent home invasion in the remote wilds of Glen Coe leaves a family of four dead, DCI Jack Logan and his team are brought in to lead the manhunt. But, when one of the victims is revealed to be one half of legendary 1980s Glasgow-based comedy double act, ‘Neeps &...PaperbackSold Out -
City of Scars
Some scars don’t heal. Some killers don’t forget. Life has been good for DCI Jack Logan lately. Happily settled down with the woman of his dreams and a dog he begrudgingly tolerates, things are finally going Jack's way. All that is about to change. When a murderer on a misguided revenge mission begins picking off victims on the streets of...PaperbackSold Out -
Colder than the Grave
She left him for dead. Now, he’s back to repay the favour. DCI Jack Logan should’ve known things were going too well. Genuinely happy for the first time in years, Jack has almost fooled himself into believing that the world is a decent place. But, when the discovery of a mutilated body kicks off a series of grisly murders, Jack’s...PaperbackSold Out -
Come Hell or High Water
An isolated location. A violent murder. Something’s wild out west… When a badly burned body is found near the remote Ardnamurchan Lighthouse on the west coast of Scotland, it feels like just another day on the job for DCI Jack Logan and his team. But the victim’s list of enemies—including a diminutive loan shark and a powerful local politician—is far...PaperbackSold Out -
Here Lie the Dead
How many more will die? When the body of a teenager is discovered near Eilean Donan Castle several months after she disappeared, DCI Jack Logan and his team journey across the Highlands to investigate. As they start to unpick the young woman's life, the secrets and lies they expose soon threaten to tear the small, rural community apart. But, when...PaperbackSold Out -
One For the Ages
Has DCI Jack Logan finally met his match? When a blood-soaked old man is spotted wandering through a sleepy fishing village in the far north of Scotland, his neighbours think he's been in an accident. Until he leads them to his home, and to the mutilated remains of his late wife. It is the first murder that the remote Highland...PaperbackSold Out -
A Rock and a Hard Place
Rock 'n' roll never dies. But its stars do. When washed-up 80s rock legend Johnny Freestone is found dead in a cave off Scotland's North Coast 500 tourist route, it looks like a tragic accident—another celebrity lost to a reckless lifestyle. But detective—and secret Freestone fan—Jack Logan is convinced he was murdered. As Logan delves into Johnny's final days, he...PaperbackSold Out
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