The Cost
by Morgan Cry

One man’s race against time to track down a deadly narcotic before it hits the streets of the seaside hometown he thought he’d never return to. The first in a new Tartan Noir mystery series by Bloody Scotland founding director Gordon Brown writing as Morgan Cry.

Disgraced, demoralised and recently retired Glasgow police constable Blake Glover returns to his childhood home of Fraserburgh on the north-east shoulder of Scotland. While driving a taxi to occupy himself and contemplate his future, he is asked to discreetly investigate the disappearance of a young woman.

Blake reluctantly agrees to help and stumbles upon a mysterious stately home which appears to be involved in smuggling people from around the world for a highly addictive and deadly narcotic.

The more Blake investigates, the more he uncovers a massive plot involving money, blackmail, drugs and murder. With the fear that the narcotic will make it onto the streets of his hometown, Blake must track down the drugs before time runs out or watch people he cares about meet a gruesome end.

Fans of VAL McDERMID, IAN RANKIN, DENISE MINA and WILLIAM McILVANNEY shouldn’t miss this intricately plotted, clever and suspenseful series debut by Scottish crime writer Morgan Cry.

Genre: amateur detectives, Private Investigators

Reviews

“Featuring a memorable protagonist fuelled by the best of Scottish fast food, The Cost is a decidedly moreish thriller that will leave you hankering for just one more chapter”

Ian Rankin, author of the Inspector Rebus Thrillers

“Simply brilliant”

Abir Mukherjee, author of Hunted

“As dark as a November sky over Fraserburgh, The Cost is about the danger of going back. A tight, elegant tale”

Denise Mina, author of Conviction

“An ex-policeman turned taxi driver in Fraserburgh has secrets of his own as he’s plunged into local intrigues. What great thriller writing: visceral sense of place, finely tuned ear for dialects, believable engaging characters & a tense layered plot. Loved it”

Liz Webb, author of The Daughter

“Morgan Cry is a splendid storyteller”

The Scotsman

“A dark, twisting tale with a gripping plot, a troubled hero, and a haunting and somber conclusion”

Booklist

“Blake Glover is a force to be reckoned with in this twisty thriller”

Lin Anderson, author of the Rhona MacLeod series

“Charismatic, clever and crafty, written with Cry's sharp wit”

Caro Ramsay, author of the DCI Christine Caplan Thrillers

“Sharp prose, superb pace, a finely-wrought sense of place combine in this unusual thriller. Blake Glover is a new character to keep us turning the pages”

Douglas Skelton, author of A Thief's Blood

“Morgan Cry’s characterisation is an absolute joy in this compelling novel. A deliciously dark slice of tartan noir”

Marion Todd, author of the DI Clare Mackay series

Morgan Cry

Gordon Brown, also writing as Morgan Cry, has twelve crime and thriller books published to date, along with a novella and a number of short stories.Gordon is a founding director of Bloody Scotland, Scotland’s International Crime Writing Festival and runs a strategic planning consultancy. He lives in Scotland (and when Brexit rules allow, Spain) and is married with two children – who have long since flown the nest.In a former life Gordon delivered pizzas in Toronto, sold non-alcoholic beer in the Middle East, launched a creativity training business, floated a high tech company on the London Stock Exchange, compered the main stage at a two-day music festival and was once booed by 49,000 people while on the pitch at a major football Cup Final.

View author page

Editions

The Cost by Morgan Cry is available in the following formats

Hardback97814483154201st April 2025144 X 222mm272$29.99
Hardback97814483154201st April 2025144 X 222mm272£21.99
Ebook97814483154371st April 2025N/A272$14.99
Ebook97814483154371st April 2025N/A272£12.99
Paperback978144831776923rd September 2025129 X 198mm272$16.99
Paperback978144831776925th September 2025129 X 198mm272£9.99
FormatISBNPublication DateDimensionsPagesPrice