Noir
Thrillers
Mysteries
BLAIR DENHOLM
SIGN UP HERE TO RECEIVE MY NEWSLETTER
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
BLAIR DENHOLM is a crime fiction writer who has worked in New York, Moscow, Munich, Abu Dhabi and Australia. He voted in a foreign election despite having no eligibility to do so, was almost lost at sea on a Russian fishing boat, and was detained by military forces in the Middle East. He currently resides in the Southern Downs region of Queensland, Australia.
His current project, a new series called Skye Lisbon Investigates, features a young private investigator plying her trade in the subtropical metropolis of Brisbane. Her cased sometimes take her out of the state capital of Queensland: into the outback, to other major cities, around the globe. Make sure to check out the thrilling and suspenseful FREE prequel, Last Seen.
Skye’s dad, hard-boiled detective Jack Lisbon, is the star of his own series, The Fighting Detective. Jack has a knack of getting into a world of trouble without even trying. He often relies on the skills he learned in the boxing ring to get things sorted, but he’s got a good heart and only wants to see the bad guys punished for their crimes. The prequel novella, Fighting Dirty, is also available FREE on Amazon.
Join the thousands who have downloaded both of these stories and discover why Skye Lisbon and her inimitable father are both crime fiction heroes to keep an eye on.
Denholm has also written two Russia-set thriller novels featuring Captain Viktor Voloshin, a hard-boiled investigator who battles the establishment to deliver justice on his own terms. The series began with Revolution Day (2021) and continued with The Defector (2024). A final novel will complete the trilogy.
Denholm’s debut crime novel, SOLD, was the first in a thrilling noir series featuring the detestable yet lovable one-man wrecking ball Gary Braswell. The next books in the trilogy, Sold to the Devil and Sold Dirt Cheap, received rave reviews from readers all around the world.
LAST SEEN
skye lisbon has no badge, no backup, and no intention of walking away.
When sixteen-year-old Phoebe Oakford vanishes, police treat the case as low risk. Her mother doesn’t—and neither does Skye Lisbon, a former cop only months into running her own private investigation business.
With little to go on, Skye retraces Phoebe’s final night and runs into evasive witnesses, guarded teenagers, and adults unwilling to ask hard questions. The break comes from a quiet student who reveals Phoebe had been meeting someone in secret. Someone she should have left well alone.
Following the lead puts Skye in danger, forcing a confrontation she can’t avoid. Because some doors are locked for a reason—and some cases don’t wait.
“I loved this short piece that puts Skye Lisbon in the driver’s seat.” – Matt Pechey, International Book Blogger
“A fast adrenaline shot to the system. Hits the mark expertly!” – Beverly, Amazon reviewer
“Definitely enjoyed the introduction of Skye after having read the entire Fighting Detective series featuring her father. Highly recommend!” – Wayne, Goodreads reviewer
COLD SHOT
COLD-BLOODED MURDER. HOT-TEMPERED SUSPECTS. A HARD-NOSED COP WHO’LL STOP AT NOTHING TO BRING THE GUILTY TO JUSTICE
When an exhibition ice hockey tournament rolls into a steamy tropical town in North Queensland, Australia, the excitement among locals is through the roof. But when a top player is found brutally slain on centre ice, all remaining matches are immediately cancelled. The Yorkville CIB, headed up by the irrepressible Detective Sergeant Jack Lisbon, wastes no time swinging into action to get to the bottom of this baffling mystery.
The victim, Jonas Eriksson, a jaded import from Sweden who’d failed to achieve his dreams in the NHL or European leagues, harboured a truckload of dark secrets. A dirty and ruthless right defenseman with enemies galore – among opposing clubs, fans, and even his own teammates – the police will have their work cut out finding Eriksson’s killer among the cavalcade of suspects. The pressure is on from the public, the media and politicians – find the culprit fast!
Aided by Detective Constable Claudia Taylor, DS Lisbon navigates a tightrope of testosterone-fuelled egos among the players, an adoring fan prepared to do anything to help her favourite team, an angry ex-wife, and a couple of surprise suspects no one saw coming.
“Cold Shot”, the eight book in the Fighting Detective series, is a chilling thriller with all the elements you’ve come to love in a Jack Lisbon whodunit. Wit, grit, a fascinating support cast, and a twisty plot that will keep you turning the pages well into the night. The perfect book for fans of American crime-writing giants James Patterson, David Baldacci and Michael Connelly, or British masters of police procedurals Ian Rankin, Peter James and Val McDermid.
MOVING TARGET
Nothing spoils a relaxing vacation like witnessing a murder.
While visiting the Portuguese capital of Lisbon, namesake Detective Jack Lisbon and his younger daughter find themselves caught up in a horrifying assassination. The victim, a university student and part-time journalist, is gunned down in broad daylight on the packed No. 15 tram.
Jack soon finds his role in the case shifting from eyewitness to special investigator. The suspects start lining up: a jealous rival; a jilted lover; a ruthless entrepreneur.
The stakes skyrocket when Jack himself is brutally assaulted. Is this a random attack or a message from the killer to back off?
As he juggles a family reunion with long-lost relatives, the safety of his daughter, and involvement in one of Portugal’s most baffling homicide investigations, Jack faces what could be his most daunting case yet. One thing is certain – even on foreign soil this detective won’t change his hard-boiled policing style for anyone.
POINT BLANK
Murder on the Golf Course
A relaxing round of golf at the country club wasn’t supposed to turn into a bloodbath.
When barking gunfire shatters the tranquility of a sunny morning, off-duty Detective Sergeant Jack Lisbon races to the source of the blasts. A man lies dead on the fairway, two neat bullet holes in his forehead; a second is bleeding to death; a woman unleashes piercing screams.
It’s quickly determined the shots came from a remotely fired handgun mounted on a drone. The only physical evidence at the crime scene – scattered shell casings and bullets lodged in the ground, the trees and the victims.
Can DS Lisbon find the killer among a long list of suspects? And does a tangled love triangle among the victims hold the key to the mystery? With a family emergency demanding Jack’s return to London, this case must be wrapped up fast.
Join the hunt for a calculating murderer in the steamy tropics of Northern Australia.
If you’re a fan of mysteries by American crime-writing legends James Patterson, David Baldacci and Michael Connelly, or British doyens of police procedurals Ian Rankin, Peter James and Val McDermid, this novel will be just what the detective ordered.
DROP SHOT
Game. Set. Murder.
Temperamental tennis player Roderick McAdam stands on the threshold of claiming the world number one ranking. But days before McAdam is due to arrive in Melbourne for the Australian Open, his trussed-up body is found in a seedy hotel room.
Why had the victim accepted an invitation to play in a one-off competition in far North Queensland? And why was he murdered in such a bizarre way? With the public and tennis officials demanding answers, Detective Jack Lisbon and his team must peel back the layers of lies, violence and deception to uncover the shocking truth.
Drop Shot is the fifth book in the Fighting Detective Series by popular crime fiction author Blair Denholm – another action-packed mystery guaranteed to keep you turning the pages into the night.
SHOT TO THE HEART
A missing daughter
A desperate father
A kidnapper with no identity
After a five-year absence from his South London patch, former boxer and Metropolitan Police detective Jack Lisbon flies back from Australia to be reunited with his daughter. Just three days into his holiday, the child is snatched from her father’s side in broad daylight.
The message from the kidnapper is clear – if Jack alerts the police or fails to pay the ransom, the girl dies.
TRICK SHOT
A blood-soaked body in a basement
A high-ranking police officer with dark secrets
A town full of suspects
And Jack Lisbon, a detective who stops at nothing to uncover the truth.
When a prominent pool hall owner is found brutally slain in his own home, Yorkville’s Criminal Investigation Branch swoops into action.
The Assistant Commissioner of Police is piling the pressure on Detective Lisbon and his team. With suspicions the crime has links to terrorism and a meeting of world leaders about to kick off, solving the case is now an urgent priority.
But is the killer really linked to a terrorist organization? Or does the homicide have nothing to do with national security at all?
With the line of suspects stretching out the door, Jack and his partner Detective Claudia Taylor must pull out all stops to unravel this baffling crime.
Can Jack Lisbon solve the case in time to avert a disaster? Or will the Trick Shot mystery snooker him completely?
Shot Clock
Detective Jack Lisbon takes no prisoners in his bare-knuckled search for justice
A popular sports coach lies shattered on the road. The calculated hit-and-run murder sends shock waves through the city.
The struggling Scorpions basketball franchise is knocking on the door of its first ever NBL championship title. The community of Yorkville is united behind the home team, spirits are high. But with the playoffs in sight, their coach Dale Collins is mowed down in broad daylight. The killers leave no trace – no DNA, no prints, no clues, nothing.
KILL SHOT
When only one brand of justice will do…
A body found in the mangroves, mutilated beyond recognition.
What at first appears to be a crocodile attack is soon established as a shocking murder. Can ex-boxer Detective Sergeant Jack Lisbon solve the mystery before the sleepy town of Yorkville goes into total meltdown?
When a popular MMA fighter disappears, police now face a possible double homicide. The list of suspects grows longer, but no one in the closed fighting community is talking. Join DS Lisbon and his partner Detective Claudia Taylor on a heart-thumping ride through the steamy tropics of Northern Australia as they hunt for a killer out of control.
FIGHTING DIRTY
It took only one bad choice to turn his world upside down. DI Jack Lisbon now faces his toughest dilemma – seek justice or exact vengeance.
When a young boxer gets beaten half to death for throwing a fight, Jack takes a bribe to look the other way. Soon, that questionable decision comes back to haunt him and his career hangs in the balance. Jack has to make things right, the only way he knows how.
Make the bad guys pay! The twist at the end will blow your mind!
THE DEFECTOR
A US military attaché wants to defect to the Soviet Union. Why does she want to hand over secrets that will throw the global power balance out of kilter?
On the eve of the historic Reagan-Gorbachev summit, former Moscow cop Viktor Voloshin finds himself embroiled in a deadly game of espionage. Now working with a private security firm, Voloshin is tasked with taking in a high-ranking defector. Her plan – turn over vital information on US weaponry to the Soviet Union. Voloshin’s mission takes an unexpected turn when a Russian criminal syndicate intercepts the American. Led by the enigmatic Roman Sokolov, the gang aims to sell the defector’s valuable secrets to rebels in Afghanistan.
Dodging danger at every step, Voloshin uncovers Sokolov’s fortress bunker in Leningrad. With important bilateral treaties on the negotiating table, he must race against time to free the defector before it’s too late. Determined to prevent a catastrophic geopolitical power shift, Voloshin orchestrates a daring rescue.
REVOLUTION DAY
In the USSR there is no crime. In the USSR the truth is a lie.
Inspired by shocking real events
On the eve of the 70th Anniversary of the Russian Revolution, Captain Viktor Voloshin of the Moscow Militsiya speeds to the scene of a grisly murder. A man’s body hangs from a tree, a cross carved into his back. The victim – a foreign student.
With the Soviet Union gaining new freedoms under the policies of Perestroika and Glasnost, extremists are emerging from the shadows. Voloshin fears the murder is a hate crime that could incite even more violence. With the Revolution Day parade a day away, the city is on high alert. The authorities issue a directive. Cover up the killing and protect the reputation of the regime at all costs. But Voloshin ignores the order. With the KGB and government ministries obstructing his search for justice, the Captain must also conquer his own frailties that threaten to cripple the investigation.
Set against a backdrop of Cold War intrigue and espionage, this explosive thriller is perfect for fans of Martin Cruz Smith, John Le Carre and Robert Ludlum
SOLD TO THE DEVIL
Hunted by the Feds and the Russian mafia, the only person the country’s most wanted man can trust is the Devil
Backyard plastic surgery, a new identity and hope are his ticket to freedom. Will the other end of the world be far enough to save him from his past?
Murder, sex, drugs, dodgy cops and violent criminals are the ingredients for Denholm’s highly anticipated and thrilling sequel to SOLD.
SOLD
Pay up or die!
Used-car salesman Gary Braswell owes thousands to a violent loan shark. Desperate to save his skin, he joins forces with a ruthless Russian crime syndicate that doesn’t take too kindly to being double-crossed. As his life spirals further out of control, Gary’s inflated ego can only land him in more trouble.
