Welcome to the home of Charlie Gallagher
Thank you so much for taking the time out to visit my website. I hope you find everything you need in these pages, but if there is anything missing, feel free to get in touch with me via the contact sheet below. You can ask questions, give feedback or just sign up to get occasional emails that come direct from me and only when I have something new to shout about.
Latest News
February 2026
It has been a while! The last time I released new material was in April 2024, so I think it is fair to say that something new is long overdue. I promise I have never stopped working, the result of the period that followed the release of The Girls Upstairs and the present day is a whole load of new material and, I am delighted to say, a brand new book.
'Six Hours To Live' launches on Thursday 26th February. It introduces a brand new lead in the form of Abigail Morton, a young, talented detective but who works in a very different area of policing to what I have covered before. Previously I have told stories from the the point of view of murder detectives, this time the stories are set in the shadowy world of Source Handling.
Source Handling is something that always fascinated me when I was a serving police officer and I have always considered it a rich area for setting stories; ripe for the creation of tension and drama. Source Handlers work as part of a very small, very tight team. Eight officers, a skipper and a guvner - when they are fully resourced. Abigail Morton is new to source handling and she will not be joining a team that is complete by any means. Source Handlers are tasked with extracting information from members of the public - often from criminals snitching on other criminals.
It is a high stakes game where handlers must juggle informants who are in constant danger, gather intelligence that they may not be able to act on, no matter how serious the consequences, and all while maintaining their own safety against a backdrop of lies and misdirection . In all other areas of policing there is a panic button to press, one radio call and the whole of the force come to your aid. Source Handlers don't have that option. They live and work in the shadows. They live and die by their ability to manage that environment.
Calling in the cavalry is not an option. When it goes wrong, it goes very wrong.
So far the Abigail Morton series is three books long. They're written, edited and will be released at around three-month intervals. I also have a psychological thriller written and ready (my first ever in this genre) that is due for release in October to make four releases scheduled in 2026.
And I cannot wait for you to see them all!
Thank you for your patience. It's set to be a busy year!
April 2024
April. Crazy. I think I've said that somewhere before! The first few months of the year have been dominated by two things: the impending release of The Girls Upstairs and the starting of a brand new project. It's always a little daunting starting something new and the fact this will be my twentieth published novel doesn't mean it is any easier than the very first!
But I will talk about work-in-progress later. For now I should focus on The Girls Upstairs, that gets its release tomorrow (as I type this) on Thursday 11th April. Early feedback has been phenomenal, which calms the nerves a little. I am more nervous about this one than most, as it happens, seeing as this was such a rollercoaster of a novel to create. I can honestly say that this is the first time a project has had me sobbing in a public place. That was a section that I went back over the next day and changed considerably, thinking it would be too much.
Then I changed it back.
This was after a conversation with my agent, Hannah, at Madeleine Milburn. It was not her fault, I called her out of the blue to talk about it and now that I think back, I'm pretty certain that I was calling her as part of convincing myself! Anyway, that section did survive and I am very interested/nervous to see how it will be received overall.
I hope to have some more news on the book that I finished just before Christmas very soon. That is something a little different and we are currently in discussions about where the best home for it might be. Then there's a children's book that I also finished late last year and it is fair to say that this is something a lot different! I have no idea what I'm going to do with that, if it will even be a Charlie Gallagher, but I will keep you informed. It is a project that I wrote with my daughter, so I am very keen to get it out there for people to see any way I can.
I could waffle on, but I will not. Enjoy The Girls Upstairs. Join the mailing list below if you want to be kept up to date and - please - consider leaving some honest feedback if you do read the new book - or any of them - I cannot tell you how much of a difference it makes.
Happy spring.
Charlie.
December 2023
December. Crazy. We all know this, hence I have been flat out in an effort to finish my current writing projects before all the brandy starts. I am delighted then, that I'm just about there and I can share the news of two new (finished!) books.
The first of these is a new addition to the Maddie Ives Series. This will be the ninth, way more than I anticipated, but this is a series where another one just always seems right. Book 9 is a story written very much as a standalone - for anyone new to the series - but also continues the journey for those who have followed Maddie and co through the eight previous outings. There were some tough decisions made in this one (including any number of slipper designs for a certain civilian analyst) and I am delighted with the finished draft. I can't wait for people to see it.
The second of the books that have dominated my year is brand new in more ways than one. A brand new book, a brand new lead and a brand new area of policing. This story is set among the murky world of Source Handling (or CHIS's, for fans of Line Of Duty!) where undercover police officers trade in information. The first priority is to get to the truth, the second is not to get their informant killed on the way. It is a fascinating and tense arena with both sides of the law playing their games in the search for the upper hand. The perfect setting for a thriller. Once again, I am delighted with the outcome. I really enjoyed casting a whole new book, it is a freedom I have only had a few times before and the result was a lead character that may well appear again.
But that is a concern for January. For now, there is brandy.
Another reason I so wanted to have finished books to talk about, is that it allows the perfect opportunity to wish you the most lovely of christmases. However you celebrate, if you celebrate, if you don't, if you just use it as an excuse to get away from the crowd or to get among a crowd, to be with family and friends or to get the hell away from them; I wish you the very best!
And, as ever, thank you for reading.
Charlie Gallagher
PS: A very quick note. I have just signed off on a deal that will bring 'Then She Ran', 'Her Last Breath' and 'Ruthless' to life as audiobooks. More detail on this to follow!
It has been a while! The last time I released new material was in April 2024, so I think it is fair to say that something new is long overdue. I promise I have never stopped working, the result of the period that followed the release of The Girls Upstairs and the present day is a whole load of new material and, I am delighted to say, a brand new book.
'Six Hours To Live' launches on Thursday 26th February. It introduces a brand new lead in the form of Abigail Morton, a young, talented detective but who works in a very different area of policing to what I have covered before. Previously I have told stories from the the point of view of murder detectives, this time the stories are set in the shadowy world of Source Handling.
Source Handling is something that always fascinated me when I was a serving police officer and I have always considered it a rich area for setting stories; ripe for the creation of tension and drama. Source Handlers work as part of a very small, very tight team. Eight officers, a skipper and a guvner - when they are fully resourced. Abigail Morton is new to source handling and she will not be joining a team that is complete by any means. Source Handlers are tasked with extracting information from members of the public - often from criminals snitching on other criminals.
It is a high stakes game where handlers must juggle informants who are in constant danger, gather intelligence that they may not be able to act on, no matter how serious the consequences, and all while maintaining their own safety against a backdrop of lies and misdirection . In all other areas of policing there is a panic button to press, one radio call and the whole of the force come to your aid. Source Handlers don't have that option. They live and work in the shadows. They live and die by their ability to manage that environment.
Calling in the cavalry is not an option. When it goes wrong, it goes very wrong.
So far the Abigail Morton series is three books long. They're written, edited and will be released at around three-month intervals. I also have a psychological thriller written and ready (my first ever in this genre) that is due for release in October to make four releases scheduled in 2026.
And I cannot wait for you to see them all!
Thank you for your patience. It's set to be a busy year!
April 2024
April. Crazy. I think I've said that somewhere before! The first few months of the year have been dominated by two things: the impending release of The Girls Upstairs and the starting of a brand new project. It's always a little daunting starting something new and the fact this will be my twentieth published novel doesn't mean it is any easier than the very first!
But I will talk about work-in-progress later. For now I should focus on The Girls Upstairs, that gets its release tomorrow (as I type this) on Thursday 11th April. Early feedback has been phenomenal, which calms the nerves a little. I am more nervous about this one than most, as it happens, seeing as this was such a rollercoaster of a novel to create. I can honestly say that this is the first time a project has had me sobbing in a public place. That was a section that I went back over the next day and changed considerably, thinking it would be too much.
Then I changed it back.
This was after a conversation with my agent, Hannah, at Madeleine Milburn. It was not her fault, I called her out of the blue to talk about it and now that I think back, I'm pretty certain that I was calling her as part of convincing myself! Anyway, that section did survive and I am very interested/nervous to see how it will be received overall.
I hope to have some more news on the book that I finished just before Christmas very soon. That is something a little different and we are currently in discussions about where the best home for it might be. Then there's a children's book that I also finished late last year and it is fair to say that this is something a lot different! I have no idea what I'm going to do with that, if it will even be a Charlie Gallagher, but I will keep you informed. It is a project that I wrote with my daughter, so I am very keen to get it out there for people to see any way I can.
I could waffle on, but I will not. Enjoy The Girls Upstairs. Join the mailing list below if you want to be kept up to date and - please - consider leaving some honest feedback if you do read the new book - or any of them - I cannot tell you how much of a difference it makes.
Happy spring.
Charlie.
December 2023
December. Crazy. We all know this, hence I have been flat out in an effort to finish my current writing projects before all the brandy starts. I am delighted then, that I'm just about there and I can share the news of two new (finished!) books.
The first of these is a new addition to the Maddie Ives Series. This will be the ninth, way more than I anticipated, but this is a series where another one just always seems right. Book 9 is a story written very much as a standalone - for anyone new to the series - but also continues the journey for those who have followed Maddie and co through the eight previous outings. There were some tough decisions made in this one (including any number of slipper designs for a certain civilian analyst) and I am delighted with the finished draft. I can't wait for people to see it.
The second of the books that have dominated my year is brand new in more ways than one. A brand new book, a brand new lead and a brand new area of policing. This story is set among the murky world of Source Handling (or CHIS's, for fans of Line Of Duty!) where undercover police officers trade in information. The first priority is to get to the truth, the second is not to get their informant killed on the way. It is a fascinating and tense arena with both sides of the law playing their games in the search for the upper hand. The perfect setting for a thriller. Once again, I am delighted with the outcome. I really enjoyed casting a whole new book, it is a freedom I have only had a few times before and the result was a lead character that may well appear again.
But that is a concern for January. For now, there is brandy.
Another reason I so wanted to have finished books to talk about, is that it allows the perfect opportunity to wish you the most lovely of christmases. However you celebrate, if you celebrate, if you don't, if you just use it as an excuse to get away from the crowd or to get among a crowd, to be with family and friends or to get the hell away from them; I wish you the very best!
And, as ever, thank you for reading.
Charlie Gallagher
PS: A very quick note. I have just signed off on a deal that will bring 'Then She Ran', 'Her Last Breath' and 'Ruthless' to life as audiobooks. More detail on this to follow!
