The Devil's Blaze

Birlinn / Polygon, 2022
(US Edition) Pegasus Books, 2025

Across the city prominent figures in science and the military are bursting into flame and being incinerated. Convinced that the Germans have deployed a new terror weapon, a desperate government turns to the one man who can track down the source of this dreadful menace - Sherlock Holmes.

The quest for a solution drives Holmes into an uneasy alliance with the country’s most brilliant scientific genius, Professor James Moriarty. Only Holmes knows that, behind his façade of respectability, Moriarty is the mastermind behind a vast criminal empire. As they pursue the trail of incendiary murders, Holmes is quite sure that the professor is playing a double game and that there lies ahead a duel to the death which they cannot both survive.

A Study in Crimson

(US Edition) Pegasus Books, Oct 2025
(Spanish Edition) RBA, Oct 2025

A killer going by the name of 'Crimson Jack' is stalking the wartime streets of London, murdering women on the exact dates of the infamous Jack the Ripper killings of 1888. Has the Ripper somehow returned from the grave? Is the self-styled Crimson Jack a descendant of the original Jack or merely a madman obsessed with those notorious killings?

In desperation Scotland Yard turn to Sherlock Holmes, the world's greatest detective - the one man who can sift fact from legend and track down Crimson Jack before he completes his tally of death.

A Study in Crimson
Birlinn/Polygon Books, 2022

A killer going by the name of 'Crimson Jack' is stalking the wartime streets of London, murdering women on the exact dates of the infamous Jack the Ripper killings of 1888. Has the Ripper somehow returned from the grave? Is the self-styled Crimson Jack a descendant of the original Jack or merely a madman obsessed with those notorious killings?

In desperation Scotland Yard turn to Sherlock Holmes, the world's greatest detective - the one man who can sift fact from legend and track down Crimson Jack before he completes his tally of death.

The Scarlet Phantom
Kelpies (Floris Books), October 2019

Artie and his best friend Ham are investigating the strange case of the Scarlet Phantom, an invisible jewel thief who seems to walk through walls and disappear at will. But there's a rival detective on the case, a paranormal investigator who claims that only he can capture this 'ghost'.

With the help of their new friend, girl scientist Peril Abernethy, Artie and Ham follow a trail of baffling clues and impossible dangers, but can they catch the Phantom before the invisible fiend pulls off the greatest robbery in history?

The Vanishing Dragon
Kelpies (Floris Books), Mar 2018

This adventure takes Artie and Ham into the world of stage magic and illusion as they are hired by Professor John Henry Anderson, the Great Wizard of the North, to investigate several acts of sabotage aimed at destroying his career.

The Gravediggers' Club
Kelpies (Floris Books), Feb 2017

One day Arthur Conan Doyle will create Sherlock Holmes, but right now Artie is a twelve-year-old with a mystery to solve. Exploring Greyfriars Kirkyard, Artie and his friend Ham spot a ghostly lady and the footprints of a gigantic hound. Strange clues lead them to robberies by the sinister Gravediggers' Club and the villainous Colonel Braxton Dash. Will Artie survive graveyards and ghosts in the streets of Edinburgh - or will his first case be his last?

GIRL IN A CAGE
Cranachan Books, 2019 (reissued 2025)

Marjorie, daughter of the Scottish hero Robert Bruce, is captured by her father's deadliest foe, King Edward I of England. When the wicked king locks her in a cage and puts her on display, Marjorie must find the courage of a true princess if she and her country are to survive.

THE ROGUES
Philomel Books, 2007

Driven from his home by the wicked laird, Roddy Macallan discovers a lost reassure that could save his family from a lifetime of misery. When the laird takes even this from him, Roddy must join forces with Alan Dunbar, a notorious rogue, to steal back his property. But is the rogue an ally or merely a cunning enemy? .

Find out more about The Rogues

PRINCE ACROSS THE WATER
Philomel Books, 2004

With the arrival of Bonnie Prince Charlie, all of Scotland is caught up in a fervour of rebellion. But when young Duncan marches off to join the Prince's army, he learns that war carries a terrible cost and even peace has its price.

GIRL IN A CAGE
Philomel Books, 2002

Marjorie, daughter of the Scottish hero Robert Bruce, is captured by her father's deadliest foe, King Edward I of England. When the wicked king locks her in a cage and puts her on display, Marjorie must find the courage of a true princess if she and her country are to survive.

QUEEN’S OWN FOOL
Philomel Books, 2000

Orphaned entertainer Nicola is taken on as a jester by the beautiful Mary Queen of Scots. Following her mistress from France to Scotland, Nicola becomes caught up in the deadly intrigues of the Scottish court and needs all her wits to keep herself and the queen alive.

Redfalcon
Birlinn, June 2024 / Polygon Books, Oct 2025

Once again veteran adventurer Richard Hannay is called into action on a mission that will test him as never before. At stake is the fate of the beleaguered island of Malta where Hannay’s son is stationed as a fighter pilot. The German master spy Ravenstein has stumbled upon a centuries old secret which will give the Nazis the key to conquering Malta and so take control of the entire Mediterranean.

Castle McNab
Birlinn/Polygon Books, Nov 2018

At the end of John Buchan's classic adventure John Macnab, three friends in search of excitement have just completed an epic feat of poaching. Now their celebrations are unexpectedly interrupted by the appearance of their old comrade Richard Hannay. His arrival marks the beginning of a new and even more hazardous challenge. A foreign dignitary has been abducted while on a secret visit to Scotland and his life hangs in the balance. It is up to Hannay and the Macnabs to rescue him before Europe in plunged into a new and ruinous war. For the man they must rescue was once their greatest foe 'the Kaiser'.

This time the stakes are higher, the risks are greater, and the fate of a nation will be decided.

The Thirty-One Kings
Birlinn/Polygon Books, Oct 2017

As German troops pour across France, the veteran soldier and adventurer Richard Hannay is called back into service. An individual code-named 'Roland' has disappeared and is assumed to be in the hands of Nazi agents. Only he knows the secret of the Thirty-One Kings, upon which the future of Europe depends. Hannay is dispatched to Paris to find Roland before the Germans overrun the city. On a hazardous journey across France Hannay confronts a ruthless foe who will stop at nothing to destroy him.

Odin Blew Up My TV!
Floris Books, April 2016

A strange haar blows into St Andrews' harbour one morning, freezing its inhabitants in a magical mist. A Viking longship docks, and out leaps Loki, the Norse god of mischief. Much to brothers Lewis and Greg's dismay, wise-cracking, havoc-wreaking Loki is back, but this time he's been followed ...

Thor Is Locked In My Garage
Floris Books, September 2014

This sequel to 'The Day The World Went Loki' is another hilarious adventure featuring Greg and Lewis and introduces their friend the fabulous Susie Spinetti, Thor and Hollywood superstar Garth Makepeace.

The Day the World Went Loki
Kelpies, August 2013

Lewis and Greg have accidentally turned their mum into a troll, and the town of St Andrews into a fantasy world. Can they change it back before Loki, Norse god of mischief, takes over forever?

Read Bob's introduction to the world of Loki

Will Shakespeare and the Pirate's Fire
Harper Collins, July 2006

Young Will Shakespeare is forced to flee his home town of Stratford with a company of travelling players. When they arrive at the house of the mysterious Dr. Dee, he becomes embroiled in an adventure involving spies, pirates and a dreadful secret that could bring his country to its knees.

Read Bob's notes from behind the scenes

Leonardo and the Death Machine
Harper Collins, May 2005

Young Leonardo da Vinci will become the world's greatest inventor, if his curiosity doesn't kill him first. When he stumbles upon the plans for a mysterious and deadly machine, Leonardo finds himself framed for murder. Soon he is running for his life with the fugitive slave girl Fresina, pursued by a ruthless assassin.

JASON AND THE GORGON'S BLOOD
Harper Collins, 2003

ATALANTA AND THE ARCADIAN BEAST
Harper Collins, 2003

HIPPOLYTA AND THE CURSE OF THE AMAZONS
Harper Collins, 2001

Hippolyta, princess of the Amazons , must flee her homeland with her infant brother to keep him from being sacrificed. In doing so, however, she brings down a curse on her people which can only be lifted by finding the lost city of Arimaspa, where she will discover the secret origin of the Amazon race.

ODYSSEUS IN THE SERPENT MAZE
Harper Collins, 2000

Everyone says the age of heroes is over, but Odysseus disagrees. With his friend Mentor, he embarks on an adventure involving pirates, sirens , and the monster that lurks in the Serpent Maze, and learns that sometimes it takes more than just courage to be a hero.

OLD JIM CROAKER JUMPS OVER THE MOON
'Ribbiting Tales', edited by Nancy Springer
Philomel Books, 2000

STRAIGHT AND TRUE
'Sherwood', edited by Jane Yolen
Philomel Books, 1999

THE RAGMORE BEAST
'Bruce Coville's Book of Spine Tinglers II',
edited by Bruce Coville
Scholastic, 1997

REQUIEM ANTARCTICA
'Asimov's Science Fiction', May 2000

CARRION CROWS
'The Crow: Shattered Lives and Broken Dreams',
edited by J. O'Barr and Ed Kramer
Del Ray, 1998>

STUDIES IN STONE
'In The Shadow of the Gargoyle',
edited by Nancy Kilpatrick and Thomas S. Roche
Ace Books, 1998

CRUSADE OF FIRE
'Mystical Tales of the Knights Templar',
edited by Katherine Kurtz
Warner Books, 2002

LAST KINGDOM
'Legends: Tales from the Eternal Archives',
edited by Margaret Weis
Daw Books, 1999

THE COMPANY OF THREE
'On Crusade: More Tales of the Knights Templar',
edited by Katherine Kurtz
Warner Books, 1998

THE CITY OF BRASS
'Tales of the Knights Templar',
edited by Katherine Kurtz
Warner Books, 1995