It’s like saying I work in an abattoir. It’s like being called a criminal.
- Don McCullin, on the term ‘war photographer’
Gothic Mystery
Veterinary Noir
On a lonely farmstead, an old woman falls down outside and, unable to move, is consumed overnight by two of her pigs.
It seems like a tragic accident, except the woman was well-known photographer Sophia Bertilak – and inside her house, someone has removed all her photos from their frames, seemingly erasing her past…
The first photo Sophia ever took remains her most infamous: a missing girl who was never seen again. Forensic veterinarian Cooper Allen is drafted in for the post-mortem – and slowly becomes obsessed with the victim, her family, and the crimes she brought to light decades ago.
As Cooper pulls on a dark thread of deception, secrets and lies, she begins to unravel the case – as well as herself…
CONSUMED
“Seemingly intent on outdoing its predecessor’s murky tone, Consumed often feels less like a detective story than folk horror, or the chronicle of a descent into madness. At all times, it’s ominous, paranoid and unsettling. Its uniquely ominous atmosphere, drawing freely from horror and summoning up a sense of weirdness that often verges on the hallucinatory, gives Consumed a compelling quality that stands out in a crowded genre. Stylish and unsettling, Buchanan is forging a path through crime fiction that’s all his own, and it feels like he’s only just begun.”
- The Herald
“Sheer mastery… I am honestly at a loss to describe the effect this story had on me.”
- Rainn Books
“The writing of this book is sublime… one of the best thrillers I have read in a long time.”
- Book Literati
“Dark, disturbing, and extremely powerful, CONSUMED will stay with you for a long time after reading.”
- BP Walter
“CONSUMED will shock, shake, haunt and thrill you.”
- Chris Whitaker
CONSUMED is part of a larger cycle of stories about the cases of veterinary surgeon Cooper Allen and the darker side of that profession.
The series is inspired by the veterinary work of the author’s wife and friends; guided by real-life veterinary forensic experts and police officers; and draws from the author’s own experience working on farms and as a volunteer behaviourist with Cat’s Protection. This is not the rural idealism of All Creatures Great and Small, but a mixture of light and dark - exploring the best and worst things we can imagine; the love we have for pets, how we can let them down, and what we ask of their saviours and ourselves.
The following lists show the order in which these stories have been released as well as an approximate internal chronology of events for the protagonist.
The choice is yours — in any case, the majority of these tales are designed to work as stand-alones and therefore can be read in any sequence you wish. (with the exception of blue-text stories)** By reading the others, you will grow your understanding of the character and the mysteries of her past and future.
READING ORDER
(BY RELEASE DATE)
SIXTEEN HORSES
(Novel, April 2021)
TRAIN TRACKS
(Short, February 2022)
(Available at the end of the Waterstones Paperback for Sixteen Horses / as a limited-time Newsletter Signup-Bonus)
CONSUMED
(Novel, July 2023)
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO STEPHANIE EARLSHAM?
(Short, February 2024)**
(Newsletter Signup Exclusive. Link available at the end of the 2024 Paperback Edition of CONSUMED, containing spoilers for that novel)
READING ORDER
(BY CHRONOLOGY)
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO STEPHANIE EARLSHAM?
(Short, February 2024)**
(Newsletter Signup Exclusive. Link available at the end of the 2024 Paperback Edition of CONSUMED, containing spoilers for that novel)
TRAIN TRACKS
(Short, February 2022)
(Available at the end of the Waterstones Paperback for Sixteen Horses / as a limited-time Newsletter Signup-Bonus)
SIXTEEN HORSES
(Novel, April 2021)
CONSUMED
(Novel, July 2023)
**Stories listed in blue text contain more direct spoilers for other works in the series. They can still be read ahead of other titles, but may reduce the impact of revelations from other books.
Join bestselling crime author Dr. Greg Buchanan (SIXTEEN HORSES) as he reads a passage from his new novel CONSUMED about real cases of people being buried alive with elaborate pipes in the 20th century (Stirling, Scotland, 2023)