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Detective Matt Deal
Series · 7 books · 2019-2025

Books in series

Mercy book cover
#1

Mercy

2019

His daughter was taken. He’ll never get her back. Set in the near future, Matt Deal is a British businessman married into a wealthy Florida family. Mercy, his fifteen-year-old daughter, is the glue in his rocky marriage to Lorey. His life is changed forever after Mercy is brutally sexually assaulted on a Destin beach leaving her in a persistent vegetative state. Trusting the local detectives to bring the rapists to justice, mixed martial arts expert Deal concentrates in vain on his Florida gym business, only to have his world further explode on learning the men responsible for his daughter’s injuries may escape justice. Deal is isolated and at his wit's end after his rich father-in-law sends death threats blaming him for all these ills. Who can he turn to? Where can he go? What will he do? Who can he trust? Will he return to a post-Brexit Britain or ultimately will he seek revenge? Fans of Jack Reacher, Barry Eisler, and any vigilante justice novel will love this book. \\\ Trigger Warning \\\ Contains a scene of sexual violence and some scenes of explicit consensual adult sex.
Mayhem book cover
#2

Mayhem

2020

Don’t mess with Deal… Mayhem will follow At the funeral of two of his hit men, Mike Russo, capo of the New Jersey Mob puts out a contract on Detective Matt Deal for his part in the killings. At the same time another funeral is taking place in Florida. Deal will soon learn just how badly his world is broken… and it’s about to get worse. The long awaited sequel to Book One in the series – Mercy. Fans of Jack Ryan, or lethal killers like Reacher or Scot Harvath will devour this novel.
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#3

Mobocracy

2021

Mobocracy means mob rule, the opposite of democracyThe series is set in the near future...Anarchy and mob rule are prevalent with law and order breaking down in the United States. Even Washington D.C. is under siege from lawless groups of rioters. In Florida, Matt Deal has now been appointed the chief of detectives reporting to newly elected Sheriff Fretwell, his old friend. A British stranger starts making inquiries about Deal. Who is he? Is he an additional threat to Deal and his family? Meanwhile Special Agent Steele recruits a disgraced cop to infiltrate the outlaw biker gang hired to kill Deal. What will Deal do? Fight or flee?
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#4

Montana

A Detective Matt Deal Thriller

2023

Following the murder of his old friend Mickey Fretwell, Deal left his post as Chief of Detectives in Florida and moved with his family to Montana. He remained in law enforcement. In Cut Bank, Montana, Matt Deal now Sheriff Deal, and Bianca, the niece of Deal’s late friend Mickey Fretwell, investigate mysterious disappearances and rumours of corruption. But when a local P.D. officer is brutally murdered, they uncover a sinister plot linked to the powerful O'Hara family. To restore justice, Deal and Bianca must assemble a small army of police officers and fight for their lives. In the end, justice is served, but the final image of peace will leave you wanting more.
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#5

Night's Redemption

2024

Jimmie Grant was once part of a Florida biker gang with the handle of 'Night' but he and his mother were relocated to Montana under the witness protection programme after he helped the FBI in foiling an attempt on Matt Deal’s life when Deal was a detective in Florida. Grant changed his name to Walter Williams and passed the Montana bar exams and is now a public defender. In the small town where Matt Deal is now sheriff, they meet again. Walter takes on a case involving a black man accused of rape and strives to prove his innocence in the face of obstacles. In this modern-day Atticus Finch story, Walter fights for justice and morality and reveals the bigotry in small town America.
Manhunt book cover
#6

Manhunt

A Detective Matt Deal Thriller

2025

Some debts are paid in blood. Some deals are settled in fire.When Sheriff Matt Deal sought refuge in the frozen plains of Montana, he hoped to leave his violent past behind. But peace shatters when a relentless private army descends on his quiet town, driven by vengeance and bloodlust. Outnumbered and outgunned, Deal must rally new and old allies to defend his family and community against overwhelming odds. As the siege intensifies, the line between predator and prey blurs, and Deal is forced into a fight where survival is the only rule. ‘Manhunt’ is a pulse-pounding thriller of resilience, sacrifice, and justice forged in fire. Imagine Harry Bosch married to Lisbeth Salander, now you have Matt and Anna Deal. Start at the beginning with ‘Mercy.’
Merciless book cover
#7

Merciless

2025

Vengeance knows no limits. Matt Deal is a man with nothing left to lose. Retired and haunted by the ghosts of his past, he boards a bus with a single destination—vengeance. Two men, Paul Greenslade and Sean O’Rourke, orchestrated the bloody siege of Cut Bank and walked free. The justice system failed. Now, Deal will deliver his own. From the neon-lit streets of Las Vegas to the forgotten backroads of Texas, he hunts them down, leaving behind a trail of battered bodies and broken secrets. But Greenslade and O’Rourke aren’t just running—they’re waiting. And Deal isn’t the only one seeking retribution. As old enemies resurface and unexpected allies emerge, the line between hunter and hunted blurs. The road is long. The blood is real. The mission is merciless. Will Deal find his revenge—or will this journey be his last?

Author

Stephen Bentley
Stephen Bentley
Author · 19 books

Stephen Bentley is a former UK police Detective Sergeant, pioneering undercover cop, and barrister. He is now a freelance writer and an occasional contributor to Huffington Post UK on undercover policing and mental health issues. Be sure to follow Stephen on BookBub and keep up with his latest news https://tinyurl.com/2ddfchpz Stephen also writes cozy mysteries under the name KJ Cornwall. He also is one half of the crime writing team using the pen name David Le Courageux.

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