Two weeks ago we showed you Wounded Prey, the first in the Farrell and Kearns series by Sean Lynch. Today, we bring you a first look at Officer Involved, the third book in the series. Sandwiched in between the two will be The Fourth Motive.

While Wounded Prey (24 March) and The Fourth Motive (5 May) have previously been published by Exhibit A Books, the author is republishing them off his own bat in April and May. He’s adding to them with the previously unpublished Officer Involved, to appear on 16 June.

The three books feature retired San Francisco cop Bob Farrell, who teams up with a younger Iowa policeman called Kevin Kearns. In their third outing, Kearns finds himself being investigated by both the DA and Internal Affairs after a shootout that leaves two officers dead. Though retired, Farrell is on hand to help, even though his loose cannon nature doesn’t reflect well on Kearns. While it appears as though Kearns is the fall guy in some kind of conspiracy, attempts are made on his life. Is the person behind it another policeman?

Aside from two gritty cop characters, the books also feature atmospheric covers designed by Nuno Moreira. Simple, dark and with subtle imagery, they’re a little different to what you’ll see from big publishing houses. “It’s very rewarding to work with authors who trust the other end of the publishing process and give cover artists the space to their own interpretation,” says Moreira. “I had creative freedom to design Sean Lynch’s covers, and after reading the manuscripts and listening to Sean’s ideas it was clear that we should address the books in terms of mood and atmosphere and let the covers be just a gateway to the wonderful writing and the characters that inhabit this trilogy. Good covers help sell books but this series’ are just brilliant on their own.”

Watch for our review of Officer Involved in June.