It was February 2024 when indie author SDW Hamilton burst onto the scene with Blood on the Broadcast. This debut novel introduced an interesting new detective to the genre. Private eyes aren’t all that common in British crime fiction, but that’s what ex cop Jacob Kincaid does in and around the Belfast area. In that novel he tackled a case involving religious strive, but not the kind you’d normally associate with Northern Ireland. Now, Jacob returns in SDW Hamilton’s new novel, entitled He Calls by Night. This time, he’s trying to help an elderly lady whose son disappeared 40 years ago. It’s a cold case that soon turns hot…

We decided to catch up with SDW to find out more about He Calls By Night, which comes out on 9 September 2025.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you ended up writing crime novels?
I grew up in Portrush, a small coastal town in Northern Ireland. I now live a little outside Belfast with my wife, children and our two dogs. I ended up writing crime as it’s what I know, having spent most of my career in the criminal justice system. I discovered a love of writing later than most, starting with collaborative stories. When I decided to write a novel, crime was the obvious choice. It is also the genre I read the most by a considerable distance. 

What are crime fiction lovers going to love about He Calls by Night?
The feedback I hear most frequently from reviewers is that they particularly enjoy the setting. I would say Belfast isn’t particularly strongly represented in crime fiction, certainly not in the way bigger cities like London, Dublin or Glasgow are, so there’s an element of freshness and discovery there for readers not familiar with the place. My first book, Blood on the Broadcast, was set almost exclusively in Belfast, but this time the story reaches a little further afield, while remaining in Northern Ireland. 

Beyond that, I think people also respond strongly to the characters: they are grounded, believable, and Jacob Kincaid seems to be the type of protagonist that readers really invest in as the story unfolds.

Who is Jacob, what inspired his character and how have you developed him?
Jacob is a former police officer turned private investigator. He’s a young man, barely in his mid-30s, and somewhat adrift after the loss of his policing career a few years before. He makes a decent living as a private eye but rarely derives much satisfaction in his work of chasing down unfaithful spouses or benefit cheats.

When I first began writing this series, I was always wary of leaning too far into the trope of the loner alcoholic gumshoe who works out of a shabby office. Jacob is looking to find meaning and stability, while dealing with the same insecurities many of us carry.

He is flawed but makes an effort. He’s capable and determined, but also second-guesses himself, makes mistakes, and struggles with the same doubts we all have. So far, a lot of readers seem to connect with Jacob because of those flaws and vulnerabilities. 

And the same for your co-protagonist, Natalie Amato? How do the pair fit together?
Like in Blood on the Broadcast, Jacob again partners with Natalie, the host of Miss Gumshoe, a popular mystery and true crime podcast. There’s a definite chemistry between them and the pair play off each other nicely. Jacob is more sardonic and guarded, while Natalie is energetic and open. That balance brings out different sides of both characters, and it creates a dynamic that’s fun to write and, I hope, enjoyable to read. They challenge each other, but they also complement one another in a way that feels natural. There’s also an underlying romantic tension, which is a lot of fun to push.

Who or what are they up against in He Calls by Night? 
It starts off with a simple case. A paper trail job to find a child missing for over 40 years. One of the few things Jacob and Natalie have to go on is Ned By Night, which is what the missing boy shouted to his mother the last time she saw him. Ned is an old and parochial urban legend, known only in a certain part of Belfast, about a bandaged man who snatched children who stayed out after dark.

As their investigation deepens, things spiral quickly into something far more dangerous than a ghost story. I won’t give too much else away as the antagonist is deliberately obscured for much of the story, so both the characters and the reader are constantly questioning who’s really pulling the strings.

What inspired the tale?
I stumbled across an article about five years ago detailing one of Ireland’s oldest missing person cases. I’m a nerd for unsolved mysteries and yet, despite this case being relatively local to me, I had never heard of it.

On a November morning in 1974, two young boys from west Belfast left their homes to catch the bus to school and were never seen again. Contemporary media coverage of their disappearance was non-existent. Northern Ireland in 1974 with the constant background of shootings, bombings and riots meant stories like this were easily lost in the shuffle and police attention was quickly drawn elsewhere.

The details, meagre as they were, piqued my interest immediately. I dug deeper, and discovered the Falls Road case was not the only unresolved child disappearance in the city. In 1969, two east Belfast boys went missing within six days of each other. Further searching turned me on to the murder of a ten-year-old boy in 1973. 

Can you tell us more about that and the psychological side of the story?
I really like being spooked but horror generally doesn’t do it for me. I still hold that the scariest passage I’ve ever read comes at the end of To Kill a Mockingbird, when Jem and Scout are followed home. In the pitch black they cannot see who is behind them, and can only track the movements by the soft swish of cotton trousers. The children try to dismiss it as a friend playing a prank, until the pursuer makes their move.

“Shuffle-foot had not stopped with us this time. His trousers swished softly and steadily. Then they stopped. He was running, running toward us with no child’s steps.”

There’s no jump scare. There’s no monster. Nearly 25 years later the chill I get from reading that passage has not diminished.

It’s that feeling I wanted to evoke in He Calls by Night. The kind of unease that builds and makes the familiar feel suddenly unsafe. The story leans into the tension of the ordinary world pressed against the unknown because that’s the fear I get a thrill from.

What are some of the deeper themes you wanted to explore and why?
I think you can tread a thin line by ignoring the recent murky past or embracing it too much and Northern Ireland’s complicated past is never far from the surface of He Calls By Night. Loyalties, lingering mistrust and history shape how people respond to crime and authority. 

At the same time, I wanted to explore universal themes of trust, guilt and betrayal that resonate beyond Northern Ireland. 

What side of Belfast and its surroundings will readers see and can you tell us more about your choices/aims regarding the setting?
Above all, I wanted the setting to feel authentic. A lot of reviews for Blood on the Broadcast were vocal on the feeling that Belfast was a character in its own right. I strived to continue that in He Calls by Night. That means not shying away from the realities of the city, but also showing the layers beyond.

For me, location isn’t just a backdrop; it shapes the characters, their choices, and the kind of crimes that unfold. Belfast has its own rhythms, humour and tensions, and I wanted those to come through naturally without being over-explained. I want to give readers a sense of place that feels lived-in and inseparable from the story.

Which other books and/or authors have influenced you and why? What are you reading right now?
I’m not sure I can point to any particular influence on my own writing. Crime fiction is a broad church but in terms of local crime authors, I’m a huge fan of Colin Bateman and Adrian McKinty, who both bring such a sharp sense of place to their work while writing some great characters. Further afield, I’m a big fan of Michael Connelly and am reading his latest book, Nightshade, right now. I’ve recently got into audiobooks and am currently listening to book five of the Jack Taylor series. The narrator, Gerry O’Brien, is incredible.

What’s next for SDW Hamilton? What’s next for Jacob and Natalie?
Jacob and Natalie are taking a well-earned break. I’m about a third of the way through the first draft of my next book, set in my hometown and featuring a new protagonist. Jacob and Natalie will definitely return in the future and if anyone can’t wait, I’d advise you to keep an eye on my Substack as I’ve been working on a number of short stories focusing on their lives before the series began. 

He Calls by Night will be available from 9 September 2025. Use the Amazon buttons below to grab your copy.