New novel from Katy Massey

Happy Publication Day to our life writing tutor Katy Massey whose thriller THE BURNING FEARS is published today by Sphere in paperback. The story is set in Leeds in 1982.

As a city struggles to break free of the past, DS Mick Hunniford, tired and tainted by the botched Yorkshire Ripper investigation, is yesterday's man, his career hanging by a thread. His old friend Maureen, owner of Leeds's leading brothel, struggles to recover from a horrendous attack three years before. When notorious escort Lynda Brown is killed in front of Maureen's eyes, she and Mick find themselves drawn together once more. The pair must face a new killer, with new appetites, one which dwells among the city's elites. Can they put the past behind them once and for all, even if this investigation proves to be their last?

The book is Katy’s second thriller. Her first – ALL US SINNERS – won the ILP John Creasey Dagger in 2025. She is also the author of the memoir ARE WE HOME YET? published in 2020.

Are you interested in writing crime? Why not sign up for our two-year Creative Writing Programme which will take you from zero (having no experience of creative writing) to hero (having the first draft of a novel). We’re running taster sessions between now and mid-September so you can see if the course is for you.