Cuckoos on the Mersey
By Conrad Jones – The Master of Gritty, Real-World Crime Thrillers
In the underbelly of Merseyside, evil doesn’t wear a mask — it wears a smile and knocks on your door.
Cuckoos on the Mersey drags you deep into the heart of Britain’s most terrifying hidden epidemic — cuckooing — where ruthless organised crime gangs take over the homes of society’s most vulnerable, using them as bases for drug dealing, exploitation, and unimaginable cruelty.
When social workers visit Angela, a struggling neighbour whose curtains have been drawn for weeks, what they find inside will haunt them forever. Her small flat reeks of decay, and her silence hides something monstrous. The investigation that follows pulls in the Protecting Vulnerable People Unit — the PVPU — a specialist police team on the front lines of a war no one wants to see.
Meanwhile, sixteen-year-old Leo, hooked on ketamine and caught in the tightening grip of a violent gang, is running out of time. He wants out — but in a city where fear rules the streets and witnesses vanish overnight, escape is a dangerous fantasy.
As the PVPU races to uncover the truth, they stumble into a nightmarish web of trafficking, murder, and modern slavery. Every step closer brings them face-to-face with the darkness festering inside Britain’s forgotten estates — and those who profit from misery.
Gritty, harrowing, and all too real, Cuckoos on the Mersey is not just a thriller — it’s a warning. A mirror held up to the cracks in society, where the predators walk among us, and the prey are often children.
⭐ “Brutal, brilliant, and impossible to put down.”
⭐ “Conrad Jones doesn’t just tell the story — he makes you live it.”
⭐ “A heart-stopping look at the dark side of humanity.”
Fans of Line of Duty, Luther, and Happy Valley — this one will chill you to the bone.
Cuckoos on the Mersey follows the child protection teams in social services and the PVPU (protecting vulnerable people unit- Merseyside Police) on Merseyside. They are in a constant battle to protect the most vulnerable in society. Leo is a sixteen-year-old in the grip of a violent OCG, struggling to kick his addiction to ketamine. When his neighbour Angela is visited by social services, the social workers can't get an answer. They persuade her children to open the door for them and Angela is found unconscious on her settee. A police investigation is launched and an evil criminal network is uncovered. A race against time begins as witnesses are silenced or vanish completely.
Cuckooing is exploitation carried out by criminal gangs who take over the homes of vulnerable people to use as a base for their activities. Addicts, the elderly, the disabled and the young are targeted and threatened with violence to force them to comply.‘This is a great opening to a new series. A thrilling and addictive read…⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘So addictive and unputdownable! Absolutely fantastic!... a real page-turner.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Am totally addicted to this author… gripping- it is very hard to put down!… awesome!!’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘My heart was pounding… I definitely felt the evil from page one until the end.. a fast-paced, believable and heartbreaking- reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Hit it out of the park with, possibly, his best yet… had my head spinning from beginning to end with its brilliant twists and turns.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Truly shocking and fantasticly real… If you like rollercoasters, strap yourself in, because you're in for a wild ride full of twists and turns… amazing!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
