For fans of medical and forensic thrillers (crime thrillers from the perspective of a pathologist, or a character within the medical or forensic science field), you need to make sure you've met Allan Gaw's Dr Jack Cuthbert. The historical mystery series follows the pathologist working in the late 1920s into the 1930s. Allan Gaw studied medicine at Glasgow University, trained and worked as a pathologist before taking early retirement and focusing on his writing. Gaw's expertise are put to good use when bringing Cuthbert and his cases to life. 

The bold and atmospheric cover of each of the Dr Jack Cuthbert Mysteries captured our attention and lured us in to find out more about this thrilling series. The vivid and fascinating writing bringing these characters and cases to the page made us keep turning the pages. 

While reviewing the first book, The Silent House of Sleep, our editorial expert Maureen Stapleton describes our main protagonist as "like Sherlock Holmes before him, Dr Jack Cuthbert is brilliant but difficult." and "prickly but likeable". This debut novel kick starts the series with a dual timeline that gives the reader more insight into Cuthbert's earlier life as he works to solve the case of two bodies found intertwined in a London park. Gaw's debt novel was awarded the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize in 2024.

As keen crime fiction fans and lovers of medical thrillers, we're excited to share our latest Series of the Month with you. This is a series we'll be keeping at the top of our reading pile and we can't wait to read more from Dr Jack Cuthbert.

Keep reading to learn more about the series so far.

The Dr Jack Cuthbert Mystery Series so far

We're first introduced to Dr Jack Cuthbert in Gaw's Bloody Scotland Debut Prize winning The Silent House of Sleep. Set 1929, two corpses are found in a London park and the tall, urbane, brilliant but damaged Scottish pathologist must use every tool at his disposal to solve the mystery of their deaths. This medical thriller is filled with vivid descriptions, rich characters and engaging plot and "Gaw’s depictions of Cuthbert’s work in the early days of forensic science are fascinating."

Following swiftly on its heels is The Moon's More Feeble Fire. Gaw's brilliant pathologist "returns for another outing to investigate a series of murders of prostitutes in 1930s London". Cuthbert needs to use all his skills to solve one of the most baffling cases of his career when the killing of a Soho prostitute, then a second and a third sees the team in a nightmarish world of people-trafficking, prostitution and drug use amongst the upper classes. Packed once again with historical and scientific detail with Gaw's knowledge as a retired pathologist on full display. Our expert reviewer Maureen proclaims "this novel incorporates the best qualities of a thriller, historical fiction and a crime procedural and is well worth your time".

The latest instalment of the series is To the Shades Descend. Heading to Glasgow for a job interview in 1931 puts Cuthbert at the centre of a devastating crime. He will need to rely on all the expertise he can gather from those around him but who can he trust as he finds himself at the intersection between rising British fascism, anti-Semitism and the infamous Glasgow razor gangs. 

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Allan Gaw studied medicine at Glasgow University and trained as a pathologist. Having worked in the NHS and universities in the UK and the US, he took early retirement and now devotes his time to writing. His published non-fiction works include medical textbooks and magazine articles on topics as diverse as the thalidomide story, the medical challenges of space travel and the medico-legal consequences of the Hillsborough disaster.

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