Press release Nine Victims. One Killer. No time left. Claire Stibbe's The 9th Hour is coming… August 15, 2025

Can Detective Temeke stop the 9th Hour killer before it’s too late?

London, August 2025 – dp books is delighted to announce the signing of award-winning author Claire Stibbe and the upcoming release of The 9th Hour, the gripping first instalment in her Detective Temeke Crime Series, now available for pre-order.

When a ninth girl vanishes at the hands of a brutal serial killer, Albuquerque’s Detective David Temeke faces a desperate race against time. Though a suspect is already behind bars, the killer’s chilling obsession with the number nine suggests otherwise. Partnered with the level-headed Malin Santiago, Temeke must navigate the rugged wilderness of Cimarron State Park. There, they uncover an eerie link between the killings and the shadowy world of Norse legends – a mythology whose cryptic symbols and ancient lore may hold the key to stopping the murderer.

British-born but long-settled in Albuquerque, Claire Stibbe drew on years of immersion in the city’s culture and her experience with the Albuquerque Police Citizen’s Academy to create the series’ rich sense of place and procedural authenticity. “I wanted to create someone on the outside looking in,” Stibbe explains of her detective. “A strong character, he tries and fails to fit in with a closed circle of police elite, and the New Mexico culture in general. But he doesn’t let it bother him because he’s more focussed on solving crimes rather than adhering to conventional protocols.”

The 9th Hour is now available for pre-order on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited. Official release is on August 21st.

Curious about Claire Stibbe and the Detective Temeke series? Click here to find out more about this gripping crime fiction journey or access a reading sample here.