Just read: The Dead Tracks by Tim Weaver
Fifteen years after grabbing a signed copy, I finally found out what I’ve been missing
One of the best things about deciding to tackle my backlog instead of buying more books in 2026 has been rediscovering novels I’d completely forgotten I owned — books I’d always meant to read but somehow never got around to.
A case in point is Tim Weaver’s second David Raker thriller, The Dead Tracks. I worked with Tim back in my Future Publishing days and was at the launch event in 2011. To my absolute shame, my signed copy disappeared during one of the many bouts of moving books around the house. It only resurfaced earlier this year while I was going through boxes and reorganising shelves, immediately leaping to the top of my summer holiday pile. I’m glad I finally got there… only 15 years late!
Missing person investigator Raker is hired to find a 17-year-old girl who has vanished without a trace. The search is anything but straightforward, taking in shady cops, the Russian mob and a long-dead serial killer — all while Raker is grieving the loss of his wife.
Things soon get twisty and dark — very dark — and I was interested to hear Tim say on a recent podcast that the first Raker novels were darker because that’s where the thriller market wanted at the time, with bestselling authors such as Mo Hayder and Karin Slaughter leading the grim and gritty charge. According to Tim, the books that follow The Dead Tracks are much closer to the stories he actually wanted to write. It’s only made me more curious to see where Raker goes next. This time, I won’t wait another 15 years to find out!