Warrington-based author Conrad Jones has released his latest gripping crime thriller, Cuckoos On The Mersey: A Sign Of The Times, whilst enduring a gruelling throat cancer battle.
The acclaimed author’s latest Liverpool crime novel is the fourth in the series, after becoming an Amazon bestseller for his previous three.
Soon to turn 60, Conrad Jones is regarded as one of the UK’s leading crime fiction writers, with over 200 million page reads on Amazon, as well as being a Top 20 All Star and in the Top 4% of his genre on the platform. With 37 books now released, it’s his Cuckoos On The Mersey series that has gained particular traction amongst crime novel enthusiasts.
The series is set in Huyton, Liverpool, and follows stories of drugs, crime and violence as child protection units attempt to save children from indoctrination into gangs and the dark, criminal underworld. Hard-hitting, gritty and ‘not for the faint hearted’, his Cuckoos On The Mersey novels have been met with critical acclaim — selling tens of thousands of copies in the process.
His latest in the series, Cuckoos On The Mersey: A Sign Of The Times, tells the story of two unsuspecting teenagers who find themselves thrust into a dangerous drug deal, coerced by forces beyond their control. When the night erupts in violence and shots are fired, the aftermath is catastrophic: innocent lives are lost, and the city is thrown into chaos.
Detective Olivia Mann leads the charge, a relentless investigator dedicated to uncovering the truth behind the tragedy. Alongside her is Jo Lilly from the Child Protection Teams, whose commitment to safeguarding the vulnerable adds another layer of urgency to the investigation. Together, they navigate the murky waters of crime, loyalty, and the desperate need for justice.
This latest masterpiece has been released in the midst of Conrad’s own personal turmoil, having battled aggressive throat cancer and enduring gruelling bouts of chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments. Despite his ongoing battle, he continued to write and released this latest book in December 2024, after getting the all-clear just a few months earlier, and has now also become a grandfather.
Conrad explained: “I started my writing career in 2007 after working in McDonald’s for many years. It turned out I was a pretty good writer and I’ve since released 37 crime and horror fiction novels, many bestsellers on Amazon and I’ve now hit the 200 million page reads. My novels are very hard-hitting and definitely not for the faint-hearted, but they help highlight important issues we’re facing in society.”
He continued: “The fourth Cuckoos On The Mersey book paints a stark, reflective picture of modern society, where the quest for vengeance threatens to overshadow the search for truth. This is a particularly special one for me as I wrote it whilst battling throat cancer — I was extremely ill but continued to write. To have defeated cancer, release this book that I wrote throughout my battle and to meet my new granddaughter means so much to me.”
Conrad Jones’ fourth Cuckoos On The Mersey novel, Cuckoos On The Mersey: A Sign Of The Times, is now on sale on all major platforms – with almost 200 5-star reviews already. The gripping crime fiction novel set in Liverpool tells the story of drugs, crime and violence in Liverpool’s criminal underworld, and the quest for child protection. His follow-up novel, The Nest, has also just reached No.1 in British Horror Fiction on Amazon.
