THE DETECTIVE SERGEANT ROSE GALLAGHER SERIES

by Jay Tarzwell

Vampire. Belfast cop. The dead don't stay buried, and neither does the truth.

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ABOUT THE SERIES

Detective Sergeant Rose Gallagher. Vampire. Belfast cop. The dead don't stay buried, and neither does the truth.

Rose Gallagher was a Belfast detective with a broken marriage, a dementia-addled father, and a daughter who barely spoke to her. Then she was attacked by something inhuman while investigating her daughter's kidnapping. Now she walks Belfast's streets as something more than human, hiding her condition from everyone while using her new abilities to hunt the monsters that prey on the city's most vulnerable.

Each novel is a standalone crime case wrapped in an overarching supernatural mystery. Rose hunts serial killers, institutional corruption, and ancient evil -- all while fighting the hunger inside her that grows stronger with every book.

READING ORDER

Six published novels. Best read in order for Rose's character arc, but each case stands alone.

START HERE Turning Dawn book cover - Detective Sergeant Rose Gallagher Book 1 by Jay Tarzwell

1. Turning Dawn

A mother becomes the monster to save her child. Rose is attacked while hunting her daughter's kidnapper and wakes up changed -- craving something she doesn't want to name.

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Night Bus Stalker book cover - Detective Sergeant Rose Gallagher Book 2 by Jay Tarzwell

2. Night Bus Stalker

Belfast's night buses carry the forgotten. Now someone is hunting them. Bodies appear with no wounds but no blood. Rose recognizes the signature -- she's been hiding her own hunger for nine months.

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The Date Night Killer book cover - Detective Sergeant Rose Gallagher Book 3 by Jay Tarzwell

3. The Date Night Killer

Someone is murdering Belfast's unfaithful husbands and making it look like shame. Each death is staged perfectly. And someone inside the investigation knows every move Rose makes.

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The Benefits Sanctions Murders book cover - Detective Sergeant Rose Gallagher Book 4 by Jay Tarzwell

4. The Benefits Sanctions Murders

Someone is killing the people who let them die. Each victim denied benefits claims that ended in death. Each killing mirrors the suffering they caused.

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The Pension Pact book cover - Detective Sergeant Rose Gallagher Book 5 by Jay Tarzwell

5. The Pension Pact

They made a pact to survive. Someone's using it to kill them. Six retired dockworkers hid their dead and kept collecting pensions. Now someone inside the circle is picking them off.

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The Penitent Murders book cover - Detective Sergeant Rose Gallagher Book 6 by Jay Tarzwell

6. The Penitent Murders

The Church moved him. The law forgot him. Someone remembered. A killer is targeting defrocked priests, staging them like saints awaiting judgment.

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IF YOU LIKE ROSE GALLAGHER, READ THESE

Fans of Rose Gallagher's blend of gritty police work and supernatural darkness will find more to love across the Crimson PulpFic catalog:

  • The Blacktop Widow Series by Jackie Mercer -- If you like Rose's unflinching look at violence against the vulnerable, Marley Crenshaw hunts highway serial killers across 1970s America. Dark, propulsive noir.
  • The Ice Breaker Series by Cole Black -- If you like the moral complexity, try this near-future military thriller where a Chinese fleet is trapped in the Canadian Arctic and nobody knows who the enemy really is.
  • The Mars Emergence Series by Nova K. Stroud -- If you like the "monster within" theme, a damaged robot on Mars gains consciousness and must decide whether to serve or rebel.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is the reading order for the Rose Gallagher series?

The recommended reading order is: 1) Turning Dawn, 2) Night Bus Stalker, 3) The Date Night Killer, 4) The Benefits Sanctions Murders, 5) The Pension Pact, 6) The Penitent Murders. The series is best enjoyed in order as Rose's character arc and supernatural abilities develop across the books.

What kind of vampire detective is Rose Gallagher?

Rose Gallagher isn't your typical vampire. She's a Belfast detective sergeant who is attacked and transformed while investigating her daughter's kidnapping. She doesn't glamourize her condition -- she fights it, hides it, and uses her new abilities reluctantly to solve cases. Think gritty police procedural meets dark urban fantasy, not sparkly romance.

Why is the series set in Belfast?

Belfast provides the perfect backdrop for supernatural noir. A city shaped by decades of conflict, sectarian division, and working-class struggle, it carries an atmosphere of tension, secrets, and grudges that never die. The series uses real Belfast locations -- the Titanic Quarter, tower blocks, night buses -- to ground the supernatural elements in authentic, gritty reality.

Is the Rose Gallagher series suitable for young adult readers?

The series is written for adult readers. It contains graphic crime scenes, violence, mature themes including institutional abuse (The Penitent Murders), benefits system failures (The Benefits Sanctions Murders), and psychological tension. The horror elements are dark and the social commentary is unflinching. Recommended for readers 18+.

Is there an audiobook for the Rose Gallagher series?

Yes! The first book, Turning Dawn, is available as a free audiobook on YouTube. You can listen to the full audiobook at no cost. Additional audiobooks for the series are in development.

What should I read if I like the Rose Gallagher series?

Fans of Rose Gallagher typically enjoy the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch, and the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews. If you enjoy the crime procedural side, try Stuart MacBride's Logan McRae series or Adrian McKinty's Sean Duffy novels, both set in Northern Ireland.

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