Shane Dunphy

About Shane

Childcare expert, author, teacher, journalist, broadcaster, musician, nerd, husband, Dad, Grandad.

Shane Dunphy was born in Brighton in 1973, but grew up in Ireland, where he has lived and worked for most of his life. A child protection worker for 15 years, he is the bestselling author of 26 books. His first nine titles dealt with his time on the frontline of social care work, and include the number one bestseller Wednesday’s Child. His series of crime novels (written under the name SA Dunphy) feature the emotionally damaged criminologist David Dunnigan. Stories From the Margins, his new series of True Crime books written for Audible, is critically acclaimed as well as being an audio-bestseller. Click here for a the full story: https://shanedunphyauthor.org/biography/

Shane’s Latest Books

On February 12th, 2024, the first two novels in my new crime series featuring DI Tessa Burns and her team, Detective Danny Murphy and Family Liaison Officer Maggie Doolan (and Maggie’s dog, Pavlov) were published.

Here’s the blurb for Book 1, Little Witness:

They came in the dark. They took her parents. And now she is the only one who can save them.

Hidden away in an isolated cabin on the edge of her farm, seven-year-old Aisling Connolly shivers as the cold night air whistles through her thin jacket. It’s been two days since the men came, since her mammy told her to run like she’d never run before, to not look back. She hasn’t seen her parents since. And she’s terrified.

But when Aisling is finally found by the police, she knows instinctively she can trust Detective Tessa Burns. A former child-witness herself, Tessa understands what Aisling has been through, and that Aisling must remember everything she can about that terrible, dark night if she’s to save her parents. Something Tessa was unable to do for her own parents all those years ago.

As the little girl slowly starts to open up, Tessa uncovers much more than she’d bargained for – another murder, clearly a horrific warning to Aisling not to speak. But time is running out, and any hope of finding Aisling’s parents alive is rapidly fading. And Tessa must do everything in her power to ensure the little girl isn’t next…

An utterly gripping Irish police procedural filled with unexpected twists. Perfect for fans of Peter May, Lisa Regan, and Patricia Gibney.

And the blurb for Book 2, Only the Children:

The little girl stares up at Tessa, trembling so hard her whole body shakes. Her brothers stand clutching her hands, both pale with shock. ‘They told us not to speak,’ she finally whispers. But the terror in her tear-filled eyes tells Tessa all she needs to know…

When a cargo ship runs aground off the Irish coast, the police are horrified to find the captain dead at the helm, the crew missing, and three little red-haired children, terrified but unharmed, locked in the galley kitchen. As an expert detective running a child-centred taskforce, Detective Tessa Burns is called in to lead the case.

Despite Tessa’s best efforts, the children won’t reveal a thing – not even their own names. Slowly gaining their trust, Tessa uncovers a deadly secret about their past – and the mystery of their missing parents’ whereabouts – that turns everything she thought she knew on its head.

But just as it seems she’s cracked the case, Tessa’s team is attacked one dark night, and the youngest boy is kidnapped yet again. It’s clear the children are still in terrible danger. And when another senseless killing sends shockwaves through her team, Tessa realises the murderer is someone much closer to home than they could have ever imagined. Will she be able to uncover the truth in time, or will it be too late for her, and, most devastating of all, for the children…?

A totally unputdownable Irish police procedural with jaw-dropping twists. Perfect for fans of Patricia Gibney, Lisa Regan and Angela Marsons.

Shane’s First Stand Alone

In the new psychological thriller from Shane Dunphy, someone is always watching.

James Fitzpatrick is a high-profile partner in one of London’s most successful law firms – at the top of his profession.

But when he starts a flirtation with a woman working on the IT helpdesk of his company, his life begins to fall apart: missed appointments, career-ending mistakes at work – it’s almost as if someone has access to every facet of his life.

Then, his wife meets a fatal accident in their north London home and James is prime suspect.

But who is the woman at the other side of the computer screen? And why is she always watching?

Preorder The Helpdesk by Shane Dunphy now.

https://linktr.ee/thehelpdeskshanedunphy

Have You Tried the Boyle and Keneally Series?

Still riding high in the Amazon charts, Boyle and Keneally Book 1: Bring Her Home

Here’s the blurb:

She had taken only one step towards the hotel when she heard the car door opening, and then something had her by the shoulders in a grip like steel. Penny tried to fight, but it was no good. The last thing she heard as consciousness drifted away was the whisper of a familiar song…

In a small town on Ireland’s west coast, a young woman named Penelope O’Dwyer leaves a restaurant. It should take five minutes to walk back to where she’s staying. In those five minutes she disappears without a trace.It’s a few days before the tape arrives. The kidnapper’s face is masked, his voice distorted, but no one doubts for a second he will follow through on his threat: a ritual murder at the end of October – and after that, many more murders to come. Penelope has two weeks to live. And the police don’t have a single lead.

Detective Seamus Keneally insists they need help. Especially when imprisoned murderer Frederick Morgan offers vital information connecting this case to a series of historic murders. But he will only speak to one person: criminal behaviourist Jessie Boyle. Jessie is still grieving after a brutal tragedy that cut her career in London short – but right now, she’s the only chance Penelope has.

Morgan claims this is the work of a serial killer who’s been working in the shadows for longer than the police have ever realised. Now Jessie must use all her instincts and insight to get inside the mind of a criminal more ruthless than any she’s faced in her career – before the evil that has secretly stalked Ireland for decades is unleashed again.

A totally breathtaking and chilling crime thriller that will keep you gripped to the very last page, perfect for fans of Lisa Regan, A.J. Rivers, Tana French and Lisa Gardner.

Available for Download Now

No Ceremony of the Dead – A group of childhood friends are coming after the man who abused them and put one of their friends in a coma; can Shane Dunphy stop their murderous plans but still bring the predator to justice?

An investigation into an institutional abuser who has been continually protected by the establishment brings Shane on a collision course with a dangerous and deranged sadist. Along the way he finds himself clashing with a Nazi biker gang, a wealthy philanthropist with a dark secret and the hidden secrets of the past. Told with wry wit and deep compassion, this is a story you won’t want to miss.

Download This Chilling Audiobook

In this shocking new True Crime Audible Original an old friend contacts child protection expert and writer Shane to seek his advice. He believes he knows what happened to a group of children who went missing in the 1980s.
The veteran journalist is certain there is a conspiracy going right to the top of the police and government in Ireland – and maybe even further afield – to protect those responsible.

A retired journalist believes a killer is on the loose, a dangerous man who is being protected by those sworn to bring him to justice; Shane Dunphy must decide if this is terrifying truth or dark fantasy.

Is he just jumping at shadows, burnt out by years at the sharp end of a tough job, or is this one of the biggest stories in the history of Irish crime reporting? As Shane investigates, he begins to recognise the MO of the alleged killer, and is drawn back to a case from the very beginning of his own work in child protection, one that almost ended his career before it started.

It was the case that brought him face to face with a terrifying figure known as The Dark Man. And to a crumbling mansion in the Irish countryside terrified children call The Bad Place.

Punctuated by folk songs, stories from Ireland’s dark history and Shane’s trademark empathy and sensitivity, The Bad Place combines the best of True Crime writing with the tenderness of an inspirational memoir. Fans of both genres will be riveted.

News

Little Witness in the Irish Independent

Little Witness received a glowing review in the Irish Independent last weekend.

Wednesday’s Child Film Adaptation wins Top Prize at the Galway Film Fleadh and qualfies for Oscars Longlist

The film adaptation of Shane Dunphy’s bestselling debut memoir, Wednesday’s Child, has won the coveted Tiernan McBride Award for Best Short Drama at the Galway Film Fleadh, Ireland’s most influential Film Festival. Directed by Laura O’Shea and produced and starring Caroline Harvey and Charleigh Bailey, the film tells the story of social worker Marie’s first day on the job, and the personal cost the sharp end of child protection work can bring.

The award means that Wednesday’s Child is automatically long-listed for the Acadamy Awards.

Shane’s book was published in 2006, and topped the Irish non-fiction lists for 6 weeks.

Bring Her Home A Number 1 Bestseller

Shane’s new crime novel, Bring Her Home, has spent almost three weeks as a Number 1 Bestseller on Audible’s Folklore charts. It is also at Number 4 in the overall Irish Crime charts. Make sure you don’t miss this, the debut novel in Shane’s new crime series. Everyone is talking about it!

S. A. Dunphy’s Amazon Author Page is now Live

You can now visit Shane’s crime fiction titles (those written under the name S. A. Dunphy). Simply put S. A. Dunphy into the search window in whichever Amazon territory you’re based in and you’ll be brought to the page.

Shane signs three-book deal with Bookouture

From https://www.bookouture.com/2021/01/26/bestselling-author-s-a-dunphy-joins-bookouture/

We are delighted to announce that UK and Irish bestselling author Shane Dunphy (writing as S.A. Dunphy) is joining the Bookouture family. Shane has sold over 800,000 copies of his crime fiction and narrative non-fiction books across the world and is a true crime bestseller in audiobook. He has also published influential academic titles and scholarly texts in the field of the social sciences.

Commissioning Editor Therese Keating acquired World English Language and audio rights from Ivan Mulcahy at MMB Creative for three books in a new series of crime thrillers set in Ireland, starring detective duo Jessie Boyle and Seamus Keneally. The first in the series will publish in September 2021.

Therese said,

‘Shane is a hugely exciting talent and I’m overjoyed to be publishing him. I was gripped from the moment I picked up the first Boyle and Keneally thriller. It’s a brilliantly paced and tense race against time with a terrifying villain, but just as compelling are the characters of his detectives and the eerie atmosphere of the remote Irish setting. It’s a truly winning combination and I can’t wait to share these books with readers.’

Shane said,

‘Bringing the Boyle and Keneally series to Bookouture is, quite simply, a no-brainer. The team at Bookouture understand every level of the industry and have amazing instincts for what readers want. Most importantly, though, Bookouture is somewhere writers are nurtured and developed. I know my characters and their world will thrive and flourish under the astute guidance of my editor Therese and her team.’

Stories From the Margins is an Audible Bestseller!

No Ceremony for the Dead and The Bad Place are currently dominating the Abduction and Kidnapping chart on the Audible True Crime charts, holding the top 2 slots, with No Ceremony for the Dead at Number 1 and The Bad Place at Number 2. In the main True Crime charts, which combines all the sub-genres worldwide, the series is holding positions Number 3 and Number 12, with No Ceremony at 3 and Bleak Alley making a return at 12. All of which means Stories From the Margins is a certified Audible Bestseller in one of the most competitive genres there is.

Shane in the Sunday Independent

In an emotional and in-depth interview, Shane talked to journalist and author Emily Hourican about the challenges he has overcome to become a bestselling author and advocate for so many who don’t have a voice.

https://www.independent.ie/opinion/my-journey-has-been-quite-dark-at-times-but-ive-come-out-the-other-end-author-shane-dunphy-39774218.html

Shane on The Tubridy Show

Shane spoke to Ryan Tubridy about his new True Crime audiobook series, Stories From the Margins, and for the first time opened up about the childhood traumas that have inspired his writing and driven his work in child protection.