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Split Second: A gritty, riveting new crime thriller – first in an explosive series!
What if one moment – one split second – changed everything?
When a firearms officer shoots a suspect dead and wounds another, who later dies in hospital, the official line is that the sun was in her eyes. Her body cam failed.
Known only as Officer X, her anonymity is meant to protect her – until a judge releases her name and a media storm erupts.
DSI Jack Dylan and DI Charley Mann are called in to determine whether it was a justifiable use of force – or something darker. And when it's revealed that Officer X knew the victim, and her brother died of a drug overdose linked to the same woman, the case becomes charged with personal and political tension.
As pressure mounts, a vulnerable witness dies and a lost phone surfaces with a photograph and a message that could unravel everything – and reveal the truth about what happened that day.
Split Second brings Dylan and Mann together for the first time, in an investigation that will test their instincts, their loyalties and the limits of justice itself, as both detectives must decide how far they'll go – and what they're willing to sacrifice – to uncover the truth.
________
Praise for R.C.
'A cracking story' Sun
'A compelling story with a procedural authenticity that few authors can match' M.W. Craven
'R. C. Bridgestock always deliver a cracking story with an expert's insight' Howard Linskey
**Voted #8 'Best Crime Authors of All Time' by WHSmith readers**
When a firearms officer shoots a suspect dead and wounds another, who later dies in hospital, the official line is that the sun was in her eyes. Her body cam failed.
Known only as Officer X, her anonymity is meant to protect her – until a judge releases her name and a media storm erupts.
DSI Jack Dylan and DI Charley Mann are called in to determine whether it was a justifiable use of force – or something darker. And when it's revealed that Officer X knew the victim, and her brother died of a drug overdose linked to the same woman, the case becomes charged with personal and political tension.
As pressure mounts, a vulnerable witness dies and a lost phone surfaces with a photograph and a message that could unravel everything – and reveal the truth about what happened that day.
Split Second brings Dylan and Mann together for the first time, in an investigation that will test their instincts, their loyalties and the limits of justice itself, as both detectives must decide how far they'll go – and what they're willing to sacrifice – to uncover the truth.
________
Praise for R.C.
'A cracking story' Sun
'A compelling story with a procedural authenticity that few authors can match' M.W. Craven
'R. C. Bridgestock always deliver a cracking story with an expert's insight' Howard Linskey
**Voted #8 'Best Crime Authors of All Time' by WHSmith readers**
366 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 13, 2026
About the author
R.C. Bridgestock
34 books77 followersRC Bridgestock is the name that husband and wife co-authors Robert (Bob) and Carol Bridgestock write under. Between them they have nearly 50 years of police experience, offering an authentic edge to their stories. The writing duo created the character DI Jack Dylan, a down-to- earth detective, written with warmth and humour.
Bob was a highly commended career detective of 30 years, retiring at the rank of Detective Superintendent. As a police civilian supervisor Carol also received a Chief Constable’s commendation for outstanding work.
The couple are the storyline consultants on BAFTA winning BBC One police drama Happy Valley and series 3 of ITV’s Scott & Bailey.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 24, 2026
A female police officer shoots at a gold BMW, killing the driver and wounding the passenger. She claims that the glare from the windscreen prevented her from seeing properly and she believed there was a threat to life.
She is known as Officer X, until a judge decides to release her name – PC Abigail McNally.
A social media and press frenzy erupts, blaming police brutality, despite the fact that the two suspects had potential links to organised crime.
Then, it emerges that McNally knew the person who was driving the car.
Was it an act of revenge, or was she telling the truth?
I devoured this police procedural in two sittings.
This book portrays a gruesome picture of how a split second decision can shape and change your life. McNally believed the suspects would shoot at her fellow officers, so she neutralised the threat.
However, she never expected the long trial and the state of limbo she would be facing. I felt for her and had so much sympathy for her.
I was quite angry at how quickly people on social media had jumped on the bandwagon of police brutality, without even knowing the facts. Unfortunately, it’s a sign of the sad times we live in – a lot of keyboard warriors, hiding behind their words.
The ending left me wanting more. I cannot wait for the next book in the series.
She is known as Officer X, until a judge decides to release her name – PC Abigail McNally.
A social media and press frenzy erupts, blaming police brutality, despite the fact that the two suspects had potential links to organised crime.
Then, it emerges that McNally knew the person who was driving the car.
Was it an act of revenge, or was she telling the truth?
I devoured this police procedural in two sittings.
This book portrays a gruesome picture of how a split second decision can shape and change your life. McNally believed the suspects would shoot at her fellow officers, so she neutralised the threat.
However, she never expected the long trial and the state of limbo she would be facing. I felt for her and had so much sympathy for her.
I was quite angry at how quickly people on social media had jumped on the bandwagon of police brutality, without even knowing the facts. Unfortunately, it’s a sign of the sad times we live in – a lot of keyboard warriors, hiding behind their words.
The ending left me wanting more. I cannot wait for the next book in the series.
August 23, 2026
I try not to live my reading life with regrets, but it can be hard when you find a new author(s) who you know that you really should have read sooner, and will probably spend a lot of time trying to catch up with via their back catalogue of books. That is the position I find myself in with R. C. Bridgestock, as, having read Split Second, I am very certain I've been missing out on some really great stories. This book tapped into everything I love in crime fiction - police based action that really made me stop and think - and as their previous books feature this book's lead Investigators, Jack Dylan and Charly Mann, I think I have a little bit of catch up reading to do. Not that not having read the books hindered my reading of this title at all, so if you are new to both characters as I am, then fear not. But it is clear both have history and I am really interested to see what that is.
But, back to Split Second. This is a very cleaver, very carefully plotted book that had me hooked right from the very start. A police chase/intercept, two potentially armed suspects and a fatal shooting. So much happening in such quick succession that gaining context is something that comes gradually, much as one might expect within a rapidly changing situation, where decisions have to be made in the blink of an eye, and the repercussions of a wrong call are far reaching. I kind of felt both like I was part of the operation, there as the, well, split second decision are made, but also watching as a bystander, one the many voyeurs who will all have their own version of the truth, depending on their perspective in relation to the action. And there are several perspectives in these opening scenes, from which the police, and we readers, need to slowly piece together the truth. Because nothing is quite as it appears, the investigation encounters complications and, when it comes to eyewitnesses, to quote the Palace, 'recollections may vary'.
I really liked what the authors have done here. Crucial video evidence missing but no clear idea whether its loss was deliberate or a quirk of the technology. Conflicting statements. A police officer who has history with one of the two deceased, bringing into question their response to the incident and whether or not their judgement may, or may not, have been impaired. When does the use of lethal force move from a necessary act for the preservation of life in the face of a perceived threat, to being a case of manslaughter, if not murder? It's the kind of case that has hit the headlines far too often of late, albeit more on the other side of the Atlantic, but it is a situation that really does make you think, and the way in which Jack Dylan, as the lead investigator of the shooting has to approach the case often creates more questions than answers. Nothing is cut an dried, and even when the motives of the officer involved are called into question, I found it hard to make a real call on whether there was more to their actions than appeared or not. That ambiguity is the crux of the case, and one that plays out in a very carefully paced way throughout the book.
The experience of the authors really does shine through in this book. Not in a way that intrudes upon the story, or slows down the action with too much detail, although this is perhaps the most informed police based story I have read in a while. I got the real sense of the investigation, the clarity of the kinds of questions that need to be asked and the challenge of investigating a police officer given the impact that this has on the force as a whole. The sense that the public are quick to raise grievance and protest against the Police without thinking about what has led to the situation in the first place, and also that knowledge that, should it be proven that the shooting was deliberate and there was a possible other solution, the repercussions for the wider team, and Officers forced into making that call, would be quite profound. It came across in a really authentic way, not trying to preach to the reader, but making me think about what I would do in similar circumstances, whether I was programmed to come down on the side of the police knowing the victim was a 'wrong 'un' or would I ever be able to make the kind of call that resulted in loss of life? I think if you can read this without having those thoughts running through your head, you probably aren't paying close attention.
There is the human side to the story as well, and the authors have captured all the tension, emotion and grief that you might expect to find in any story of this kind. There are the families of the victims, that of the officer charged with their killing, all of whom inform the sense of loss and tragedy that underpins the story. And then we have Jack Dylan and Charly Mann. If I had read the previous books, I might know their personalities a little better, but I saw enough to know that they were characters who would play it straight, not rush to judgement, and who would seek justice irrespective, but mindful, of the consequences.I liked them both, and also found myself drawn to 'Officer X', the person who took the fatal shots. I'm not sure if I ever quite made up my mind about their innocence or guilt, but I felt for their position and for their back story, which has significant bearing on what comes to pass.
Perfectly paced, and thought provoking, the ending may prove divisive, and if you are looking for the perfect conclusion here, well you may not get it, but it was the kind of read that drew me in, compelled me to read onwards, and has left me quite excited about what is yet to come. Definitely recommended.
But, back to Split Second. This is a very cleaver, very carefully plotted book that had me hooked right from the very start. A police chase/intercept, two potentially armed suspects and a fatal shooting. So much happening in such quick succession that gaining context is something that comes gradually, much as one might expect within a rapidly changing situation, where decisions have to be made in the blink of an eye, and the repercussions of a wrong call are far reaching. I kind of felt both like I was part of the operation, there as the, well, split second decision are made, but also watching as a bystander, one the many voyeurs who will all have their own version of the truth, depending on their perspective in relation to the action. And there are several perspectives in these opening scenes, from which the police, and we readers, need to slowly piece together the truth. Because nothing is quite as it appears, the investigation encounters complications and, when it comes to eyewitnesses, to quote the Palace, 'recollections may vary'.
I really liked what the authors have done here. Crucial video evidence missing but no clear idea whether its loss was deliberate or a quirk of the technology. Conflicting statements. A police officer who has history with one of the two deceased, bringing into question their response to the incident and whether or not their judgement may, or may not, have been impaired. When does the use of lethal force move from a necessary act for the preservation of life in the face of a perceived threat, to being a case of manslaughter, if not murder? It's the kind of case that has hit the headlines far too often of late, albeit more on the other side of the Atlantic, but it is a situation that really does make you think, and the way in which Jack Dylan, as the lead investigator of the shooting has to approach the case often creates more questions than answers. Nothing is cut an dried, and even when the motives of the officer involved are called into question, I found it hard to make a real call on whether there was more to their actions than appeared or not. That ambiguity is the crux of the case, and one that plays out in a very carefully paced way throughout the book.
The experience of the authors really does shine through in this book. Not in a way that intrudes upon the story, or slows down the action with too much detail, although this is perhaps the most informed police based story I have read in a while. I got the real sense of the investigation, the clarity of the kinds of questions that need to be asked and the challenge of investigating a police officer given the impact that this has on the force as a whole. The sense that the public are quick to raise grievance and protest against the Police without thinking about what has led to the situation in the first place, and also that knowledge that, should it be proven that the shooting was deliberate and there was a possible other solution, the repercussions for the wider team, and Officers forced into making that call, would be quite profound. It came across in a really authentic way, not trying to preach to the reader, but making me think about what I would do in similar circumstances, whether I was programmed to come down on the side of the police knowing the victim was a 'wrong 'un' or would I ever be able to make the kind of call that resulted in loss of life? I think if you can read this without having those thoughts running through your head, you probably aren't paying close attention.
There is the human side to the story as well, and the authors have captured all the tension, emotion and grief that you might expect to find in any story of this kind. There are the families of the victims, that of the officer charged with their killing, all of whom inform the sense of loss and tragedy that underpins the story. And then we have Jack Dylan and Charly Mann. If I had read the previous books, I might know their personalities a little better, but I saw enough to know that they were characters who would play it straight, not rush to judgement, and who would seek justice irrespective, but mindful, of the consequences.I liked them both, and also found myself drawn to 'Officer X', the person who took the fatal shots. I'm not sure if I ever quite made up my mind about their innocence or guilt, but I felt for their position and for their back story, which has significant bearing on what comes to pass.
Perfectly paced, and thought provoking, the ending may prove divisive, and if you are looking for the perfect conclusion here, well you may not get it, but it was the kind of read that drew me in, compelled me to read onwards, and has left me quite excited about what is yet to come. Definitely recommended.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Thank you to Anne Carter from Random Things Tours for the invitation to participate in this blog tour. The blurb for this one instantly intrigued me, and I was eager to see what the story had in store.
Split Second felt remarkably realistic and, at times, barely felt like fiction at all. Much of the story reads almost like fact, with very little fictional embellishment, which made the events feel all the more believable and immediate.
I am new to RC Bridgestock’s writing, but I really enjoyed this book. The pacing was excellent and I found myself racing through it, finishing it in a single sitting.
The story focuses on an officer-involved shooting and the investigation that follows. But this isn't simply a police procedural about finding out what happened. The author delves into the emotional and psychological impact of the shooting on everyone involved, particularly the officer who pulled the trigger.
She is forced to deal with the reality of having taken a life, along with the self-doubt, guilt and uncertainty that follow. She also has to face the judgement and opinions of her colleagues while repeatedly justifying the decisions she made in a split second.
I particularly enjoyed the way the author explores what happens after the shooting. Every action—and every inaction—is scrutinised, and everyone involved is forced to account for what they did, what they saw and what they failed to do.
One of the things I found most interesting was how difficult it was for everyone to remember exactly what happened. We all see events differently, especially when something happens in a matter of seconds, and the various recollections don't always match. Watching the investigation piece together these different versions of events added another layer of tension to the story.
The book also raises interesting questions about perception, responsibility and whether there can ever be one definitive version of the truth when several people witness the same event.
Overall, Split Second was an intriguing and thought-provoking read that kept me entertained from beginning to end. The realistic portrayal of the investigation and the emotional consequences of an officer-involved shooting made this stand out for me.
A compelling read and a great introduction to RC Bridgestock’s writing.
https://featzreviews.com/split-second/
Split Second felt remarkably realistic and, at times, barely felt like fiction at all. Much of the story reads almost like fact, with very little fictional embellishment, which made the events feel all the more believable and immediate.
I am new to RC Bridgestock’s writing, but I really enjoyed this book. The pacing was excellent and I found myself racing through it, finishing it in a single sitting.
The story focuses on an officer-involved shooting and the investigation that follows. But this isn't simply a police procedural about finding out what happened. The author delves into the emotional and psychological impact of the shooting on everyone involved, particularly the officer who pulled the trigger.
She is forced to deal with the reality of having taken a life, along with the self-doubt, guilt and uncertainty that follow. She also has to face the judgement and opinions of her colleagues while repeatedly justifying the decisions she made in a split second.
I particularly enjoyed the way the author explores what happens after the shooting. Every action—and every inaction—is scrutinised, and everyone involved is forced to account for what they did, what they saw and what they failed to do.
One of the things I found most interesting was how difficult it was for everyone to remember exactly what happened. We all see events differently, especially when something happens in a matter of seconds, and the various recollections don't always match. Watching the investigation piece together these different versions of events added another layer of tension to the story.
The book also raises interesting questions about perception, responsibility and whether there can ever be one definitive version of the truth when several people witness the same event.
Overall, Split Second was an intriguing and thought-provoking read that kept me entertained from beginning to end. The realistic portrayal of the investigation and the emotional consequences of an officer-involved shooting made this stand out for me.
A compelling read and a great introduction to RC Bridgestock’s writing.
https://featzreviews.com/split-second/
August 3, 2026
3.75 ⭐️
Thank you so much to the author, randomthingstours and the publisher for an early copy to review. I will be posting my full review on my dedicated blog tour date, which is 26th August :)!
Thank you so much to the author, randomthingstours and the publisher for an early copy to review. I will be posting my full review on my dedicated blog tour date, which is 26th August :)!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews