Iain Kelly


#90 best reviewers
year in books

Iain Kelly’s Followers (125)

member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
Jennife...
311 books | 544 friends

John Ni...
355 books | 3,465 friends

Ian
Ian
1,462 books | 480 friends

Luís
9,512 books | 2,929 friends

Murray
2,682 books | 2,632 friends

Michael
8,207 books | 187 friends

Kelly Lyn
4,762 books | 1,406 friends

Kay
Kay
6,692 books | 503 friends

More friends…

Iain Kelly

Goodreads Author


Born
Glasgow, The United Kingdom
Website

Twitter

Genre

Member Since
July 2012


Iain Kelly lives in Scotland, UK. His latest novel, 'Hostile City', a follow up to the crime thriller 'Full Sun', was published in January 2026. Both books feature ex-convict Cal Jackson and are set in Glasgow.

Iain is married with two children and works in the media industry as a television editor. When he is not creating stories through sound and vision, he is writing them. 'A Justified State,' published in 2018, was his first novel. It was followed by a sequel, 'State Of Denial' in September 2019 and 'State Of War' in 2020, which concluded 'The State' trilogy.
In 2022, he first partnered with The Book Guild to publish the coming-of-age mystery 'The Barra Boy', which was followed in 2024 by the historical thriller 'All We Cannot Leave Behi
...more

To ask Iain Kelly questions, please sign up.

Popular Answered Questions

Iain Kelly I'm moving onto my third novel, and the finale of my 'State Trilogy' of stories - 'State Of War'.…moreI'm moving onto my third novel, and the finale of my 'State Trilogy' of stories - 'State Of War'.(less)
Average rating: 4.15 · 453 ratings · 161 reviews · 9 distinct worksSimilar authors
The Barra Boy

really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 234 ratings — published 2022 — 2 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
All We Cannot Leave Behind

4.15 avg rating — 74 ratings2 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
A Justified State (The Stat...

4.42 avg rating — 48 ratings3 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
Full Sun (Cal Jackson, #1)

4.29 avg rating — 49 ratings — published 2024 — 2 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
State Of Denial (The State ...

4.47 avg rating — 19 ratings3 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
State Of War (The State Tri...

4.18 avg rating — 17 ratings3 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
Hostile City (Cal Jackson, #2)

4.71 avg rating — 7 ratings — published 2026 — 2 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
Collected Sketches

4.75 avg rating — 4 ratings3 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
The State Trilogy: Complete...

it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating3 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
More books by Iain Kelly…

HOSTILE CITY: Book Launch Events Round Up

It’s been a busy month as HOSTILE CITY has been launched into the world. I’ve had the pleasure of three events this month – a book signing at Waterstones in East Kilbride, followed by author events at the wonderful Daydreams Bookshop in Milngavie, where I was returning for the second time, and then an evening […]
 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on February 23, 2026 01:38
Meet the Newmans
Iain is currently reading
by Jennifer Niven (Goodreads Author)
bookshelves: currently-reading
Rate this book
Clear rating

 

Iain’s Recent Updates

Iain Kelly wrote a new blog post

HOSTILE CITY: Book Launch Events Round Up

It’s been a busy month as HOSTILE CITY has been launched into the world. I’ve had the pleasure of three events this month – a book signing at Watersto Read more of this blog post »
Iain rated a book it was amazing
I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara
Rate this book
Clear rating
A fascinating investigative piece about a dark and violent serial killer and the effort to bring him to justice. Ultimately the fact that the Golden State Killer was apprehended through DNA without having ever been a suspect doesn't undo the hard wor ...more
Iain and 69 other people liked Julie Ehlers's review of I'll Be Gone in the Dark:
I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara
"I'll Be Gone in the Dark does several things very successfully. It reports compellingly on the Golden State Killer and the various law-enforcement personnel who tried to track him down—and in some cases, are still trying. It gives a fascinating windo" Read more of this review »
I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara
"Review to come."
I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara
"A compelling true crime book that is part investigation, part memoir, ‘I’ll Be Gone in the Dark’ is gripping and fascinating. I’ll confess that I found the first half (which contains accounts of many of the crimes committed by the Golden State Killer" Read more of this review »
Iain is currently reading
Meet the Newmans by Jennifer Niven
Meet the Newmans
by Jennifer Niven (Goodreads Author)
Rate this book
Clear rating
Iain rated a book it was amazing
The Benefactors by Wendy Erskine
The Benefactors
by Wendy Erskine (Goodreads Author)
Rate this book
Clear rating
Devoured within a couple of days. Once you get into the rhythm of the multiple voices and a couple of early time jumps are put the way, the book takes off and doesn't stop until the end. Fascinating characters, in a situation that is a moral and soci ...more
Iain started reading
I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara
Rate this book
Clear rating
Iain rated a book it was amazing
Havoc Shore by Maureen Cullen
Rate this book
Clear rating
A collection of short stories centered on the fictional town of Havoc on the River Clyde in Glasgow. Rich with memorable characters and dialogue, and filled with humour in sometimes dark situations, the author has a real feel for realism and anyone w ...more
Iain is currently reading
The Benefactors by Wendy Erskine
The Benefactors
by Wendy Erskine (Goodreads Author)
Rate this book
Clear rating
More of Iain's books…

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics posts views last activity  
The Challenge Fac...: 100 Book Genre Challenge 2024 17 104 Feb 04, 2024 12:02AM  
The Lost Challenges: March 2024 Ebooks Are My Thing 64 41 Apr 10, 2024 12:17PM  
The Lost Challenges: March 2024 Stand Alone 77 39 Apr 23, 2024 09:11AM  
The Lost Challenges: Words in a Word Game #25 - RomCom 77 56 May 31, 2024 09:33AM  
The Lost Challenges: 2024 A-Z Male Characters Challenge 66 45 Jan 02, 2025 08:06AM  
The Lost Challenges: 2024 A-Z Authors Challenge 108 67 Jan 05, 2025 12:50PM  
26989 Goodreads Authors/Readers — 56101 members — last activity 28 minutes ago
This group is dedicated to connecting readers with Goodreads authors. It is divided by genres, and includes folders for writing resources, book websit ...more
Comments (showing 1-4)    post a comment »
dateDown arrow    newest »

message 4: by Iain

Iain Iain wrote: "The Clock Winder: a short story
I'm currently halfway through reading 'Orbital', so your review was very helpful. If you would like a complimentary copy of my short story, The Cloc..."
Hi Iain, thanks for the offer - I'd be delighted to receive a copy of your short story. Hope you are enjoying Orbital and wishing you all the best for 2025!


message 3: by Iain (last edited Jan 02, 2025 05:18AM)

Iain The Clock Winder: a short story
I'm currently halfway through reading 'Orbital', so your review was very helpful. If you would like a complimentary copy of my short story, The Clock Winder, I'd be more than happy to post you a copy.


message 2: by Iain

Iain Tom wrote: "Hi Iain, thank you for accepting my friend request! Your book, Collected Sketches, looks intriguing! I put it in my “to read” category and look forward to reading it!" Thanks Tom, and thanks for the request to connect. 'Collected Sketches' seems so long ago now! Hope you enjoy and are maybe encouraged to seek out my longer fiction novels too. Best wishes, Iain


message 1: by Tom

Tom Cola Hi Iain, thank you for accepting my friend request! Your book, Collected Sketches, looks intriguing! I put it in my “to read” category and look forward to reading it!


back to top