My Books

///I sell most of my books myself. If you would like to buy any of my books, please email me at wildlifedetective@gmail.com

I’ll be happy to sign and post them on to you///

Cruel Intentions. (Crime fiction, Thirsty Books, Edinburgh, 2022.  £12)

Wildlife cop, PC Bob McKay, takes on more tough challenges

Who is the ex-boxer who has moved to Perthshire from the north of England and is poaching deer and badger digging with his dogs? Bob gets a tip from a strange source: a gamekeeper in jail for causing the death by poisoning of a farmer’s young daughter. The convoluted investigation takes him to the estates owned by a rich former sporting agent, Nigel Roberts, and one of his head gamekeepers, who is suspected of killing birds of prey.

Despite an awkward and unsupportive detective inspector as his line manager, Bob sticks with the investigation into the ex-boxer, who he has now identified as Big Mo, while his case-load expands to cover illegal fox hunting, disturbance of dolphins, destruction of a beaver dam, finch trapping and the theft of two terriers.

Will Bob succeed in getting Big Mo and the head gamekeeper convicted of their crimes? Might he also get the rich landowner, Nigel Roberts, before a court, using a unique and innovative charge, or will Big Mo put a spanner in the works?

Praise for Cruel Intentions

Alan Stewart’s laser intellect, wisdom and compassionate commitment to the welfare of wildlife, and all animal life, shine through in this book.  Its compelling stories illuminate the murky world of wildlife criminality through a rich treasure chest of characters and what makes them tick. This book is not only a very great read, it also draws back the veil giving us a rare inside view of the challenging world of wildlife policing and of the attitudes in wider society that drive wildlife cruelty. Dr Elspeth Stirling, Secretary, Scottish Badgers

Written by probably the most experienced and knowledgeable wildlife crime officer in the country (now retired), these stories and criminal cases are a riveting read and will have any nature lover enthralled from start to finish. Charlie Phillips – Whale & Dolphin Conservation Field Officer

Interested in wildlife and its protection? Read this excellent novel! Alan Stewart blows away the smokescreen around foxhunting and lifts the poisonous lid off the grouse shooters world of organised crime. Alan’s knowledge, experience and determined actions are highlighted in every page. Clive Swinsco, Wildlife Activist

Once again Alan, has shown why he is the best wildlife crime author on the market. Both captivating and educational, one not to miss. Mark Thomas head of RSPB investigations, Bedfordshire

For anyone interested in wildlife crime investigations this is essential reading. Alan Stewart brings to this book his personal experience of following-up wildlife crime reports involving serious animal welfare incidents. Once again, we are taken on a journey with our specialist police wildlife crime officer who is always unsure of senior management support whilst investigating complex cases. As we follow the twists and turns of the fictional cases, we are constantly hoping that natural justice will prevail. Bob Elliot, Director, Onekind

Another great read from Alan Stewart (aka The Wildlife Detective), a sequel to Calls from the Wild, following the life of a police wildlife crime officer, Bob McKay, and all the different types of wildlife crime and variety of perpetrators of these crimes that he encounters. It’s been really eye opening to me, as someone who manages an upland estate, to see the depth and variety of incidents faced daily by wildlife crime officers. If we truly want to fight climate change we need to start by understanding and looking after the nature and wildlife on our doorstep. I thoroughly recommend Alan’s book.  Dee Ward, owner Rottal Estate, Angus Glens

/// For signed/personalised copy email the author on wildlifedetective@gmail.com Happy to post out copies of any of my books///

Calls from the Wild. (Crime fiction, Thirsty Books, Edinburgh, 2021.  £10)

A bird of prey poisoning on a Scottish Highland estate has tragic results and pitches PC Bob McKay against organised crime interests on a driven grouse moor. Loch Garr Estate is a recent acquisition of Nigel Roberts, a ruthless sporting agent turned landowner who appears to be untouchable. Bringing the case to court with all his skills, experience of crime detection and expert help in forensic investigation, becomes the biggest challenge of his career.

PC McKay must also deal with a deluge of other wildlife crimes from hare coursing to badger digging. He drives the length and breadth of Perthshire and beyond responding to urgent calls from the wild, with only Scottish country dance music for company.

Through the jigs and reels only one thought keeps him going – getting Roberts and his gamekeeper before a court. But will either of them ever see the inside of a prison cell?

Praise for Calls from the Wild                                                                                               Alan Stewart is a legend of wildlife crime enforcement. This thrilling tale and its cast of characters draws on his unparalleled experience and knowledge. Matt Cross, Shooting Times contributor

Calls from the Wild is both a good read, and very informative – a must for all of those interested in our wildlife. Eddie Palmer, Chair, Scottish Badgers

This powerful story pulls no punches, and although a work of fiction, is a stark illustration of the appalling impact these crimes can have on wildlife and people, and the efforts required to bring them to justice. Ian Thomson, Head of Investigations, RSPB Scotland

Having read Alan’s non fiction books about his career tackling wildlife crime, I really enjoyed his first novel. Insightful, illuminating and a twisty pacy plot – and very much grounded in knowledge and reality of the state of UK wildlife (fab cover Astrid Jaekel) Gill Lewis, author.

 /// For signed/personalised copy email the author on wildlifedetective@gmail.com Happy to post out copies of any of my books///                    

Calls from the Wild is now also available in Kindle form (£7) – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09K4KTK48

Walking with Wildlife: a year on a Scottish estate (Thirsty Books, Edinburgh, 2019. £15)  

Alan Stewart has a long association with the 13,000 acre Dupplin Estate in Perthshire, as a schoolboy, as a farm worker and as a rabbit controller. Over the course of a year, he revisits and walks over the whole estate to observe and record what changes there have been in farming practice, the environment and wildlife in the intervening years since his youth. His written record is a culmination of a lifetime’s knowledge of wildlife and the country environment. He takes the reader to share the many magical and precious moments during his many walks. He describes a goshawk teaching her young to hunt, whooper swans arriving from Iceland, red squirrels stocking up for winter and a goosander with her newly-hatched brood. Brown hares and deer feature on many of the walks, with the author getting close enough in many cases to take intimate photographs of birds and animals. He observes and listens to the lovely songs of a wide range of avian summer visitors to the estate, including whitethroat, sedge warbler, garden warbler, willow warbler, redstart, spotted flycatcher and chiffchaff. By the banks of the May Burn and River Earn he watches pairs of sand martins excavating their nest burrows in the sandy river banks, he discovers a pair of rare visitors to Scotland, little ringed plovers, and observes that nuthatches have extended their range north. Walking with Wildlife is an up-to-the-minute, sharply and lovingly told account of the state of the natural environment in Perthshire.

/// For signed/personalised copy email the author on wildlifedetective@gmail.com Happy to post out copies of any of my books///

Wildlife and the Law  (Thirsty Books, Edinburgh, 2019. £10)   

This is an updated version of my earlier Wildlife and the Law, and incorporates changes in the law since that earlier publication. Both versions have been supported financially by PAW Scotland, with the original book having been well-received by readers with a wide variety of interests.

In Scotland there is a plethora of legislation protecting a diverse range of animals and plants plus habitats of special interest. Some of the legislation is very old and much of it is very complex.

Wildlife & the Law is designed in part to help prevent wildlife offences being committed, though where prevention has failed the well-indexed contents should help the reader recognise the offence and respond. It spells out chapter and verse in an easy-to-follow text and numerous colour photographs.

As well as wildlife law, the book includes separate chapters on cruelty to domestic and captive animals, a brief chapter on offences relating to dogs, and one on offences committed against Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

Wildlife & the Law will be an asset to a range of people:

• Police officers, and the staff of other organisations who have some responsibility in the investigation of wildlife crime;
• Countryside rangers, foresters, badger groups, bat groups and others with a professional interest in wildlife issues;
• Landowners, gamekeepers, farmers and pest controllers, who might use traps and snares or control ‘pest’ species in the course of their work;
• Hill walkers, and others who take advantage of the countryside for recreation;
• Property owners, developers or even householders who might have concerns with nesting birds, bat roosts or badger setts.

‘Whether used as a quick reference or to understand wildlife crime’s complex legislation, this book is a real aid for any wildlife or rural officer‎.’                                                                PC Charles Everitt, investigations support officer, UK National Wildlife Crime Unit 

‘A great asset not just for those who are following-up potential wildlife crime incidents, but also for any countryside user who wants a better understanding of the laws protecting our fantastic wildlife.’                                                                                                                                Ian Thomson, senior investigations officer, RSPB Scotland.

‘No stone is left unturned as the wildlife crime detective par excellence deploys his great breadth and depth of specialist knowledge.’                                                                      Professor Des Thompson, Scottish Natural Heritage

Please note that this book is only available in a few selected shops, but signed copies can be obtained from:

Alan Stewart – wildlifedetective@gmail.com  or 01738 840769. This book retails at £10 but for £15, which includes p&p, you can have a copy of Wildlife and the Law PLUS any other one of my books.  (This offer excludes Walking with Wildlife, my newest book, which is £15 plus £1.35 p&p).  Let me know your choice and I’ll get them in the post.

Copies of Wildlife and the Law can also be obtained from Thirsty Books at http://www.thirstybooks.com/

Note that this book is now also available in Kindle form at https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08QSCZJK5/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=alan+stewart&qid=1608141342&sr=8-6

Killing by Proxy: wildlife crime in the UK today (Thirsty Books, 2017 – £9.99)

The author draws on half a century of experience in general policing, CID investigations, specialist wildlife crime investigation and criminal intelligence work to analyse and expand on wildlife crimes and incidents occurring right across the UK and reported in the media and on social media. He narrows the range to concentrate on cruelty to wild animals, such as fox hunting, hare coursing and crime committed against badgers. The main part of the book analyses crime associated with game management, especially that relating to intensive driven grouse shooting, and included is a chapter on the valued assistance in some police investigations by experts with relevant skills.

Is foxhunting pest control or simply a nice day out for garishly-dressed people on horses? What cruelty is involved? What is happening to the satellite-tagged hen harriers and golden eagles that have disappeared? Why is evidence obtained by covert surveillance by non-government organisations frequently disallowed by prosecutors or courts? Should shooting be licensed or should driven grouse shooting simply be banned? Who are the main people behind raptor persecution? How can rich landowners avoid prosecution? With all of these questions is the relevant legislation working? What, if anything, is being done to improve the situation? All of these, and more, are discussed in depth by an author who has experienced the complexities of these investigations.

The cover photo of the book is by renowned wildlife photographer Laurie Campbell and is of a female hen harrier about to take a chick offered as diversionary feeding at Langholm Moor. There are 16 pages of colour photographs elaborating on some of the content.

/// For signed/personalised copy email the author on wildlifedetective@gmail.com Happy to post out copies of any of my books///

A Wealth of Wildlife (Thirsty Books 2015) – £9.99 

Alan Stewart’s account of a year walking a Highland Perthshire farming and shooting estate demonstrates that a vast range of wildlife can thrive where conservation is embraced within land management. The book is a culmination of a lifetime’s knowledge of wildlife, the author guiding the reader into the secret lives of the birds and animals in his native Perthshire. His country lore allows him to watch a hunting goshawk and a sleepy tawny owl after being alerted to their presence by other birds; you can almost hear the songs of birds such as mistle thrush, lapwing and common sandpiper. There are vivid narratives of encounters with less commonly seen birds such as the white-tailed eagle, snow goose, crossbill, green woodpecker and garden warbler. The author has close assignations with mammals such as fallow deer and red squirrels and follows the fascinating trail of a hunting fox in the snow.

Praise for Alan Stewart:

‘The author is ever alert, taking time to note the beauty of his surrounding, the birds and birdsong.’—Scots Magazine

‘Narrated in a charming informal style – a pleasure to read.’—Scottish Association for Country Sports Journal

‘Confidently written, conversational, highly educational – quite an inspiration.’—BirdGuides

‘Britain’s foremost wildlife detective.’—Scottish Field

/// For signed/personalised copy email the author on wildlifedetective@gmail.com Happy to post out copies of any of my books///

Now also available as an e-book (Amazon, £7) – see:  https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wealth-Wildlife-Alan-Stewart-ebook/dp/B09676VBBQ/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=A+Wealth+of+Wildlife&qid=1622460216&s=digital-text&sr=1

A Lone Furrow (Argyll 2011) – £9.99

–       more investigations into wildlife crime from the author of Wildlife Detective

Following on from Wildlife Detective, A Lone Furrow continues to reveal the specialisation required in obtaining a conviction in crime committed against birds and animals that cannot give evidence on their own behalf. The detailed police investigations show the meticulous work that police wildlife crime officers carry out to try to prepare a case for prosecution, the range of organisations that they can call on to assist, the successes, and of course the frustrations. The author is in no doubt that some of these crimes are the most challenging in over 45 years of policing, but the investigations are thoroughly explained in a manner which is often humorous and sometimes even self-deprecating.

Amusing and amazing anecdotes from the author’s early police career are merged with wildlife cases and illustrate the breadth of experience required of a police officer.

With suspects ranging right across the social spectrum, public expectations often unrealistic and victims ranging from salmon to seals; guinea pigs to golden eagles; hedgehogs to hares; pearl mussels to peregrines, this book is a unique insight into the enforcement of wildlife law.

/// For signed/personalised copy email the author on wildlifedetective@gmail.com Happy to post out copies of any of my books///

The Thin Green Line (Argyll 2009) – £11.99

Wildlife Crime Investigations in Britain and Ireland today

“Alan Stewart is the foremost wildlife detectives in the country.”

Sporting Rifle Magazine

From the author of the bestselling Wildlife Detective a unique book which presents a wide-ranging survey of the scale of wildlife crime in Great Britain and Ireland today – and how the forces of law and order attempt to combat it.  With the help of his colleagues in various forces, Alan Stewart, the foremost wildlife detective in these islands, presents fascinating case studies from all corners of Britain and Ireland, and also recounts how the effects of international crime manifests itself on these shores; crimes against wildlife of all kinds, from water voles to elephants, from rare bulbs to Indian tigers.

Here’s a sample:

• North Wales: the illegal commercial trade in wild bluebells
• Grampian: releasing non-native crayfish
• Leicestershire: butterflies, badgers and bats, and a county council is charged
• London: the illegal trade in endangered species on the streets of England’s capital
• East Anglia: a wealthy landowner and a retired magistrate involved in egg collecting – surely some mistake?
• South Wales: A sturgeon offered for sale; call in the police or perhaps Her Majesty the Queen?
• Fife: A major dog fighting ring is broken in a quiet Scottish backwater
• Ireland: incredible cruelty to greyhounds at the end of their racing career
• Northern Ireland: A chough shooter not too chuffed after conviction
• Lincolnshire: The profit – and the unsavoury characters – involved in the illegal tortoise trade
• Merseyside: three men called Dave are convicted of badger digging
• Strathclyde: a remarkable rescue of a badger from death by slurry

Told with his customary wit and in his own earthy style, Alan Stewart continues his quest to tell tales and expose the vicious criminals that threaten our natural heritage.

/// For signed/personalised copy email the author on wildlifedetective@gmail.com Happy to post out copies of any of my books///

Wildlife Detective (Argyll 2007) – £15  **NEW EDITION, MAY 2022**

Wildlife Detective is an insightful and humorous account of over 40 years policing crime committed against various forms of wildlife, from deer and salmon poaching to the poisoning of rare birds, egg collecting, cruelty, the taking of freshwater pearl mussels and much more.  Many of the accounts are the stuff of folklore.

There is a serious side to the book, which highlights inadequacies of earlier legislation and consequent failures of cases which in the early part of the 21^st century resulted in improved legislation.  How evidence is obtained isexplained in a logical yet light way, interspersed with hilariously funny accounts of criminals outfoxed, cops wild with frustration and the community’s appreciation of their environment and its wildlife.

/// For signed/personalised copy email the author on wildlifedetective@gmail.com Happy to post out copies of any of my books///

Praise for Wildlife Detective (Argyll 2007)

Wildlife Detective paints a vivid picture of the life and work of one of Scotland’s best known crimefighters … Stewart brings cases from the pages of his notebooks to life with warmth and humour.

The Scotsman

Transvestite hillwalkers do not often feature in wildlife crime investigations but this one did help enliven what can be a tense and complicated job for a dedicated band of professionals.

The Daily Mail

Alan Stewart has been a key figure in the fight against wildlife crime in Scotland … I can wholeheartedly recommend this book.

Shooting and Conservation Magazine (BASC)

The book’s tone is straightforward and methodical, as if torn from the pages of his police notebook … there are numerous scenes of comedy stemming from criminal incompetence.  There are also staggering accounts of animal cruelty.

Sunday Herald

Within a couple of chapters I was hooked … Narrated in a charming informal style … some wonderful direct quotes from the wrongdoers and even some of the cops, which had me laughing helplessly.

Scottish Association for Country Sports Journal

40 years sleuthing have done nothing to dampen his enthusiasm… The author is ever alert, taking time to note the beauty of his surrounding, the birds and birdsong. The book has humour, larger-than-life characters …..his writing rings with the sincerity of his concern.

Scots Magazine

Not quite John Buchan, but close … the sheer variety of wildlife crime as witnessed by Stewart is astonishing.

The Herald