"The Big Over Easy" (2005), set in the same alternative universe as the "Next" novels, is a reworking of his first written novel, which initially failed to find a publisher. Its original title was "Who Killed Humpty Dumpty?" It was later titled "Nursery Crime", which now refers to this series of books. These books describe the investigations of DCI Jack Spratt. The follow-up to "The Big Over Easy", "The Fourth Bear", was published in July 2006 and focuses on Goldilocks and the Three Bears.