In today’s world, young men grapple with concepts like “toxic masculinity” that often lead to self-doubt and aimlessness. Such ideologies can push them toward negative influences online or unproductive behaviors.
How Boys Learn by Jeff Kirchick presents a different perspective, delving into the nuanced journeys boys navigate. These stories offer insight into friendships, relationships, sexuality, and the quest to become better individuals.
Kirchick’s collection captures diverse experiences: from a conflicted teenage wrestler in rural Pennsylvania to a postwar society designed to curb “bad ideas,” and a doctor’s encounters with family and an unusual patient. Love is the overarching theme, whether it’s the characters’ connections with others or their pursuit of self-love.
Originally penned in 2010 under the guidance of esteemed author Edmund White at Princeton University, these tales have been refined for a wider audience. Kirchick’s aim is to impart lessons on struggle, humanity, and discovering love in unexpected corners. How Boys Learn invites readers to explore the complexities of growing up and finding love amid life’s challenges.
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A fierce story of trauma, addiction, awakening and healing.
From the tenements of Aberdeen to the bright lights of 1970’s London Vicki Rebecca shares her uncensored truth of redemption and liberation.
Genre: Non-fiction
Breaking down stigma and taboos in a world where we are so often shamed into silence, Vicki’s journey allows the reader to witness the alchemy of embracing the whole self and how it is possible to find hope when it feels like all is lost.
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+ fiction, gothic, gothic horror, Gothic mystery, Greek mythology, illegitimacy, jealousy, marriage, mythology, obsession, review, superstition, Victorian Britain
The Whispering Muse by Laura Purcell
From the Sunday Times bestselling author comes a gripping tale of obsession, superstition and ambition, set against the atmospheric backdrop of Victorian London. Be careful what you wish for it may just come true.
At The Mercury Theatre in London’s West End, rumours are circulating of a curse. It is said that the lead actress Lilith has made a pact with Melpomene, the tragic muse of Greek mythology, to become the greatest actress to ever grace the stage. Suspicious of Lilith, the jealous wife of the theatre owner sends dresser Jenny to spy on her, and, desperate for the money to help her family, Jenny agrees.
What Jenny finds is a woman as astonishing in her performance as she is provocative in her nature. On stage, it’s as though Lilith is possessed by the characters she plays, yet off stage she is as tragic as the muse who inspires her, and Jenny, sorry for her, befriends the troubled actress. But when strange events begin to take place around the theatre, Jenny wonders whether the rumours are true and fears that when the muse comes calling for payment, the cost will be too high.
My Review
My second Laura Purcell this month and unfortunately I think I have now read all of her Gothic novels. The Whispering Muse is by far the most shocking – in parts it was really quite gory and grisly.
Lively and intelligent, Jenny Wilcox’s life has been reduced to working as a maid after her brother Greg ran off with the Mercury Theatre’s leading lady and all Jenny’s savings. Then one day she is summoned by theatre owner, Mrs Dyer, and she is sure it’s something to do with the money Greg owed. But no, Mrs Dyer has a proposition to put before her. She is to be the dresser to the new leading lady, Lilith Erikson, but she warns her that Lilith is not easy to work with. You can say that again!
Jenny will be paid a good wage – way above her current salary – but she will basically be a spy for Mrs Dyer and will need to report back to her on Lilith’s actions and behaviour.
“It is said that the lead actress Lilith has made a pact with Melpomene, the tragic muse of Greek mythology to become the greatest actress to ever grace the stage.”
Lilith soon proves herself in her performance as Lady Macbeth, but Mrs Dyer is obsessively jealous of her, and of her husband’s patronage of the new ‘star’. But as Lilith becomes more and more successful and adored, the theatre appears to be crumbling before Jenny’s eyes. Then a tragedy occurs and then another, and Mrs Dyer becomes more obsessive and manic in her jealousy.
And then there’s the dog. Lilith has a black poodle named Eurydice, after the wife of Orpheus, who was bitten by a snake and died instantly. I’m not even sure if that’s relevant.
Once again I listened to this on Audible and I am now grieving. There’s an emptiness I feel having finished it. It’s brilliant, but at times I would say it’s not for the faint-hearted – there are some distressing scenes, described in graphic detail. Dark and spooky, it’s a triumph for the author.
About the Author
Laura Purcell is a former bookseller and lives in Colchester with her husband and pet guinea pigs.
Her first novel for Raven Books The Silent Companions won the WHSmith Thumping Good Read Award 2018 and featured in both the Zoe Ball and Radio 2 Book Clubs. Other Gothic novels include The Corset (The Poison Thread in USA), Bone China and The Shape of Darkness (2020).
Laura’s historical fiction about the Hanoverian monarchs, Queen of Bedlam and Mistress of the Court, was published by Myrmidon.
+ crime fiction, Detective novel, fiction, friendship, love, murder, murder mystery, music, private investigator, review, romance, supernatural, superstition
KillJoy by Gail Meath (Jax Diamond Mysteries #6)
Can Ace, and his new gal pal, Lilith, solve this spooky puzzle and stop the killing spree?
New York City, 1923
The suspicious death of a chorus girl sends PI Jax Diamond and his courageous canine partner, Ace, to the oldest theater on Broadway. At the murder scene, they stumble upon a clue too bizarre to share with the cops or with Jax’s sweetheart, who would definitely make a haunted mountain out of this eerie little molehill. But one bizarre clue leads to the next.
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Laura Graystone, Broadway star and Jax’s fiancée, drags her friends into the investigation after she’s scared out of her wits and finds another dead body.
Convinced the ghost of a beautiful actress is behind the murders, Laura and her friends follow the eerie clues and end up in the slammer.
As Jax digs deeper, even he begins to wonder if the elusive killer is as dead as her victims. It’s a spooky whirlwind of ghosts and a magical black cat in this fun yet deadly fast-paced cozy thriller (easily read as a standalone).
My Review
I’ve read all the Jax Diamond Mysteries apart from one and I don’t know how I missed it. I love them all. This one could well be my favourite as I love the supernatural element. Is the theatre haunted and could a ghost be responsible for the ‘accidents’? Or is it murder? If so, then that spooky someone is very angry indeed. And you can’t beat a story where not one, but two animals are amongst the main characters.
Ace has a friend in this book and it’s not a human or even another dog. It’s a black cat called Lilith, who seems to have a sixth sense and a ‘nose’ for solving a mystery. Or maybe she’s just a bit witchy – she is after all a black cat.
The bodies are piling up at the theatre and nothing makes sense. Even our intrepid hero Jax is struggling to find a link, but he is far too sceptical to believe a ghost could be responsible. The clues are all a bit odd and appear to point towards the spirit of Olive Thomas, a famous music hall star, who died in Paris under suspicious circumstances a few years ago.
Laura and her friend Jeanie are terrified – theatres are often said to be haunted and superstitions abound. And then there are the scary dolls.
Can Laura, Jax, police officer Tim, his wife Carla and some new characters solve the mystery before anyone else dies? The twist in the tale (not tail ha ha) meant that I had no idea who was responsible until the very end and then it all became very exciting. Another great read from Gail Meath. I hope there will be more Jax Diamond Mysteries in the future. And will it be goodbye to Old Nellie forever and will Lilith become a permanent member of the team? I need answers!
Many thanks to @ZooloosBT for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.
About the Author
Award-winning author Gail Meath writes historical romance novels that will whisk you away to another time and place in history where you will meet fascinating characters, both fictional and real, who will capture your heart and soul. Meath loves writing about little or unknown people, places and events in history, rather than relying on the typical stories and settings.
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It started with a lie…
Married couple Karin and Kai are looking for a pleasant escape from their busy lives, and reluctantly accept an offer to stay in a luxurious holiday home in the Norwegian fjords.
Instead of finding a relaxing retreat, however, their trip becomes a reminder of everything lacking in their own lives, and in a less- than-friendly meeting with their new neighbours, Karin tells a little white lie…
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Against the backdrop of the glistening water and within the claustrophobic walls of the ultra-modern house, Karin’s insecurities blossom, and her lie grows ever bigger, entangling her and her husband in a nightmare spiral of deceits with absolutely no means of escape…
My Review
I was on the blog tour for The Seven Doors in 2020, so I was excited to read this. It’s very different. There are no missing persons, family secrets or shocking revelations. It’s not dark or horrifying, but the whole story is based on a lie, one which Karin tells and her husband Kai goes along with.
Karin is offered the opportunity to stay in a beautiful, modern cabin belonging to an old school friend (I use the term ‘friend’ loosely as Karin basically despises her), but Kai thinks it’s too good to refuse. It’s offered as thanks for a favour, but Karin believes it makes her beholden to the owner.
Then basically one day, Karin meets one of the neighbours, Per Sinding, who happens to be married to one of Karin’s favourite authors Hilma Ekhult. For some bizarre reason she tells Per that they own the cabin, and also lies about what she does for a living. Kai then has to back up everything she says and tell more lies about his own background.
But your lies will eventually catch you out. However, they are leaving soon, so none of it will matter. It’s a harmless little game isn’t it? Except they are invited over for dinner and it all starts to spiral out of control. What is does do, as well as reveal their insecurities, is to show up the gaps and mistrust in their own marriage. An interesting study of human behaviour and shows why honesty is the best policy.
A great translation by the way – I often forgot I wasn’t reading in the original language.
Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours
About the Author
Agnes Ravatn is a Norwegian author and columnist. She made her literary début with the novel Week 53 in 2007. Since then she has written a number of critically acclaimed and award-winning essay collections, including Standing, Popular Reading and Operation Self-discipline, in which she recounts her experience with social-media addiction. Her debut thriller, The Bird Tribunal, won the cultural radio P2’s listener’s prize in addition to The Youth’s Critic’s Prize, and was made into a successful play in Oslo in 2015. The English translation, published by Orenda Books in 2016, was a
WHSmith Fresh Talent Pick, winner of a PEN Translation Award, a BBC Radio Four ‘Book at Bedtime’ and shortlisted for the Dublin Literary Award and the 2017 Petrona Award for Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year. Critically acclaimed The Seven Doors was published in 2020. Agnes lives with her family in the Norwegian countryside.
About Orenda Books
Orenda Books is a small independent publishing company specialising in literary fiction with a heavy emphasis on crime/thrillers, and approximately half the list in translation. They’ve been twice shortlisted for the Nick Robinson Best Newcomer Award at the IPG awards, and publisher and owner Karen Sullivan was a Bookseller Rising Star in 2016. In 2018, they were awarded a prestigious Creative Europe grant for their translated books programme. Three authors, including Agnes Ravatn, Matt Wesolowski and Amanda Jennings have been WHSmith Fresh Talent picks, and Ravatn’s The Bird Tribunal was shortlisted for the Dublin Literary Award, won an English PEN Translation Award, and adapted for BBC Radio Four ’s Book at Bedtime. Six titles have been short- or long-listed for the CWA Daggers. Launched in 2014 with a mission to bring more international literature to the UK market, Orenda Books publishes a host of debuts, many of which have gone on to sell millions worldwide, and looks for fresh, exciting new voices that push the genre in new directions. Bestselling authors include Ragnar Jonasson, Antti Tuomainen, Gunnar Staalesen, Michael J. Malone, Kjell Ola Dahl, Louise Beech, Johana Gustawsson, Lilja Sigurðardóttir and Sarah Stovell.
“Enlightened Queen, He’s Not Your Man” is a transformative guide to navigating modern relationships with wisdom, self-assurance, and grace.
In this empowering book, readers are invited to step into their role as enlightened queens – strong, confident individuals who recognize their own worth and stand firm in their authenticity.
Through insightful anecdotes, practical advice, and thought-provoking exercises, this book delves into the intricacies of contemporary dating and relationships. It provides a fresh perspective on how to decipher the often-confusing signals from potential partners and avoid common pitfalls that may compromise one’s self-esteem and emotional well-being.
Genre: Non-fiction
Pages: 189
With a focus on self-discovery and personal growth, “Enlightened Queen, He’s Not Your Man” helps readers develop a deeper understanding of their desires, boundaries, and aspirations. It empowers them to recognize when a potential partner might not align with their values or goals and guides them through the process of making empowered decisions for their own happiness.
The book also encourages readers to embrace their inner wisdom, fostering a strong sense of self-love and self-respect. By highlighting the importance of fostering healthy relationships – both with others and with oneself – it offers a roadmap for finding genuine connections that honour individuality and mutual growth.
Whether you’re navigating the world of dating, seeking to enhance an existing relationship, or simply aiming to strengthen your self-assurance, “Enlightened Queen, He’s Not Your Man” is a compelling read that empowers readers to embrace their inner royalty and approach relationships with renewed insight and confidence.
About the Author
Obsessed about inner-work and relationships, Galeema loves listening to people’s life stories, inner journeys and relationship challenges. She helps women see their feminine strengths and write their own stories, while delving into life lessons and exploring the dynamics of relationships. When she’s not reading, listening to or writing about the wonders of life, she loves sipping a hot cup of coffee or tea while enjoying sparkling clean floors (while it lasts!). She is the author of Shadowed Whispers, a collection of poetry into the awakening of the world and the self, as well as Soft & Strong, an advice book that helps women connect better with themselves, their Lord and their husbands.
Author’s Website: www.galeemadavids.com
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Four children, three marriages, two secrets, and one unfathomable tragedy: the families at numbers two, four and six Penwood Heights are connected by work, friendship, the loss of a child and a secret truth which has sat in the bedrock of their lives for years.
Genre: Contemporary | Literary
Pages: 280
In the centre of this tight-knit group is Faith, who believes her job is to act as a paperweight, keeping them all safe. And she does this until someone from her past reappears and threatens to sabotage everything.
And, as the pieces fall, these families, these friends, realise that what they thought they knew about one another was nothing more than make-believe. They also discover that trust is illusory and for Faith, at least, that keeping other people’s secrets can be more dangerous than keeping her own.
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Should Liv take herself out of the friend zone, or are they better off there?
Liv Granger has been flailing through life since her teens. When her brother, Joe, announces his engagement to his long-term boyfriend, Liv realises that she has never been able to commit to anything – a career, a fixed address, a relationship – and she may, in fact, be a massive loser.
Publishing: 11th July
Genre: Rom-com
With the help of Joe and Henry, her oldest friend, Liv comes up with the Loser List: ten tasks to change her life. The most challenging – three dates with the same person. After each increasingly disastrous date, Henry is always there to the rescue. Has what she’s been looking for been right in front of her the whole time?
Between restraining her mother’s wedding planning and doing everything in her power to not be her father’s wingman for his various short-lived girlfriends, Liv learns that the path to self-improvement needs to start with a little self-acceptance…
A laugh-out-loud romantic comedy for fans of Sophia Money-Coutts, Sarah Hogle and Sally Thorne.
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In this gripping short story collection, Pajalic depicts working-class characters in all their gutsiness and glory.
Featuring animals in most stories as a motif for grief and hope, Pajalic alternates between tender stories of survival and the gritty underbelly of Melbourne’s Western suburbs. Even when his characters are shady and flawed, morality and conscience shine through.
Genre: Contemporary Fiction | Short Stories
Pages: 188
Publisher: Pishukin Press
Drawing on his own experiences, Pajalic recreates first-hand the reality of coming to Australia as a refugee because of war and persecution. While many of the stories focus on the experience of Bosnian diaspora, it also tells the universal story of the refugee experience exploring homesickness, loss, grief, cultural shock, and making a new home in a landscape completely different to where you come from.
‘Raw, authentic and compelling, these stories of refugees’ generational trauma and pain also honour the resilience and determination of the characters. Bracing and rewarding reading.’ Paddy O’Reilly author of Other Houses
‘Reminiscent of Carver, Pajalic’s stories are sharp, direct and austere. A fascinating read.’ Ennis Cehic author of Sadvertising.
‘Like Chekhov who thinks that for a writer nothing should be unclean, Fikret takes us to murky places where English is broken and pit bulls are prized; bodies are ravaged by manual labour and generosity abounds as often as brutality. Humanity there is uncovered, revealing itself to be as instinctual and capable of ferocity and sacrifice as the many animals that populate Fikret’s stories. In Complication Fikret uncovers the origins of violence with unflinching insight and unwavering compassion.’ Lee Kofman author of The Writer Laid Bare.’
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+ gothic, gothic horror, Gothic mystery, Historical fiction, obsession, supernatural, superstition, Victorian Britain
The Shape of Darkness by Laura Purcell
As the age of the photograph dawns in Victorian Bath, silhouette artist Agnes is struggling to keep her business afloat.
Still recovering from a serious illness herself, making enough money to support her elderly mother and her orphaned nephew Cedric has never been easy, but then one of her clients is murdered shortly after sitting for Agnes, and then another, and another… Why is the killer seemingly targeting her business?
Desperately seeking an answer, Agnes approaches Pearl, a child spirit medium lodging in Bath with her older half-sister and her ailing father, hoping that if Pearl can make contact with those who died, they might reveal who killed them. But Agnes and Pearl quickly discover that instead they may have opened the door to something they can never put back.
My Review
I’ve read quite a few of Laura’s novels, The Silent Companions being one of my favourite all-time novels. I’ve also read The Corset and Bone China, which I loved, but The Shape of Darkness is up there with The Silent Companions (almost).
I listened to it on Audible and it worked really well as an audio book (not all do for me). It is told from the points of view of Agnes and Pearl, which made it really easy to follow – I struggle with audio books when the story jumps around in time – but this was perfect. I like the narrator too, which is very important to me. She even sings beautifully when she is being Pearl’s half-sister Myrtle.
In this book, the author explores the concept of spiritualism, mesmerism and spirit mediums in the mid 1850s – it became very popular at this time – the Victorians were obsessed with death and the afterlife. What we don’t see here though is the trickery used during seances (hence the usual practice of them being conducted in darkness), and we do wonder whether Pearl, known as The White Sylph, actually has a ‘gift’. But then you would have to believe that some people can really speak to the dead. Pearl, incidentally, as well as being an albino (she would have been an attraction in a ‘freakshow’ in those days) is only 11 years old. I was shocked when that was revealed.
Agnes Darken, on the other hand, is closer to 50. She’s not always easy to warm to (unlike Pearl), and can often come across as selfish and lacking in empathy. She has remained a spinster after her only love Lieutenant Montague was supposedly seduced by her sister Constance (who fell pregnant as a result) and then disappeared. Agnes is still waiting for him to return.
Constance then married Dr Simon Carfax, to legitimise the impending birth of baby Cedric. A few years later, she is killed in an accident and Cedric is sent to live with Agnes and her elderly mother (Simon is after all not the boy’s father). We pick up the story in 1852, when Agnes is struggling to earn a living as a silhouette artist, and then one of her clients is murdered, followed soon after by a second. Agnes fears that she is being targeted.
The book is set in Bath and the town is really brought to life in the descriptive passages. There are quite a few twists and shocking reveals, but just when you think you finally know what’s going on, a final twist will throw you into confusion – I had to listen twice to believe what just happened.
I loved this book and immediately downloaded The Whispering Muse, which I hope will be just as enjoyable (in a dark, spooky way).
About the Author
Laura Purcell is a former bookseller and lives in Colchester with her husband and pet guinea pigs.
Her first novel for Raven Books The Silent Companions won the WHSmith Thumping Good Read Award 2018 and featured in both the Zoe Ball and Radio 2 Book Clubs. Other Gothic novels include The Corset (The Poison Thread in USA), Bone China and The Shape of Darkness (2020).
Laura’s historical fiction about the Hanoverian monarchs, Queen of Bedlam and Mistress of the Court, was published by Myrmidon.
Thaddeus Yeiser and Conrad Bair are releasing the sequel to their war-novel, Age of Rust! This novel is a continuation of the war-saga that follows young men through battle, loss, victories, and the need for peace.
Having survived a battle with the Western warlord, Kayzitt, Seneca and Tavin lead the survivors South out of the thawing northern wilds. They must seek out the Chancellor of the East, who has been directing their campaigns from a distance till now, and determine the direction of the war and thus, their lives.
Age of Rust: Retribution is coming 2024!
Genre: Sci-fi – Speculative
Publisher: Ink Smith Publishing
Meanwhile, Kayzitt and Oil’ib play cat and mouse in the desolate wilds, their survival unbeknownst to their friends. Oil’ib longs for revenge at any cost, but Kayzitt will not allow himself to be beaten so easily.
Chiara tries to maintain the hospital that Seneca was forced to leave for the service. All while patients pile in and physicians continue to be drafted away. When the situation reaches a harrowing breaking point, she will put her life on the line to save her home.
As the Agents of the Chancellor finally meet their leader. They learn that there may be a way out of the war, a long lost tool or the Golden Age of man, which may give them the advantage needed to dispel the invaders from their land. But the mission will require a high risk journey to the New England territories, where the influence of the Eastern Republic is weak and their enemies closer than they could have dreamed.
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+ autism, crime fiction, Detective novel, fiction, murder, neurodivergence, police drama, police procedural, review
The Teacher by Tim Sullivan The DS Cross Mysteries #6
An eighty-year-old man is found murdered in his home.
His age and standing in the community makes finding his killer difficult – why would anyone harm an elderly man? What threat could he possibly be to anyone?
With no apparent motive, DS George Cross canvases the community for potential suspects but the man was known as generous, charitable, community-minded. Each interview about who the man is muddies the picture further. So Cross decides to look for who he was – revealing a past that is far less honourable than his present . . .
My Review
This is my third George Cross mystery and I love him. So just a quick recap again ‘He’s on the neurodivergent spectrum (he refers to it as autism spectrum disorder) and takes everything literally. He doesn’t get jokes or irony which can be very confusing for his colleagues and intimidating for the criminals. They think he is taking the p*ss.’
His colleague DS Josie Ottey gets him though and recognises that he is the best officer on the Avon and Somerset Major Crime Unit (MCU). His detection record is off the scale. But socially, he is, shall we say somewhat awkward.
When 80 year-old headteacher Alistair Moreton is murdered in his cottage in the small village of Crowkerne, there appears to be no motive and finding the killer could be harder than usual. Josie is unfortunately on leave, so DI Bobby Warner is brought in from the Kent force to help. The first thing he does is move his desk into George’s office, which upsets George as he has always been allowed to have his own personal space. Warner doesn’t understand any of this – why should Cross get special treatment?
It’s not long, however, before George discovers that Moreton was not a nice old man who just happened to keep himself to himself. He was a tyrant when he was the headmaster of All Saints School, relentlessly dishing out punishments that would see him prosecuted nowadays. He had also had a run in with his neighbours that ended up in court. Suddenly there are suspects left, right and centre, but Warner believes he has his man, and George can go to hell in a handcart.
With ‘dogged’ (you’ll understand that reference when you read the book) determination George won’t give up investigating – for him and hopefully the rest of us – a case isn’t closed until it’s gone to court and the ‘defendant is guilty beyond all reasonable doubt’. Warner, however, has closed the case and George must carry on without alerting the rest of the force.
Warner is a nasty piece of work and we are reminded of the misogyny in the Met in recent years. But how far does it go and how far will his superiors go to brush it all under the carpet in order to protect the reputation of the force.
The Teacher moves us forward because it’s not just about George, Josie, Alice and Swift in the police, or George’s parents Raymond and Christine. We now have a subject that is both dark and topical and even George’s boss DCI Ben Carson has redeemed himself by being on the right side.
It’s all very intricately plotted with a lot of potential suspects who are eliminated one by one. The threads slowly come together until we are left with just one possibility. My only criticism of the book? I wanted George to keep Ricky. He needs a good furry friend.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole, the author and my fellow Pigeons for making this such an enjoyable read.
About the Author
Tim Sullivan is a crime writer, screenwriter and director whose film credits include A Handful of Dust, Jack and Sarah and Cold Feet. Early in his career he directed Jeremy Brett’s iconic portrayal of Sherlock Holmes in ITV’s The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes¸ cementing his lifelong passion for crime fiction.
Tim’s crime series, featuring the socially awkward but brilliantly persistent DS George Cross, has been widely acclaimed and topped the book charts. The Monk is the fifth in the series.
He lives in North London with his wife Rachel, the Emmy Award-winning producer of The Barefoot Contessa and Pioneer Woman. To find out more about the author please visit TimSullivan.co.uk
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