Monday, 18 November 2024

A Ghostly Glimpse

My latest short story to be published is "Open Book" in The Black Beacon Book of Ghosts. Always a believer of "try before you buy", here's a ghostly glimpse of my tale...

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Like most professional genealogists, it started with an interest in my own family tree that soon grew to the point of obsession. It sinks its teeth in, you see. The not knowing gnaws at you night and day, and with every discovery, a new mystery arises, casting a shadow of doubt upon the discovery, so that it becomes a greater mystery than it was in the first place. It’s frustrating but fascinating at the same time. Once hooked, there’s no turning back.

My name is Thomas Alasdair Douglas, or Tommy Dee for short. Not that my name particularly matters, because this strange story—oh, and that it is—has nothing to do with my family tree. What you are about to read happened while I was working on the genealogy of one Erwan Josso. I wouldn’t have believed a word of it either if it hadn’t happened to me.

It started in Edinburgh, as unoriginal as that may be for a ghost story—but that can’t be helped. Although I reckon myself a man of the world, the Scottish capital is my home, and I’ll argue until there isn’t a drop of single malt left in the bottle that it’s the finest city in the world, and the most haunted to boot. That said, while the story you’re about to read started in Edinburgh, it soon took me elsewhere—to another land renowned for its legends of enchanted and haunted sites. You see, I was back home visiting family and friends, and doing a spot of research, after a long stint working in the genealogist’s El Dorado—the U.S. of A. I met up with a few friends over a pint one Friday night and a Breton exchange student from university days happened to be in town. Naturally enough, we got to reminiscing about the old days—if a tad over a decade ago can be considered thus. He knew I’d always been interested in family history, but he was surprised to learn I was now earning a crust as a genealogist. He thought that was “so cool”, and you’ll perhaps not be surprised to learn that it’s not the usual reaction I get when I make that particular confession. Likewise, knowing Erwan Josso came from a Breton family of some standing, I must admit I thought it was pretty cool when he invited me to stay with him in the Breton manor his recently departed paternal grandmother had inhabited.

‘You see, I need your help,’ he went on before thoughtfully sipping at his porter, and I think trying to find the right words in English. ‘There’s a mystery surrounding my great-grandmother. My brother and sister are not particularly interested in family history. Our parents even less so.’ Again the slow sip. ‘I am, however. I didn’t want to—euh, I forget the expression—while my grandparents were alive.’ A long pause, and I think he was waiting for me to find the missing expression.

‘You didn’t want to stir up a hornets’ nest?’ I offered.

Tuesday, 20 February 2024

Random Stairs

I've been reading Matthew Tait's work for years now, and I've watched him grow as a writer, as he takes his fiction to deeper and ever stranger places. When he asked me to write a few words of praise about Deception Pass, I didn't hesitate for a second, and when he got in touch again with Random Stairs, I stepped forward. Today, in thanks (absolutely unnecessary but so greatly appreciated) I received a print copy of Random Stairs and I can't wait to see where it leads me this time. If you haven't discovered Tait, you're missing out on a unique imagination. Don't wait - just take that first step and make your way up... or is it down? 

Buy Random Stairs here.

Read my praise here.




Thursday, 14 December 2023

Review: The Final Twist

A fair-play murder mystery that has been cleverly conceived and written according to the rules of the genre is a story that has already ticked the most important boxes for the puzzle-loving armchair detective. Martin Livings has taken the challenge of solving a puzzling murder one step further with The Final Twist, giving us the perfect setting - a Rubik's cube competition - and several layers of mystery to peel away. We have an intriguing cast of characters, including Western Australia's most brilliant cube experts, but first and foremost is our young and enigmatic protagonist Xavier Delajandro, but just call him X.

Recommended reading for the fan of the short, sharp mystery novel. Like a double espresso, Martin Livings' puzzle is to be enjoyed quickly, taking just a moment or two where needed to contemplate its intensity and complexity, and if you have a nose for mystery, you might just work out the who and the how before X exposes the solution.

What kind of puzzle will X solve next? Our thinking caps are on, Martin. Let the games begin! 

Find this review on Goodreads.

Tuesday, 21 November 2023

Review: Mandate Thirteen

Mandate Thirteen is promoted as being a gritty dystopian thriller for fans of Children of Men, A Handmaid’s Tale, and The Running Man, and so it is, particularly the former. In fact, I could be coaxed into claiming that it's a superior novel to the P. D. James classic in many ways. Joseph Dowling shows us a near-future dystopian Britain (well, England, more specifically, as you'll discover) in which birth rates are dwindling and fertile girls are in demand. It's not a new theme in dystopian fiction, but the author spins his own yarn and does so admirably well, spoiling the reader with prose that is both eloquent and punchy, believable characters with strengths and flaws, settings both familiar yet disconcerting as we travel from London to Scotland, and along the way, plenty of edge-of-your-seat tension and raw-knuckle action. This is a novel about societal breakdown, but the key to the story is family, love, and survival. Above all, it's about a father's fight to take care of his daughter. Mandate Thirteen is a tale of dystopian action and adventure that's worthy of inclusion on the bookshelf of any fan of the genre. I'd certainly consider it an honour to hear that my post-apocalyptic novel, Flicker, has Mandate Thirteen as a neighbour on your bookshelf, Dear Reader.

Find this review on Goodreads.

Monday, 11 September 2023

Cover Reveal: Flicker

In a world without hope, can deliverance from tyranny be found in the head of a matchstick?

I've been keeping you in suspense long enough. It's time for the cover reveal!

Drum roll...

And here it is! I hope you're blown away by my very own cover design for Flicker, my post-apocalyptic novel due out on November the 11th. It's going to set your world ablaze!

The Kindle pre-order deal is now open - just $1.99 instead of the RRP of $3.99.