Book Blurb

Donna McCarthy, an ambitious estate agent, falls victim of a killer who leaves no trace of her body. Recently demoted DC Carter - overweight and a heavy drinker - believes his superiors are making a mistake when they suspect her husband. Donna’s sons embark on an intense search for their missing mother. They soon face the glaring possibility that she is not only missing but has been murdered.

But who is responsible? And why is there no evidence in the ex-mining town of Monkey Island? There can be only one answer: the killer is from the island.

The killer’s resolve is sorely tested when he sees a woman who is the image of his first kill. Breaking his own MO, he seeks prey without proper planning. The lives of the killer, DC Carter and the McCarthys become hopelessly entangled, forcing them on a course to unearth Mrs McCarthy. Through love, loss and some crazy decisions, the McCarthy boys question whether revenge is a path worth taking.


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Excerpt
Killer I kept seeing the eyesore of pylons from the night before. They had been like aliens willing me on: Welcome to the ’90s, your first of the decade, they had said. Being the only witnesses, I’m sure they had celebrated my metamorphosis. A first operation on home turf. When I’d started, I’d gone further afield, but the wooden-tops were so gormless that I had planned an event on my own plot. This godforsaken hole deserved it. Reading up on others like me, they often talked about the pleasure they got from seeing their victim’s loved ones. I couldn’t wait; I knew the family well.

When I find the right one, everything begins to brew and brew and brew until the only thing in my head is a fog of sounds – hissing and drumming – and the dream of touching their big, scared eyes. 

Nothing can beat it.

Surfing the adrenalin rush, I knew from experience that I’d have a few days before it’d drain, and then I’d be immersed in gloom. 

No one could hear me in the lock-up. I turned on the radio and dug dirt from under my fingernails. Thatcher was adamant that any Poll Tax protestors would feel the full weight of the law. Madonna – at number one with ‘Vogue’ – replaced her. Imagining bundling one of those blonde bombshells into the van, I felt the same invincibility as when I had sapped that lady’s last breath. Whirling in the whirlwind was wonderful, but there were jobs to do, tyres to change, and a swimming pool amount of bleach to administer. 

A sack which housed her belongings was in the van, and, pressed against my heart, the ring that had adorned her neck. I always keep a memento of my last operation. Swapping the ornate bracelet to the ring had been purifying. I touched my new possession; the energy was enough to blow the pylons from the grid and I sang along with the song.

I had been privileged to feel this alive on a handful of occasions and cherished it.


 

Author Bio
David was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne and lives in the North-East of England with his wife and stepchildren; his own children live nearby. He has an MA in Creative Writing from Northumbria University and a degree in Psychology.

He is a teacher who has worked as a Learning Mentor, Residential Child Care Officer, and Youth Worker. He is passionate about children’s rights and the opportunity for children to read. His love is writing and immerses into words during his spare time.

As a child, David did not have his head in a book. His interests were around sport, music and politics, and although the sporting prowess and attention to politics may have waned, he constantly listens to music. He creates a soundtrack connected to what he is writing to act as an inspiration. The tap of the keyboard is drowned by beating basslines!

David’s favourite authors are John Irving, Irvine Welsh, John Niven and Alex Wheatle, as they mix reality, crime and social conscience with humour, wit and mystery. He self-published his debut novel (Flaming Adolescent) in 2020 and Nessun Dorma is his first published novel through Blossom Spring Publishing.

 
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