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LoveReading is thrilled to announce the launch of The Very Short Story Award 2019! If you think you have a story we'll love, click here to find out more and how to enter:
Find out more
Harry Bingham is a successful author as well as running The Writers' Workshop, an editorial consultancy for first-time writers, and organising the York Festival of Writing. He lives near Oxford.
When DC Fiona Griffiths says 'yes' to her policeman boyfriend, it's an affirmation that she wants finally to put her psychological breakdown behind her, and become a resident of 'Planet Normal' like everybody else. But she still can't resist the challenge of an undercover policing course, and finding it remarkably easy to assume a new identity, she comes top of the class. So when an ingenious payroll fraud starts to look like the tip of a huge criminal iceberg, Fiona is selected to infiltrate the fraudsters' operation, posing as a meek former payroll clerk now forced to work as a cleaner. But as she penetrates deeper into their operation, coming closer to identifying the mastermind behind it, she faces another, even more frightening danger - that her always fragile grip on her sense of self has now been lost and she may never find her way back.
When DC Fiona Griffiths says 'yes' to her policeman boyfriend, it's an affirmation that she wants finally to put her psychological breakdown behind her, and become a resident of 'Planet Normal' like everybody else. But she still can't resist the challenge of an undercover policing course, and finding it remarkably easy to assume a new identity, she comes top of the class. So when an ingenious payroll fraud starts to look like the tip of a huge criminal iceberg, Fiona is selected to infiltrate the fraudsters' operation. Posing as a meek former payroll clerk now forced to work as a cleaner, Fiona Griffiths becomes Fiona Grey, hoping the criminals will try and recruit her - knowing that if they discover her real identity, she's dead meat. But as Fiona penetrates deeper into their operation, coming closer to identifying the mastermind behind it, she faces another, even more frightening danger - that her always fragile grip on her sense of self has now been lost and she may never find her way back.
The first in this series, Talking to the Dead, introduced us to a most unusual police detective, Fiona Griffiths, who suffers from Cotard’s Syndrome and hides a dramatic past which will no doubt be revealed over the series. Certainly a large chunk comes here as she searches for her real parents. Fiona is weird … delightfully so and sees the world at a slightly different angle to most people. It is her weirdness that makes these books stand out, and her first-person narrative that draws us in. They are Welsh-based which is lovely, full of plot which races along with lots of offshoots and lots left open for the next one. What a great book but I must urge you to read the first which is even better.
One of our Books of the Year 2013. A favourite author of mine changes tack. He used to write sweeping, Jeffrey Archer-esque sagas (wonderful), now he turns to crime and introduces a new series detective, Fiona Griffiths. She is the reason for reading this - and read it you must. A strange, clever woman with an honours degree in Philosophy from Cambridge, she suffers from Cotard's Syndrome, a rare condition on which the author includes a note. It is an intricate, complex novel with an absorbing plot but, as I've said, it is the character of Fiona (Fi) that drives it. Don't miss it for as it begins a series you do need to know Fi from the start. Brilliant addition to the genre. April 2013 Book of the Month. The Lovereading view... Welcome to the world of D.C. Fiona Griffiths. This new pacey, compelling series, set in Cardiff, is told purely from the point of view of Fiona – seriously good detective but with a shed load of issues and haunted by her own dark past. In this opening book a brutal murder of a mother and child, that on the surface looks like an open and shut case, leads to a much darker mystery. We know Harry has already written more in this series which we can’t wait to read when they are published.
Welcome to the world of D.C. Fiona Griffiths. This new pacey, compelling series, set in Cardiff, is told purely from the point of view of Fiona – seriously good detective but with a shed load of issues and haunted by her own dark past. In this opening book a brutal murder of a mother and child, that on the surface looks like an open and shut case, leads to a much darker mystery. We know Harry has already written more in this series which we can’t wait to read when they are published.
The sort of big sweeping saga you can really lose yourself in. I recommend it to both genders and any age. It’s just fab as his The Sons of Adam (oil industry) and Glory Boys (flying and early Hollywood) are. He is a good, old-fashioned storyteller with a beginning, a middle and an end, where you are drawn in and keep stealing time to return to. I love him. Spanning thirty years from the Russian Revolution to the fall of the Berlin Wall, rich in incident and drama, it is a truly glorious read. Similar this month: Santa Montefiore. Comparison: Robert Ryan, Sidney Sheldon, Wilbur Smith.
One of those glorious unput-downable adventures that glues you to the page, all 512 of them still doesn’t seem enough. A sweeping tale of early flight, prohibition and the little man taking on the giants, of friendship, loyalty and love against the odds. Full of colour, excitement and thrills, I just loved it. You must read his The Sons of Adam. Comparison: Wilbur Smith, Sidney Sheldon, Penny Vincenzi.
Sometimes when I read a really good novel I literally fall in love, I pant to return to it, I miss it when I’m away, I think about it all the time, I need it. This is such a book. An epic adventure of two boys through two world wars. A tale of rivalry, jealousy, treachery, misunderstanding and great sadness set against the background of the early days of the oil industry in America and the Middle East. It’s 656 pages of unput-downable stuff, suitable for both genders.
Sie ist eine gute Ermittlerin. Die beste von allen. Doch wer hilft Fiona Griffiths?Illegale Mllbeseitigung: Auch um so etwas muss die Polizei sich kmmern. Die Khltruhe am Straenrand ist voller verdorbenem Fleisch. Ganz unten liegt ein Frauenbein, mit Schuh. Schnell finden sich in der Nhe weitere Krperteile. Doch sie stammen von einem Mann. Nichts verbindet die Opfer, scheint es, bis Fiona herausfindet: Die Toten waren ein Paar. Warum mussten sie sterben? Fiona vertraut ihrer ungeheuer starken Intuition, Kehrseite ihrer psychischen Erkrankung. Und je nher sie der Lsung kommt, desto unruhiger werden diejenigen, die schon die ersten beiden Morde in Auftrag gegeben haben.
So eine Heldin hat der Spannungsroman noch nicht erlebt: verletzlich, eigensinnig, genial. Eine Drogenhure - ermordet in einer schmutzigen Wohnung. Neben ihr die geschundene Leiche ihrer kleinen Tochter. Wer begeht so ein Verbrechen? Bei der Toten wird eine Kreditkarte gefunden. Der Besitzer kam vor Monaten beim Absturz einer Privatmaschine um. Das Ganze: ein Rtsel. Die junge Polizistin DC Fiona Griffiths hat eigentlich nichts mit dem Fall zu tun, doch getrieben von einer seltsamen Unruhe, beginnt sie, auf eigene Faust zu ermitteln. Ihren Chef macht sie damit rasend, dabei wei er noch nicht einmal, wie sehr sie am Rande der Legalitt wandelt. Denn Fiona ist nicht wie andere Polizisten, sie ist anders als die meisten Menschen. Eine geniale Ermittlerin - und immer kurz vor dem finalen Absturz
'I love Fiona Griffiths' Sharon Bolton A crime from the past. A murder from the future. DS Fiona Griffiths is bored. It's been months since she had a good corpse. Then she gets news; not just of a murder, but of a decapitation, and one committed with an antique sword no less. All that, and, a murder scene laid out like a gruesome crossword clue. Gaynor Charteris was an archaeologist excavating a nearby iron-age site. Genial, respected, well-liked, it was hard to see why anyone would want to kill her. But as Fiona starts to investigate, she finds evidence of a crime that seems to have its origins in King Arthur's greatest battle - a crime so bizarre that getting her superiors to take it seriously is going to be her toughest job. Especially since the crime hasn't yet been committed. Praise for the Fiona Griffiths mystery series: 'Compelling and claustrophobic. Without a doubt, Fiona Griffiths is one of crime's most memorable heroines' Sarah Hilary 'Compelling...a new crime talent to treasure' Daily Mail 'In a word - brilliant. One of the most enjoyable crime novels I've read in a while' James Oswald 'Gritty, compelling...a procedural unlike any other you are likely to read this year' USA Today 'Gripping...Fiona Griffiths kept me hooked to the last page and left me hungry for more' Rachel Abbott Fans of Angela Marsons, Peter James and Ann Cleeves will be gripped by the other titles in the Fiona Griffiths mystery series: 1. Talking to the Dead 2. Love Story, With Murders 3. The Strange Death of Fiona Griffiths 4. This Thing of Darkness 5. The Dead House 6. The Deepest Grave (coming soon!) If you're looking for a crime thriller series to keep you hooked, then go no further: you've just found it. ** Each Fiona Griffiths thriller can be read as a standalone or in series order **
Fiona Griffiths ist eine Frau voller Probleme. Eine gute Polizistin ist sie auch. Als Neuling auf dem Revier muss sie naturlich oft langweilige Routinefalle ubernehmen. Jetzt zum Beispiel gerade einen Abrechnungsbetrug bei einem Mobelhaus, dabei arbeitet sie doch eigentlich im Dezernat fur Schwerverbrechen. Fiona folgt den verdachtigen Kontobewegungen und stot auf eine Leiche. Die alte Frau ist in ihrer Wohnung verhungert. Die zweite Leiche sieht noch schlimmer aus. Denn es geht offenbar um viel Geld. Um unvorstellbar viel Geld. Nun hat Fiona gerade erst mit Bravour eine Zusatzausbildung zur Undercover-Agentin absolviert. Als Putzfrau namens "e;Fiona Grey"e; wird sie bei einem weiteren betroffenen Unternehmen in Cardiff eingeschleust. Auch die Betrger erkennen schnell die besondere Begabung der seltsamen jungen Frau. Fiona wird Teil ihres Plans. Ein gefhrliches Spiel. Denn die Grenzen zwischen ihren beiden Persnlichkeiten verschwimmen zunehmend. Nur Fiona Griffiths kann das ultimative Verbrechen verhindern. Doch was will Fiona Grey?
'I love Fiona Griffiths' Sharon Bolton A crime from the past. A murder from the future. DS Fiona Griffiths is bored. It's been months since she had a good corpse. Then she gets news; not just of a murder, but of a decapitation, and one committed with an antique sword no less. All that, and, a murder scene laid out like a gruesome crossword clue. Gaynor Charteris was an archaeologist excavating a nearby iron-age site. Genial, respected, well-liked, it was hard to see why anyone would want to kill her. But as Fiona starts to investigate, she finds evidence of a crime that seems to have its origins in King Arthur's greatest battle - a crime so bizarre that getting her superiors to take it seriously is going to be her toughest job. Especially since the crime hasn't yet been committed. Praise for the Fiona Griffiths mystery series: 'Compelling and claustrophobic. Without a doubt, Fiona Griffiths is one of crime's most memorable heroines' Sarah Hilary 'Compelling...a new crime talent to treasure' Daily Mail 'In a word - brilliant. One of the most enjoyable crime novels I've read in a while' James Oswald 'Gritty, compelling...a procedural unlike any other you are likely to read this year' USA Today 'Gripping...Fiona Griffiths kept me hooked to the last page and left me hungry for more' Rachel Abbott Fans of Angela Marsons, Peter James and Ann Cleeves will be gripped by the other titles in the Fiona Griffiths mystery series: 1. Talking to the Dead 2. Love Story, With Murders 3. The Strange Death of Fiona Griffiths 4. This Thing of Darkness 5. The Dead House 6. The Deepest Grave (coming soon!) If you're looking for a crime thriller series to keep you hooked, then go no further: you've just found it. ** Each Fiona Griffiths thriller can be read as a standalone or in series order **
'Chilling, atmospheric and so gripping it hurts. The Dead House is a masterpiece. You won't read a better crime novel this year' MARK EDWARDS On a wild October night, the body of a young woman is found in a remote country churchyard. She's wearing nothing but a thin, white dress. There are no marks of violence and no obvious cause of death. Who is the victim? Why is she here? But another young woman went missing from the area a few years back, and DC Fiona Griffiths soon suspects a crime even more chilling than she first imagined. Will she unlock the secrets of the dead house? Or will she become its next victim? Praise for the Fiona Griffiths mystery series: 'One of the most interesting and complicated protagonists in current UK crime fiction. Truly unforgettable' Mick Herron 'In a word - brilliant. One of the most enjoyable crime novels I've read in a while' James Oswald 'This cleverly plotted police procedural introduces a likeable, maverick detective destined for a bestseller following' Choice 'Compelling...a new crime talent to treasure' Daily Mail 'Gritty, compelling...a procedural unlike any other you are likely to read this year' USA Today Fans of Angela Marsons, Peter James and Ann Cleeves will be gripped by the other titles in the Fiona Griffiths mystery series: 1. Talking to the Dead 2. Love Story, With Murders 3. The Strange Death of Fiona Griffiths 4. This Thing of Darkness 5. The Dead House 6. The Deepest Grave (coming soon!) If you're looking for a crime thriller series to keep you hooked, then go no further: you've just found it. ** Each Fiona Griffiths thriller can be read as a standalone or in series order **
A woman reports a crime to the police, with unexpected results The grieving widow who finds that she's about to lose more than just her husband When a man attempts the perfect murder, it's not quite as easy as he thinks Two men in prison play a deadly game of Scrabble A young woman tries to trick an old man and gets more than she bargained for Sometimes crimes are solved in ways you can't explain A murderer about to be hanged finds that's not the worst thing that can happen You never know who's going to turn up at your door Original stories from Mark Billingham, Clare Mackintosh, James Oswald, Jane Casey, Angela Marsons, Harry Bingham, Antonia Hodgson and CL Taylor - specially written for Quick Reads.
A hanged man. A stolen painting. An impossible crime. A marine engineer is found hanged in a locked apartment. Some artwork is stolen, then mysteriously returned. And a security guard is found dead at the base of a Welsh cliff. When Fiona Griffiths is tasked to look through a stackload of cold cases, her bosses don't expect her to find anything of interest. But then she discovers that an impossible robbery really happened. That the supposed suicide was anything but. That the dead security guard was almost certainly murdered. Before long, Fiona is embroiled in what will become the most terrifying case of her career so far - one that forces her to enter the heart of darkness, and a journey that will test her mental toughness to its very limits. Praise for the Fiona Griffiths mystery series: 'A stunner with precision plotting, an unusual setting, and a deeply complex protagonist' The Seattle Times 'This cleverly plotted police procedural introduces a likeable, maverick detective destined for a bestseller following' Choice 'Compelling...a new crime talent to treasure' Daily Mail 'Gritty, compelling...a procedural unlike any other you are likely to read this year' USA Today 'An original and complex character; a different kind of policewoman. Fiona Griffiths is a truly fascinating character' Shots Fans of Angela Marsons, Peter James and Ann Cleeves will be gripped by the other titles in the Fiona Griffiths mystery series: 1. Talking to the Dead 2. Love Story, With Murders 3. The Strange Death of Fiona Griffiths 4. This Thing of Darkness 5. The Dead House 6. The Deepest Grave (coming soon!) If you're looking for a crime thriller series to keep you hooked, then go no further: you've just found it. ** Each Fiona Griffiths thriller can be read as a standalone or in series order **
When DC Fiona Griffiths says 'yes' to her policeman boyfriend, it's an affirmation that she wants finally to put her psychological breakdown behind her, and become a resident of 'Planet Normal' like everybody else. But she still can't resist the challenge of an undercover policing course, and finding it remarkably easy to assume a new identity, she comes top of the class. So when an ingenious payroll fraud starts to look like the tip of a huge criminal iceberg, Fiona is selected to infiltrate the fraudsters' operation, posing as a meek former payroll clerk now forced to work as a cleaner. But as she penetrates deeper into their operation, coming closer to identifying the mastermind behind it, she faces another, even more frightening danger - that her always fragile grip on her sense of self has now been lost and she may never find her way back.
The first in this series, Talking to the Dead, introduced us to a most unusual police detective, Fiona Griffiths, who suffers from Cotard’s Syndrome and hides a dramatic past which will no doubt be revealed over the series. Certainly a large chunk comes here as she searches for her real parents. Fiona is weird … delightfully so and sees the world at a slightly different angle to most people. It is her weirdness that makes these books stand out, and her first-person narrative that draws us in. They are Welsh-based which is lovely, full of plot which races along with lots of offshoots and lots left open for the next one. What a great book but I must urge you to read the first which is even better.
One of our Books of the Year 2013. A favourite author of mine changes tack. He used to write sweeping, Jeffrey Archer-esque sagas (wonderful), now he turns to crime and introduces a new series detective, Fiona Griffiths. She is the reason for reading this - and read it you must. A strange, clever woman with an honours degree in Philosophy from Cambridge, she suffers from Cotard's Syndrome, a rare condition on which the author includes a note. It is an intricate, complex novel with an absorbing plot but, as I've said, it is the character of Fiona (Fi) that drives it. Don't miss it for as it begins a series you do need to know Fi from the start. Brilliant addition to the genre. April 2013 Book of the Month. The Lovereading view... Welcome to the world of D.C. Fiona Griffiths. This new pacey, compelling series, set in Cardiff, is told purely from the point of view of Fiona – seriously good detective but with a shed load of issues and haunted by her own dark past. In this opening book a brutal murder of a mother and child, that on the surface looks like an open and shut case, leads to a much darker mystery. We know Harry has already written more in this series which we can’t wait to read when they are published.
A mesmerizing and thrilling novelperfect for fans of Tana French and Stieg Larssonthat introduces a modern, unforgettable rookie cop whose past is as fascinating and as deadly as the crimes she investigates.NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BYThe Boston Globe *; The Seattle TimesSHE KNOWS WHAT IT'S LIKE. . . .At first, the murder scene appears sad, but not unusual: a young woman undone by drugs and prostitution, her six-year-old daughter dead alongside her. But then detectives find a strange piece of evidence in the squalid house: the platinum credit card of a very wealthyand long deadsteel tycoon. What is a heroin-addicted hooker doing with the credit card of a well-known and powerful man who died months ago? This is the question that the most junior member of the investigative team, Detective Constable Fiona Griffiths, is assigned to answer.But D.C. Griffiths is no ordinary cop. She's earned a reputation at police headquarters in Cardiff, Wales, for being odd, for not picking up on social cues, for being a little overintense. And there's that gap in her past, the two-year hiatus that everyone assumes was a breakdown. But Fiona is a crack investigator, quick and intuitive. She is immediately drawn to the crime scene, and to the tragic face of the six-year-old girl, who she is certain has something to tell her . . . something that will break the case wide open.Ignoring orders and protocol, Fiona begins to explore far beyond the rich man's credit card and into the secrets of her seaside city. And when she uncovers another dead prostitute, Fiona knows that she's only begun to scratch the surface of a dark world of crime and murder. But the deeper she digs, the more danger she risksnot just from criminals and killers but from her own past . . . and the abyss that threatens to pull her back at any time.Praise for Talking to the Dead ';Gritty, compelling . . . a procedural unlike any other you are likely to read this year.'USA Today ';With Detective Constable Fiona ';Fi' Griffiths, Harry Bingham . . . finds a sweet spot in crime fiction . . . think Stieg Larsson's Lisbeth Salander . . . Denise Mina's ';Paddy' Meehan [or] Lee Child's Jack Reacher. . . . The writing is terrific.'The Boston Globe ';The mystery-thriller genre is already so staffed with masterminds that it's hard to make room for another. But along comes a book like Talking to the Dead, and suddenly an unadvertised opening is filled. . . . [This] has the feel of something fresh and compelling.'New York Daily News ';A stunner with precision plotting, an unusual setting, and a deeply complex protagonist . . . We have the welcome promise of more books to come about Griffiths.'The Seattle Times ';Recommended highly . . . [a] riveting procedural thriller.'Library Journal (starred review)From the Hardcover edition.
This book is all about writing for publication. How to plan, create and edit work that will sell. How to write a book that you'll be proud of- and which might yet launch you on a new career. Crammed with examples (positive and negative) from successful authors, this essential guide is for writers of every genre: fiction and narrative non-fiction, literary and commercial, adults and children. This guide tells you how to: - Understand your market - Plan your novel or memoir - Develop strong, empathetic characters - Structure and maintain a compelling plot - Ensure that your prose style is strong enough to carry your story - Polish your work until it shines
Invaluable to writers of all kinds Mark Le Fanu, The Society of Authors Written emphatically from the author's point of view, this is an expert guide to the process of getting published, from submitting your work and finding an agent, to working with a publishing house and understanding the book trade. Together with interviews from authors, agents and publishers (including the CEO of Harper Studio, and the Editorial Director of Macmillan New Writing) as well as buyers from Waterstones and Asda, it offers advice on: * finding an agent or publisher * successful approaches for covering letters and synopses * understanding contractual terms * working with publishers and the editorial process * your role in helping to publicise your work The Writers' and Artists' Yearbook Guide to Getting Published will enable you to market your work more professionally, understand the relationship you will have with both agent and publisher and offers a contemporary inside view of the publishing industry. Along with the essential contacts in the Writers' and Artists' Yearbook, this is a professional tool you will not want to be without.
Celebratory, witty and incredibly insightful, Harry Bingham explores the eccentricities and customs of the British nation in a bid to answer a question which has everyone debating - Who are we? For the British, `Who are we?' is an oddly difficult question. Although our national self-assessment usually notes a number of good points (we're inventive, tolerant and at least we're not French), it lists a torrent of bad ones too. Our society is fragmented and degenerate. Our kids are thugs, our workers ill-educated, our public services abysmal. We drink too much. Our house prices are crazy, our politicians sleazy, our roads jammed, our football team rubbish. When `The Times' invited readers to suggest new designs for the backs of British coins, one reader wrote in saying, `How about a couple of yobs dancing on a car bonnet or a trio of legless ladettes in the gutter?' Is there really nothing to be proud of? British inventors have been responsible for myriad marvels we now take for granted, from the steam engine to the world wide web. British medical and public health innovations - vaccination, integrated mains sewerage, antiseptic surgery - have saved far more lives than all other medical innovations put together. And why stop there? The British empire covered a quarter of the earth's surface but used an army smaller than that of Switzerland to exert its rule. The world speaks our language. Our scientists have won vast numbers of Nobel Prizes. The evolution of `habeas corpus', trial by jury and the abolition of torture aren't purely British in inspiration, but owe more to us than to anyone else. Our parliamentary democracy has been hugely influential in spreading ideals of liberty and representative government round the world. If the modern world is richer, freer, more peaceful, more democratic and healthier than it was, then Britain has played a leading role in that transformation. This book is about just that. Taking a particular interest in the many things that we did first, or best, or most, or were the only ones ever to do, this book focuses especially on those of our oddities that spread across the world - everything from football to the rule of law.
