Bodies in the Library

I am very pleased to announce the publication of Flame Tree Publishing's new anthology, Bodies in the Library. It contains my short story 'The Last of the Perivales'.  

The fourth case for my Victorian detectives MacAndrew and Smithers, this latest mystery begins with the discovery of a corpse in the otherwise empty library of a London gentlemen's club. The victim is unknown at the establishment and wearing outlandish fancy dress but, nevertheless, he apparently entered without being seen by anyone. 

Who is he and how did he die?  Ably assisted by the forensic skills of his wife, Annie, The Old  Red Fox of Scotland Yard is again on the hunt for clues and yet again he is led down unlikely avenues of inquiry.

 

The Last of the Perivales

I'm delighted to report that my story 'The Last of the Perivales' has been accepted for inclusion in Flame Tree Publishing's forthcoming 'Bodies in the Library'Anthology.

This will be my fifth story accepted by Flame Tree, who will now take the lead in the informal "Let's publish as much work by Philip Brian Hall as we can!" competition.

For those who have enjoyed the previous scientific and supernatural investigations of my Victorian sleuths Sergeant MacAndrew and Constable Smithers, this is the fourth story, though it may or may not be out before the third, which has been accepted by Curiosities but for which I don't yet have a publication date.

This time the Old Red Fox of Scotland Yard attempts to solve the case of a corpse in 17th century Restoration attire, found murdered in the library of a London gentlemen's club in the 1860s.

Naturally, nothing is what it seems and nothing is ever simple in MacAndrew's world!

Detective Mysteries

 The new Flame Tree anthology 'Detective Mysteries includes my story 'No Head for Figures',  the second of what has now become four adventures for my Victorian sleuths MacAndrew and Smithers.

The Scottish sergeant, known as the Old Red Fox of Scotland Yard, and his English constable, first appeared in 'The Man on the Church Street Omnibus' in the inaugural edition of The Sockdolager.

In this new story, the two policemen are presented with a bodyless head and a headless body. Unfortunately, the two don't belong together.

These lovely hardbacks from flame Tree make good Christmas presents, so if you're still looking....

Detective Mysteries

I'm delighted to say that my story 'No Head for Figures' features in the new Flame Tree Publishing anthology Detective Mysteries.

For those who remember 'The Man on the Church Street Omnibus", this is the second tale of my Victorian detectives MacAndrew and Smithers, who are developing something of a talent for encountering the weird and wonderful. This case, however, is more supernatural than scientific.

The contemporary authors featured in this anthology are: Daniel Brock, Elliott Capon, Philip Brian Hall, Tina L. Jens, Tom Mead, Marshall J. Moore, Pat Morris, Amelia Dee Mueller, Trixie Nisbet, Patsy Pratt-Herzog, Michele Bazan Reed, Lesley L. Smith and Cameron Trost.

Classic authors include Margery Allingham, Robert Barr, Anthony Berkeley, Matthias McDonnell Bodkin, William Evans Burton, G.K. Chesterton, Carroll John Daly, Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Eustace and Edgar Jepson, J.S. Fletcher, R. Austin Freeman, Jacques Futrelle, Susan Glaspell, Anna Katharine Green, Thomas W. Hanshew, E. and H. Heron, Herbert Jenkins, Maurice Leblanc, L.T. Meade and Robert Eustace, Arthur Morrison, Baroness Orczy, Catherine Louisa Pirkis, Melville Davisson Post, Edgar Wallace, Hugh C. Weir, Mrs Henry Wood.

No Head for Figures

I'm very happy to report that my story 'No Head for Figures' has been accepted for the forthcoming Flame Tree Publishing anthology 'Detective Mysteries', due out in November.

Readers with long memories may recall a previous outing for my two Victorian detectives, MacAndrew and Smithers, in the inaugural edition of The Sockdolager way back in Spring 2015.

'The Man on the Church Street Omnibus' saw our two intrepid sleuths on the trail of strange goings-on in a Kensington churchyard.

This time they encounter a nasty case of decapitation in Whitechapel. What do you do when a head turns up with no body?  Well, you'll have to read the story to find out.

This will be the fourth of my stories to be published by Flame Tree. They do produce lovely hardbacks, which make first-class Christmas presents. So, please remember when you're stuck for a gift for the person who has everything- this year they haven't got a copy of 'Detective Mysteries'  and they obviously need one.

Cosy Crime from Flame Tree

I'm delighted to announce my third acceptance from Flame Tree, this time for their forthcoming 'Cosy Crime' anthology.

My story is called 'Sir Robert's Gargoyle'. It is a mystery set in and around an English cathedral, where during the Civil War in the seventeenth century the church silver disappeared and was never recovered. An unlikely modern sleuth sets out on the trail of the loot. I do hope you will like it.

Cosy Crime is scheduled for a January release. The contents include:

Honey of a Jam by Stephanie Bedwell-Grime

Longfellow's Private Detection Service by Joshua Boyce

Peppermint Tea by Sarah Holly Bryant

Eykiltimac Stump Acres by Jeffrey B. Burton

Death in Lively by C.B. Channell

The Body in Beaver Woods by Gregory Von Dare

The Glorious Pudge by Amanda C. Davis

Twenty Column Inches by Michael Martin Garrett

Sir Robert's Gargoyle by Philip Brian Hall

Open House by E.E. King

The Whittaker-Chambers Method; Or, Mulligan’s Last Mystery by Tom Mead

Scoop! by Trixie Nisbet

The I's Have It by Annette Siketa

Murder on the Lunar Commute by B. David Spicer

Just the Fax by Nancy Sweetland

Raven Nevermore by Louise Taylor

A Mouthful of Murder by Elise Warner


These contemporary authors will appear alongside the following classic and essential writers: Arnold Bennett, Ernest Bramah, Anton Chekhov, Arthur Conan Doyle, Andrew Forrester, R. Austin Freeman, Anna Katherine Green, Maurice Leblanc, Arthur Morrison, Baroness Orczy, Catherine Louisa Pirkis, Edgar Wallace, Israel Zangwill, G.K. Chesterton.

Pirates and Ghosts

Nicely in time for Christmas shopping, here is the exciting new Flame Tree anthology Pirates & Ghosts.

This features my story Heavy Weather, a tale of the Royal Navy during the Seven Years' War (1756-1763), in which an impecunious lieutenant gets more than he bargains for when appointed salvage master of an unmanned vessel.

As usual from this publisher it's a beautiful hardback book that anyone would be delighted to own.

I don’t know whether it’s some kind of genetic inheritance from my sailor father, who died while I was still a toddler, but I've always been fascinated by the sea, and particularly by the age of sail. 

With all our technological advantages today, the sea can still catch us out if we don’t treat it with respect. The daring of the men who challenged the sea in ships made of wood, at the mercy of wind and weather, finding their way by measuring the angle of the sun and the stars, deserves our admiration. And if the way to hear a tall tale in a dockyard tavern is to stand an ancient mariner a glass or two of rum, by my reckoning it’s cheap at the price.

Pirates & Ghosts: More Author Comment

Not long to go till publication now! In the meantime, here’s a link to the latest Q&A.

The final instalment of this year’s Author Q&As sees the Pirates & Ghosts authors sharing the tales they like best from the genre, and shedding some light on how their own stories come together in the writing process.

As ever, this latest anthology in the Gothic Fantasy collection features a selection of classic tales from the genre – from the likes of Robert Louis Stevenson, Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, William Hope Hodgson, W.W. Jacobs and Joseph Conrad – complementing the work of the contemporary authors in their exploration of treacherous waters and the horrors that lurk beneath…

Heavy Weather - Pirates and Ghosts Anthology

From Gilian Whitaker's blog on the Flame Tree Publishing website:

"The eerie depths of the sea form the theme of our latest short story anthology: Pirates & Ghosts.

With the publication date sailing into view, we turned to the authors to hear what inspired their stories in the collection, in the same way that the Agents & Spies discussed their story inspirations here.

Completing this year’s set of short story anthologies, Pirates & Ghosts promises a haunting mix of adventure, monsters and mystery – and the responses below help give a glimpse of what’s in store!"

Among the stories included in the anthology due out next week is my updated version of an ancient nautical legend. It goes under the title 'Heavy Weather'. I hope you'll enjoy it.

As usual with Flame Tree, the beautifully produced hardback volumes make great Christmas gifts Pirates and Ghosts is available to pre-order on their website here. 

Chilling Ghost Stories

As foreshadowed in my 22 July post, Flame Tree Publishing's anthology of Chilling Ghost Stories is now available in the shops and on line.

I haven't yet received my own copy, but I'm told it is a deluxe hardback edition.  Since this will be the first time a story of mine has been included in any kind of hardback, I am looking forward to holding it in my hands.

Just in case the attraction of a story by me is not quite enough for you, (yes, I know, hard to believe, but never mind,) there are a lot more current and classic writers whose ghost stories are included.

You have plenty of time to buy a Christmas copy for all of your friends for whom you had not already decided to buy a copy of  Prophets of Baal.

Or if you really like them, you could buy them a copy of each!

And by the way, here is a good quiz question for you.  What does Prophets of Baal have in common with a Trabant motor car in the old East German economy?  Answer: in both cases a second hand one costs more than a new one.

Search me.  I have no idea.  In East Germany the explanation was the huge waiting list for new cars. Fortunately brand new copies of Prophets are still on sale.  Go on.  You know you always meant to get one!

Chilling Ghost Stories

Available worldwide, it is hoped, around the end of next month will be three books of a Gothic Fantasy series from Flame Tree Publishing. Books will also be on sale directly at flametreepublishing.com. Why should you especially want to bear this in mind?  Because the first in the series, Chilling Ghost Stories, features a tale written by me.

As you might expect, I do not tend to write traditional ghost stories and 'The Waiting Room' is definitely not traditional. It is however in some high class company in the forthcoming volume, so I hope you will all rush down to your local bookseller and reserve yourselves a copy.

Better still buy several copies and give them to all your friends for Christmas.  Have your Christmas shopping finished by September.  Now don't say you never find any good advice on this blog!