Author Archives: Steve Bacon

On the occasion of her 50th birthday, single and put-upon Annie McMahon discovers a strange series of lumps in the hollow of her throat. Already battered by feelings of increasing insignificance, Annie fears that cancer is about to end her … Continue reading →

Whilst recuperating from a recent heart-attack, social worker Carrie Riccioni moves to her friend’s holiday home in Norfolk coastal town Seagrave for a few weeks, hoping the sun and sea-air will aid her recovery. With little to do other than … Continue reading →

One evening in rural Ireland a loner comes across an abandoned car in a field. There he encounters an Englishman who claims his wife has fled the car, and thrown herself into the sea. The police are called and Detective … Continue reading →

Agatha Christie’s 1939 novel And Then There Were None is widely acknowledged to be the bestselling crime novel of all time. And it’s easy to understand why. Eight seemingly unconnected guests travel to a remote island off the coast of … Continue reading →

Elemental Forces is the fifth entry in Flame Tree Press’s ABC of Horror series edited by Mark Morris, containing original non-themed horror stories from some of the best practitioners of modern dark fiction. This particular book has sixteen commissioned stories … Continue reading →

I picked up this short novel almost by accident, attracted by its evocative cover – the monochrome picture of an upturned book on the grass beside an empty deckchair. I was of course familiar with William Trevor through his rather … Continue reading →

After the end of the Second World War, in an effort to promote unity and forgiveness, the English town of Settlesham was twinned with Alphafen in Germany. Schoolboy Leo Parker began a pen-pal correspondence with Hanna Weber, and for decades … Continue reading →

Chris Brookmyre’s The Cracked Mirror is a rather unusual murder mystery. It begins almost as a cosy crime novel, as we meet elderly Scottish lady Penelope Coyne, with her razor-sharp mind and her penchant for solving crimes in the sleepy … Continue reading →

Kim Morgan, a lecturer of English at Seagrave College and also a local councillor, attends a protest meeting at a church hall about the proposed construction of a golf course in the area. When a fight breaks out, Kim is … Continue reading →

Estranged friends Dean and Bethan meet after five years apart when they are drawn to a network of caves on a remote Arctic island. Bethan and her friends are environmental activists, determined to protect the land. But Dean’s group’s exploitation … Continue reading →