Both Inspector Abbs novels – A Seaside Mourning and A Christmas Malice are on sale on Kindle until next Saturday at just 99 pence/cents.
They are also available in paperback.
Tag: #kindlebooks #ebooks
Detective Novellas on Sale
Both The Holly House Mystery and A Christmas Malice are on sale on Kindle for just 99 pence/cents for the rest of this week. They are also both available in paperback as well.
So, if you looking for a winter mystery do click on the links below…
The Holly House Mystery…
Christmas week 1932. The body of a young house-maid lies near the ruins of an ancient priory.
How did she die… with only one set of footprints in the snow?
Inspector Chance investigates murder in a snow-bound, Sussex village. As New Year approaches, can he work out whodunit before the house-party ends? The Holly House Mystery is a novella for fans of the Golden Age of country house murder.
A Christmas Malice…
December 1873. Inspector Abbs is visiting his sister in a lonely village on the edge of the Norfolk Fens. He is hoping for a quiet week while he thinks over a decision about his future. However all is not well in Aylmer. Someone has been playing malicious tricks on the inhabitants. With time on his hands and concerned for his sister, Abbs feels compelled to investigate.
Thoughts of Robin Hood
I’m still thinking a lot about Robin Hood lately, even though I’ve completed my four book novel series The Chronicles of Robin Hood. The outlaw is such an essential British myth, that you can never quite get him out of your mind.
And Robin has a relevance to today, when the poor and dispossessed are still persecuted by the rich and powerful.
When you consider it, Robin Hood is quite a remarkable guy – with King Arthur one of the two essential British myths. For darned near a thousand years, the people of Britain, and then the citizens of the world, have been entertained by his exploits.
He reaches out and says something to us all to this day.
What’s the attraction?
Well, Robin Hood appeals perhaps to the rebel in all of us, the man who’s prepared to champion the poor and powerless against the uncaring rich and powerful. Mind you, if you read the original ballads he’s not quite so selfless. But it doesn’t matter. People need a champion and Robin Hood’s quite a good one.
I think it’s interesting that you could take a medieval peasant away from his plough, transport him through time and put him down in front of a television and let him watch Robin of Sherwood say, or Richard Greene in The Adventures of Robin Hood and he’d get the point. (Assuming he wasn’t overcome by technology or changes in the English language, of course. I frequently am!)
I have always enjoyed the tales of Robin Hood, and my novels Loxley, Wolfshead ,Villain and Legend, have been decades in the making.
It probably all started watching episodes of the Richard Greene series. Playing at Robin Hood was always the favourite game in our neighbourhood – in those happy days when children could make a longbow or wield a sword without social services coming round to take you into care as a potential menace to society.
Unlike so many children today, our lives were spent mostly in the great outdoors, where we would vanish for hours on end, building dens and taking massive treks across the countryside. The countryside where I lived became Sherwood Forest during these youthful expeditions.
In the 1980s, the whole myth received a tremendous boost with Richard Carpenter’s imaginative remake Robin of Sherwood, which took the story in such interesting new directions. It thrills me that so many people were enthused by this and other retellings.
In many ways, in the years since my first encounter with the man in Lincoln Green, I’ve led a rebellious life.
I’m sure it all started under the subversive influence of Robin Hood!
I spent a year living – mostly alone – in a wood back in the 1980s. Park Wood, at Spitchwick on Dartmoor, just across the River Dart from Holne Chase, an old Norman hunting ground. It gave me interesting thoughts as to just how medieval outlaws lived. There was the added spice that I was breaking laws for the common good, and I’m proud of that.
I’d practised archery over the years, and learned many of the arts of fighting. I took up fencing at university. I’d already practised a variety of martial arts. One or two of these skills I’ve had to use a few times – though I deplore violence.
Every writer on Robin Hood takes a different tack. Some of my fellow authors portray him as a saint or sinner, or, like me, a mixture of both. Outlaws, wolfsheads, come to the hidden places in the forest for various reasons in my books. Mostly through injustice.
Some writers prefer Robin in Barnsdale rather than Sherwood. I chose Sherwood out of sentimentality, I guess. In fact many parts of England have Robin Hood legends, something I’ve addressed in the final novel in the series, Legend.
In some versions, the villains, such as Guy of Gisborne and the Sheriff are out and out rogues.My versions aren’t quite as clear cut as that. And I’ve been kinder to Prince (actually Count) John than a lot of other writers – though I made him a bit more ruthless when he becomes king, though I still prefer him to the odious Richard the Lionheart.
My Robin questions the hierarchy of the society of his time much more than most Robins. As we should all do, though these are novels and not political tracts. But if Robin Hood isn’t a rebel fighting for the poor and against the unfairness of his society then he is nothing.
There have been thousands of interpretations and no doubt there are thousands still to come. We all have our own vision of Robin Hood. It’s encouraging that the present generation is being given inspiration by the legend of the old wolfshead.
I’ve finished the saga, but that doesn’t mean it’s the end of it. I deliberately left the series open for a sequel. I may return to it, though at present I’m writing the next Sean Miller thriller, and after that the next in my series about William Quest, the Victorian vigilante – William Quest is himself a kind of Robin Hood, even though he fights in the Victorian rookeries rather than Sherwood Forest. I’ve written three books about Quest so far, The Shadow of William Quest, Deadly Quest and Dark Shadow.
I’ve also got an idea for another historical tale, which I might write next year, a story set in England in the 17th century.
A big thank you to everyone who’s bought one of my books. It means a lot! And another thank you if you’ve made a kind comment or left a reader review on the purchase site.
And please do tell your friends about the books…
All of my novels are available in paperback and as Ebooks on Kindle. Here’s the link…
Why Indie-Writers Need Reviews…
A big thank you to everyone who’s bought or borrowed one of our books – writing can be a lonely business and it really helps to get feedback from readers. Now that so many books are bought online it really is important that readers who buy books from the big sites, such as Amazon, Kobo etc. leave reviews if they’ve enjoyed the book.
As Indie Authors, we especially appreciate your support. If you’ve enjoyed our books please leave a quick review. You don’t need to say much – just a line or two helps.
It’s a numbers game with these online booksellers – the more reviews you get the more they promote the books.
Thank you again to all our readers – and please do tell your friends about our books.
You can see a full list of our books at https://www.amazon.co.uk/l/B001K8BTHO?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1552209743&redirectedFromKindleDbs=true&ref_=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&rfkd=1&shoppingPortalEnabled=true&sr=1-1
Writing a Victorian Thriller
A few years ago I wrote the first story of a Victorian vigilante called William Quest, a gentleman adventurer with a swordstick who seeks to right wrongs and even up the injustices of society. That book was called The Shadow of William Quest. There have been two sequels so far – Deadly Quest and Dark Shadow. There’ll be a further William Quest adventure later in the year.
Illuminated cobbled street with light reflections on cobblestones in old historical city by night. Dark blurred silhouette of person evokes Jack the Ripper.
The whole project arose from my interest in the Victorian underworld.
I’d always wanted to write a novel that is part detective story, part thriller, and which hearkens back to the traditions of the Victorian Penny Dreadful tales and the Newgate Novel.
Many a Victorian writer wrote these popular tales, which were the staple fiction diet of the newly-literate classes in 19th century England. I’ve read a lot of them over the years. The best ones are fast-moving, often sinister and have lots of action. They are occasionally subversive, pricking at the mores of the day with often undiluted social criticisms.
Most of the writers are forgotten these days, but some went on to great heights. Even Charles Dickens used elements of the Newgate novel and the Penny Dreadful in Oliver Twist.
The first novel was set in London and Norfolk. Deadly Quest is set entirely in London, mostly down by the River Thames. I tried to capture a real feeling of London in 1854. Fortunately, I’ve spent years studying Victorian social history – I did it as a minor subject in my university degree. I’ve devoted a lot of time since to an expanded study of the Victorian underworld, particularly as regards London. Dark Shadow moves away from London, taking Quest to the ancient city of York, which certainly had its dark side in Victorian times.
I’ve walked the streets and alleys used by my characters, by day and night. London has changed a great deal in 160 years, of course. York less so. Much of the London Victorian cityscape has been bombed or swept away by developers. The London that is in my imagination is more real to me now than the modern city. There are traces of Quest’s London still to be seen, but they get fewer year by year…
Deadly Quest has scenes in a notorious rookery of the time called Jacob’s Island. A district of appalling poverty in Victorian times, Charles Dickens visited it with a police guard. It features in the climax of Oliver Twist. It was already partially demolished by the 1850s. The area was bombed by the Luftwaffe in the London Blitz. Redevelopment accounted for much of the rest. Today that once dreadful slum is a development of luxury flats. You can still visit Jacob’s Island, but it takes quite a leap of imagination to get back to Victorian times.
One problem I encountered in the sequels was that I revealed virtually the whole of Mr Quest’s back story in the first novel, explaining why he decided to take the law into his own hands, fighting for truth and justice and so on. In the new book we start with a completely clean slate.
In Dark Shadow, Quest is even working with the police, though he pursues the mystery in his own individual way. And at the end it becomes clear that Quest hasn’t sold out his own vigilante values.
It’s my intention to do a whole series of William Quest novels, though the original conception of a Victorian avenger has changed since the first book. The outsider now finds himself working on both sides of the law. This wasn’t unusual in Penny Dreadful novels of the Victorian Age, where the author often found his or her villain transformed into the hero.
With the creation of e-book and Indie-Publishing, writers are finding lots of new readers – a very similar situation to that experienced by Victorian Penny Dreadful writers. This new audience has appeared, eager for books. It seems to me that we should study the methods of the writers of Penny Dreadfuls and Pulp Fiction to cater for this expanding market.
They found a popularity after all, and created their own genres.
All of the William Quest books – and our other titles – are now available in paperback and as eBooks On Kindle. Click on the link below to order to see the John Bainbridge author page.
And do please tell your friends and fellow readers about our books.
Book News at the Year’s End
Very best wishes for Christmas and the New Year.
This has been a good year for me – I’ve published two novels, Dark Shadow in the William Quest series, and Legend – the final book in The Chronicles of Robin Hood series.
It’s nice to have finished the Robin Hood books as this has been an ambition of mine since boyhood. I may well return to writing another historical series in the future. I’ve several ideas in mind.
At the moment I’m writing a sequel to Balmoral Kill, and my hero Sean Miller is making a return. This one’s set in 1937 and finds Sean battling enemies on the wilds of Dartmoor. There’ll be lots of action and a detective mystery as well.
I’m also planning the fourth William Quest novel. Following his visit to York in Dark Shadow, Quest will be back in London, working for justice but outside the law. Always fun to be back in Quest’s Victorian world. Get the swordsticks ready!
I’m also hoping to write a walking memoir about my early days on Dartmoor. I’ve written four walking books so far. I get a lot of the ideas for writing when I’m out for a walk.
Not having Rupert Murdoch’s publicity budget, I do rely on word of mouth by readers to promote the books – so please do tell your friends and relatives.
Most of the books are out now in paperback as well as Kindle eBooks. You can get a list by clicking on this link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/John-Bainbridge/e/B001K8BTHO/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1545641790&sr=1-2-ent
A prosperous, happy and peaceful New Year to you all
John.
Legend – Robin Hood Novel Out Today
The final book in The Chronicles of Robin Hood series is out today, in paperback and as a Kindle eBook. Order it today and it’s cheaper! And a big thank you to everyone who’s bought and read my Robin Hood novels. Here’s the link…
htthttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Legend-Chronicles-Robin-Hood-Book-ebook/dp/B07L7RDQC6/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-
text&ie=UTF8&qid=1544432303&sr=1-1&keywords=John+Bainbridgeps://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07L7RDQC6 
An action-packed finale to The Chronicles of Robin Hood.AD 1203. Plantagenet England: The mighty overlords of Sherwood Forest wage war against the poor and desperate. The Sheriff of Nottingham and Guy of Gisborne impose a vicious tyranny across the shire.
Where is Robin Hood, the leader of the outlaws and rebels? Has he abandoned the persecuted folk of the Forest?
As the darkness of winter falls across Sherwood, nobody is sure whether Robin Hood lives or not…Has the revolt against the cruel and powerful overlords been put down at last?
This retelling of the Robin Hood legend takes the tale of the famous outlaw back to its origins in medieval reality and brings the saga to a gripping and bloody conclusion. Men die in battle… but a legend is born.
Get Dark Shadow Cheaper…
Dark Shadow, the third in the William Quest adventure thriller series, is published tomorrow – in paperback and as an eBook on Kindle.
Order it before publication today and you can have it cheaper. Prices rise tomorrow…
Thank you to everyone who has already ordered the book – I very much appreciate your support and hope you enjoy Dark Shadow.
Just click on the link to order your copy today… https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shadow-William-Victorian-Mystery-Thriller-ebook/dp/B07F15T8NX/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1532509886&sr=1-2&keywords=john+bainbridge+books
John Lardiner runs down a street in the ancient city of York and vanishes off the face of the earth.
In a dangerous race against time, Victorian adventurer William Quest is summoned to York to solve the mystery – what has happened to John Lardiner?
Forced into an uneasy alliance with the city police, William Quest finds his own life in peril.
Men who pry into the disappearance of John Lardiner end up dead.
In York’s jumble of alleys and narrow medieval streets, William Quest finds himself pursued by a sinister organisation.
Can he solve the mystery of John Lardiner’s vanishing before his enemies bring his adventurous career to an end?
The New William Quest Novel
Dark Shadow – the third novel in the William Quest thriller series is now available for pre-order as a Kindle eBook. Publication day is on the 26th July.
The paperback will be available to order soon.
So if you enjoy eBooks do order now at the cheaper pre-publication price.
And remember, you don’t need a Kindle to read the book. You can download a free app for your smartphone or tablet when you order.
Here’s the publisher’s blurb:
John Lardiner runs down a street in the ancient city of York and vanishes off the face of the earth.
In a dangerous race against time, Victorian adventurer William Quest is summoned to York to solve the mystery – what has happened to John Lardiner?
Forced into an uneasy alliance with the city police, William Quest finds his own life in peril.
Men who pry into the disappearance of John Lardiner end up dead.
In York’s jumble of alleys and narrow medieval streets, William Quest finds himself pursued by a sinister organisation.
Can he solve the mystery of John Lardiner’s vanishing before his enemies bring his adventurous career to an end?
To order please click on the link here:
My Least Popular Novel
My least popular novel?
There are some books which sell well and some that don’t.![Balmoral Kill: A Sean Miller Adventure by [Bainbridge, John]](https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51SdOeufaoL.jpg)
I’m fortunate with my sales, but my thriller Balmoral Kill never does as well as the others – even though it’s had generally good reviews and readers have said some very nice things about the book.
Which is a pity for me for Balmoral Kill is my favourite of all the books I’ve written.
Not that I don’t like the William Quest and Robin Hood stories. I’m proud of them.
But Balmoral Kill is my tribute to the thrillers I used to read when I was young, my homage to writers like John Buchan and Geoffrey Household. Moreover, the book is my love-letter to the Scottish Highlands, which provides much of its setting.
So why doesn’t it work for a wider readership in the way William Quest etc. does?
Well, I suppose it is a tad old-fashioned. The trend for thrillers is for up to date stories with modern threats like ISIS, where the heroes live on their cellphones and computers and technology are all. Or psychological tales where the (usually) heroine is both in physical and mental peril.
Balmoral Kill is set in the 1930s, when the world was tumbling towards World War Two. My hero, Sean Miller, has no modern technology, just a gun and his own coolness and ingenuity.
Miller is an assassin who works on the basic concept that there is good and there is evil.
For all his flaws – and they are legion – Sean Miller’s on the side of the good, fighting against individuals and countries who seek to add to the sum total of the nastiness in the world.
And in the late 1930s, the decision as to which side you were on was pretty clear-cut.
These are old-fashioned virtues and, despite what I’ve said, Miller does have a dark side. But at the end of the day you’d want him (I hope) on your team.
Sean Miller is quite an old-fashioned hero.
But perhaps the day of the good and old-fashioned hero is over?
I like to think that the period of Balmoral Kill‘s setting is only unfashionable at the moment and that its time will come again. In a way, the themes of the book have a relevance to what is happening in the world today…
Although I’m writing the next William Quest adventure at the moment, I’m also working on a sequel to Balmoral Kill. It won’t be out until late next year, but it’s on the way.
So what do you think? Do you believe there’s a place for the simplistic old-fashioned thriller?
Do let me know…
Meanwhile, if you have read and enjoyed Balmoral Kill then please do leave a review on the sales pages. And if you fancy trying it, here’s the link…
John Bainbridge Writer 