'Andrew Taylor is a master story-teller' Daily Telegraph

From the No.1 bestselling author of The Ashes of London and The Fire Court, this is the seventh instalment in the acclaimed Lydmouth series

Love and need make unexpected bedfellows, and both are blind. As the grip of a long hard winter tightens on Lydmouth, a dead woman calls the dying in a seance behind net curtains. Two provincial newspapers are in the throes of a bitter circulation war. A lorry-driver broods, and an office boy loses his heart.

Britain is basking in the warm glow of post-war tranquillity, but in the quiet town of Lydmouth, darker forces are at play. The rats are fed on bread and milk, a gentleman's yellow kid glove is mislaid on a train, and something disgusting is happening at Mr Prout's toyshop.

Returning to a town shrouded in intrigue and suspicion, Jill Francis becomes acting editor of the Gazette. Meanwhile, there's no pleasure left in the life of Detective Chief Inspector Richard Thornhill. Only a corpse, a television set and the promise of trouble to come.

'An excellent writer. He plots with care and intelligence and the solution to the mystery is satisfyingly chilling' The Times

'The most under-rated crime writer in Britain today' Val McDermid

'There is no denying Taylor's talent, his prose exudes a quality uncommon among his contemporaries' Time Out

From the prize-winning author of Richard and Judy Book Club novel, The American Boy, this is the seventh in the acclaimed Lydmouth crime series, set on the Welsh/English border in the confusing years after the Second World War.

About the Author

Andrew Taylor is a British crime and historical novelist, winner of the Cartier Diamond Dagger (for lifelong excellence in the genre) and the triple winner of the Historical Dagger. His books include the Sunday Times bestsellers The Ashes of London and The Fire Court, the international bestseller The American Boy (a Richard and Judy selection); the Roth Trilogy (filmed for TV as Fallen Angel); the Lydmouth Series; the William Dougal Series, The Anatomy of Ghosts, shortlisted for the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year, and The Scent of Death. He lives on the borders of England and Wales. He reviews for the Spectator and The Times.

For more information about Andrew Taylor and his books, see: www.andrew-taylor.co.uk or follow him on twitter: @andrewjrtaylor

Reviews
'Andrew Taylor's latest addition to his "Lydmouth" murder series perfectly evokes that innocent world of the 1950s. The book is wonderfully redolent of that era, except that it has psychological depth instead of Christie-type cliches. Taylor builds a gripping story, as redolent of the period as brown linoleum. His subtle exploration of provincial society, with its gruesome underbelly, makes this a powerful extension to the series.' - Independent
How skilfully he recreates the atmosphere of the time through innuendo, attitude and detail rather than dogged description . . . Taylor is the master of small lives writ large * Frances Fyfield, Express on The Suffocating Night *
'This is top of the class. Taylor's re-creation of the 1950s is absolutely convincing.' - Sue Baker's Top 10 crime & thriller titles, Publishing News
The most underrated crime writer in Britain today * Val McDermid *
Andrew Taylor is one of the most interesting, if not THE most interesting novelist writing on crime in England today * Harriet Waugh, Spectator *
Taylor is an excellent writer * The Times *
The people depicted here are real and believable and the drabness and genteel facade of Fifties England is skilfully brought to life. Taylor is, as always, adept at showing the reality beneath the surface * Sunday Telegraph *
CALL THE DYING is expert, ingenious and absorbing, with its eye trained on horizons lying in wait * Spectator *
Full of nostalgic detail, this is old-fashion crime at its best * The Times *



Book Information
ISBN 9780340838624
Author Andrew Taylor
Format Paperback
Page Count 448
Imprint Hodder Paperback
Publisher Hodder & Stoughton
Weight(grams) 310g
Dimensions(mm) 197mm * 126mm * 27mm