'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 final instalment in the acclaimed Lydmouth series

As a young police officer in Palestine during the closing months of the Mandate - the cradle of Middle Eastern terrorism - Richard Thornhill saw and did things which still haunt his dreams and make him fear for his sanity. Is he himself a killer? Now, when a retired police officer is found dead in the ruins of Lydmouth Castle, the past has come back to claim Detective Inspector Thornhill, and he is under suspicion of another murder. His wife Edith and former lover Jill Francis join forces in an uneasy alliance to try to help him.

But there are many complications - scandalous allegations have been made about Miss Awre's School of Dancing; the Ruispidge Charity's annual dance for young people is under threat; teenagers haunt the newly opened Italian coffee bar and yearn for fumbled intimacies in the sheltering darkness of the Rex Cinema. And the Spring floods are rising higher than they have in living memory, drowning a multitude of secrets . . .

'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 eighth 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
A brilliant take on the classic golden-age mystery updated with contemporary candour and enhanced by Taylor's ability to make characters rounded and real through his intuitive understanding of obsolete habits... a gripping and intelligent novel; highly recommended. * Literary Review *
'A brilliant take on the classic golden-age mystery updated with contemporary candour and enhanced by Taylor's ability to make characters rounded and real through his intuitive understanding of obsolete habits... a gripping and intelligent novel; highly recommended.' * Literary Review *
Andrew Taylor's Lydmouth series becomes more impressive with each book... Taylor's special skill is getting under the skill of his characters and creating a vivid portrait of even the dullest setting. It's a very accomplished novel. * Sunday Telegraph *
'Andrew Taylor's Lydmouth series becomes more impressive with each book... Taylor's special skill is getting under the skill of his characters and creating a vivid portrait of even the dullest setting. It's a very accomplished novel.' * Sunday Telegraph *
'This murder tale is anything but formulaic' * Mirror *
Atmospheric * Daily Mail *
'Atmospheric' * Daily Mail *
Striking . . . A considerable achievement. * Tangled Web *
'Complex and absorbing' * Woman & Home *
Complex and absorbing * Woman & Home *
'Andrew Taylor is remarkably prolific - it doesn't seem five minutes since his last stand-alone novel appeared - but what is even more remarkable is that his productivity does not have the least adverse effect on the quality of his writing. On the contrary, this latest entry in the excellent Lydmouth series is arguably even stronger than its predecessor, the admirable 'Call for the Dying'. In this book, Richard Thornhill comes under pressure as never before when a tragedy from his brief service as a police officer in Palestine comes back to haunt him. The mystery element of the story is handled with Taylor's usual skill, and there are a couple of neat twists, but what I found striking was the way this talented writer made me care a great deal about such questions as who would accompany whom at the local charity dance. He draws us completely into the remote world of 1950s rural England and makes what happens there matter very much. A considerable achievement.' * Tangled Web *
'Taylor's novels are always intelligent, well-structured and engrossing reads.' * Yorkshire Post *
'The strength of Andrew Taylor lies in his characters and their complex emotions... Taylor never disappoints and Naked to the Hangman is no exception.' * Harriet Waugh, Spectator *
'Enthralling' * Observer *
'Detective Inspector Thornhill returns in this splendid new novel in the Lydmouth series.... Andrew Taylor brilliantly captures the atmosphere of 1950s England with a superb plot and complex and believable characters. This is classic crime writing that will delight even the most jaded reader.' * Waterstone's *
'Andrew Taylor's Lydmouth novels have shaped the classic detective story into something cleverer, a magnifying glass on periods of recent history. Naked to the Hangman is no exception.' * Belfast Telegraph *
'This is the eight title in Andrew Taylor's excellent series of detective stories set in the fictional Anglo-Welsh border town of Lydmouth in the aftermath of the Second World War... A fine addition to the series.' * Mail on Sunday *
'Detective Inspector Thornhill returns in this splendid new novel in the Lydmouth series... Andrew Taylor brilliantly captures the atmosphere of 1950s England with a superb plot and complex and believable characters. This is classic crime writing that will delight even the most jaded reader.' * Waterstone's Books Quarterly *
So well-rounded . . . no plot from Taylor is ever without complications and twists * Sunday Express *
I am a fan of Andrew Taylor, who continues to evoke provincial England brilliantly in his Lydmouth novels * The Sunday Times *
This murder tale is anything but formulaic * Daily Mirror *



Book Information
ISBN 9780340895214
Author Andrew Taylor
Format Paperback
Page Count 400
Imprint Hodder Paperback
Publisher Hodder & Stoughton
Weight(grams) 285g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 26mm