It has become a tradition for London’s literary critics [who
appreciate Crime and Thriller Fiction], to usher a new year with the release of
a novel from Peter May.
We’d gather in London’s West-End, to break bread with Peter
May; all thanks to Quercus Publishing’s Hannah
Robinson, Publisher Jon
Riley, facilitied by our very dear bibliophile friend Sophie
Ransom.
Over wine we would discuss the books we’d read over the
Christmas break, discussing what was coming in terms of exciting work, as well
as catching up on our lives, as we’ve all known each other for many years.
We’d also chat about what Peter May had been up to, and as
a raconteur he would make us laugh, as we shared tales of the surreal, the
curious and the weird.
In previous years, I would record the events, online at
both Jeff Peirce’s The Rap Sheet [for US readers] and [via my work with my writing
partner Mike Stotter] at Shots
Magazine for UK Readers.
In 2014, Peter told us about the Award-Winning ENTRY ISLAND,
and you can read more HERE and
HERE
In 2015 it was Peter’s RUNAWAY, and you can read more HERE
In 2016, we travelled with Peter on COFFIN ROAD and you can
catch us HERE
In 2017, Peter’s novel was CAST IRON and you can read more HERE
Last year, in January 2018 Peter published I’LL KEEP YOU
SAFE which is HERE
All the above are now available in Paperback, from the
Quercus Imprint riverrun, both US and Europe; as are all of Peter May’s
backlist – and remember there is more to Peter May’s work than THE LEWIS TRILOGY that he’s probably
best known for, due to the awards those books received, including the Barry Award,
presented in 2013 at Bouchercon Albany, by George Easter [as voted for by the
readers of Deadly Pleasures Magazine]. I was in the audience when Peter
accepted the Barry, and a video clip is available HERE
The gathering Publisher Jon Riley and Hannah Robinson of
Quercus / riverun organised, for Peter May’s 2019 novel was most eclectic, and amusing.
As avid bibliophiles, writers, journalists, literary people, we often live
within our ‘heads’ as well as staring
at a PC screen; so when we meet-up in the real world, it is a delight.
Meeting former journalist, screen-writer turned
bestselling crime-writer Peter May,
has become an annual highlight to start the year for the Shots Magazine
Editors.
So thanks to Sophie Ransom and the Quercus Publishing
team we met up with Peter in a restaurant in Farringdon, West London. Peter is
published in the new riverrun
Imprint managed by renowned publisher Jon Riley, who is also Peter’s
long-standing Editor. In case you were wondering where this niche imprint gets
its name, remember the opening to Finnigan’s Wake by James
Joyce –
Riverrun,
past Eve and Adam's, from swerve of shore to bend of bay, brings us by a
commodius vicus of recirculation back to Howth Castle and Environs.
Joining the Shots Editors were several journalists
including the ubiquitous Barry Forshaw, Jake Kerridge from The Telegraph, Jon
Coates of The Express and of course the team from rriverun and Quercus.
So what has Peter in store for his readers in 2017 with
CAST IRON?
In
1989, a killer dumped the body of twenty-year-old Lucie Martin into a
picturesque lake in the West of France. Fourteen years later, during a summer
heat wave, a drought exposed her remains - bleached bones amid the scorched mud
and slime.
No
one was ever convicted of her murder. But now, forensic expert Enzo Macleod is
reviewing this stone cold case - the toughest of those he has been challenged
to solve.
Yet
when Enzo finds a flaw in the original evidence surrounding Lucie's murder, he
opens a Pandora's box that not only raises old ghosts but endangers his entire
family.
Fellow crime-writer Michael Jecks reviewed CAST
IRON at Shots –
…........this
was a seriously competent crime novel, with more twists and turns than the
average anaconda. Peter May’s writing is … well, I’ll admit to a certain
professional jealousy here. He writes with a precision and clarity that is all
too rare nowadays. It is fluid, brilliant and entrancing. There’s an almost
poetic quality to his sentences which I found just brilliant.
So, in short, would I recommend this book?
Yes, and more, I am going to get a hold of his previous titles in the series
too. It is clear that this book does not deserve to be read on its own. As an
individual piece of work, it is very good. However, it leaves me feeling that I
had read one of the later Harry Potter books without knowing the story of the
main characters before. There is much that I look forward to learning of Enzo’s
background.
I would rate this as a highly recommended
novel.
Read Mike
Jeck’s full review from Shots Magazine Here
CAST IRON is the 6th and Final Book in Enzo Files Series, and for
those who only know Peter for his award-winning Black House [the Lewis
Trilogy], or Entry
island - you are in for a treat, as Quercus / riverrrun have released the Enzo Files
backlist in Paperback.
So after some mingling and chatting over a most generous lunch; riverrun
Publisher Jon Riley introduced Peter’s latest work
And then Peter spoke in his self-deprecating manner, and you can
see the genuine warm relationship between author and publisher as well as how
many of us got past the first page of Joyce’s Finnegan’s Wake.
We present a few photographs of the lunch with Peter May.
And a reminder, Shots have discounted copies of CAST IRON
available from our bookstore HERE
[50% off Cover Price]
Another remember, Peter continues his talks as he tours promoting
CAST IRON, so if you wish to get a signed copy, see his itinerary below.
Always check with his web-page HERE in case of any
changes, and remember to book ahead to ensure you get a seat, as Peter’s talks
are always full houses as he is an extraordinary raconteur, and is as amusing
as he is insightful.
In fact, apart from being an extraordinary writer of
crime-fiction, he’s a top bloke.
Monday
16th January - PERTH
19.00 Culture Perth and Kinross in
association with Waterstones Perth
St John’s Kirk, 31 St John’s Place,
Perth
Tickets: £6
Tel for tickets: 01738 444949 (library) or 01738 630013
(Waterstones)
Tuesday
17th January - EDINBURGH
12.30-14.00 Formal signing at Waterstones Edinburgh
Waterstones West End, 128 Princes
Street, Edinburgh EH2 4AD
Contact: Euan Tait
Email:
Events.EdinburghWestEnd@waterstones.com
Phone: 0131 226 2666
18.30 Edinburgh Library event in
association with Blackwell’s
Edinburgh Central Library, George IV
Bridge
Tel:
0131 242 8000 (library) or 0131 622 8222 (Blackwell’s)
Wednesday
18th January - GLASGOW
18.30 Glasgow Life in association with Waterstone’s
Sauchiehall Street
Partick Burgh Halls, 9 Burgh Hall
Street, Glasgow
Tickets: £8
Tel:
0141 353 8000 or 0141 332 9105 (Waterstones)
Thursday
19th January – MANCHESTER
19.00 WATERSTONES Manchester, Deansgate
Waterstone’s, Deansgate, Manchester
Tickets: £5/£3
Tel:
0161 837 3000
Monday
23rd January - OXFORD
19.00 WATERSTONES Oxford
Waterstone’s, William Baker House,
Broad St, Oxford OX1 3AF
Tickets: £5 or £3 with a Waterstones
Loyalty Card
Tel:
01865 790212
Tuesday
24th January - LONDON
19.00 WATERSTONES Kensington
Waterstone’s, 193 Kensington High St,
Kensington
Tickets: £5 or £3 with a Waterstones
Loyalty Card
Tel for tickets: 020 7 937 843
Shots Magazine would like to thank
Sophie Ransom, Jon Riley and the riverrun and Quercus Publishing teams for an excellent
lunch; and or course Peter May, for the wonderful, insightful read that is CAST
IRON.
