The English Monster

My first novel, The English Monster, is published by Simon and Schuster in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and other Commonwealth territories in March 2012. Washington Square Press are publishing it in the United States on May 29. The beautiful UK cover was designed by Will Webb.

Some nice people have said some nice things about it:

A visceral debut

Independent on Sunday Picks of the Year 2012

A brilliantly imagined historical crime novel that evokes such creations as Shardlake and Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell

The Sun Picks of the Year 2012

A festering and fulsome tale that zips along very satisfyingly

Foyles Fiction Picks for The First Half of 2012

With two separate narrative strands which start out as being centuries apart before gradually merging into an explosive climax, Lloyd Shepherd’s debut novel is at first glance a relatively straight-forward criminal mystery. But, do not be fooled. This compelling tale is something more unique than that

Essie Fox, author of The Somnambulist, on Goodreads

It is an enticing hook – macabre and gory – and sets the tone for a yarn which is part pirate adventure, part detective story, part historical fiction and part horror….readers who enjoyed ‘Perfume’ by Patrick Suskind will find plenty on this voyage to appal and intrigue them

Katie Ward, author of Girl Reading, on her blog

Here’s a taste of the story.

London, 1811. The twisting streets of riverside Wapping hold many an untold sin. Bounded by the Ratcliffe Highway to the north and the modern wonders of the Dock to the south, shameful secrets are largely hidden by the noise and glory of Trade. But two families have fallen victim to foul murder, and a terrified populace calls for justice. John Harriott, magistrate of the new Thames River Police Office, must deliver revenge up to them and his only hope of doing so is Charles Horton, Harriot’s senior officer. Harriott only recently came up with a word to describe what it is that Horton does. It is detection.

Plymouth, 1564. Young Billy Ablass arrives from Oxford armed only with a Letter of Introduction to Captain John Hawkyns, and the burning desire of all young men; the getting and keeping of money. For Hawkyns is about to set sail in a ship owned by Queen Elizabeth herself, and Billy sees the promise of a better life with a crew intent on gain and glory. The kidnap and sale of hundreds of human beings is not the only cursed event to occur on England’s first officially-sanctioned slaving voyage. On a sun-blasted islet in the Florida Cays, Billy too is to be enslaved for the rest of his accursed days.

Based on the real-life story of the gruesome Ratcliffe Highway murders, The English Monster takes us on a voyage across centuries, through the Age of Discovery, and throws us up, part of the human jetsam, onto the streets of Regency Wapping, policed only by Officer Horton.

Shots, the crime and thriller ezine, did rather a good interview with me about The English Monster and writing in general: you can read it here.