It was a miserable deed but it had to be done. Yesterday morning, I dug a grave for my old feline friend. Fred was a ginger cat, one of a litter of eight adorable little bird-killers that we first met when they were only a few days old. We had booked a night in aContinue reading “Last rites for a very special bird killer”
Author Archives: Tim Parr
Toxic Tea and the Magic Potion
The clever scientists don’t get enough praise. Between them, the boffins have concocted a magic potion that is even more extraordinary than the one that bubbled away in a cauldron stirred by Getafix the Druid. The one that helped a little corner of ancient Gaul fight off the Roman invasion by bestowing super-human strength onContinue reading “Toxic Tea and the Magic Potion”
Splat the Rat
Last Friday I had a brief meeting with a business contact over coffee and afterwards we returned to our cars. His vehicle was parked alongside my own in a small car park at the back of a Tandoori restaurant as it prepared for its lunchtime trade, the spicy cooking smells teasing the nostrils. “It’s aContinue reading “Splat the Rat”
How to Dispose of a Body
It arrived unceremoniously, lifted up and over the hedge with an articulated grabber arm that was operated from the driver’s cab of the flat-bed delivery lorry parked on the roadside. The engine roared at the strain. The loading platform of the vehicle rocked back and forth but on the second attempt the swinging load landedContinue reading “How to Dispose of a Body”
When Two’s a Crowd
I was on a weekend away in the Cotswolds with old school friends recently. A medieval sarcophagus was standing outside the porch entrance to an ancient abbey, lid off invitingly in the late afternoon sun. Normally I would exercise solemn respect and walk on by. But on that day none of us were on ourContinue reading “When Two’s a Crowd”
Gritty Crime: The Pot Thickens
I am just getting this crime off my chest. At the weekend I made a winter soup on an industrial scale from the home-grown vegetables in the raised bed. I had pulled up the crop of parsnips, carrots and leeks and meticulously cleaned them before chopping and dropping them into an industrial-sized pan of vegetableContinue reading “Gritty Crime: The Pot Thickens”
Breakneck Speed
I like writing late into the night when the house is quiet. The early hours are conducive to getting into that brooding frame of mind. The witching hours when book characters step out from the shadows, without having to go searching for them. Let’s face it, it is hard to write about the dead ofContinue reading “Breakneck Speed”
Bashful Algorithms
It is not very British to blow one’s own trumpet. Please permit me a quick parp. Below The Strandline has received a four star independent review from Reedsy’s review panel. They said: “An impressive debut that leaves the reader wanting more. Perfect for murder-mystery fans.” Here’s a link to the full review and an upvoteContinue reading “Bashful Algorithms”
Muskets and Daggers
An old chum rang me this morning while I was out on a windy walk before work. I haven’t seen him for a couple of years and it was good to catch up. It was like old times. He was always hugely entertaining when we met up, holed up in a cozy pub over aContinue reading “Muskets and Daggers”
Exposé: The Doughnut Trade
I am working from home today. Not the book marketing this time which is riddled with crime and conspiracy, but my proper job which, well, isn’t. You know, the one that simply earns an honest wage. But then again, my book does pay for little extras like cake. And good coffee. Take my local shop.Continue reading “Exposé: The Doughnut Trade”