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Phil Lecomber

Goodreads Author

Born

in Slade Green, The United Kingdom

Website

https://www.phillecomber.com

Twitter

@PhilLecomber

Genre

Crime, Thriller, Historical Fiction

Member Since

August 2014

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PHIL LECOMBER was born in 1965 in Slade Green, on the outskirts of South East London—just a few hundred yards from the muddy swirl of the Thames.

Most of his working life has been spent in and around the capital in a variety of occupations. He has worked as a musician in the city’s clubs, pubs and dives; as a steel-fixer helping to build the towering edifices of the square mile (and also working on some of the city’s iconic landmarks, such as Tower Bridge); as a designer of stained-glass windows; and—for the last quarter of a century—as the director of a small company in Mayfair specializing in the electronic security of some of the world’s finest works of art.

All of which, of course, has provided wonderful material for a novelist’s inspirat ...more

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Popular Answered Questions

where can I get a copy of the first in the series ? Self published e-book would be a great start

Phil Lecomber Hi Nick,

Thanks so much for the interest! Actually, MIDNIGHT STREETS published by Titan Books is the first in the Piccadilly Noir series. My self-publi…moreHi Nick,

Thanks so much for the interest! Actually, MIDNIGHT STREETS published by Titan Books is the first in the Piccadilly Noir series. My self-published book (Mask of the Verdoy) is no longer available (it was written quite a while ago, and I think I've improved considerably as a writer). Although it did feature the same protagonist (George Harley) it was actually set in 1932 which is chronologically after MIDNIGHT STREETS (which is set in 1929). I've restructured the whole narrative arc of the series and in fact the self-published book contains a few spoilers, so I'd advise you start with MIDNIGHT STREETS. Book II (yet to be titled) will be published by Titan Books in the spring of 2026. I've actually got the whole series (6 books at the moment) plotted, so we will see Harley go through some exciting and dark adventures through the next few years. Hope that helps!

Regards,

Phil Lecomber(less)

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Phil, How did you learn about the period dialect and words that are in your novels?

Phil Lecomber Hi Peter,

Mainly through research reading of contemporary novels of the time; books by authors such as Gerald Kersh, James Curtis and Patrick Hamilton.…moreHi Peter,

Mainly through research reading of contemporary novels of the time; books by authors such as Gerald Kersh, James Curtis and Patrick Hamilton. Also, to a lesser extent, from British movies of the period. I then added to this by trawling through slang dictionaries - e.g. 'A Dictionary of the Underworld' by Eric Partridge. Then the secret is to match the appropriate slang word to the character and setting (for example, Harley uses much more slang when he's talking to his working class associates).

Thanks for the interest.

Regards,

Phil(less)

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Combine Editions
Phil Lecomber’s books

Average rating: 4.3 · 149 ratings · 47 reviews · 4 distinct works • Similar authors

	Midnight Streets 4.16 avg rating — 73 ratings — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Mask of the Verdoy (George Harley Mystery #1) 4.38 avg rating — 68 ratings — published 2014 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Devil's Banquet (Piccadilly Noir #2) 4.88 avg rating — 8 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Sherlock Holmes and the Vanishing Girls of West Ham 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Series by Phil Lecomber

Piccadilly Noir (2 books)
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Phil Lecomber (Goodreads Author)

4.23 avg rating — 81 ratings

Phil is Currently Reading

Phil Lecomber is currently reading

Kiss Me Quick

by Danny Miller

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Jul 09, 2026 11:27PM

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Liber Null & Psychonaut: The Practice of Chaos Magic (Revised and Expanded Edition) (Weiser Classics Series)

by Peter J. Carroll

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Jul 04, 2026 01:31AM

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The Waiter (Detective Kamil Rahman #1)

by Ajay Chowdhury

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Jun 18, 2026 11:40AM

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Phil’s Recent Updates

Phil Lecomber and 1 other person liked Elizabeth Sugden's review of Midnight Streets: "It’s clear right from page one that Phil Lecomber is a man with a real love for noir and the hard-boiled detective. From beginning to end, the prose of this book drips with enough relish to make me nostalgic for a golden age of noir I never even witn" Read more of this review »
Jul 15, 2026 12:29AM · see review
Phil Lecomber is currently reading Kiss Me Quick by Danny Miller	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 09, 2026 11:27PM · like
Phil Lecomber rated a book it was amazing The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 09, 2026 11:24PM · like
Phil Lecomber liked Verity Halliday's review of The Devil's Banquet (Piccadilly Noir #2):
Jul 08, 2026 11:29PM · see review
Phil Lecomber and 1 other person liked Christopher's review of The Devil's Banquet (Piccadilly Noir #2):
Jul 08, 2026 11:29PM · see review
Phil Lecomber liked Hermione Ireland's review of The Devil's Banquet (Piccadilly Noir #2): "As good as ever. George continues to be brave and reckless and get himself into one scrape after another. Great cast of characters. Can't wait for the next one, Phil!"
Jul 08, 2026 11:29PM · see review
Phil Lecomber finished reading The Smell of Evil by Charles Birkin	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 05, 2026 08:16AM · like
Phil Lecomber is currently reading The Smell of Evil by Charles Birkin	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 04, 2026 06:23AM · like
Phil Lecomber is currently reading Liber Null & Psychonaut: The Practice of Chaos Magic (Revised and Expanded Edition) (Weiser Classics Series) by Peter J. Carroll	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 04, 2026 01:31AM · like
Phil Lecomber is currently reading The Waiter (Detective Kamil Rahman #1) by Ajay Chowdhury	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 18, 2026 11:40AM · like

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Quotes by Phil Lecomber (?)

“to encourage the English proletariat to adopt the tenets of Bolshevism and rise up against their betters, of course.”
― Phil Lecomber, Mask of the Verdoy: A George Harley Mystery

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“The Lord Chancellor’s son? I mean, you’d think they’d be … well, I don’t know … doing something worthwhile.’ Harley laughed. ‘I think he’s supposed to be an ancient Greek actually, Pearson. I dunno, I suppose they all feel a bit lost, don’t they.”
― Phil Lecomber, Mask of the Verdoy: A George Harley Mystery

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“Slang is a language that rolls up its sleeves, spits on its hands and goes to work”; but essentially it is the language of the dispossessed, the marginal.”
― Phil Lecomber, Mask of the Verdoy: A George Harley Mystery

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