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Phil Lecomber
180 ratings | 5 reviews | avg rating:3.70

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Phil Lecomber

Goodreads Author


Born
in Slade Green, The United Kingdom
Website

Twitter
@PhilLecomber

Genre
Crime, Thriller, Historical Fiction

Member Since
August 2014


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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See all 6 answers from Phil Lecomber…

Combine Editions

Average rating: 4.26 · 138 ratings · 45 reviews · 3 distinct works • Similar authors
Mask of the Verdoy (George ...
4.38 avg rating — 68 ratings — published 2014 — 4 editions
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Midnight Streets
4.12 avg rating — 68 ratings — 7 editions
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The Devil's Banquet (Piccad...
it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings — 4 editions
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* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

Series by Phil Lecomber

Midnight Streets The Devil's Banquet
(2 books)
by
4.14 avg rating — 70 ratings

Phil is Currently Reading

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Phil Lecomber is currently reading
A Bid for Fortune by Guy Boothby
A Bid for Fortune: Or, Dr. Nikola’s Vendetta
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May 26, 2026 11:16PM  · 
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The Haunting of Low Fennel The Haunting of Low Fennel—The Val... by Sax Rohmer
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May 22, 2026 10:50PM  · 
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Fantomas by Pierre Souvestre
Fantomas
by Pierre Souvestre
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May 22, 2026 03:28PM  ·   ·  preview book
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The Untouchable by John Banville
The Untouchable
by John Banville
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Apr 29, 2026 03:14PM  ·   ·  preview book
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An Expensive Place to Die by Len Deighton
An Expensive Place to Die
by Len Deighton
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Apr 29, 2026 02:58PM  · 
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The Devil's Banquet by Phil Lecomber
The Devil's Banquet (Piccadilly Noir #2)
by Phil Lecomber (Goodreads Author)
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Apr 16, 2026 11:31AM  · 
Phil Lecomber liked Robin Price's review of The Devil's Banquet (Piccadilly Noir #2):
The Devil's Banquet by Phil Lecomber
"I still remember the thrill (from my college years) of discovering a tatty paperback copy of a Dennis Wheatley occult thriller on a market stall and how I stopped up half the night to finish reading it. I also hunted out the brilliant noir novels of " Read more of this review »
Apr 14, 2026 09:43AM  · see review
Phil Lecomber is currently reading
The Defence of the Realm by Christopher Andrew
The Defence of the Realm: The Authorized History of MI5
by Christopher Andrew
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Apr 09, 2026 07:54AM  ·   ·  preview book
Phil Lecomber liked Robin Price's review of Midnight Streets:
Midnight Streets by Phil Lecomber
"Phil Lecomber enthuses new life into the almost extinct genre of British noir crime fiction set in the morbid years between the two world wars.
I have personally walked these same midnight streets in Soho many times, albeit fifty years too late to bum" Read more of this review »
Apr 01, 2026 05:36AM  · see review ·  preview book
Phil Lecomber is currently reading
The Secretary by Deborah Lawrenson
The Secretary: the compelling Cold War espionage thriller
by Deborah Lawrenson
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Mar 29, 2026 03:16PM  · 
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Quotes by Phil Lecomber  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“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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