Grave Purpose

by Craig Hallam

From homeless urchin to world-class adventurer, Alan Shaw has tackled magic, myths and machines, lost love and made one fatal mistake.
Now, his past is catching up with him. Haunted by the murderous Mister Slay and his blood curse, Alan finds himself in constant pain, embittered by loss, and weighed down by regret. With his life as a globe-trotting Privateer at an end, Alan now works as London's best preternatural investigator, and moonlights as a police consultant for their "odder" cases. Alan is kept busy, drawn between both ends of the moral spectrum.
Between criminal organisations, ancient relics coming to life in the British Museum, and a figure from his distant past threatening to take revenge on those he loves, it seems that danger is ever-eager to come to him.
With excitement, dry wit, and a lot of heart comes this much-anticipated conclusion to an epic Steampunk trilogy.

412 pages, Paperback

Published April 19, 2023

About the author

Craig Hallam is an international best-selling author from Doncaster, UK. His work spans all aspects of Speculative Fiction and Mental Health non-fiction, and poetry.
Since his debut in the British Fantasy Society journal, his tales have nestled between the pages of magazines and anthologies the world over. His novels and short stories have filled the imaginations of geeks, niche and alternative readers with their character-driven style and unusual plots.

Craig has recently chronicled his experiences of living with depression and anxiety in the international best-seller, Down Days. Topping the Amazon charts in the UK and US at the start of COVID, the book has since been a finalist for the Independent Author Network’s Book of the Year Awards and read the world over.
His latest novel, Make Believe, is the first book in an exciting new series called The Hexford Witches, based entirely in the Yorkshire Dales.

Craig’s next project is a literary Gothic series based in contemporary Yorkshire. The first book will highlight the ghosts of the area’s industrial past and the families who were left broken by the closure of the local mines. While one man grieves for the loss of his wife and is hunted by recurring visions of a large black dog hunting him, his granddaughter is also preyed upon by the boys and men of an honourless society.

Find Craig’s books and social media at: Linktr.ee/craighallamauthor

Reviews

[Dorothy Winsor · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third and last book in the Alan Shaw series, this is a collection of related short stories about a hero who's taken a lot of hits. Alan is in pain so constant, it made me cringe. He's worn down both physically and mentally. The book is set in a steampunk London where Alan's old friends and enemies turn up to set him onto various adventures, all of them involving supernatural elements. I think he'd like to be cynical but he can't keep himself from trying to solve mysteries and help those who need him. There's some fun phrasing here. For example, Alan "swims in socialite-infested waters." But for me, the real attraction isn't the quips or the plots. It's Alan himself.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Craig Hallam has excelled himself with the conclusion of his Alan Shaw trilogy. Grave Purpose is at once thoughtful, poignant, and yet witty, thrilling, and dare I say irreverent too. A fitting end to the series, and one that gives both protagonist and audience their dues.