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Rich Pickings for Ravens
Set in an askew, but modern-day London, Rich Pickings for Ravens is Part One of The Afterlife Crisis Trilogy. This quirky, humorous and philosophical tale centres on the afterlife journey of one Midnight Merlot, a ghost who really doesn’t believe in ghosts, at least until becoming one. In fact, our leading ghoul soon has all manner of concerns to contend with, as in the classic detective mould the rather forgetful phantom must tackle two cases of inquiry; namely, his questionable relationship past and the even more mysterious circumstances surrounding his somewhat curious death.
In doing so, all the big questions are addressed: What awaits us in the hereafter? Is there a God up above? What allows a ghost to fall through a bed, yet not the very Earth? What songs would you play at your own “humanist” funeral? Would your ex-girlfriends see fit to attend your “humanist” funeral? And what exactly happens at a bukkake party?!
What others have to say...?
(Mike Robinson, author of Skunk Ape Semester)
“What might've happened had P.G. Wodehouse written with the sensibilities of Edgar Allen Poe? Or vice versa? We might've gotten something like "Rich Pickings for Ravens", a dry-wit "tour" of the afterlife that confirms simultaneously our hopes as well as our fears: yes, there is an afterlife, but also, yes, it's still this life. Just with considerably less meat.”
(Becky Shepherd, writer for The Indie Pedant)
"Midnight Merlot is dead, yet how he came to be wandering the streets of London as a ghost, he's somewhat unsure about. As it turns out, he's rather unsure of a lot of other things about his past life too. Meanwhile, Detective Eccles is being hassled from his nitwit superior, but something doesn't feel right about a so-called accidental death... Cue lots of amusing and rather touching attempts to find out exactly how and why a young not-so-man-about-town found himself on the wrong end of a... banana skin?"
In doing so, all the big questions are addressed: What awaits us in the hereafter? Is there a God up above? What allows a ghost to fall through a bed, yet not the very Earth? What songs would you play at your own “humanist” funeral? Would your ex-girlfriends see fit to attend your “humanist” funeral? And what exactly happens at a bukkake party?!
What others have to say...?
(Mike Robinson, author of Skunk Ape Semester)
“What might've happened had P.G. Wodehouse written with the sensibilities of Edgar Allen Poe? Or vice versa? We might've gotten something like "Rich Pickings for Ravens", a dry-wit "tour" of the afterlife that confirms simultaneously our hopes as well as our fears: yes, there is an afterlife, but also, yes, it's still this life. Just with considerably less meat.”
(Becky Shepherd, writer for The Indie Pedant)
"Midnight Merlot is dead, yet how he came to be wandering the streets of London as a ghost, he's somewhat unsure about. As it turns out, he's rather unsure of a lot of other things about his past life too. Meanwhile, Detective Eccles is being hassled from his nitwit superior, but something doesn't feel right about a so-called accidental death... Cue lots of amusing and rather touching attempts to find out exactly how and why a young not-so-man-about-town found himself on the wrong end of a... banana skin?"
342 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 13, 2012
2 people are currently reading
29 people want to read
About the author
Tom Conrad
16 books56 followersABOUT TOM CONRAD:
Tom Conrad is a very busy man. When not talking about himself in the third person, he likes to think of amusing bio descriptions:
"Born. Wrote many an ebook (continually delighted people actually read them)... Not dead yet!"
See, time well spent?!
ABOUT TOM CONRAD'S BOOKS:
Available on all Amazon platforms. I recommend Suicide is not a Plan B and That Semicolon Bitch Had to Die
ABOUT "ABOUT SECTIONS":
They describe what things are about.
Contact me direct: shutupanddeal@hotmail.com. My email address is actually the last line delivered in a favourite film of mine, and has nothing to do with my previous life as a world-class poker player.
Thank you for dropping by, I hope you enjoy one (or all) of my books x
Tom Conrad is a very busy man. When not talking about himself in the third person, he likes to think of amusing bio descriptions:
"Born. Wrote many an ebook (continually delighted people actually read them)... Not dead yet!"
See, time well spent?!
ABOUT TOM CONRAD'S BOOKS:
Available on all Amazon platforms. I recommend Suicide is not a Plan B and That Semicolon Bitch Had to Die
ABOUT "ABOUT SECTIONS":
They describe what things are about.
Contact me direct: shutupanddeal@hotmail.com. My email address is actually the last line delivered in a favourite film of mine, and has nothing to do with my previous life as a world-class poker player.
Thank you for dropping by, I hope you enjoy one (or all) of my books x
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 20, 2012
I'm always on the lookout for funny books with a fantastic twist - fantastic as in Fantasy, though Rich Pickings For Ravens (The Afterlife Crisis Trilogy) is also a fantastic read quality-wise. The fantasy element here is the unlikely hero of the story. "Our young ghost" as the author refers to him affectionately, by the odd name of Midnight Merlot. The setting is the present-day London we all know.
Midnight dies (not a spoiler, really) on the first couple of pages (or should I say screens?) only to continue his existence as an understandably confused ghost who can experience the real world, but - as is traditional with ghosts, I guess - no one can see/hear/smell/feel him. Sort of ...
Of course, he can "do things", to keep it vague. The author avoids many cliches I was expecting when I started the book and that is a strong point of the book: original ideas, and quite a few of them. For a 'first novel', this is actually quite exceptional and leaves me eagerly waiting for future novels by Tom Conrad.
I don't believe in spoilers with reviews, so I will refrain from talking about ghosts walking around semi-naked, historic ghosts, ghost celebrities, the possible involvement of thinly disguised members of the London society, sex clubs, the unavoidable overworked copper and instead mention that another strength of the story lies in the way Tom Conrad treats his minor characters and their interactions. His plotting in general also works very well. There are no strands left hanging, the pacing is good and the story does not hang anywhere.
This book is/was/will always be special to me, because it was my first Kindle book. And what a great, though accidental choice it was. My highest recommendation aimed at those who loo(c)k for an eBook that is 1) well told, 2) a proper and well structured story, 3) pretty much original (Topper comes to mind of course), 4) very funny and 5) a strong incentive to read the further adventures of Midnight.
Disclaimer: I do not know the author and have no connection to him whatsoever. This was not written as a favour and I do not benefit from writing it. I simply enjoyed this book. An awful lot.
Midnight dies (not a spoiler, really) on the first couple of pages (or should I say screens?) only to continue his existence as an understandably confused ghost who can experience the real world, but - as is traditional with ghosts, I guess - no one can see/hear/smell/feel him. Sort of ...
Of course, he can "do things", to keep it vague. The author avoids many cliches I was expecting when I started the book and that is a strong point of the book: original ideas, and quite a few of them. For a 'first novel', this is actually quite exceptional and leaves me eagerly waiting for future novels by Tom Conrad.
I don't believe in spoilers with reviews, so I will refrain from talking about ghosts walking around semi-naked, historic ghosts, ghost celebrities, the possible involvement of thinly disguised members of the London society, sex clubs, the unavoidable overworked copper and instead mention that another strength of the story lies in the way Tom Conrad treats his minor characters and their interactions. His plotting in general also works very well. There are no strands left hanging, the pacing is good and the story does not hang anywhere.
This book is/was/will always be special to me, because it was my first Kindle book. And what a great, though accidental choice it was. My highest recommendation aimed at those who loo(c)k for an eBook that is 1) well told, 2) a proper and well structured story, 3) pretty much original (Topper comes to mind of course), 4) very funny and 5) a strong incentive to read the further adventures of Midnight.
Disclaimer: I do not know the author and have no connection to him whatsoever. This was not written as a favour and I do not benefit from writing it. I simply enjoyed this book. An awful lot.
June 11, 2012
A really entertaining, fun read. The concept is quite original for a who-dunnit, and as someone else suggested, it does read a little like a P.G. Wodehouse.
I read this is a very disrupted way, so I found that the main character seemed to moon around quite a lot at the start, but this may reflect my reading habits, more than the story! It does get quite action packed towards the middle and end however.
Probably not one for kids, by the way, as there is some fairly explicit sex in there.
I read this is a very disrupted way, so I found that the main character seemed to moon around quite a lot at the start, but this may reflect my reading habits, more than the story! It does get quite action packed towards the middle and end however.
Probably not one for kids, by the way, as there is some fairly explicit sex in there.
May 30, 2012
Loved this book. See my review at www.bethsreviewsandpromotions.wordpre...
March 20, 2013
My journey with new author Tom Conrad has been, well, Rich. He has taken me through the betrayal of love, zombies , and finally onto a ghostly tale of one Midnight Merlot. Set in London a young Midnight Merlot has been taken from the life he once knew by way of a slippery back alley banana. Shocked by his ghostly demeanor, Midnight is unable to grasp his untimely death. Upon his waking death Midnight is met, by happenstance of one Hugo Hattersby who must unfortunately inform Midnight of how he has died. But is it truly correct?
Throughout the novel we get to experience the life and afterlife of Midnight and the many people who knew him. We are immersed in this world where questions of life after death are viewed differently once death takes you. When a "humanist" funeral is viewed from the eyes of the deceased and why the "loves " of his life don't show. That's when the journey begins.
I was utterly drawn into Midnight's, death. I laughed out loud from the quirky humor, was engaged and stunned by some of the sexual situations, and gasping while cursing out loud from shock by the end of the book.
Rich Pickings for Ravens is an absolute worth while read and great start to a trilogy. You will not be disappointed. I eagerly await book 2 and other works he sets forth.
Throughout the novel we get to experience the life and afterlife of Midnight and the many people who knew him. We are immersed in this world where questions of life after death are viewed differently once death takes you. When a "humanist" funeral is viewed from the eyes of the deceased and why the "loves " of his life don't show. That's when the journey begins.
I was utterly drawn into Midnight's, death. I laughed out loud from the quirky humor, was engaged and stunned by some of the sexual situations, and gasping while cursing out loud from shock by the end of the book.
Rich Pickings for Ravens is an absolute worth while read and great start to a trilogy. You will not be disappointed. I eagerly await book 2 and other works he sets forth.
July 17, 2012
I liked Rich Pickings for Ravens, it was the first book by Tom Conrad that I've read and I wasn't sure what to expect really. It was a totally different take on the ghost story as the lead wakes up to find himself dead on a sidewalk next to a bloody brick & a banana peel after a visit to a seedy business. He hooks up with other ghosts on his search to find out how and why he died in the first place. Honestly, my favorite characters were not the ghosts, but the two detectives and their idiosyncrasies - love the idea of a professional cop who cannot hear herself screaming at people in the most inopportune moments! I will look for other works by this author in the future for sure!
May 28, 2013
om Conrad's novel is a quirky trip through the afterlife. His main character, a ghost named Midnight Merlot is on a quest to discover the circumstances of his demise. Along the way he finds other characters as odd and unusual as he is. The book is filled with clever wit and funny dialogue. This is only the first book of a trilogy on the 'afterlife crisis'. It will be interesting to see where the sequels take Midnight.
May 21, 2012
I wrote this book. I give myself 4 stars... :)
December 13, 2012
I loved this book!! Fun, smutty, kinky, quirky, shocking!!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews