Deathmire

by Jon Mayhew

Tom Striker is a mud lark, earning a crust foraging on the banks of The Thames for
anything worth selling. When his friend Billy goes missing, and he saves a man
claiming to be Old Father Thames, Tom and his friends are caught up in a battle
between powerful spirits.

This title is published by Franklin Watts EDGE, which produces a range of books
to get children reading with confidence. EDGE - for books children can't put down.

57 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2012

About the author

I live on the Wirral Peninsula with my wife and four children. We have a whole menagerie of dogs and cats and chickens and tortoises. My house overlooks the forbidding marshes of the Dee Estuary which is great for wildlife, spooky mists and wet feet.

I love writing but also enjoy running and playing the mandolin. Running is great because it keeps me fit and I can eat as many chips as I like without worrying about putting on weight... I think!
My Favourite food, apart from chips, is probably chicken korma, or maybe mussels or perhaps lasagna or maybe roast lamb...

Some more facts:

I never became a 'free reader' in primary school. Ask me why if I come to your school.

I used to love reading the Moomintroll books and, later the Conan series.

My favourite children's book is Holes by Louis Sachar.

(Copied from Official Website's About Me Page)

Reviews

[Steven R. McEvoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Over the last year I have read 20 works by Mayhew under the three names he publishes under. This is one of his earliest works and Jon Mayhew was the first name he used and uses it for Young Adult and some Middle Grade books. His most recent efforts are adult crime fiction under the name J.E> Mayhew and he has a fantastic urban noir supernatural series under the nom de plume Edwin Torr. Fans of this book would love the Torr works as well. This book is part of a series called Rivets from the Edge imprint, and are now part of Franklin Watts and Wayland Books. The description of the book is:

“Tom Striker is a mud lark, earning a crust foraging on the banks of The Thames for
anything worth selling. When his friend Billy goes missing, and he saves a man
claiming to be Old Father Thames, Tom and his friends are caught up in a battle
between powerful spirits.

This title is published by Franklin Watts EDGE, which produces a range of books
to get children reading with confidence. EDGE - for books children can't put down.”

This story is written for the Middle Grade or Young Adult audience. In many ways it reads like a modern version of a real Grimms’ fairy tale. It is a short read but not difficult. It ia an interesting story. And if it had not been part of this series in the UK, I could see it being part of the Guys Read series here across the pond.

The characters in this story are interesting. In this story you will find yourself putting together the pieces fairly quickly. And will be surprised at the turn of events. I can see this being a very popular read with the target audience. That being said it is well enough written that in my 50’s I enjoyed it greatly.

I have been working my way through all of Mayhew’s works. Writing short stories or novella’s is a very different skill than novels or even series. The righting needs to be tight, clean and crisp. Mahyew does an excellent job in this offering. An excellent read, a must read for fans of Mayhew or his alter egos. And a great read for anyone with a love of short form fiction with a dark edge!

[Zayneea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice quick read.

[MBookie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was all right, but a bit predictable and very far fetched.