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Colin Games has died. A post-mortem reveals no obvious cause of death, but the pathologist isn't happy - the evidence points to poison. Lawless and Tilley investigate the pharmaceutical industry, for who knows more about poison than chemists? Some of Games' best friends were chemists.

224 pages, Paperback

First published September 19, 1997

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About the author

Malcolm Rose

59 books64 followers
Believe it or not, until Easter 1996, I was a Lecturer in Chemistry at The Open University. I carried out research in analytical chemistry, particularly in the area of health, and I taught mainly organic chemistry. The teaching part of the job predominantly involved writing, with some radio, TV and video work. It also left very little time for fiction writing which I tackled mostly after midnight. Perhaps that is why some of my strongest scenes are set on dark nights! Anyway, I am now a full-time writer.

Many people think it odd and fascinating that a scientist should also be a novelist but I don’t find it strange. After all, scientists have to be creative and show perseverance to carry out research. They also write a lot; in particular, they produce textbooks and articles on their research. Anyone who is imaginative, can stick to a task, and knows how to construct a sentence has the credentials for writing a novel. On top of that, my chemical research was aimed at understanding a little better some aspects of human life. A novel also seeks to illuminate some aspects of human life. The aims are similar even if the tools are different.

I reckon novel writing is not so removed from chemistry as you might think. In one life, I mix chemicals, stew them for a while and observe the reaction. In the other, I mix characters, stir in a bit of conflict and, again, observe the outcome.

I began writing stories while I was carrying out research at York for my DPhil degree in chemistry. Writing became a means of escape from everyday life. While I was at York, my then girlfriend (now wife) read my efforts and commented that I ought to try and get something published. I had never thought of writing as anything other than a hobby. Besides, as I thought then, a budding chemist couldn’t possibly be any good at it! Anyway, I joined a writers’ club to find out how to submit a manuscript to a publisher and, to cut a long story short, found a publisher in William Collins for my first novel, Rift.

I am now over half a century old, married to Barbara and have one son (Colin) who is an architect. I read all of my stories aloud to Barbara and Colin and they help me with their comments.

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Profile Image for Aly.
2,932 reviews86 followers
September 24, 2019
Cette fois-ci, le lieutenant Brett Lawless et sa coéquipière, Clare Tilley, enquêtent sur le décès bien mystérieux d'un chimiste. Mystérieux car la mort ne semble avoir aucune cause apparente. Avec les études en biochimie de Brett, sa capacité de déduction, et les talents de Clare à lire dans le comportement des gens, le coupable n'a qu'à bien se tenir car même le meilleur des plans finira par être percé à jour avec ces deux-là.

On sent déjà une bonne amélioration à comparé avec le premier tome. L'enquête est beaucoup mieux ficelée, les personnages sont plus solides et on a une meilleure idée de leur personnalité et de leur quotidien.





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