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Conception
Librarian note: alternate cover edition of B011OQ3F1Y
‘Conception’ – The birth of ‘The Phoenix’ (July 2015), is a compilation of the two novels that preceded 'The Phoenix' series. 'The Final Straw' and 'Unfinished Business'.
Catch up with the story so far. What moulded the character of the main male protagonist of the series that features this vigilante killer?
‘Conception’ – The birth of ‘The Phoenix’ (July 2015), is a compilation of the two novels that preceded 'The Phoenix' series. 'The Final Straw' and 'Unfinished Business'.
Catch up with the story so far. What moulded the character of the main male protagonist of the series that features this vigilante killer?
438 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 14, 2015
275 people are currently reading
151 people want to read
About the author
Ted Tayler
79 books299 followers Ted Tayler is the international best-selling indie author of the Freeman Files and Phoenix series. Ted lives in the English West country, where his stories are based. He was born in 1945 and has been married to Lynne since 1971. They have three children and four grandchildren.
His thought-provoking mysteries appeal to readers of Sally Rigby, Joy Ellis, Pauline Rowson, and Faith Martin. His action-packed thrillers are a must for fans of Mark Dawson and J C Ryan.
Gus Freeman’s cold case investigations are carried out with reasoned deduction rather than bursts of frantic action. In each of the 24 books, unsolved murders are accompanied by romance, humour, and country life. The core message in the 12 Phoenix novels is that criminals should pay for their crimes. Unfortunately, the current system fails to deliver the correct punishment, so Phoenix helps redress the balance.
His thought-provoking mysteries appeal to readers of Sally Rigby, Joy Ellis, Pauline Rowson, and Faith Martin. His action-packed thrillers are a must for fans of Mark Dawson and J C Ryan.
Gus Freeman’s cold case investigations are carried out with reasoned deduction rather than bursts of frantic action. In each of the 24 books, unsolved murders are accompanied by romance, humour, and country life. The core message in the 12 Phoenix novels is that criminals should pay for their crimes. Unfortunately, the current system fails to deliver the correct punishment, so Phoenix helps redress the balance.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 14, 2015
Conception is compiled of two books. I'll give my review of each below.
The Final Straw
From the first line 'Colin Bailey was invisible' it is clear that this book will be a journey of regret, revenge and a litany of deep longing for a life that had been denied. Although Mr Tayler writes his prose with a conversational knowing wink, and scenes play out as if one's watching a high end drama, there is a constant inner pain that threads through, giving a touching, engrossing realism, that in less experienced hands would have descended into predictable cliche. This is storytelling at its finest. In the character of Colin Bailey a fascinating creature has been sculpted out of the written word. Each page carves away the person that Bailey eventually becomes. Although seemingly devoid of emotion, Bailey is not your archetypal sociopath killer. He's complex, has a brilliant scheming mind and at times he's contradictory. The trust he places in a certain friendship shows a desperate need to be recognised, to be wanted. Bailey has the ability to love and is not as cold as his future actions dictate him to be, but it's just that no one has showed him how to. The ambivalence displayed by his mother to his existence defined a path to her own destiny, and her own predilections only hastened the decision that was made. For Bailey, this was the eponymous Final Straw. With no friends, and clearly preferring to be a loner, Bailey uses hard rock gigs as a proxy for social interaction. A practice that leads him to tragedy, as he eventually loses the one person that warms his heart, and helps him know the true meaning of 'to love someone'. The perpetrator evades Bailey's wrath, and is incarcerated in jail but it's obvious that a bull's eye is on the miscreant's back and Bailey will soon be firing. Despite the ingenious killing spree - that almost goes on beneath the noses of the local beat, with the exception of DI Hounsell - Bailey is a principled man with standards; he's hardworking, sharp and meticulous in his planning and execution of 'tasks'. A very striking aspect that I found throughout the story, was the instrument of time appears in a non-threatening context, with Bailey not being commanded or intimidated by its function, choosing instead to use it to his advantage, with time itself becoming his ally.
Unfinished Business
A tour de force in writing – had me captivated to the very end!
Unfinished Business was book two in Conception: The Birth of the Phoenix. As maternal matters go, this was free of any labour pains. Although pain was certainly the aim as anti-hero Colin Bailey initiated his meticulous maelstrom of revenge and righteousness upon the uncaring, and moreover, unsuspecting world. The Colin Bailey seen in Unfinished Business has transformed. Far from the shy, confused and lonely young man in The Final Straw, here we see a man who has known a woman’s real love (not just the imitation love of convenience displayed by his former wife Karen), but has had that love wrenched from him, and during that moment of separation, a part of Bailey ripped apart too. Such divesting created the impetus to fuel Bailey’s future actions. Bailey, a man with nothing to hold him down, capable of righting injustice, delivering his unique counter-argument to criminals with sharp lawyers. Taking in the Mr Tayler's words that weave his creation, it would appear that Bailey is a cold blooded killer; a man who murders by any means, but this characterisation is too straightforward to capture what has really been created. Bailey is actually a metaphysical representation of our darkest moments; the moments when we desire retribution for wrongs that are done to us, but unlike Bailey we do not have the ‘special skill set’ to deploy such reprisals. By tapping into this almost primal urge, a want to eradicate the evil that exists amongst us, Mr Tayler has embedded subconsciously a connection that makes this book so engrossing. It is why we root for the anti-hero, and why we don't want to see Bailey captured by DCI Hounsell.
Throughout the book there is a position taken that Law is an ineffectual and lumbering beast weighed down by the bulk of its own bureaucracy, and those the that try to enforce it are stifled to act & become disenchanted and cynical to the effectiveness of it all. Bailey uses this weakness against them, and also applies this belief to vindicate his executions. He believes, somewhat in error, that the police have not the capability to think like him, and it is this presumption that leads to a hair raising chase, akin to Moriarty & Holmes at Reichenbach Falls.
The characters of DCI Hounsell and his sidekick Zara Wheeler are a formidable team, but they start off wary of each other and eventually enter into a rather prickly partnership. I enjoyed watching Zara morph into a woman who was unafraid to live a little and who was confident to be her own, a times quirky, self. Had Zara not been on the team it is doubtful whether Hounsell would have reached the same conclusions. Bailey based his planning on the capabilities of Hounsell and others of his ilk, and didn't factor in someone having intelligence to match his. A grave miscalculation, borne from Bailey's own hubris that cost him dearly in the end.
Unfinished Business is a tour de force story, dark but humorous, told in the 'nod and a wink' style that fascinates and captivates, and keeps you reading. The ending provides a pitch perfect entree into the shadowy world of the Olympus Project and emergence of The Phoenix.
The Final Straw
From the first line 'Colin Bailey was invisible' it is clear that this book will be a journey of regret, revenge and a litany of deep longing for a life that had been denied. Although Mr Tayler writes his prose with a conversational knowing wink, and scenes play out as if one's watching a high end drama, there is a constant inner pain that threads through, giving a touching, engrossing realism, that in less experienced hands would have descended into predictable cliche. This is storytelling at its finest. In the character of Colin Bailey a fascinating creature has been sculpted out of the written word. Each page carves away the person that Bailey eventually becomes. Although seemingly devoid of emotion, Bailey is not your archetypal sociopath killer. He's complex, has a brilliant scheming mind and at times he's contradictory. The trust he places in a certain friendship shows a desperate need to be recognised, to be wanted. Bailey has the ability to love and is not as cold as his future actions dictate him to be, but it's just that no one has showed him how to. The ambivalence displayed by his mother to his existence defined a path to her own destiny, and her own predilections only hastened the decision that was made. For Bailey, this was the eponymous Final Straw. With no friends, and clearly preferring to be a loner, Bailey uses hard rock gigs as a proxy for social interaction. A practice that leads him to tragedy, as he eventually loses the one person that warms his heart, and helps him know the true meaning of 'to love someone'. The perpetrator evades Bailey's wrath, and is incarcerated in jail but it's obvious that a bull's eye is on the miscreant's back and Bailey will soon be firing. Despite the ingenious killing spree - that almost goes on beneath the noses of the local beat, with the exception of DI Hounsell - Bailey is a principled man with standards; he's hardworking, sharp and meticulous in his planning and execution of 'tasks'. A very striking aspect that I found throughout the story, was the instrument of time appears in a non-threatening context, with Bailey not being commanded or intimidated by its function, choosing instead to use it to his advantage, with time itself becoming his ally.
Unfinished Business
A tour de force in writing – had me captivated to the very end!
Unfinished Business was book two in Conception: The Birth of the Phoenix. As maternal matters go, this was free of any labour pains. Although pain was certainly the aim as anti-hero Colin Bailey initiated his meticulous maelstrom of revenge and righteousness upon the uncaring, and moreover, unsuspecting world. The Colin Bailey seen in Unfinished Business has transformed. Far from the shy, confused and lonely young man in The Final Straw, here we see a man who has known a woman’s real love (not just the imitation love of convenience displayed by his former wife Karen), but has had that love wrenched from him, and during that moment of separation, a part of Bailey ripped apart too. Such divesting created the impetus to fuel Bailey’s future actions. Bailey, a man with nothing to hold him down, capable of righting injustice, delivering his unique counter-argument to criminals with sharp lawyers. Taking in the Mr Tayler's words that weave his creation, it would appear that Bailey is a cold blooded killer; a man who murders by any means, but this characterisation is too straightforward to capture what has really been created. Bailey is actually a metaphysical representation of our darkest moments; the moments when we desire retribution for wrongs that are done to us, but unlike Bailey we do not have the ‘special skill set’ to deploy such reprisals. By tapping into this almost primal urge, a want to eradicate the evil that exists amongst us, Mr Tayler has embedded subconsciously a connection that makes this book so engrossing. It is why we root for the anti-hero, and why we don't want to see Bailey captured by DCI Hounsell.
Throughout the book there is a position taken that Law is an ineffectual and lumbering beast weighed down by the bulk of its own bureaucracy, and those the that try to enforce it are stifled to act & become disenchanted and cynical to the effectiveness of it all. Bailey uses this weakness against them, and also applies this belief to vindicate his executions. He believes, somewhat in error, that the police have not the capability to think like him, and it is this presumption that leads to a hair raising chase, akin to Moriarty & Holmes at Reichenbach Falls.
The characters of DCI Hounsell and his sidekick Zara Wheeler are a formidable team, but they start off wary of each other and eventually enter into a rather prickly partnership. I enjoyed watching Zara morph into a woman who was unafraid to live a little and who was confident to be her own, a times quirky, self. Had Zara not been on the team it is doubtful whether Hounsell would have reached the same conclusions. Bailey based his planning on the capabilities of Hounsell and others of his ilk, and didn't factor in someone having intelligence to match his. A grave miscalculation, borne from Bailey's own hubris that cost him dearly in the end.
Unfinished Business is a tour de force story, dark but humorous, told in the 'nod and a wink' style that fascinates and captivates, and keeps you reading. The ending provides a pitch perfect entree into the shadowy world of the Olympus Project and emergence of The Phoenix.
October 17, 2025
Very readable
Excellent and intriguing. The subject is one that affects everyone at one time or another. Losing a loved one is hard enough, but to lose one to mindless cruel brutality is beyond measure. You handle the situation with dispassionate ease. I find myself prodding Colin on in his endevours.
Excellent and intriguing. The subject is one that affects everyone at one time or another. Losing a loved one is hard enough, but to lose one to mindless cruel brutality is beyond measure. You handle the situation with dispassionate ease. I find myself prodding Colin on in his endevours.
January 5, 2026
The author’s style may not be for me. The text felt more like reporting with little character development. The plot was too long and the people were just cardboard characters, lifeless, soulless, and sad. If the world is as dark and lifeless as the author depicts then we might all become mass murderers.
November 1, 2021
Action packed Military Operative And his dog!
Pulse pounding worldwide action About a Almost literally 1 man army against the worldwide drug trade. Taking down a few international sex peddlers And exposing their sources Leaves the reader wanting more. Highly recommended book!
Pulse pounding worldwide action About a Almost literally 1 man army against the worldwide drug trade. Taking down a few international sex peddlers And exposing their sources Leaves the reader wanting more. Highly recommended book!
March 16, 2022
A just man
Really enjoyed this story,being born and living in this area it was good to actually picture what was happening on the pages.For a guilty man I was still cheering him on.
Really enjoyed this story,being born and living in this area it was good to actually picture what was happening on the pages.For a guilty man I was still cheering him on.
December 20, 2022
A really good read
Read
May 9, 2024DNF
October 22, 2025
This is the other half of the prequel. The other is The Last Straw. Thi is ok. I imagine it sets the stage for better stuff in the series. Good characters and decent dialogue.
November 1, 2025
fun read
This book is very enjoyable reading. The bad guys are really bad and the good guys are good as the not “bad guys “.
This book is very enjoyable reading. The bad guys are really bad and the good guys are good as the not “bad guys “.
December 28, 2025
Revenge
The first book was quite good, but I skimmed through a lot of the second book because it had too much unnecessary detail, especially the touring with the band.
The first book was quite good, but I skimmed through a lot of the second book because it had too much unnecessary detail, especially the touring with the band.
April 6, 2022
I absolutely loved this story of a boy, handed a terrible start in life, being mostly invisible to all, who, through his own vastly under estimated intelligence and ability to carry out meticulous planning, sets out, first to take revenge on all those who wronged him, including his parents. After the death of his beloved daughter, then the woman he loved, who left him a fortune, he bides his time before the beginning a career of taking the law into his own hands and eliminating criminals that th police seem powerless against, and the judiciary are too soft on. He almost gets caught by a policeman who, although he knows his job is to follow the law, secretly admires this anonymous killer of criminals. He almost gets him, but our Colin is lost, presumed dead. However, he is rescued by a mysterious group called The Olympus Project, who Christen him Phoenix, for obvious reasons - his life is about to begin again. In books 1-12 that follow he settles into a life and a relationship that at last, make him happy. Having finished book 12 almost in tears, I feel bereft. This is a book I thoroughly recommend, as a prologue to the series that follows
May 16, 2024
Good prologue series, but the 'mature themes' could have been left out.
September 7, 2015
Conception is a collection of two books, and there is a definite contrast between the novels. The first novel is an introduction to a character who is most definitely disturbed, yet at times appears normal. Colin Bailey, as he is known in The Final Straw, is a young man trying to find his way in life. His father abandoned him at a young age, while his mother barely acknowledges him, so it's understandable that he would be saddled with some issues.
But then something terrible happens, and the formerly awkward Colin Bailey is transformed into a vigilante. This is the Colin Owens we meet in Unfinished Business. Now he's a stone cold killer, with the experience and resources to carry out his brand of justice with frightening efficiency.
And then there's DI Phil Hounsell. He appears in both books, but it's in Unfinished Business that he truly comes to life, chasing leads across England in attempt to bring Colin to justice. Hounsell and Owens are true enemies, and it's fascinating watching Colin trying to stay one step ahead of the law.
Conception is a fun, at times disturbing, look into the evolving mind of a killer who is convinced his path is a righteous one.
But then something terrible happens, and the formerly awkward Colin Bailey is transformed into a vigilante. This is the Colin Owens we meet in Unfinished Business. Now he's a stone cold killer, with the experience and resources to carry out his brand of justice with frightening efficiency.
And then there's DI Phil Hounsell. He appears in both books, but it's in Unfinished Business that he truly comes to life, chasing leads across England in attempt to bring Colin to justice. Hounsell and Owens are true enemies, and it's fascinating watching Colin trying to stay one step ahead of the law.
Conception is a fun, at times disturbing, look into the evolving mind of a killer who is convinced his path is a righteous one.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews