Uncuffed

by Paul Anthony, Roger Price, Simon Hepworth

An Anthology from retired and serving police officers from the United Kingdom and the United States of America whose collective experiences are almost too many to count. This has resulted in an eclectic mixture of short stories, poems, rhyming narrative and other short works which stretch from fantasy and young adult, to romantic through to satire and gritty crime thrillers. There is something for everyone. From literary prose to contemporary procedurals, there is a wonderful depth and array of reading pleasures here waiting to be consumed. Showcasing writers from both sides of the Atlantic – some already published, and some soon to be so – this only whets the appetite of what is still to come. With proceeds going to a fine charity – 'COPS' – (Care of Police Survivors) which tirelessly help survivors of officers who have lost their lives protecting us all.

237 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 15, 2014

About the author

Paul has written 7 full length fictional novels - crime fiction - plus a collection of poetry, a book of short stories, a non-fiction self help book regarding an authorship, and a children's fantasy book which was co-written with Meg Johnston. These books are in both print and Kindle. Four books make up the Boyd detective series and three are in the Davies King series. They are all stand alone books. In the past he has been published by a Vanity House and a Traditional Publishing House. He is currently an independent self publishing author with a store front on the 'Lulu' website as well as amazon.com and amazon.co.uk. He has written over 20 screenplays for both television and film either on his own, or with the award winning screenwriter, Nick Gordon. Our author is also a writer for Broowaha: an online newspaper based in America, but he is also a Linkedin Influencer where many of his articles, memoirs, short stories and non fiction articles appear. Paul Anthony is the pseudonym of a man born in Southport, Lancashire. The son of a soldier, he settled in Carlisle before joining the Police as a Cadet. Joining Cumbria police at the age of 19, he served throughout Cumbria. As a detective, he served in Cumbria CID, the Regional Crime Squad in Manchester, the Special Branch, the anti-terrorist branch, and other national agencies in the UK. He is the holder of an Honours Degree in Economics and Social Sciences, a Diploma in Management and a Diploma in Office Management. Paul is also a supporter of the Dyslexia Foundation UK who selected 'The Fragile Peace' to be the first book in their audio library. He is also a keen promoter of 'United Artistes', a casting agency operating from Carlisle, Cumbria, providing supporting artists (extras) for the television and film industries working in the Midlands, the north of England, and the whole of Scotland. The agency specialises in providing ex armed services and police personnel with 'specific' military and police skills required by film and television production companies. His blogsite and further details of his books can be found at paulanthonys.blogspot.com When not writing, Paul Anthony enjoys reading a wide range of works, reviewing same, and playing guitar badly. His favourite genre to read is 'non-fiction' and 'thrillers'. He also enjoys running, kettlebells, athletics, keeping fit, pilates, walking the Cumbrian Fells, dining out and dining in, keeping Koi carp, and following politics, economics and social sciences. He is married and has three adult children and five grandchildren. He is a member of the Independent Authors Network and a former winner of the featured authors contest. Paul is also a member of the League of Writers and a former featured author at the the 'Books Without Borders' event in Yonkers, New York, and a featured author at the Frankfurt Book Fayre.

Reviews

[Joan · Rating 1 out of 5]

The slowest-starting book I’ve ever read. I read 2 or 3 of the stories after the long introduction. Boring!

[Scott Whitmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Doing something good while being entertained — it’s a tried and true formula as any fundraising organizer will tell you.

Readers will certainly check both boxes with Uncuffed, a new anthology featuring established and new police writers from the United States and United Kingdom. The thirty-four entries include essays, poems, short stories, and book excerpts covering an eclectic variety of subjects. This review is based on a copy of the anthology provided to me for that purpose.

As for the “doing good” part of the equation: proceeds from Uncuffed will be donated to Care of Police Survivors (COPS), a charity dedicated to supporting the families of UK police officers killed in the line of duty. A truly worthy cause.

I was familiar with a few of writers featured in Uncuffed — Paul Anthony is a personal favorite, and I was pleased to see an excerpt from The Fragile Peace included — but discovering new voices is one of the best parts of reading an anthology, isn’t it? I found the short stories “Dying for a Chat” by Dave Miller, “Risk—90s Style” by Ray Gregory and “Paper Trail” by Wayne Zurl to be particular enjoyable.

My laughter was somewhat bittersweet reading the essay “Writing the Wrongs” by The Station Sergeant. I can’t say what exactly, but something happened to the world as a whole in the 1990s as The Sergeant’s description of changes to the police services in the UK mirrored my perception of how the U.S. Navy I enlisted into in the early 1980s began to morph at that time into the one I retired from in 2003.

Full disclosure, I was asked to contribute to this anthology and within readers will indeed find a couple chapters from my first novel, Carpathia. Honored to be asked, my bonafides for inclusion are certainly the weakest of the lot: after 9/11, I served for six months in the newly created position of Force Protection Officer for the naval station where I was assigned.

Be entertained and do some good. Pick up Uncuffed.