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Polly
Polly had walked out, leaving her cheating husband and hollow marriage behind, taking only the case she’d already packed - everything else could wait.
She flew to Paris to visit Notre Dame and open the next chapter in her life. Dale be dammed.
And Paris was everything she needed and more. The grandeur of the ancient city, the Seine and the people. This was the start of something special. Something new.
But why did she keep running into a strange man? She had named him Mr Creepy because his smile made her skin crawl. It was probably her imagination, but still...
And now she had made new friends, like Katrina and Francois. Never mind their stories about a ‘neck-tie murderer’ stalking the backstreets of Paris. She was going to have fun. Plain and simple.
What could possibly go wrong?
She flew to Paris to visit Notre Dame and open the next chapter in her life. Dale be dammed.
And Paris was everything she needed and more. The grandeur of the ancient city, the Seine and the people. This was the start of something special. Something new.
But why did she keep running into a strange man? She had named him Mr Creepy because his smile made her skin crawl. It was probably her imagination, but still...
And now she had made new friends, like Katrina and Francois. Never mind their stories about a ‘neck-tie murderer’ stalking the backstreets of Paris. She was going to have fun. Plain and simple.
What could possibly go wrong?
147 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 24, 2017
5 people want to read
About the author
Mark West
67 books173 followersMark West was born in Northamptonshire in 1969. Writing stories since the age of eight, he discovered the small press in 1999 and since then, he’s published more than 90 stories in various publications around the world.
The Book Folks published his debut mainstream thriller DON’T GO BACK in February 2022. It was followed by WATCHING OVER YOU, THE HUNTER'S QUARRY, STILL WATERS RUN, A KILLER AMONGST US and WE WERE SEEN. His latest, TO SEE TOO MUCH, was published in November 2024. He is currently working on his next thriller novel.
His other works include:
Collections: “Strange Tales” (2003) and “Things We Leave Behind” (2017)
Horror Novels: “In The Rain With The Dead” (2005) and “Conjure” (2009)
Horror Chapbooks/Novelettes: “The Mill” (2011), “What Gets Left Behind” (2012), “The Goblin Glass” (2019) and “Mr Stix” (2019)
Horror Novellas: The Lost Film” (2015), “The Factory” (2016) and “The Exercise” (2021).
Dark Thriller Novellas: “Drive” (2014) and “Polly” (2017)
“Anatomy Of Death” (2013) was a Hersham Horror Books anthology edited by West.
Mark lives in Rothwell, with his wife Alison and their son, Matthew, where he is currently working on a new novel. He can be contacted via his website at www.markwest.org.uk
The Book Folks published his debut mainstream thriller DON’T GO BACK in February 2022. It was followed by WATCHING OVER YOU, THE HUNTER'S QUARRY, STILL WATERS RUN, A KILLER AMONGST US and WE WERE SEEN. His latest, TO SEE TOO MUCH, was published in November 2024. He is currently working on his next thriller novel.
His other works include:
Collections: “Strange Tales” (2003) and “Things We Leave Behind” (2017)
Horror Novels: “In The Rain With The Dead” (2005) and “Conjure” (2009)
Horror Chapbooks/Novelettes: “The Mill” (2011), “What Gets Left Behind” (2012), “The Goblin Glass” (2019) and “Mr Stix” (2019)
Horror Novellas: The Lost Film” (2015), “The Factory” (2016) and “The Exercise” (2021).
Dark Thriller Novellas: “Drive” (2014) and “Polly” (2017)
“Anatomy Of Death” (2013) was a Hersham Horror Books anthology edited by West.
Mark lives in Rothwell, with his wife Alison and their son, Matthew, where he is currently working on a new novel. He can be contacted via his website at www.markwest.org.uk
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 20, 2017
I loved the flow of this story. I was never sure where to look for the next threat to Polly and therefore found it hard to guess what would happen. I loved Polly getting her own back on Dale, her unpleasantly self-indulgent, straying husband. I was kind of hoping the Necktie Murderer would get him ...
December 9, 2017
I've been reading Mark West for 17 years or so now, and I've not read a dud tale... and thankfully this continues the trend.
Polly is a married fortysomething who works in finance. She lives with her husband, and despite the occasional thought of adventure, she is pretty contend, but a life-shattering event makes her question her life - not quite a midlife crisis but very close.
She takes a trip to Paris, a place she always wanted to visit, and hooks up with another solo traveller, Katrina, and this is where the strength of the story lies with me. The characterisation of the two women, and the descriptions of the city are excellent.
Mark West though is a horror writer and as such there is a dark element to the story - a creepy guy, and an underlying murder subplot about the Necktie Murders (which reminded me of Hitchock's Frenzy) - and this is where the story didn't work for me. I felt the creepy guy was a distraction and the last thirty pages or so felt rushed.
A lovely story about a budding friendship between two women, with an ending that just didn't work for me personally.
I do hope though that Polly turns up in another story soon.
Polly is a married fortysomething who works in finance. She lives with her husband, and despite the occasional thought of adventure, she is pretty contend, but a life-shattering event makes her question her life - not quite a midlife crisis but very close.
She takes a trip to Paris, a place she always wanted to visit, and hooks up with another solo traveller, Katrina, and this is where the strength of the story lies with me. The characterisation of the two women, and the descriptions of the city are excellent.
Mark West though is a horror writer and as such there is a dark element to the story - a creepy guy, and an underlying murder subplot about the Necktie Murders (which reminded me of Hitchock's Frenzy) - and this is where the story didn't work for me. I felt the creepy guy was a distraction and the last thirty pages or so felt rushed.
A lovely story about a budding friendship between two women, with an ending that just didn't work for me personally.
I do hope though that Polly turns up in another story soon.
December 9, 2017
You won't be able to put this down until the very end! Check out my full review here... https://horrornovelreviews.com/2017/1...
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews