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Hellbound: The Tally Man: A serial killer thriller like no other
How does a serial killer learn remorse? Award-winning author, David McCaffrey, brings you the answer. Obadiah Stark aka The Tally Man, is executed at ADX Absolom, his death sentence watched by the world's media, victim relatives and one investigative reporter, Joe O Connell.
Penning an account of Stark's personal history and subsequent crimes in the hope of determining what makes the sociopathic mind tick, Joe discovers inconsistencies which cause him to investigate Stark's execution.
While this is happening in the real world, Stark awakens to an afterlife, bound to his childhood hometown. Obadiah proceeds to torment the town, committing multiple murders before being gunned down by the police. He awakens to find that everything has reset, with no one recalling his murderous spree.
A reality where he is forced to submit to emotions he has never experienced before... and with them, a poisonous dose of morality. ‘I don’t know really where to start with this one! It was so strange & weird, yet I totally mean that in the good way!’ Anne Bonny Book Reviews
‘For a thought-provoking, original serial killer thriller, you could do no better than The Tally Man, which due to its social commentary reads more like a literary thriller than a bog standard serial killer read.’ Ajoobacats - VINE VOICE
‘I thoroughly enjoyed this story and can honestly say that I've read nothing comparable to it.’ Benjamin E. Sawyer - author of The Familiar
‘Would I recommend this book? A million times over I would, with bells on! Twisted, irresistible, powerfully addictive this is a must read for those of you who are drawn to the dark side!’ crimebookjunkie.co.uk
‘Prepare to be shocked, both emotionally and politically as McCaffrey’s novel comes to its unexpected conclusion. This is a book which you must read.’ Neal James - author of three Little Maids, Full Marks and Two Little Dicky Birds
‘This is a remarkable novel, I don't say that lightly… If you're a fan of thought-provoking, psychologically thrilling stories, read this. I highly recommend it.’ The Bookish Reader
‘The ending is pure gold. I'd read it again tomorrow just for THAT!’ Little Bookness Lane
‘Obadiah Stark is an exceptionally brilliant, unforgettable evil and horrible character… I loved him!’ Booklover Catlady
‘This is one extraordinary book.’ Mark Tilbury, author of The Abattoir of Dreams and The Liar’s Promise
‘A brilliant book.’ Tony Millington, author of Unsilent Grief
‘Very imaginative and there's a hint of Stephen King in there.’ Karen Long, author of the Safe Word
‘The Tally Man’ is on my top ten list of books I would read over and over again… the writing is outstanding.’ Crime Book Club
‘I rarely give 5* and this one deserves them for being so very different.’ Misfits Farm; Top 1000 Amazon Reviewer
'Brilliant is a word that doesn't do this book justice.’ Chris Tetreault-Bray, author of Acolyte and The Sowing Season
‘Well written, compelling to read and has its moments of real tension.’ Brian O’Gorman, author of Dawn of the Spiders, Day of the Spiders and The Final wish of Maggie Bosworth
Penning an account of Stark's personal history and subsequent crimes in the hope of determining what makes the sociopathic mind tick, Joe discovers inconsistencies which cause him to investigate Stark's execution.
While this is happening in the real world, Stark awakens to an afterlife, bound to his childhood hometown. Obadiah proceeds to torment the town, committing multiple murders before being gunned down by the police. He awakens to find that everything has reset, with no one recalling his murderous spree.
A reality where he is forced to submit to emotions he has never experienced before... and with them, a poisonous dose of morality. ‘I don’t know really where to start with this one! It was so strange & weird, yet I totally mean that in the good way!’ Anne Bonny Book Reviews
‘For a thought-provoking, original serial killer thriller, you could do no better than The Tally Man, which due to its social commentary reads more like a literary thriller than a bog standard serial killer read.’ Ajoobacats - VINE VOICE
‘I thoroughly enjoyed this story and can honestly say that I've read nothing comparable to it.’ Benjamin E. Sawyer - author of The Familiar
‘Would I recommend this book? A million times over I would, with bells on! Twisted, irresistible, powerfully addictive this is a must read for those of you who are drawn to the dark side!’ crimebookjunkie.co.uk
‘Prepare to be shocked, both emotionally and politically as McCaffrey’s novel comes to its unexpected conclusion. This is a book which you must read.’ Neal James - author of three Little Maids, Full Marks and Two Little Dicky Birds
‘This is a remarkable novel, I don't say that lightly… If you're a fan of thought-provoking, psychologically thrilling stories, read this. I highly recommend it.’ The Bookish Reader
‘The ending is pure gold. I'd read it again tomorrow just for THAT!’ Little Bookness Lane
‘Obadiah Stark is an exceptionally brilliant, unforgettable evil and horrible character… I loved him!’ Booklover Catlady
‘This is one extraordinary book.’ Mark Tilbury, author of The Abattoir of Dreams and The Liar’s Promise
‘A brilliant book.’ Tony Millington, author of Unsilent Grief
‘Very imaginative and there's a hint of Stephen King in there.’ Karen Long, author of the Safe Word
‘The Tally Man’ is on my top ten list of books I would read over and over again… the writing is outstanding.’ Crime Book Club
‘I rarely give 5* and this one deserves them for being so very different.’ Misfits Farm; Top 1000 Amazon Reviewer
'Brilliant is a word that doesn't do this book justice.’ Chris Tetreault-Bray, author of Acolyte and The Sowing Season
‘Well written, compelling to read and has its moments of real tension.’ Brian O’Gorman, author of Dawn of the Spiders, Day of the Spiders and The Final wish of Maggie Bosworth
386 pages, Paperback
Published November 28, 2018
About the author
David McCaffrey
24 books29 followersDavid lives in Redcar in the North East of England and currently works as an Infection Prevention and Control nurse in Hertfordshire. He has a Kelly, a Jake, a Liam a Moo Man, an Obi (the dog), a Padme, Ahsoka, and an Anakin (cats).
David ghost wrote 'By Any Means Necessary' with Stephen Sayers, released in 2016 and then returned to his Hellbound Anthology in 2017 with 'Nameless'.
All are available on Audible.co.uk.
A huge fan of Steve Alten, John Grisham and Lee Childs, David loves reading as much as he enjoys writing. Hellbound was his first novel, all thanks to Britain's Next Bestseller and the aforementioned Steve Alten who took a chance on him as a writing coach client and taught him so much about what it takes to be a writer. It was voted by W H Smith readers as one of 2014's most underrated crime novels.
David ghost wrote 'By Any Means Necessary' with Stephen Sayers, released in 2016 and then returned to his Hellbound Anthology in 2017 with 'Nameless'.
All are available on Audible.co.uk.
’The Warmest Place to Hide', David's homage to all things David Cronenberg, was released in August 2018.
Two personal projects concerning bullying in the NHS were released in 2018 and 2021 respectively.
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