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Lawless & Tilley #5
Fire and Water
A body's found in a deserted cottage. Well, bits of a body anyway. Someone's torched the place. But bones don't burn that easily... It's a small village, you'd think someone would know something. But if they do, they're keeping very quiet about it. Lawless & Tilley must sift through the ashes of the victim's past for clues.
256 pages, Paperback
First published November 20, 1998
17 people want to read
About the author
Malcolm Rose
65 books64 followersBelieve 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.
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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October 2, 2019
Un cottage qui brûle et des morceaux de pieds et de mains découverts dans la cheminée. Voilà le point de départ pour la prochaine enquête de Brett et Clare. C'est aussi la première fois où un cadavre ne peut pas être identifié et qu'ils doivent trouver d'autres façons de récolter des preuves et suivre des pistes. Toutes les enquêtes sont bouleversantes mais celle-ci pourrait bien être pire.
Même si j'ai déjà lu plus tordu, ce tome était quand même le plus troublant jusqu'à maintenant. Pas juste pour le crime mais pour toute la question de justice qui ne manquera pas de faire réfléchir. Mais ce que j'ai aimé c'est qu'on est de plus en plus attaché à nos deux héros et on voit plus de nuance dans leur relation.
Même si j'ai déjà lu plus tordu, ce tome était quand même le plus troublant jusqu'à maintenant. Pas juste pour le crime mais pour toute la question de justice qui ne manquera pas de faire réfléchir. Mais ce que j'ai aimé c'est qu'on est de plus en plus attaché à nos deux héros et on voit plus de nuance dans leur relation.
Displaying 1 of 1 review