Thursday 23 September 2021

Deathmire - Jon Mayhew

Deathmire
Franklin Watts a division of
ISBN 9781445114668
eISBN 9781445114699
ASIN B00GU389MM


Over the last year I have read 20 works by Mayhew under the three names he publishes under. This is one of his earliest works and Jon Mayhew was the first name he used and uses it for Young Adult and some Middle Grade books. His most recent efforts are adult crime fiction under the name J.E. Mayhew and he has a fantastic urban noir supernatural series under the nom de plume Edwin Torr. Fans of this book would love the Torr works as well. This book is part of a series called Rivets from the Edge imprint, and are now part of Franklin Watts and Wayland Books. The description of the book is:

“Tom Striker is a mud lark, earning a crust foraging on the banks of The Thames for
anything worth selling. When his friend Billy goes missing, and he saves a man
claiming to be Old Father Thames, Tom and his friends are caught up in a battle
between powerful spirits.

This title is published by Franklin Watts EDGE, which produces a range of books
to get children reading with confidence. EDGE - for books children can't put down.”

This story is written for the Middle Grade or Young Adult audience. In many ways it reads like a modern version of a real Grimms’ fairy tale. It is a short read but not difficult. It ia an interesting story. And if it had not been part of this series in the UK, I could see it being part of the Guys Read series here across the pond. 

The characters in this story are interesting. In this story you will find yourself putting together the pieces fairly quickly. And will be surprised at the turn of events. I can see this being a very popular read with the target audience. That being said it is well enough written that in my 50’s I enjoyed it greatly. 

I have been working my way through all of Mayhew’s works. Writing short stories or novella’s is a very different skill than novels or even series. The righting needs to be tight, clean and crisp. Mahyew does an excellent job in this offering. An excellent read, a must read for fans of Mayhew or his alter egos. And a great read for anyone with a love of short form fiction with a dark edge!  

Books as J.E. Mayhew:
DCI William Blake Series:

Books as Jon Mayhew:
The Spybrarian

Monster Odyssey Series:
1.0 The Eye of Neptune
2.0 The Wrath of the Lizard Lord
3.0 The Curse of the Ice Serpent
4.0 The Venom of the Scorpion

Mortlock Series:
2.0 The Demon Collector
3.0 The Bonehill Curse

Collins Big Cat Series:
The Merchant of Venice: Band 16/Sapphire
Hamlet: Band 18/Pearl
Romeo and Juliet: Band 18/Pearl
Macbeth: Band 18/Pearl

Contributed to:
Beyond the Book: A Collection of Short Stories
Storycraft: How To Teach Creative Writing
Criminal Shorts: UK Crime Book Club Anthology
Make Doves Not War - Forward

Books as Edwin Torr:
Dead Means Dead Series
1.0 Demons - 2017
1.3 Cotton Candy - 2017
1.9 Remurdered - 2017
2.0 Angel Hunter - 2017
2.5 Cold Caller - 2017
3.0 Jigsaw Girl - 2018




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