The Theatre of Shadows out now on Apple Books

Hi All.

The Theatre of Shadows: The Vasini Chronicles II is out now on Apple Books. It’s available here if you’re in the UK or on your local Apple Books store if you’re not.

It’s still available to buy on Kindle and in paperback. (For those outside of the UK, please try your local Amazon store.)

The adventures of Drs. Marcus Fox & Elizabeth Reid continue…

In the two centuries since the fall of the deities, only a score of city-states have risen from the ashes of their destruction. Foremost amongst them is Vasini — a city divided by politics, class, and philosophies. A city with a threat in every shadow.

Six months have passed since the events of The Silver Mask. Over the winter months, Vasini was plagued by Gareth Miller, the Winter Fayre Killer, who murdered 17 people before he was captured by Lieutenant David Locke. The city now waits for Miller to be hanged. But when Miller escapes gaol, ready to terrorise Vasini’s streets once more, Locke must hunt the murderer again to stop him from claiming more lives.

As Miller flees into Vasini’s streets, Joseph Bastin, ambassador to Vasini for the city-state of Laège, is assassinated in a brothel. With the threat of political repercussions for the death, it is up to Dr. Marcus Fox, newly appointed Commandant of Police, to find the ambassador’s killer.

Fox’s investigation soon leads to a suspect, someone who has been investigating links between the Laège embassy and the worship of the dead deities – his ally, Dr. Elizabeth Reid.

Now, Elizabeth and her friend, Catherine, must act quickly to clear her name before she is found by someone who doesn’t believe her claims of innocence and she’s forced to dance the hangman’s jig.

But these events are only a prelude for what is to come.

The stage is set. The actors are in position. The play can begin.

The Theatre of Shadows is the second part of The Vasini Chronicles, a series of flintlock-and-alchemy fantasy novels set in the city-state of Vasini.

The Silver Mask Giveaway

For those in the US, there’s three days left of my Goodreads giveaway of The Silver Mask: The Vasini Chronicles I. You can enter here for a chance to win one of a hundred Kindle editions. The giveaway ends on 21 April.

The Theatre of Shadows on Apple Books

The Theatre of Shadows, the second part of The Vasini Chronicles, will be available on Apple Books from 18 April, you can pre-order it now. You can find it here if you’re in the UK or on your local Apple Books store.

In other news

Whilst I’m here, a very quick update on some of the things I’m working on.

I’m now 94k words into writing The Vasini Chronicles III. I’m past half way on the first draft, but it’s looking more and more like it’s going to be longer than I originally thought it would be. I should know by now that everything ends up longer than I expect it to be.

Beasts of the Wildlands Tales From Vasini II – is being edited. It needs a little bit more work than I hoped it would, but I’m getting closer to being able to put it out into the world.

The Cities Beyond the Signal on Apple Books

Hi All,

The Cities Beyond the Signal will be available on the Apple Books store from 12 April 2021 and is available to pre-order now.

You can find it in the UK store here.

For those outside of the UK, please try your local Apple Books store.

It has been three years since Alex travelled to the city between the books, that cold, bleak place haunted by the monkey-beast. Three years and it has become a dream, a hidden memory that is easily passed off as make believe.

Now graduated from university, Alex is struggling to find a job. Until she receives an enigmatic email inviting her to an interview, but with no information on who the job is for and what it involves.

Desperate for employment, Alex feels she has to go. After all, what’s the worst that can happen?

But a cryptic radio signal is going to draw her into a new adventure. What started in that cold, bleak city is going to lead Alex on a rescue mission through stranger and more dangerous places.

The Cities Beyond the Signal is a novella-length sequel to the story The City Between the Books.