The Demon Mark
by Saul Falconer
GENRE: Crime
PUBLICATION DATE: 01/24/2022
DESCRIPTION:
EVERYONE HAS SECRETS
And war veteran and police inspector Cormag Macleod has plenty of his own. But investigating a murder in a small colonial town on the fringe, Macleod will uncover murky secrets that should not see the light of day.
Strange marks on a corpse raise the spectre of a ritual, and superstition leads to panic in a town saturated in fear and religious fervour. Suspicion turns to blame, and as public order threatens to break down, Macleod must muster all his skill in a race against time.
And those who keep the secrets will do anything to prevent him from discovering the shocking truth.
A darkly atmospheric and gripping ritual murder tale set in 19th-century New South Wales.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Saul Kenneth Falconer is the pen name of Paul Bird, a fiction writer who lives in Sydney, Australia with his wife and four children.
He was born and raised in Newcastle, Australia, where he studied nursing, then medicine and began his specialist training as a physician. When he is not writing, he works as a Rheumatologist, caring for people suffering from arthritis and joint diseases.
He has won numerous awards for his work including the Literary Titan Gold and Silver Awards, and the Independent Press award.
REVIEWS:
As in the first volume, Falconer here captures the rhythms and speech patterns of frontier life with understated skill. The period research that obviously underpins the series is once again both thorough and unobtrusive, and this novel’s moody evocations—the dirt, the countryside, the volatile weather—are more effectively done than in its predecessor. And the center of the tale, Macleod—a military veteran who served in the Crimean War—remains a compelling fictional creation. A darkly atmospheric and gripping ritual murder tale set in 19th-century New South Wales. Kirkus Independent reviews.
The Demon Mark by Saul Falconer is an intricately layered murder mystery centered by the deeply complex figure that is Cormag Macleod.. This is a riveting crime thriller that fans of noir and history will certainly appreciate. Literary Titan
Five stars to this wonderfully composed read!!! Maria, Amazon reviewer
One of my favorite murder-mystery stories this year. Chris Mentillo Amazon
COMPARATIVE FILM/BOOK:
Books: The Yard by Alex Grecian or The Face of a Stranger by Anne Perry. Film: Sherlock Holmes 2009
CASTING:
Cormag Macleod - Colin Farrell, Dr McKinlay - Sam Neill, Eamon McDermott Tom Holland
PRIMARY VENUES/LOCATIONS WITHIN THE BOOK:
The Rocks Sydney Cove 1875, Gresford and Allybrook - rural NSW 1875
BOOK EXCERPT:
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