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Philip Catshill

Goodreads Author

Website

http://www.philipcatshill.com

Twitter

PhilipCatshill

Genre

Mystery & Thrillers, Short Stories, Biographies & Memoirs

Member Since

June 2011

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/philipcatshill

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Philip Catshill is a former British police officer and lives in England. He has had several unique life experiences, near death encounters, physical disabilities and emotional incidents that have combined to provide a firm foundation for his excellent stories.

At the age of 30, an accidental blow to his head followed by a few drinks at a party brought on a massive stroke. To return to work as an operational police officer proved to be a sometimes amusing, sometimes daunting struggle that took 18 months.

With great pride in this achievement, he survived another 11 years as a uniformed police sergeant. During this time, he stretched his mind to the limit by studying for a degree.

Nine years after that first stroke, a younger man took interest in Philip Catshill is a former British police officer and lives in England. He has had several unique life experiences, near death encounters, physical disabilities and emotional incidents that have combined to provide a firm foundation for his excellent stories.

At the age of 30, an accidental blow to his head followed by a few drinks at a party brought on a massive stroke. To return to work as an operational police officer proved to be a sometimes amusing, sometimes daunting struggle that took 18 months.

With great pride in this achievement, he survived another 11 years as a uniformed police sergeant. During this time, he stretched his mind to the limit by studying for a degree.

Nine years after that first stroke, a younger man took interest in his family, his home but mostly, his wife. Within weeks, his 19 year marriage was at an end, his mind and life collapsed. His inability to cope with the changes left him homeless and estranged from all that he had loved and the daughters he cherished for 18 and 15 years respectively. Despite having no faith, he was encouraged to pray. Amazingly, he discovered that prayer works! Throughout the loneliness and despair of being homeless, prayer sustained him and brought him to a new life, new love, but most of all, a loving and welcoming family that was happy to love him as their own.

It was meant to be a happy ever after ending to the tragedies, but just four weeks after his last exam to give him his degree, and 16 days after his second marriage, a road accident caused a second major stroke, bringing his working life to an abrupt end.

Undaunted and determined to defy the paralysis, he took up music and art, achieving piano grade 3 and paintings that are quite simply breath-taking. (http://www.philipcatshill.com)

As he approached his 60th birthday, Philip, who is still severely disabled, decided to write about that stroke from 30 years before. From that experience, the fictional character of Mike Newman emerged. In writing his books, Philip hopes to encourage others to put their story into words.

To demonstrate his abilities and not dwell on his disabilities, he has chosen to take complete responsibility for his books from the first click of the computer keyboard to the final publication of the novel, short story or poem. By taking online courses to improve his language, punctuation and grammar, and learning skills in different aspects of writing, story-telling and editing, Philip is determined to show that even with severe brain damage, he has the ability to write, edit, and publish first class novels, short stories and poetry without involving anyone else in the process.

This doesn’t mean his stories are in anyway inferior. In fact, Philip’s creative writing, believable characters and convincing narrative has been acclaimed in countless reviews. One of his novels reached the final rounds of two international awards, and Awesome Indies approved his novel, Penny for Them for quality. His stroke memoir, “Never say I can’t” received the IndiePENdents Seal for outstanding quality.

Whenever time permits, Philip continues to offer support, help, advice and guidance to fellow writers wherever it is needed.

Philip is the type of guy who will never say I can’t.
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Combine Editions
Philip Catshill’s books

Average rating: 4.41 · 92 ratings · 44 reviews · 9 distinct works

	For all Eternity: and other short stories (Mike Newman Mysteries Book 1) 3.92 avg rating — 25 ratings — published 2012 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Never Say I Can't ... after stroke 4.93 avg rating — 15 ratings — published 2011	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Who Else is There? (Mike Newman Mysteries, #2) 4.62 avg rating — 13 ratings — published 2011 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Suffer Little Children really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 14 ratings — published 2011 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Beyond the Smile by Brenda Coxe (Goodreads Author), Philip Catshill (Goodreads Author) (Illustrator), Mark Hopkins (Editor) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 8 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Penny for Them 4.75 avg rating — 8 ratings — published 2012 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Mad Days of March 4.20 avg rating — 5 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Penalty for Murder (Mike Newman Mysteries, #3) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 2012 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Philip Catshill's Poetry Compilation 4.50 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 2014	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Flower Angel 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — published 2016 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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78 posts
Philip Catshill's Blog: Philip Catshill, Author and Artist

Over the last few weeks, I have received unprecedented in...

Over the last few weeks, I have received unprecedented interest in all my books from various readers’ clubs, promotion companies and review groups. Most expect some financial contribution in exchange for reviews or services.

To these individuals , clubs and organisations, I would like to make a few things absolutely clear...

I DO NOT PAY FOR REVIEWS I DO NOT "EXCHANGE" REVIEWS I DO Read more of this blog post »

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Published on November 27, 2025 07:26

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Series by Philip Catshill

Mike Newman Mysteries (4 books)
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Philip Catshill (Goodreads Author)

4.15 avg rating — 54 ratings

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Philip’s Recent Updates

Philip Catshill wrote a new blog post Over the last few weeks, I have received unprecedented in... Over the last few weeks, I have received unprecedented interest in all my books from various readers’ clubs, promotion companies and review groups. Mo Read more of this blog post »
Nov 28, 2025 12:50AM · like
Philip Catshill rated a book really liked it The Second Seal (Duke de Richleau, #3) by Dennis Wheatley	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 28, 2025 12:44PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Second Seal by Dennis Wheatley. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Second Seal by Dennis Wheatley <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Philip Catshill rated a book really liked it Vendetta in Spain (Duke de Richleau, #2) by Dennis Wheatley	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 28, 2025 12:42PM · like
Philip Catshill rated a book really liked it The Prisoner in the Mask (Duke de Richleau, #1) by Dennis Wheatley	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 28, 2025 12:36PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Prisoner in the Mask by Dennis Wheatley. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Prisoner in the Mask by Dennis Wheatley <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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Quotes by Philip Catshill (?)

“I get my share of mud flung my way, but the secret is to dance in the rain and the mud will wash away.”
― Philip Catshill

tags: humour, sarcasm

2 likes

Philip’s Quotes

“I get my share of mud flung my way, but the secret is to dance in the rain and the mud will wash away.”
― Philip Catshill

tags: humour, sarcasm

2 likes

recent posts
Philip’s Groups

THE JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB — 6692 members — last activity 1 hour, 10 min ago
ALL GENRE COMMUNITY OF BOOK LOVERS-Perfect for those interested in good books of any genre, film and lively discussion!- from current fiction, thrille ...more

¡ POETRY ! — 22594 members — last activity Dec 24, 2025 01:37PM
No pretensions: just poetry. Stop by, recommend books, offer up poems (excerpted), tempt us, taunt us, tell us what to read and where to go (to read No pretensions: just poetry. Stop by, recommend books, offer up poems (excerpted), tempt us, taunt us, tell us what to read and where to go (to read it!) Goodreads honors wordsmiths: poets and poetry promoted and prompted here. ~~~ "Poetry is the synthesis of hyacinths and biscuits." -- Carl Sandburg “God has a brown voice, as soft and full as beer.” —Anne Sexton On Clouds – “…what primitive tastes the ancients must have had if their poets were inspired by those absurd, untidy clumps of mist, idiotically jostling one another about…” —Yevgeny Zamyatin “If the poet wants to be a poet, the poet must force the poet to revise. If the poet doesn’t wish to revise, let the poet abandon poetry and take up stamp-collecting or real estate.” —Donald Hall “Poetry is a rich, full-bodied whistle, cracked ice crunching in pails, the night that numbs the leaf, the duel of two nightingales, the sweet pea that has run wild, Creation’s tears in shoulder blades.” —Boris Pasternak “Wanted: a needle swift enough to sew this poem into a blanket.” —Charles Simic “Language is a cracked kettle on which we beat out tunes for bears to dance to, while all the time we long to move the stars to pity.” —Gustave Flaubert “Poetry is not an expression of the party line. It’s that time of night, lying in bed, thinking what you really think, making the private world public, that’s what the poet does.” —Allen Ginsberg. ~~~~~ Amy King, Moderator Amy King is the recipient of the 2015 Winner of the WNBA Award (Women’s National Book Association). Her latest collection, The Missing Museum, is a winner of the 2015 Tarpaulin Sky Book Prize. She serves on the executive board of VIDA: Women in Literary Arts and is co-editing with Heidi Lynn Staples the anthology, Big Energy Poets of the Anthropocene: When Ecopoets Think Climate Change. She is also co-editing the anthology, Bettering American Poetry 2015, and is an Associate Professor of Creative Writing at SUNY Nassau Community College. ...more

Goodreads Self Published Authors — 1399 members — last activity May 25, 2025 09:51AM
A group for authors to help fellow authors in book promotion, review pools, and other things

Goodreads Authors/Readers — 55701 members — last activity 3 minutes ago
This group is dedicated to connecting readers with Goodreads authors. It is divided by genres, and includes folders for writing resources, book websit ...more

Goodreads Librarians Group — 304876 members — last activity 4 minutes ago
Goodreads Librarians are volunteers who help ensure the accuracy of information about books and authors in the Goodreads' catalog. The Goodreads Libra ...more

UK Amazon Kindle Forum — 6654 members — last activity 23 hours, 7 min ago
Where every hour is happy hour.

The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group — 31808 members — last activity 12 minutes ago
“It was a dark and stormy night. Lightning flashed and thunder rolled across the sky. Rain spattered a mysterious, hooded stranger who peered over the ...more

Pirates of Savannah...."Arrrrrrgghhhh" — 152 members — last activity Feb 01, 2012 08:00AM
This group is for any and all readers of the best swashbuckling, booty-gathering, sea-faring pirate adventure book known to man...Pirates of Savannah ...more

Author Interviews at Tim Greaton Forum... — 85 members — last activity May 05, 2020 12:00AM
Every two or three days, I interview creative people (mostly authors) at www.TimGreatonForum.blogspot.com. This looks like a great place to discuss th ...more

Q&A with Marita A. Hansen — 89 members — last activity Oct 01, 2024 08:07PM
...November 02, 2011 and beyond... Due to some major events happening in November and December for my book "Behind the Hood" I am making myself avail ...more

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Philip’s Friend Comments

Comments (showing 1-13) post a comment »

date

newest »

message 13: by S.J.

Aug 24, 2013 08:06PM

Thank you for the friend request!

SJ Sprague
A PRESENCE IN RUSSELL COUNTY (The Organization Book 1)
MULBERRY (The Organization Book 2)
JESSE BUTTERFLY (The Organization book 3)

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message 12: by Jill

Aug 14, 2013 07:35PM

Philip, it's lovely to meet another mystery writer, and thank you very much for your friendship.

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message 11: by Rick

Aug 14, 2013 08:54AM

Thank you for your friendship, Philip. Getting old does 'get old,' but you do so with grace and generosity.

Rick

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message 10: by Susan

Aug 14, 2013 08:51AM

Hi Philip. Thanks for the friend request. :) If you'd like an ARC copy of my book, The Witch on Twisted Oak in exchange for a fair and honest review just let me know and I'll send it to you. It is a paranormal romantic suspense, heavy on the suspense part.

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message 9: by Rai

May 21, 2012 12:50PM

Hi Phillip,

It's very nice to meet you, thank-you for your friendship here on Goodreads!

I wish you continued success with your books!

Cheers,

Rai

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message 8: by Sara

Feb 23, 2012 06:13PM

Philip, thanks for the friendship!

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message 7: by Savannah

Feb 05, 2012 08:55AM

Philip,thank you for the friendship.

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message 6: by Sutton

Sep 26, 2011 07:33AM

Hi Philip! *waving* Great to see you here. Thanks for the friendship.

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message 5: by Stacy

Sep 26, 2011 06:39AM

Philip - Thank you for the friendship!

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message 4: by Philip

Sep 25, 2011 10:48AM

oops - deleted things I shouldn't ... sorry about that

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message 3: by Philip (last edited Aug 28, 2011 03:46AM)

Aug 28, 2011 03:43AM

Sorry: I was chacking something on Amazon and I've clicked the wrong button so my novel 'Who else is There?' is back in review. It should be available again on Tuesday but you can still download it from http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/...

Today only,(Sunday 28/08/2011 please get in touch through my website http://www.philipcatshill.co.uk straight away for a free download code. (Of course I expect a review in return!)

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message 2: by Philip

Aug 21, 2011 07:46AM

Hello Robbi, Yes, I'm back in action. It has taken three weeks to completely rewrite my first novel but I am very happy that I followed your advice about the 'critic'. It has been a useful exercise. I found a program that counted individual words and I was horrified to see how many times I used the same adjectives and adverbs (very, really, and young!)
I think I have added some colour to the novel by ascribing different speech mannerisms to various characters. Only one character says Okay, one other tends to say "fine". This is making them standout as individuals. Also, I managed to squeeze in another sub-plot that takes us into the next book.
I've put it on Smashwords as well as Amazon. Now I must get the second book out there. I am still very grateful for your help and encouragement. Great to have you as a friend.
I have a truelife family novel that I want to get on with as well. As you can see from my profile on various sites my own daughters have kept me estranged for 20 years. Quite out of the blue, I had an Email from my youngest four years ago. (then 31) I want to write the effects this had on me and my current family as a novel but keeping the wording of the original Emails. What followed is almost unbelievable - and doesn't end happily (although the novel might.)

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message 1: by Robbi

Aug 21, 2011 07:09AM