David Fennell's Blog, page 2

The Silent Man in the Financial Times

Delighted to get this wonderful review of The Silent Man in the Financial Times this week.

"Fennell’s agenda here is the ratcheting up of suspense, and that’s done with aplomb."

And sharing column space with Stephen King's Holly, which I'm reading at the moment (and loving). It's the closet I'll ever get to his greatness.

How city living feeds into writing crime fiction

I recently wrote for the Belfast Telegraph on how city living feeds into writing crime fiction. Click below to read the article.

The Silent Man Goldsboro Books edition

The special Goldsboro Books edition of The Silent Man is out now and selling fast. Look at those spredges. They are STUNNING. It's a signed first edition, only 500 printed so get in quick.

https://www.goldsborobooks.com/product/the-silent-man

The Silent Man at Capital Crime 23

To mark the opening of Capital Crime 23, and the launch of The Silent Man, an offer with 15% off the Thursday day pass is now available. Just enter the promo code SILENTMAN15 before you pay online. You get access to all the events including The Silent Man launch party.

Buy here: Capital Crime Thursday Day Pass PROMO CODE: SILENTMAN15

Hope you can make it and look forward to meeting you.

David

Reykjavík 2016

Came across this picture from my first trip to Reykjavík, Iceland back in 2016. Looking happy (yes this is my happy face) and making a statement with my too cool for school Orwell 1984 tee shirt. This must be summertime. When else would anyone ever wear tees in Iceland? The pic was taken in the Laundromat cafe by my partner. It was the year before I became a published author. The build up was exciting, I was at the beginning of a new journey. They were good times. But that changed in December, which marked the beginning of one of the hardest periods of my life. Just before Christmas my wonderful mum suddenly passed away. I miss her everyday. I think about her everyday. She loved to read and had wanted to travel to Iceland. She would have been so proud of her son becoming a writer.

Without rolling out a cliche, don't ever take your loved ones for granted. You just don't know what tomorrow will bring. Anyway, Iceland is cool.

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The Silent Man … is coming

What you do, don't make a sound...

Really happy to reveal the stunning cover for the third in the Archer and Quinn series, The Silent Man. Like its predecessors, the designers have kept it on brand and created an unsettling yet beautiful cover. I really hope you love it as much as I do. Publishing in September, 2023.

A father is murdered in the dead of night in his London home, his head wrapped tightly in tape, a crude sad face penned over his facial features. But the victim's only child is left alive and unharmed at the scene.

Met Police detectives Grace Archer and Harry Quinn have more immediate concerns. Notorious gangster Frankie White has placed a target on Archer's back, and there's no one he won't harm to get to her.

Then a second family is murdered, leaving young Uma Whitmore as the only survivor. Once again the victim's face is found wrapped and inked.

With a serial killer at large, DI Archer and DS Quinn must stay alive long enough to find the connection between these seemingly random victims. Can they do it before another child is made an orphan?

Cover reveal of my new book

I'm excited to share the cover and title of my new crime thriller, See No Evil, publishing 28.4.2022. I really love the design and would love to know what you think. Feel free to start a conversation with me on your favourite social - Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or TikTok - using the #SeeNoEvil hashtag.

What's it about? Two men are found dead in London's Battersea Park. One of the bodies has been laid out like a crucifix - with his eyes removed and placed on his open palms. As more bodies turn up in a similar fashion, Archer and her caustic DS, Harry Quinn, race against the clock to find the sadistic killer. At the same time Archer struggles to come to terms with her PTSD while battling her way through religious fanatics, London gangsters - and the demons from her childhood . . .

Get The Art of Death delivered straight to your home

Don’t let lockdown stop you ordering books. Click your preferred retailer from the list below and have The Art Of Death delivered straight to your home.

What authors are saying about The Art of Death

I was lucky to have some top authors read and provide a quote for The Art of Death before publication. I can't thank them enough for their generosity and support.

10 Top Tracks to Write to

I almost always listen to music when I write. My extensive digital playlist is mostly made up of music from movies, and some classical too. They are songs that I have fallen in love with, and listen to over and over. I was wondering which tracks I listened to most and couldn't quite nail it. I then reached out and asked the Spotify bot, and was surprised at the results.

When I'm in the zone, writing or editing, I almost always listen to music. That said, I can't listen to any tunes with singing. The words are too distracting and take over my limited headspace. Classical is good, yet can lack the drama I need to lose myself. Soundtracks are my thing. Always have been since I saw my first spaghetti western with Ennio Morricone's haunting score. I was hooked and have been ever since.

I was trying to figure out what I listened to most and couldn't quite work out what my top tunes were. So, I took to Spotify and ran their Top Tracks feature, and, have to admit, was surprised at the results. I don't write slow books; the opposite, in fact, yet, with the exception of one or two tracks, almost every one of these songs is pure melancholia. Perhaps that's what I need to write pacy books. Who knew?

I'm always looking for new music so if you have any recommendations, please tweet me at @davyfennell

Variation 15

Benjamin Wallfisch, Edward Elgar • Dunkirk (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Goodbye Brother

From The "Game Of Thrones" Soundtrack

Ramin Djawadi • Game Of Thrones (Music From The HBO Series)

Song for Bob

Nick Cave, Warren Ellis • The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford

Life

Marc Streitenfeld • Prometheus

Walk to School

Philip Glass, Paul Leonard-Morgan • Tales from the Loop (Original Soundtrack)

Cloud Atlas Finale

Tom Tykwer, Johnny Klimek, Reinhold Heil, Kristjan Järvi, MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra • Cloud Atlas

A Small Measure of Peace

Hans Zimmer • The Last Samurai: Original Motion Picture Score

Dr. Ford

Ramin Djawadi • Westworld: Season 1 (Music from the HBO Series)

Evenstar

Howard Shore, Isabel Bayrakdarian • The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Gravity

Steven Price • Gravity (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)