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C. Toms-Arbel

Goodreads Author

Born

in Hemel Hempstead, The United Kingdom

Website

https://www.ctomsarbel.co.uk/

Genre

Crime, Thriller, Horror

Influences

Thomas Harris
Jack Ketchum
Natsuo Kirino
Ryu Murakami
Hiroshi Takashi
Corm ...more

Member Since

March 2015

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/ctomsarbel

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Born with Talipes, a condition that altered the development of his feet in the womb, Christian frequently navigated the corridors of hospitals throughout his childhood. Amidst those challenging and solitary years, he found solace and joy in the pages of books, kindling a lifelong passion for reading.

From A Series of Unfortunate Events to Artemis Fowl, Tintin to His Dark Materials, Christian devoured any literature he could get his hands on. Immersing himself in the unfathomably beautiful world of fiction was the perfect escape from the painful reality he was living in. Without the support of his amazing family and books, Christian would have struggled weathering the storm.

At nine years old, when Christian first showed an interest in storyte Born with Talipes, a condition that altered the development of his feet in the womb, Christian frequently navigated the corridors of hospitals throughout his childhood. Amidst those challenging and solitary years, he found solace and joy in the pages of books, kindling a lifelong passion for reading.

From A Series of Unfortunate Events to Artemis Fowl, Tintin to His Dark Materials, Christian devoured any literature he could get his hands on. Immersing himself in the unfathomably beautiful world of fiction was the perfect escape from the painful reality he was living in. Without the support of his amazing family and books, Christian would have struggled weathering the storm.

At nine years old, when Christian first showed an interest in storytelling, his parents gifted him a typewriter, and that's when his passion for writing truly flourished. He was captivated by crafting tales of vampires, ghosts, and ghouls, drawing inspiration from the chilling adventures in R.L. Stine's Goosebumps series. The excitement and fear that horror writing evoked in him was something Christian deeply cherished.

Christian's journey in creative writing began at Portsmouth University, where he explored a diverse array of genres and writing styles. This experience pushed him out of his comfort zone, allowing him to dabble in everything from poetry and fan fiction to fairy tales, romance, erotica, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and magical realism. After earning his degree, Christian was fortunate to receive a scholarship for a Creative Writing Master's programme. His thesis project was a novella in the young adult fantasy genre, featuring telekinetic orphaned twins. Despite the positive feedback, Christian realized that this genre wasn't the right fit for me, so he pivoted to a genre where he felt more at home: Crime Fiction.

Writing The Mannequins was a four-year journey where Christian invested his utmost effort and passion. It marks the culmination of over ten years of honing his craft until he found the genre that truly resonated with him. Christian’s aspiration is that readers will derive immense pleasure from this novel, even if it's just a fraction of the joy he experienced in creating it. Presently, Christian is writing the sequel.

Christian currently lives in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, with his wife and son. He works as a Further Education teacher, specializing in English and Creative Writing.
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Average rating: 4.71 · 73 ratings · 53 reviews · 1 distinct work • Similar authors

The Mannequins: A gritty, dark and disturbing psychological crime thriller

4.71 avg rating — 73 ratings — 2 editions

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C. is now following Armando Ramirez, Vix, and Alysia Bastock
Mar 01, 2026 12:51AM
C. and 4 other people liked Amanda's review of The Mannequins: A gritty, dark and disturbing psychological crime thriller: "This is not a genre I normally read or enjoy particularly; however, it was a real page turner and although there were some gruesome descriptions included, I was not deterred from continuing with the book because I needed to know what happened next! T" Read more of this review »
Feb 20, 2026 11:14PM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Mannequins by C. Toms-Arbel. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Mannequins by C. Toms-Arbel <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
C. liked Jo Adams's review of The Mannequins: A gritty, dark and disturbing psychological crime thriller: "Dark, Gripping, and Impossible to Put Down Christian Toms-Arbel’s debut crime thriller is a masterclass in psychological suspense. DS Cora Steele, a talented but inexperienced detective, is thrust into a chilling murder investigation in rural Shropshi" Read more of this review »
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C. liked Reader's review of The Mannequins: A gritty, dark and disturbing psychological crime thriller: "🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 A Haunting, Brilliantly Crafted Masterpiece The Mannequins by C. Toms Arbel is one of those rare novels that reaches out from the page, grabs you by the collar, and refuses to let go. From the very first chapter, Arbel builds an atmosphere so vi" Read more of this review »
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C. answered Goodreads's question: Can you tell us a two-sentence horror story? He woke up to the sound of an Ice Cream Van. He looked at the clock. It was 3 AM.
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