1111 ratings | 361 reviews | avg rating:4.86

P.’s Year In Books

P.’s 2025 Year in Books

Take a look at P.’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.

Go to P.’s 2025 Year in Books

P. Thompson’s Followers (10)

P.’s Bookshelves

to-read (0)
currently-reading (9)
read (1121)
did-not-finish (0)

P.’s Friends (8)

Lindsay Bell

3,737 books | 540 friends

Vishnu Pingali

29 books | 301 friends

David Woods

147 books | 215 friends

Steve Exeter

559 books | 627 friends

Gideon Rex

0 books | 392 friends

David Canford

869 books | 54 friends

André

204 books | 78 friends

Elle

33 books | 241 friends

P. Thompson

Goodreads Author

Born

Ireland

Website

https://pthompsonmysteries.com/

Genre

Mystery, Crime, Fiction

Member Since

October 2016

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/pol65

edit data

I came to cozy mystery writing through years of listening, in work that placed me alongside people during the most difficult moments of their lives — sitting with grief, navigating conflict, witnessing the complicated ways communities hold together and fall apart. That experience taught me something that shapes every book I write: people are rarely simple, motives are rarely clean, and the most interesting truths are usually the ones nobody is saying aloud.

I created Lucy Harford because I wanted to write mysteries where the puzzle is satisfying and the people caught up in it feel real. Lucy is a former police constable who left the force after a career-ending injury and now lives aboard her narrowboat The Curious Cat, painting watercolours I came to cozy mystery writing through years of listening, in work that placed me alongside people during the most difficult moments of their lives — sitting with grief, navigating conflict, witnessing the complicated ways communities hold together and fall apart. That experience taught me something that shapes every book I write: people are rarely simple, motives are rarely clean, and the most interesting truths are usually the ones nobody is saying aloud.

I created Lucy Harford because I wanted to write mysteries where the puzzle is satisfying and the people caught up in it feel real. Lucy is a former police constable who left the force after a career-ending injury and now lives aboard her narrowboat The Curious Cat, painting watercolours and travelling England’s canal network. She didn’t plan on solving murders. But she has an artist’s eye for detail, a detective’s instinct for the things people would rather keep hidden, and a sense of justice that won’t let her walk away. Her companion Sir Meows-a-Lot — a formerly stray ginger cat with impeccable timing and questionable respect for boundaries — makes sure life aboard is never entirely peaceful.

I’ve walked England’s canal towpaths, cycled the lanes and villages, and I know the landscapes and communities Lucy travels through — the beauty, the quiet tensions, the way a place can look idyllic from the towpath and turn out to be holding its breath. My writing draws on that firsthand knowledge, and on an understanding of village and small-town life that comes from being embedded in it for a long time.

These are mysteries for readers who want more than a puzzle. The crimes are solved through observation, intelligence, and genuine understanding of people. The communities Lucy passes through are warm and complicated in equal measure. And the stories ask questions that stay with you — about how we remake ourselves after loss, what we owe each other, and what happens when the secrets a community has been keeping finally surface.

When I’m not writing, I’m most likely on a country lane or towpath somewhere, discovering the places that will become Lucy’s next destination. At home, a calico cat provides editorial oversight of varying quality. ...more

Combine Editions
P. Thompson’s books

Average rating: 4.18 · 44 ratings · 31 reviews · 3 distinct works • Similar authors

	Scarecrow Secrets (Lucy Harford, #1) 4.18 avg rating — 28 ratings — 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
	Hidden Secrets (Lucy Harford, #2) 4.17 avg rating — 12 ratings — 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
	Theatre Secrets (Lucy Harford, #3) 4.25 avg rating — 4 ratings — 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

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

Series by P. Thompson

Lucy Harford (3 books)
by

P. Thompson (Goodreads Author)

4.18 avg rating — 44 ratings

P. is Currently Reading

P. is currently reading

The Long Call (Two Rivers, #1)

by Ann Cleeves (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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 21, 2026 06:01AM

P. is currently reading

Short Stories in Irish: Beginner Level - Book 1

by Bree Brichoniof

bookshelves: currently-reading

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

Jun 28, 2026 02:00PM

P. is currently reading

Short Stories in Irish: Beginner level - Book 2

by Bree Brichoniof

bookshelves: currently-reading

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

Jun 28, 2026 12:46PM

rss
P.’s Recent Updates

P. made a comment in the group Goodreads Librarians Group — Book needs moved to correct author topic " My book, Towpath Secrets - A Lucy Harford Narrowboat Mystery, book 4 (by P. Thompson) is linked to the wrong author of the same name as me on Goodread ...more "
1 hour, 42 min ago
P. is currently reading The Long Call (Two Rivers, #1) by Ann Cleeves (Goodreads Author)	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 21, 2026 06:01AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Long Call by Ann Cleeves. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Long Call by Ann Cleeves <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
P. rated a book it was amazing Faithful Place by Tana French (Goodreads Author)	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
A difficult story but one to savour An enjoyable, but also profoundly painful and detailed story of life as lived by one family in one street in the Liberties area of Dublin - told as it is experienced by one of that family. A book to savour and linge ...more
Jul 21, 2026 04:10AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Faithful Place by Tana French. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Faithful Place by Tana French <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
P. rated a book it was amazing The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien	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
Enjoyable as ever This is, I think, probably my fourth or fifth re-read of The Hobbit and it was still as enjoyable as my first time to encounter it. It can be read on several levels and that is, for me, one of the great things about it. It can be jus ...more
Jul 21, 2026 04:06AM · like · see review
P. is currently reading Short Stories in Irish: Beginner Level - Book 1 by Bree Brichoniof	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
Jun 28, 2026 02:00PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Short Stories in Irish by Bree Brichoniof. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Short Stories in Irish by Bree Brichoniof <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
P. is currently reading Short Stories in Irish: Beginner level - Book 2 by Bree Brichoniof	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
Jun 28, 2026 12:46PM · like
P. is currently reading Faithful Place by Tana French (Goodreads Author)	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
Jun 28, 2026 06:49AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Faithful Place by Tana French. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Faithful Place by Tana French <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
P. is currently reading Is God a Moral Monster?: Making Sense of the Old Testament God by Paul Copan	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
Jun 23, 2026 11:50PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Is God a Moral Monster? by Paul Copan. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Is God a Moral Monster? by Paul Copan <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
P. rated a book really liked it The Salt House by Sharon Calleja (Goodreads Author)	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
Reflective read I enjoyed this book - although sometimes the changes in the POV threw me a little, but that could be more about the way I like to read. It was a mystery story, a romance and an other-worldly tale all intertwined. The varied prose style ...more
Jun 20, 2026 12:09PM · like · see review
P. rated a book it was amazing Reservoir 13 by Jon McGregor	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
Intriguing read I loved this unusual, different, intriguing book. Yes, a young girl is missing and that is the point and is also not the point - life goes on, and the novel is a reflection of what that means for villagers over the subsequent years. Th ...more
Jun 17, 2026 11:19AM · like · see review