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1120 ratings | 370 reviews | avg rating:4.85

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P. Thompson

Goodreads Author

Born

Ireland

Website

https://pthompsonmysteries.com/

Genre

Mystery, Crime, Fiction

Member Since

October 2016

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/pol65

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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: 4.15 · 47 ratings · 33 reviews · 4 distinct works • Similar authors

	Scarecrow Secrets (Lucy Harford, #1) 4.17 avg rating — 29 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
	Towpath Secrets (Lucy Harford Narrowboat Mysteries #4) 3.50 avg rating — 2 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

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Series by P. Thompson

Lucy Harford (4 books)
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P. Thompson (Goodreads Author)

4.15 avg rating — 47 ratings

P. is Currently Reading

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The Secret History of the Universe: How Ancient Wisdom Made the Modern World

by Jonathan Black

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Sep 29, 2026 01:13AM

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Short Stories in Irish: Beginner level - Book 2

by Bree Brichoniof

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Jun 28, 2026 12:46PM

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Is God a Moral Monster?: Making Sense of the Old Testament God

by Paul Copan

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Jun 23, 2026 11:50PM

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P. rated a book really liked it The Oxford Detective Society (The Oxford Detective Society, #1) by Faith Martin	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
Interesting plot I enjoyed the plot lines and how they were woven together - having a protagonist who writes biographies is a good way to provide a range of mysteries for a series. In this case the blend of the present day and the 1960s gave the story ...more
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P. rated a book it was amazing The Old Ways: A Journey On Foot by Robert Macfarlane (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 wonderful read A book of quite distinct stories, places and people but at the same time the author has an observational approach that weaves them all together. This was a book I took my time at and savoured. I stopped at the end of each chapter - ea ...more
Sep 29, 2026 01:07AM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Old Ways by Robert Macfarlane. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Old Ways by Robert Macfarlane <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
P. rated a book it was amazing THE DRAGONS OF EDEN : Do mysterious texts in Bible carry our ancestors’ theology or a memory of ET contact in the deep past? by Paul Wallis	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
Challenging reading I thoroughly enjoyed this book as the coming together of these two writers offered detailed ideas to consider. Whatever you might think of their conclusions I think the asking of the questions alone makes the book worthwhile: what ...more
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P. rated a book it was amazing Murder In My Backyard (Inspector Ramsay, #2) 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
Detailed and engaging I simply loved this book. The plot was interesting but what made it for me was the sense of place, the feel of season and the realness of the characters. There is a depth to the writing that stayed with me. Some books have me ru ...more
Aug 18, 2026 11:58AM · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Murder In My Backyard by Ann Cleeves. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Murder In My Backyard by Ann Cleeves <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
P. rated a book it was amazing 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
Helpful and enjoyable As I am just a learner of the language I cannot comment on the quality of the Irish text itself, but what I can say is that I thoroughly enjoyed it within my linguistic limitations. To be able to read a story and get the sense o ...more
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P. rated a book it was amazing Miss Pym Disposes by Josephine Tey	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 deep enthralling read A book rooted in the soil of its era but with an approach to story telling that does not age. It offers what can be regarded in many ways as a cosy setting but one in which the people are real, actions have consequences beyond ...more
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Interesting read In many novels, AI systems are portrayed as dangerous or in some way actively threatening to humans. This one is different. AI is advanced but its threat comes, not from its hostility but from its kindness. This was a different and in ...more
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