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203 ratings | 187 reviews | avg rating:4.49

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Marc Nash

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Andrew K. Lawston

Goodreads Author

Born

in Salisbury, The United Kingdom

Website

http://andrewlawston.blogspot.co.uk

Twitter

alawston

Genre

Humor and Comedy, Literature & Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy

Influences

Terry Pratchett, The League of Gentlemen, Paul Magrs, Albert Camus, Do ...more

Member Since

April 2012

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/andrewlawston

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Andrew K. Lawston writes quirky comedy fiction over a variety of genres. His writing is infused with the kind of worldview that comes from watching a lot of French cinema and Doctor Who (not necessarily in that order), and reading a lot of Pratchett, Dickens and Shakespeare.

His best-known series is Detective Daintypaws - the adventures of a crime-solving cat in the south west London suburb of Barnes. Detective Daintypaws is unashamedly modelled on his own cat Buscemi, who passed away at the venerable age of 19 and a half in September 2024. The Detective Daintypaws series concluded in February 2026, as it proved too painful to write about such an extraordinary cat after she'd gone.

With a degree in French, Andrew also translates classic Frenc ...more

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Combine Editions
Andrew K. Lawston’s books

Average rating: 4.08 · 717 ratings · 151 reviews · 54 distinct works • Similar authors

	Something Nice - 10 Stories 4.30 avg rating — 37 ratings — published 2012	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
	Detective Daintypaws: A Squirrel in Bohemia 3.84 avg rating — 38 ratings — published 2020 — 4 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
	Apocalypse Barnes (The Gentrified Dead #1) 4.32 avg rating — 19 ratings — published 2017 — 4 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
	Detective Daintypaws: Buscemi at Christmas 3.81 avg rating — 21 ratings — published 2020 — 4 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
	Something Nicer 4.50 avg rating — 10 ratings — published 2015	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
	Detective Daintypaws: Murder on the Tesco Express 4.71 avg rating — 7 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
	Detective Daintypaws: Nicking Ben Cloppers: Crime-Solving Cat Adventures 4.71 avg rating — 7 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
	Voyage of the Space Bastard 3.38 avg rating — 8 ratings — published 2018 — 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
	Zip! Zap! Boing! (Starship Troupers #1) 4.25 avg rating — 4 ratings — published 2018 — 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
	Killing Me Softly? An Examination of the Depiction of Violence in the Early Films of Jean-Luc Godard (1960-1967) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 3 ratings — published 2002 — 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

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Andrew K. Lawston's Blog

Noor Inayat Khan (1914-1944)

Today, the UK has been remembering Noor Inayat Khan, a British Muslim who was the first female radio operator sent into Nazi-occupied France. English Heritage have erected one of their iconic blue plaques at the flat where she lived in Bloomsbury from 1942-43, and they've put together detailed information on her life and heroic exploits which you can read here.

I was struck by the detail that prior

Series by Andrew K. Lawston

Detective Daintypaws (4 books)
by

Andrew K. Lawston (Goodreads Author)

really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 73 ratings

Starship Troupers Initiative Universe (2 books)
by

Andrew K. Lawston (Goodreads Author)

3.67 avg rating — 12 ratings

Andrew is Currently Reading

Andrew Lawston is currently reading

The Dynamite Room

by Jason Hewitt (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Apr 04, 2014 02:44AM

Andrew Lawston is currently reading

Les Misérables

by Victor Hugo

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Mar 14, 2013 02:14AM

Andrew Lawston is currently reading

London Falling (Shadow Police, #1)

by Paul Cornell (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Dec 07, 2012 02:13AM

Andrew’s Recent Updates

Andrew Lawston rated a book really liked it Alita: Battle Angel by Pat Cadigan (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
Having recently read the novelisation of Matt Damon vehicle The Great Wall, I was in the mood for more "book of the film" style reads, as they were such a huge part of my reading life when I was growing up. My copy of Pat Cadigan's novelisation of re ...more
Nov 09, 2026 01:17PM · 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 Alita by Pat Cadigan. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Alita by Pat Cadigan <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Andrew Lawston rated a book liked it Black Valley Farm by Sheila Bugler (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
I'm not quite sure why I had an uncorrected proof copy of this 2023 thriller, I suspect it was from a couple of jobs ago on a magazine with a book review column. But I figured it would be a quick and undemanding read, and I was right. Ten years ago th ...more
Nov 04, 2026 08:04AM · 1 like · like · see review
Andrew Lawston rated a book it was amazing Clerical Error (Caverns & Creatures) by Robert Bevan (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
Another short read from the C&C universe. Dave the dwarf cleric is forced to atone for displeasing the gods. Like most of the shorts it's a simple comic tale that takes place at no particular point in the main series, but you probably need to have re ...more
Nov 02, 2026 01:12AM · 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 Clerical Error by Robert Bevan. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Clerical Error by Robert Bevan <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Andrew Lawston rated a book liked it Hunting Party (The Serrano Legacy, #1) by Elizabeth Moon	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
It's a book of two halves. The first half is lo-fi spaceship adventures, while the second half is a more planet-bound yarn of... fox-hunting in the far future. No, really. And when the spoiled young people who provide comic relief in the first half g ...more
Oct 30, 2026 09:41AM · 1 like · like · see review
Andrew Lawston rated a book liked it Originators (Netherspace #2) by Andrew Lane	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
So I read the second book in a trilogy, I probably shouldn't be surprised that it felt less than spectacular. This was a pretty solid globe-trotting SF adventure for much of the book, but also slightly low key as presumably EPIC things are reserved f ...more
Oct 09, 2026 12:54AM · 1 like · like · see review
Andrew Lawston rated a book really liked it Deathworld 1 (Deathworld, #1) by Harry Harrison	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
Another brisk reread of a golden oldie. While Dr Bloodmoney struck me as a character piece on my recent reread, despite its epic scope and global implications, Deathworld, which I remembered more as the happy go-lucky adventures of the improbably-nam ...more
Sep 30, 2026 02:55PM · 1 like · like · see review
Andrew Lawston liked Estelle Robinson's status update Estelle Robinson is on page 88 of 121 of The Uncommon Reader
Sep 27, 2026 02:38AM · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Andrew Lawston rated a book it was amazing Dr Bloodmoney by Philip K. Dick	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
This was I think the third time I'd read this one. I've read a lot of Philip K. Dick's books and this one always passed me by slightly. This time it landed a lot more heavily. It's a more character-led piece than a lot of Dick's more plot-heavy, leve ...more
Sep 26, 2026 03:28AM · 2 likes · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Dr Bloodmoney by Philip K. Dick. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Dr Bloodmoney by Philip K. Dick <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Andrew Lawston rated a book it was amazing Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury	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
I went through a big Ray Bradbury phase and I thought I'd read this. I'm still not completely sure I hadn't, but it was Francois Truffaut's film that played in my head as I read this classic. I am a huge Truffaut fan, but frankly I'm not sure he did t ...more
Sep 16, 2026 10:25AM · 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 Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Andrew Lawston liked Andrew Oakes's review of Fahrenheit 451: "Another reason not to get a Kindle."
Sep 14, 2026 08:47AM · see review

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Quotes by Andrew K. Lawston (?)

“While I prepared to poison my girlfriend, I sorted through the previous day’s post”
― Andrew K. Lawston, A Splendid Salmagundi

tags: poison, salmagundi

6 likes

“I’m Detective Daintypaws, and you’re nicked! By the power vested in me by, uh, a waiter who turned out to be the twisted pawn of an insane primal deity, I’m arresting you on suspicion of grand theft cheese - I’ll think of a clever pun later, I’m sure there is one.”
― Andrew K. Lawston, Detective Daintypaws: Buscemi at Christmas

0 likes

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
Indie-Licious: What are you reading?	16	42	Jan 28, 2013 08:27AM
Book Haven: 2012 What am I Reading?	1114	1073	Aug 22, 2013 11:51AM
UK Amazon Kindle ...: Self Challenge. Jay-me's second challenge - 2012 - Our Authors	71	100	Jan 27, 2014 12:08AM
UK Amazon Kindle ...: Drabbles Needed! Authors, have a go.	1153	276	Feb 20, 2019 03:47AM
Action/Adventure ...: * What are you reading now?	5321	1007	Jul 28, 2026 12:58PM
~Readers Sharing ...: Short Stories	391	130	Oct 11, 2026 05:56AM
Making Connections: * What are you Reading?	1986	2241	Nov 06, 2026 07:41AM

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Andrew’s Quotes

“It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.”
― George Orwell, 1984

tags: april, dystopia, first-sentence, opening-lines

2663 likes

“Real stupidity beats artificial intelligence every time.”
― Terry Pratchett, Hogfather

2202 likes

“When art critics get together they talk about Form and Structure and Meaning. When artists get together they talk about where you can buy cheap turpentine.”
― Pablo Picasso

tags: art, criticism

190 likes

“While I prepared to poison my girlfriend, I sorted through the previous day’s post”
― Andrew K. Lawston, A Splendid Salmagundi

tags: poison, salmagundi

6 likes

“What does a scanner see? he asked himself. I mean, really see? Into the head? Down into the heart? Does a passive infrared scanner like they used to use or a cube-type holo-scanner like they use these days, the latest thing, see into me - into us - clearly or darkly? I hope it does, he thought, see clearly, because I can't any longer these days see into myself. I see only murk. Murk outside; murk inside. I hope, for everyone's sake, the scanners do better. Because, he thought, if the scanner sees only darkly, the way I myself do, then we are cursed, cursed again and like we have been continually, and we'll wind up dead this way, knowing very little and getting that little fragment wrong too.”
― Philip K. Dick, A Scanner Darkly