Set in a quasi-Victorian post-apocalyptic world
A fascinating mystery to solve
Reminiscent of Dickensian London
Rich in detail and contemporary themes
Standalone novel
Second in the Banyard and Mingle mystery series
Following their success recovering King Doon’s bones, Banyard and Mingle’s services are in high demand. But when a mysterious green-ink letter claims Michael Banyard’s dead father was murdered, he is compelled to reopen a long-forgotten case. Pursuing clues to a powerful, clandestine order and a missing young woman, the duo confront vengeful enemies and shocking truths – and then there’s Willow, a runaway slave, who bursts back into Josiah Mingle’s life with deadly effect! With gawpers haunting and a murderer closing in, can they survive long enough to see the case through? And if the ‘green ink ghost’ is revealed, will it be too late for justice to be done?
Woven into the plot are strong themes that are very relevant to our current world: confronting slavery, social injustice and people-trafficking, abuse, the value of friendship, forgiveness, and seeking to give the downtrodden self-respect and dignity.
Fellow author Julian Roderick comments, ‘This is a real page-turner. The characters draw the reader in to the class divide between the silkers and the threaders, and after a few pages you are there on the streets of Old Camdon with Michael Banyard and Josiah Mingle as they attempt to unravel the information they are receiving from a mysterious letter writer. The vivid descriptions of the surroundings and people allow you to stand alongside the private investigators on every step of their earnest, funny and soul-searching quest for the truth. Prepare to be taken on a well-written, winding road through the incredible imagination of Ben Mears.’
Publisher Dr Alistair Sims writes, ‘Ben Mears goes from strength to strength as a writer and storyteller. A voice that latches on to you and doesn’t let go until the end.’
Ben says, ‘I’m particularly fond of this book as the main characters are really in their stride now. It’s also a little edgier than the first in the series: A Sock Full of Bones.’
The Green Ink Ghost by Ben Mears (ISBN: 9781912726325) is published by Instant Apostle and is available on 20th November 2020 from Christian bookshops, bookstores and online retailers. Fiction, paperback, 288pp, £9.99.