A Sock Full of Bones

Ben Mears

ISBN: 9781912726257

288 Pages

Published Jul 2020

Fiction

Paperback £9.99 Kindle £1.99
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Young private detectives, Banyard and Mingle, are out of money and out of luck when a swindled widow presents a life-changing case.

As clues reveal a treacherous shipwreck and a rotting corpse in a cage, they are confronted by brutal smugglers and ghoulish gawpers in a mystery that could cost them their lives!

However, in a dystopian world of slavery and greed, where silkers rule and threaders serve, it is not just the criminals they will have to fight…

Can justice prevail when the law itself is corrupt?

And how might a sock full of bones help bring it about?

A standalone novel and first in the www.banyardandmingle.com series.

  • A Sock Full of Bones is a glorious mix of Victorian detective investigators, tangled web of plot, characters both nasty and do-good, and a spine-chilling dose of the supernatural.

    Banyard and Mingle’s relationship is a complex mix of well-meant intentions, completely ridiculous ideas, serious detecting skills and a beautiful, mutual friendship that brings a warm touch to every interaction. The supporting characters – including the gawpers – are vivid, and the settings that surround them are evocatively eerie. The story itself is both fun and serious, with social ideals and interactions mixed into the investigation of fraud, deceit and murder.

    If you like you Sherlock Holmes with a heap more supernatural, a dash more social conscience and a Watson who proposes the worst ideas, this is the book for you.

    Kate Coe, Writing & Coe, fantasy author and editor
  • Mears has done for post-apocalyptic fiction what C J Sansom’s Shardlake did for historical fiction. It’s an intriguing mystery, set against a backdrop every bit as convincing and mysterious as Robert Harris’ Second Sleep. The storytelling is compelling, and the characters draw the reader into the story which builds to a climax that is both satisfying and leaving you wanting more… I am already eagerly awaiting the next instalment.

    Rev Dr Simon Woodman, author of The Book of Revelation (SCM Core Text)
  • Although we are transported to a highly imaginative and intriguing world, this is still a classic thriller with a hero born from the finest traditions of doing whatever it takes to solve the case. Whatever your preferences are in a murder mystery or fantasy novel, Ben Mears delivers it, and you suspect this is just the tip of the iceberg for Banyard and Mingle. I for one can’t wait for the next adventure.

    Simon Lupton, Executive Producer (Red Dwarf, Henry IX, Marley’s Ghosts, Zapped – and many more)

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