Kill Clock (11 page)
Authors: Allan Guthrie
Devon took his hand. "I can read you a bedtime story if you want."
He smiled at her. "I won't be staying. But thanks."
"Maybe tomorrow?"
"Maybe."
He was walking up to his front door with Hilda when footsteps clacked behind him. He turned and was face to face with a couple of uniforms, him-and-her versions, the him with a tapered cat-like chin and the her a head taller with a fat scar above her eye that made it look like she had an extra eyebrow.
"Gordon Pearce?" Cat Boy had one hand on his walkie-talkie, the other by his side, ready to reach for his baton.
Pearce breathed in. "That was quick."
"Are you Mr Gordon Pearce?"
"Guilty."
"We'd like you to come down to the station." PC Eyebrow leaned forward on the toes of her ugly black shoes. "Answer a few questions."
Ah, well. It was going to happen sooner or later. "No point denying it, is there?"
Cat Boy stepped to the side, swept an arm to show Pearce he wanted him to walk in front. "If you wouldn't mind …"
He took a couple of steps. "How did you know it was me?"
"The witnesses at the pub. They described you. Couple of them knew your name. And your dog's fairly distinctive."
Pearce let out a small laugh. "Is this about the damaged car?"
Cat Boy frowned. "What else would it be about?"
What else, indeed?
###
Two-Way Split
For Robin Greaves, today is no ordinary day. But then, he's no ordinary man.
A set of compromising photos triggers Robin into planning revenge on the people closest to him. But one bungled post office robbery later, he finds himself stalked by the police, a couple of sleazy private detectives, and a cold-blooded killer who won't rest until Robin's dead.
Surely it's all too much for one man to handle. Especially when he hasn't been taking his medication.
Two-Way Split
is a lean and muscular crime thriller with some hard-hitting violence and a seriously twisted dark side.
Winner of the Theakston's Crime Novel of the Year and shortlisted for the Crime Writers' Association Debut Dagger award.
Winner of the Spinetingler Award for Best Novel (Rising Star) and short-listed for the Last Laugh Award,
Bad Men
is "… the most extraordinary white-knuckle ride of violent chaos and deathly dark humour I have ever come across" – The Herald
First published under the title
Hard Man
and described by critics as 'a Grand Guignol masterpiece', 'a Buster Keaton movie with bloodshed' and 'an updated and X-rated version of Hamlet',
Bad Men
is a blackly comic over-the-top crime novel for readers with a strong stomach and a robust sense of humour.
Edinburgh hard man, Pearce, just wants to be left alone. But the Baxter family has other ideas. When 16-year-old May Baxter gets on the wrong side of her psycho husband, Wallace, Pearce is invited to protect her. At first he declines. But then things start to get personal…
A short story about a tough little dog, and three bonus stories.
Hilda's Big Day Out
was commissioned by the Sunday Mail as its seasonal short story. It's a tale of violence, abduction, and pilchards, told from the perspective of a Dandie Dinmont terrier called Hilda, who's whisked away from a deserted Edinburgh beach by a skinny stranger on New Year's Day.
Also included are three non-Hilda stories:
Your Mother Should Know
was commissioned as part of Nigel Bird and Chris Rhatigan's
Pulp Ink
anthology. It's the story of Southern teen from a repressed background who has issues with her mother and a boyfriend she wants to impress. Unfortunately, her attempt to impress him doesn't work out as planned.
Bye Bye Baby
was commissioned by Victim Support Scotland for their
Shattered: Every Crime Has A Victim
anthology. The story's narrated by Mrs Wilson, whose young son, Bruce, has disappeared without trace. She's grief-stricken and angry and a little drunk, but there's something deeper and more heartbreaking than initially meets the eye of the detectives who pay her a visit. This is the original story that spawned the author's Top Ten Kindle novella of the same name.
Call Me, I'm Dying
was commissioned by Busted Flush Press for
A Hell Of A Woman: An Anthology Of Female Noir
, edited by Megan Abbott. A couple having a meal on their wedding anniversary are not what they seem. An unusual phone call helps reveal the truth, but is it too late?
novels
Slammer
UK
Savage Night
UK
novellas
Allan Guthrie is an award-winning Scottish crime writer and co-founder of digital publisher,
Blasted Heath
. His debut novel, TWO-WAY SPLIT, was shortlisted for the CWA Debut Dagger award and went on to win the Theakston's Crime Novel Of The Year. He is the author of four other novels: KISS HER GOODBYE (nominated for an Edgar), HARD MAN, SAVAGE NIGHT and SLAMMER and three novellas: KILL CLOCK, KILLING MUM and BYE BYE BABY, a Top Ten Kindle Bestseller. When he's not writing and publishing, he's a literary agent with Jenny Brown Associates.
Visit Allan's website at:
http://www.allanguthrie.co.uk
Visit Criminal-E, Allan's ebook crime fiction blog, at:
http://criminal-e.blogspot.com