Introducing: The Penny Detective
John Tallon Jones
As private detectives go, Morris Shannon is not up there with the likes of Poirot or Sherlock Holmes. He is considering giving up detecting and buying a high-class fish and chip van business when Karl Ashford walks into his office and changes those plans forever.
From recovering stray cats and dogs for their owners, and taking pictures of dangerous cracks in pavements, he is plunged into a brutal murder investigation that has more twists and blind alleys, than something with quite a lot of twists and blind alleys.
Backed up by his alcoholic and seldom sober sidekick Shoddy, Morris chases the truth through the backwaters of Liverpool, determined to get his man (or woman).
The Penny Detective will keep you in suspense until the last page, and provide a few laughs along the way, as you begin to see just how useless at detecting Morris is.
Step into the shady and utterly grubby world of Morris and Shoddy as they take on the first proper case they have ever investigated, and see if you can guess who the killer is because that just maybe the only way that you get to find out.
This is the first book in the Penny Detective series.
WARNING: This Book will not be a life-changing experience
Fans of intellectual literature should look away now or try something more classical. All Penny Detective books contain no messages, big words or complicated plots, but they will, hopefully, while away a couple of hours and entertain. If you are still not convinced, the terrific thing about Amazon is that you can read the first couple of chapters for free. Believe me; these books don't get any better or worse after that.
John Tallon Jones (Author)
John Tallon Jones is to literary intellectuals what John Milton (Paradise Lost) and Leo Tolstoy were, to having a 'good laugh.' This is disposable fiction at the sharp end, nothing more.
What are people saying about the Penny Detective?
Post Online
The author has made the main character, Morris Shannon, vulnerable and sarcastic, and I can relate to this, as will most readers. The creation of an alcoholic but brilliant sidekick is inspirational, and this alone makes it different from anything else you will read.
Kindle Detective Stories
A fantastic read from start to finish. If I had a problem, I would definitely not hire Morris and Shoddy to sort it out.
An absorbing insight into the seedier side of detecting; Morris has a black sense of humour, and the storyline is engrossing and very edgy
The Chester Standard (free paper)
Chester's own author comes up five-stars again in this gripping yarn, with comedy as black as a darkened room. Recommended reading for anyone that loves a good old fashioned whodunit:
Goodreads
This is a fabulous book that builds tension and sets an atmosphere that at times is frightening but never dull. Original with a twist.
Eastern Press Reviews
Probably one of my top ten reads so far this year
A colourful cast of characters and locations reminiscent of Guy Ritchie films. The dialogue and characters seem very authentic.
Liverpool Echo
Take Hercule Poirot, Philip Marlowe, and Inspector Clouseau, rolled into one, and you have the Penny Detective. This is a highly imaginative five-star read.
The Irish Gazette (free journal)
Well developed plot and characters. You can't help but fall in love with Morris or feel sorry for his long-suffering sidekick.