Blood on Shakespeare’s Typewriter by Mark Eklid

09 Nov Blood on Shakespeare’s Typewriter by Mark Eklid

Posted at 09:21 in blogtour, Crime, Thriller by Karen Byrom 0 Comments

Out, damn spot, as our heroine Shannon never said!
*****
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You can’t pass up on a book with a title like this one – I must admit that for a split second I was expecting a sixteenth century murder mystery until I remembered that typewriters had yet to be invented in the bard’s time!

That’s not a consideration for our young hero Dan when he buys what he believes is Shakespeare’s typewriter from dodgy Fingerless Frankie. Girlfriend Shannon isn’t so sure but allows herself to be convinced by the letter of authentication that accompanies it, written in biro ink…

Inspired by owning what he thinks is a piece of the playwright, Dan decides to write his own masterpiece – but then Fingerless Frankie demands the typewriter back, and before they know it, the hapless young couple are caught up in the machinations of a criminal gang who will stop at nothing to get their hands on the typewriter, and the secret it is hiding.

The police can’t protect them, and so begins a cat and mouse game that involves robbery, car chases, beatings and murder.

Is ownership of the typewriter worth it?

One thing is for sure, Dan and Shannon are not giving it up without a fight!

Fast-paced and thrilling

This was a great read. It hooked me in from the first page, with its unlikely premise of a typewriter belonging to Shakespeare, and quickly gripped me with its fast-moving and thrilling plot.

And the humour of the writing is spot on. I think my favourite line might be Shannon’s advice to Dan to “Google how to use a typewriter” but there is plenty more to choose from.

Though the writing is humorous, don’t mistake this story for cosy crime – it soon takes a dark turn, and the criminals are pretty nasty people who will stop at nothing to get what they want.

Well, why do we think Frankie is called “Fingerless”?

Along with the humour, the thrills and the darkness, author Mark Eklid also brings emotion and pathos to the story – in the solid love Dan and Shannon have for each other; the loyal friendship of their friend Hermie; and the courage and tenacity of their would-be saviour Em, who wants the typewriter as badly as anyone, for her own reasons.

For sheer entertainment, I’d recommend this book to murder-mystery and non-murder-mystery fans alike.

It’s clever, it’s funny, it’s gripping. It delivers on all counts.

But I so want Dan to finish the story he starts on the typewriter – it looked like it could be a masterpiece in its own right!

Blood on Shakespeare’s Typewriter by Mark Eklid is published by Spellbound Books in ebook

About the Author

Mark Eklid was a newspaper journalist before turning to full-time fiction writing.

The Murder of Miss Perfect was his first novel for SpellBound Books, followed by Blood on Shakespeare’s Typewriter. Mark has previously self-published Sunbeam, Family Business and Catalyst All five are fast-moving, plot-twisting thrillers set in the city of his birth, Sheffield.

Mark lives in Derby with his partner, Sue. They have two adult sons and have been adopted by a cat.

Follow him on X @MarkEklid