Coming soon preview: Crossing the Line
Our sleuth is called back to head office to be sent on a dangerous mission to face a ruthless foe in deepest rural England.
The online home of Yarraboy Editorial Services
Books
WORDS, reading, writing. They have dominated my life since first being stimulated by the stories read to me by my parents, and the meaningless scrawls I scribed as an infant on whatever paper was nearby.
Rarely have I been without something I felt the urge to read; books galore, newspapers and magazines, fact or fiction, prose or verse, even manuals, brochures and menus. Whatever is to hand.
Reading is a constant, an endless source of learning, knowledge and pleasure.
Likewise with writing. Forever penning sentences since way back when. From being a regular pre-teen winner of writing competitions in the local newspaper to becoming a fully-fledged author of fact and fiction several decades later.
The progression was relentless, even during National Service and despite detours into work as a butcher, a travel agent, cook and restaurateur. Writing and books were always my solace and companions.
Not even the scorn and disgust of my headmaster or my mother’s shocked gasp when I announced I was rejecting university in favour of an apprenticeship as a journalist could deter me.
“You could be a lawyer, doctor, accountant,” they chorused. Yeah, right.
Instead, I ploughed my own furrow as reporter, columnist, feature writer and editor. Travelling the world to report and comment, meeting and mixing with the famous and infamous, palaces and slums, luxurious retreats and scary war zones, the pompous and the humble, shallow show ponies and modest high achievers.
A wonderful life with work as a daily pleasure while crafting my own words and those of many others. And reading, reading, reading.
The culmination was the appearance from nowhere of Bromo Perkins as I dreamily sipped my morning long black in a Melbourne café. He came unbidden, told me his story and my delayed ambition to create a book was fulfilled.
Six books later (one in progress) he remains a persistent companion. Therefore I continue to write, as much for my own distraction and pleasure as for that of any possible reader.
In between, I devour the works of those far more talented than I, and encourage others along the path to publication.
Books, books, books; words, words, words. Welcome to my world
My books
Bromo, book six – an extract
Celtic Skeletons
The illustrated sequel to From Paupers to iPads sees an Englishman unearth hitherto unknown close ties to Wales, Scotland and Cornwall, where he now lives.
Death Comes By Drone
Old foes return; what seem like small-time local crimes bring Bromo into murderous conflict with former enemies from afar.
Twisted Trees
Family ties can kill, as Bromo discovers when he has to dig deep into a respected businessman’s hidden past.
Death by Diamonds
The past catches up: old battles and forgotten foes bring deadly danger to Bromo’s door and to his beloved daughter.
Washed Up
Never a moment’s peace: the riverside discovery of a young woman’s body shatters Bromo’s hopes of a quiet life.
Done Deal
Where it all began: the award-winning book that introduces disgraced undercover and reluctant sleuth Bromo Perkins.
From Paupers to iPads: a Journey Through Seven Generations
One for family historians: a journey of surprising discoveries across six generations of my ancestors in the UK and much further afield.
Reviews and Commentary
Cuddles for goals but not for grandma
Living, coping and observing in the age of Covid 04 Jan 2021: THOUGHT for the day: money does not buy brains. Nor can it buy common sense, or consideration for others or the community at
Resolving not to make a resolution
Living, coping and observing in the age of Covid 02 Jan 2021: SAME old, same old. Here we go again. Back on the media roundabout as the familiar format for each year’s beginning is once
Turning over a not so new leaf
Living and coping: Year #2 of Covid-19 01 Jan 2021: AND so it goes; another New Year’s Day following yet one more New Year’s Eve. Ho hum. After enduring a long line of such pairings,
Confused by sleuths of crime-ridden south coast
CONFUSION continues to await avid readers of two popular series of crime fiction tales centred on Britain’s south coast. They can be left flummoxed, not so much by the intricate plotting but rather by the
Garry dishes up Outback crime to rival the best
I HAVE been renewing acquaintance with an old friend. As always, it was a rewarding and compelling page-turning experience. It was also thought provoking, making me wonder yet again why so few Australian crime writers
Five Strikes and out; too much of a bad thing
THIS was a huge letdown. A thorough disappointment on so many fronts. And all the more so for one who has been a consistent fan of the Cormoran Strike tales from the very beginning. As
Neither short nor to the point
THE prime reason we write is to communicate with others. This applies whether it be with one other person or with the masses devouring the latest scandal or disaster. Nowhere is this more true than
Adrenalin overload, excessive effort and a hangover haze
NOW here’s a weird, even disturbing, thing; my trusty Garmin records a hilly four-mile run around the city where I live. Yet I have scant memory of it ever happening. How can this be?
Delight in old master of writing, and crime fiction
THERE’S nothing like revisiting an old friend. So much forgotten pleasure to be derived from taking giant steps back to the very early years. In so doing we revive experiences that only now are revealed
Stop the clock; pause for reflection
OKAY, so life’s a journey. We all know that; it has been stated often enough. We also know, as with any journey, there will inevitably be stops, delays, breakdowns, detours, U-turns and even the need