Yvonne
Mark Brownless is a new to me author, who first came to my attention when one of my fellow blogging friends on Twitter, read and thoroughly recommended The Shadow Man. You can check out Nicki’s review here
Having gone away and decided to add The Shadow Man to my own reading list, Mark noticed and very generously offered to send me a PDF copy of the book, throwing in additional copy of his debut stand alone novel The Hand Of An Angel, just for good measure.
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THE SHADOW MAN
Idyllic memories. A perfect childhood. A secret buried for thirty years
What if memories of your childhood are a lie?
None of us could remember why we drifted apart – we were always so close at school but then… you know. That was thirty years ago, and I hadn’t thought of my school friends in all that time – it was like I’d been made to forget.
And then the dreams started. Dreams that I knew I’d had before. Horrific dreams of fear and fire and death. Dreams of the Shadow Man, a ghostly urban legend who seemed to hang over my home village like an evil spirit. I’d begun to remember, my memories of back then becoming two-dimensional – a lie to mask what really happened – and I knew we’d have to go back. Back to Janey, because she never left.
What did happen to us back then, and do we really want to know? And what about the supernatural horror lurking in the shadows – could we face the Shadow Man again?
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THE HAND OF AN ANGEL
You only die once – or do you?
Devoted family man and respected cardiologist Tom Boyand is obsessed with the near-death experiences of his patients. An obsession that leaves him dead on a table in an experiment to get a glimpse of the afterlife, his colleagues battling desperately to resuscitate him.
But Tom has pushed the boundary between life and death too far and he’s gone for too long, seeing more of the other side than anyone before. His team get him back but he isn’t the same person.
Traumatised by his experience and with his wrist inexplicably damaged, Tom becomes convinced that darker forces want to take him back and is driven to find answers. A hooded figure starts to haunt him at home and at work, while his colleagues think his brain has been damaged by a lack of oxygen. As Tom grapples with reality, he becomes the prime suspect following the death of his overbearing boss. Meanwhile, Sarah makes a shattering discovery about Tom’s past and is forced to stand by his side while he wrestles with demons both inside and out.
Did Tom’s brain become damaged during the experiment? Has he been driven mad? Or is he the only man in the universe who knows the truth about death?
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MARK BROWNLESS
Mark Brownless lives and works in Carmarthen, West Wales, where by day he is a physiotherapist, and by night, he spends every waking moment writing.
He has been putting ideas on paper for some years now but only when the idea for The Hand of an Angel came to him in the autumn of 2015 did he know he might be able to write a book.
Mark likes to write about ordinary people being placed in extraordinary circumstances, is fascinated by unexplained phenomena, and enjoys merging thriller, science fiction and horror.
Keep up with all Mark’s latest news at his website
Connect with Mark on Facebook
Follow Mark on Twitter
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Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share links to the books that came into their house during the last week. This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well, after all you never know where that next “must read” book will come from.
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These both sound quite creepy! His debut novel reminds me of a film I saw once (and I can’t remember the title or the full premise) where the characters found a way to “die” just long enough to see into the other side. Of course it ended up having dire repercussions and it sounds like his debut novel does, too.
I’m not sure either of these are for me, Yvonne, but I’m certainly game to hear more about them in the future should you choose to feature them in additional posts!
Hi Kelly,
I wonder if the film you are thinking of is ‘Flatliners’. I have never watched this one myself, but I know that Dave enjoyed it.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099582/
Whilst I know that Mark specifically wanted to promote his latest book, I actually quite like the sound of ‘The Hand Of An Angel’. It sounds like the kind of premise that one of my favourite vintage authors, Robin Cook, might have written.
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/robin-cook/
‘The Shadow Man’ sounds as though it might have come from the pen of author John Connolly, although I have only read one or two of his books on which to base that observation …
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/john-connolly/
Thanks for stopping by, even though this week’s selection are not going to make it to your own list 🙂
I think Flatliners is exactly the movie I was trying to think of. I’m not sure which version I watched – the original you linked to or the remake just a couple of years ago.
Oh, yes… Robin Cook: Coma! I’m sure I read others of his, as well. (also loved Michael Crichton) John Connelly sounds familiar, but I don’t think I’ve read any of his books that I can recall.
The jury is still out on these. I’ll just have to wait for future posts about them.
I know I have only ever seen the original version of ‘Flatliners’ and wasn’t even aware there was a remake!
I haven’t read any John Connolly books for many years now, as I went through a stage where I found them just a bit too dark and disturbing. Perhaps one day I will take the plunge again.
I never enjoyed Michael Crichton books in the same way as I did Robin Cook stories. Mention Robin’s name and I see that like myself, your thoughts immediately turn to ‘Coma’. The film version with Michael Douglas never failed to scare the living daylights out of me, especially the long ‘corridor’ scene! 🙂
I’m not sure that The Hand Of An Angel appeals to me (it sounds too much like several other books I have previously read). The Shadow Man however … Now this really appeals to me. You had my full attention with the three words ‘ ghostly urban legend’.
Hi Felicity,
I had already decided to read both books, although my view about which story I shall enjoy the most, is completely opposite to your own. It will be interesting to see if I change my mind along the reading journey!
Thanks for taking the time to comment 🙂
I don’t know this author either.
Always fun to find a new one.
Thanks for sharing, and enjoy your books.
Hi Elizabeth,
Much as I enjoy meeting new to me authors through Blog Tours and promotional posts, it’s even better when an author introduces themselves and chats spontaneously about their books and writing.
‘The Hand Of An Angel’, sounds right up my street, with ‘The Shadow Man’ just about fitting within my preferred reading genres, without getting too much into the realms of the supernatural.
Thanks for visiting this week, it seems like an age since we last spoke 🙂
These both look good to me… if perhaps dark? I hope you like them! Have a good week.
Hi Martha,
Both books sound quite ‘dark’, don’t they?
Which is okay by me, although I was completely thrown when I checked out the author page, to discover that Mark is also the author of a short story series about ‘Locksley: Robin Hood’. This is either Robin Hood with a dark twist in the storyline, or a complete second style or writing?
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/mark-brownless/
Thanks for commenting this week, I always value your thoughts 🙂