Books by Tony Read

Richard Rathbone ridiculed by his wife because he can no longer satisfy her cravings for sex makes the worst mistake of his life when he discloses his marital difficulties to an old school friend not knowing of his links to organised crime. Richard is persuaded that a night spent with a high class prostitute will re-ignite his sex drive and so save his marriage. He quickly comes to regret this decision His life becomes a story of murder, blackmail, rape, revenge and retribution as people close to him lie, cheat and plot against each other, and try evade the clutches of brutal trafficker in human flesh, as they vie to be the winner in a sordid game of greed and lust.

When the body of a beautiful woman is pulled from the black waters of a remote moorland lake by police frogmen, Detective Inspector Mark Hobson is faced with a highly complex case. Given the fact that the victim was universally detested and that a great many people will be glad to see her dead it is clear from the outset that nothing about this case will be straightforward. His efforts to solve this mystery draw Hobson into a 20 year old family tragedy and cause him to re-examine the case of a local man tried and convicted of child sex offences a decade before but which still has dark secrets to reveal. Hobson's task becomes immeasurably more difficult when the lives of his wife and unborn child become dangerously at risk, and his judgement is seriously questioned by another investigating officer.

An old lady gets ready for bed not knowing that a vicious young thug with robbery, rape and murder in mind, is fast approaching her home. In a state of sexual arousal he imagines the terror he is about to unleash, but then the ground beneath his feet gives way and he is caught in a monstrous trap: so begins a complex story of love and sacrifice, greed and deception, loyalty and betrayal that Detective Inspector Mark Hobson is required to unravel. His investigation leads him into the murky world of unlicensed gambling and brings him into conflict with a notorious criminal family, and into contact with a Polish veteran of World War II and his beautiful but vulnerable granddaughter. Add into the mix ancient custom and folklore and an old house that echoes with voices from the past, and all the ingredients are present to test Detective Inspector Hobson's deductive powers to the absolute limit.

An eclectic miscellany of romantic, humorous, surreal, celebratory and sometimes unapologetically silly poems intended to entertain, amuse and occasionally even make people think. Nostalgia, fear of growing old, lost love, redemption and renewal are recurring themes in this little book, but above all else runs a rich vein of broad comedy designed to make the reader laugh out loud. "Blessed be the belly laugh!"