There’s a killer lurking in all of us. Sometimes you just don’t know it.
Take Phil Mercer, for example, what dark secret from his past changes a decent man, and respected professional into a man with murder on his mind?
Down to earth Northerner, Phil Mercer, begins to question why so-called university friends failed to help him establish a practice at London’s Criminal Bar.
Despite that and colleagues’ professional jealousy, he goes on to achieve success as a fearless defender of society’s less fortunate until his career is threatened by events triggered by something completely out of his control.
Figuring his life and career are about to change forever, Mercer strives to find a way to right wrongs by inventing a new parlour game called ‘Comfort Zone.’
At a dinner party surrounded by colleagues he insists they all play the game. He introduces it after dinner as a ‘storytelling game.’
He adds – “the easy choice is not an option at all. What terrifies you? What scares you shitless? Be brave. Be reckless. You are among friends. What can possibly go wrong? It’s just a parlour game, right?”
Get this dark suspense noir crime novella now.
Stephen Bentley is a former UK police Detective Sergeant, pioneering undercover cop, and barrister (criminal trial attorney). He is now a freelance writer and an occasional contributor to Huffington Post UK on undercover policing, and mental health issues.
His bestselling memoir, 'Undercover: Operation Julie - The Inside Story,' is a frank and fascinating insight into his undercover detective experiences during Operation Julie - an elite group of detectives who successfully investigated one of the world's largest drug rings. It has now been adapted for a feature film.
Stephen also writes crime fiction in a fast-paced plot-driven style including the Steve Regan Undercover Cop Thriller and the Detective Matt Deal Thriller series. One of his short stories, 'The Rose Slayer,' won the SIA murder mystery competition in 2018, and has now been published in a multi-author anthology of murder mystery short stories, titled 'Death Among Us.'
His fiction draws heavily on his law enforcement background adding that ingredient of authenticity about which the legendary Raymond Chandler opined, "Fiction in any form has always intended to be realistic," when writing about "the detective story" in his essay 'The Simple Art of Murder'(1950). Stephen subscribes to that school of thought.
When he isn't writing, Stephen relaxes on the beaches of the Philippines with his family where he now lives, often with a cold beer and a book to hand. You may find him on Twitter as @StephenBentley8 or connect with him at stephenbentley.info
