Countdown to a Killing (Paperback)

Tom Vaughan MacAulay

ISBN 10: 1915194083 / ISBN 13: 9781915194084

Published by RedDoor Press, 2022

About this Item

Paperback. Sad, funny, thrilling, and disturbing, an original novel that tells the story of an eclectic group of characters whose lives are intertwined forever. London, Sicily, Huddersfield 20162017: Wen Li is a deeply kind and sensitive twenty-nine-old British-Chinese woman who suffers from severe Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, which manifests itself in an incessant, overwhelming fear that she might have murderous impulses. Unlucky in love and emotionally scarred, Wen falls for colleague, Lomax Clipper, a tremendously frustrated and delusional Englishman. He's in love with a Sicilian young woman he met while working in Italy, but he and Wen do share a mutual loathing of their boss, Julian Ponsonby. Julian's struggling too with a toxic relationship and his father's refusal to accept his sexuality. On his return to Sicily, via a sabbatical, Lomax befriends Fifi de Angelis, a vulnerable Sicilian man with restricted growth who has been ostracised by his family. Told through interwoven correspondence, emails and WhatsApp messages, with the suspense around an impending murder steadily building, Countdown to a Killing is a deep exploration of multiple perspectives and points of view of individuals who are inextricably bound. The key themes of love, sexuality, ethnicity, mental health and acceptance are sensitively explored in a unique linear yet multi-layered and metafictional narrative. Packed with humour, heartache and a cast of expertly-crafted characters, this contemporary take on the epistolary novel will have you laughing and crying in equal measure. AUTHOR: Tom Vaughan MacAulay is a solicitor. His first novel, Being Simon Haines, was published in 2017 to high critical acclaim. The novel was selected as a Best Book for Summer by Alex Wade, writing in The Times, Law, while Justin Warshaw, writing in The Times Literary Supplement, described it as a 'grand narrative of a young man on the cusp of the realisation of a dream'. Edward Fennell, writing in The Times, the Brief premium, asked whether it would become 'the defining novel for (Tom's) generation about what it means to be a driven corporate lawyer'. Countdown to a Killing is his second novel. Sad, funny, thrilling, and disturbing, an original novel that tells the story of an eclectic group of characters whose lives are intertwined forever. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9781915194084

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Countdown to a Killing (Paperback)
• Publisher: RedDoor Press
• Publication Date: 2022
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1915194083
• ISBN 13: 9781915194084
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

‘THE NOVEL HAS NOW INTRUDED INTO MY DREAMS’ - Lomax Clipper

Wen Li, an anxious young woman who suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder, is tormented by an incessant fear that she might have homicidal impulses. Wen falls for her self-absorbed colleague, Lomax Clipper, who is writing a whodunnit in his spare time. Lomax is pining for Italy and a Sicilian woman he met while on secondment, despite his recurring nightmare about someone being killed on a picturesque street in Palermo. Wen and Lomax both loathe their boss, Julian Ponsonby, who, unbeknown to them, is struggling… as is Fifi de Angelis, a vulnerable man who has been ostracised by his family.Packed with humour, heartache and suspense, this contemporary take on the epistolary novel interweaves the different perspectives of characters whose lives become increasingly entangled.

Told through interwoven correspondence, emails and WhatsApp messages, with the suspense around an impending murder steadily building, Countdown to a Killing is a deep exploration of multiple perspectives and points of view of individuals who are inextricably bound. The key themes of love, sexuality, ethnicity, mental health and acceptance are sensitively explored in a unique linear yet multi-layered and metafictional narrative. Packed with humour, heartache and a cast of expertly-crafted characters, this contemporary take on the epistolary novel will have you laughing and crying in equal measure.

About the Author

Tom Vaughan MacAulay is a solicitor. His first novel, Being Simon Haines, was published in 2017 to high critical acclaim. The novel was selected as a Best Book for Summer by Alex Wade, writing in The Times, Law, while Justin Warshaw, writing in The Times Literary Supplement, described it as a ‘ grand narrative of a young man on the cusp of the realization of a dream’ . Edward Fennell, writing in The Times, the Brief premium, asked whether it would become ‘ the defining novel for [Tom's] generation about what it means to be a driven corporate lawyer’ . Countdown to a Killing is his second novel.