Fantasy crime novels

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Top 10 fantasy crime novels

Class: Joyride

An official new tie-in to the exciting new BBC3 series from the universe of Doctor Who. Created by award-winning YA writer Patrick Ness.

Guy Adams lives in Spain, surrounded by rescue animals. Some of them are his family. He isn’t a spy, but he is a boy, so naturally he’s always dreamed of being one. 
 
Having spent over ten years working as a professional actor and comedian, eventually he decided he’d quite like to eat regularly, so switched careers and became a full-time writer. Nobody said he was clever. Against all odds he managed to stay busy and since then he has written over twenty books.

‘So, you can just leap into other people’s bodies? Take them over? And while you’re in control, you can do whatever you want? Brilliant.’ 
 
Poppy is a quiet girl, right up until she steals a car and drives it through a shop window. 
 
Max is a nice guy, but then he kills his whole family. Just for fun. 
 
Amar always seems so happy, so why is he trying to jump to his death from the school roof? 
 
Some of the students of Coal Hill School are not themselves. Some of them are dying. Ram has just woken up in a body he doesn't recognise, and if he doesn't figure out why he may well be next.

Doctor Who: The Legends of River Song

The first full length book featuring River Song's adventures

‘Hello, sweetie!’ 
 
Melody Pond, Melody Malone, River Song…She has had many names. Whoever she really is, this archaeologist and time traveller has had more adventures (and got into more trouble) than most people in the universe. 
 
And she’s written a lot of it down. Well, when you’re married to a Time Lord (or possibly not), you have to keep track of what you did and when. Especially as it may not actually have happened to both of you yet. 
 
These are just a few of River Song’s exploits, extracted from her journals. Sometimes, she is with the Doctor. Sometimes she’s on her own. But wherever and whenever she may be, she is never far from danger and excitement. 
 
This is just a tiny portion of her impossible life. But it will reveal more than you’ve ever known about the legend that is River Song.

A Few Words For The Dead

James Bond meets the X-Files with a healthy dose of Douglas Adams and Stephen King.

If this is to be the final case for Shining and co, then at least they’re going out on a high. Lord knows there aren’t a lot of trilogies that are this consistently good. But by god, we hope it isn’t the last one.

Think love child of James Bond and John Steed with a huge dose of G Adams esquire originality thrown in for fun.

This is a great series of books that I thoroughly enjoyed and cannot wait to see what Guy Adams does next.

Guy Adams lives in Spain, surrounded by rescue animals. Some of them are his family. He isn’t a spy, but he is a boy, so naturally he’s always dreamed of being one. 
 
Having spent over ten years working as a professional actor and comedian, eventually he decided he’d quite like to eat regularly, so switched careers and became a full-time writer. Nobody said he was clever. Against all odds he managed to stay busy and since then he has written over twenty books.

Section 37 is under attack. 
 
Toby Greene, a Clown Service agent, is on the hunt. But catching someone whose bodyguard is the relentless Rain-Soaked Bride can be a deadly game. 
 
Section Chief August Shining has problems of his own. Under investigation by MI6 and at the mercy of a mysterious entity, has his past has finally caught up with him?

The Rain-Soaked Bride

Spooks meets The X-Files with a generous helping of Le Carré, and a dash of Stephen King.

there is much in this novel to entice us to take our sleeping bag to the nearest bookshop doorstep and queue early for Book 3

In a way, we wish Adams had started writing these thirty years ago so there would be a rich vein of stories for the new fan to discover. As it is, we must be content with two very well written and funny books. At least there’s a third on the way, though it’s a shame we have to wait for it.

Several writers are now mining a very British style of urban magic, some more convincingly than others. For me, The Rain-Soaked Bride confirms Guy Adams position as the market leader... a thoroughly entertaining sequel, and well worth adding to any urban fantasy collection.

This is a great example of why you should stick with a series for at least two books. The first book always has to spend time setting everything up but the second book can really show you what an author is capable of (although it can go the other way, too, of course). I thoroughly enjoyed The Rain-Soaked Bride and hope there are many more books to come in this series.

HOW DO YOU STOP AN ASSASSIN THAT CAN’T BE KILLED? 
 
Toby Greene is part of The Clown Service, a mostly forgotten branch of British Intelligence tasked with fighting paranormal threats. 
 
However, the Rain-Soaked Bride is no ordinary assassin. Relentless, inexorable and part of a larger game, merely stopping this impossible killer may notbe enough to save the day… 
 
‘The Clown Service is fun and rips along like thefinest episode of the old Avengers series’ The Independenton Sunday

The Clown Service

The Clown Service is fun and rips along like the finest episode of the old Avengers series

I just couldn’t put it down … highly recommended

The Clown Service is a great beginning to what could become a classic series. Guy Adams has all his pieces in place, and ably demonstrates what he can do with them. If the dark gods of publishing -- and his audience -- so decree. … one of my top three reads of the year

it feels like Men in Black but a lot more British and sensibly funny

This is the spy thriller that Douglas Adams never wrote ...  it’s hilarious and well worth your time

Toby Greene has been reassigned. 
 
The Department: Section 37 Station Office, Wood Green. 
 
The Boss: August Shining, an ex-Cambridge, Cold War-era spy. 
 
The Mission: Charged with protecting Great Britain and its interests from paranormal terrorism. 
 
The Threat: An old enemy has returned, and with him Operation Black Earth, a Soviet plan to create the ultimate insurgents by re-animating the dead.

Countess Dracula

How far would you go to stay young and beautiful? A new novelisation of the classic Hammer film, Countess Dracula.

Recently Hammer have been reinventing themselves as a publisher of original fiction and novels inspired by their back catalogue of movie classics. This time it's the turn of Countess Dracula ... and they've found just the man for the job in Guy Adams.

Guy Adams clearly knows his Hammer... a great read... If Hammer can keep up this standard we should have a lot to look forward to from future releases.

You can do anything in Hollywood and be forgiven, anything except grow old... 
 
It’s the 1930s and cinema stands at the dawn of a new age, the silent era is all but dead, talkies are here and Technicolor is on its way. 
 
The whole world loves movie icons Frank Nayland and Elizabeth Sasdy, lapping up each new picture and following their romantic life story both on and off the screen. But all is not as perfect as it appears. 
 
Not only has the advent of talkies meant torturous sessions with a vocal coach to try and remove Sasdy’s Hungarian accent but she’s starting to spot the first few grey hairs, and the lines on her face get deeper every day. If she loses her looks she’ll lose everything, but even a woman as powerful as Elizabeth Sasdy can’t fight nature. Can she? 
 
A chance accident reveals the solution. But just how far is the Queen of Hollywood prepared to go to stay beautiful forever?

Sherlock: The Casebook

The ultimate - and official - guide to the BBC hit series Sherlock

A splendid tribute to the Great Detective and his re-imagining for the BBC in the 21st Century and the perfect stocking-filler for fans old and new...this is a treat.

Sherlock Holmes-fan Guy Adams has written two original Sherlock Holmes novels, The Breath of God and The Army of Dr Moreau, as well as The Case Book of Sherlock Holmes, a fictional facsimile scrapbook published to coincide with the 150th anniversary of Conan Doyle's birth (2009). He has also written three best-selling Life on Mars tie-in books, including The Rules of Modern Policing, as well as two Torchwood novels, The Men Who Sold the World and The House That Jack Built.

This book is my humble attempt to shine a light on the work of the best and wisest I have ever known. He has, I think it is safe to say, elevated the science of detection into an art form. Having been at his side during some of his most remarkable cases, it has fallen to me to bring his achievements to the attention of the wider public. He is, quite simply, the Mozart of criminal investigation. 
 
 I would say more, but I am flattered and delighted to say that Sherlock Holmes himself has agreed to write a piece for the cover. John Watson 
 
 Don’t buy this book. The author has transformed what should have been a series of lectures into a gross and tasteless entertainment. The science of deduction is a branch of human achievement requiring serious analysis and yet here I find it lavishly illustrated, disfigured with humour and infested with gossip. 
 
 Apparently, this kind of sensationalism is required to engage the interest of the reading public, but it is rather like working an office romance into a paper on quantum physics. Only an idiot would be impressed. Help yourself. Sherlock Holmes

Torchwood: The House That Jack Built

The team investigate a haunted house in the latest novel in the bestselling Torchwood range

Guy Adams has written books about Life on Mars including the bestselling Rules of Modern Policing, written as DCI Gene Hunt. He's the author of the British Fantasy Society Award nominated Deadbeat series and a handful of children's books, and is currently working on a thirteen-volume horror series for young adults and a replica scrapbook of John Watson MD's time with Sherlock Holmes. This is his first Torchwood novel.

Jackson Leaves - an Edwardian house in Penylan. 
 
Built 1906, semi-detached, three storeys, spacious, beautifully presented. Left in good condition to Rob and Julia by Rob's late aunt. 
 
It's an ordinary sort of a house. Except for the way the rooms don't stay in the same places. And the strange man that turns up in the airing cupboard. And the apparitions. And the temporal surges that attract the attentions of Torchwood. 
 
And the fact that the first owner of Jackson Leaves in 1906 was a Captain Jack Harkness... 
 
Featuring Captain Jack Harkness as played by John Barrowman, with Gwen Cooper and Ianto Jones as played by Eve Myles and Gareth David-Lloyd, in the hit series created by Russell T Davies for BBC Television.

Hands of the Ripper

A deeply unsettling tale of manipulation and terror. A new, modern-day novelisation of the classic Hammer film, Hands of the Ripper.

Written with care and style, Adams has given this Horror Channel favourite a new lease of life and continues a stunning series of books that cleverly give these true classics a new updated lease of life. More please!

Guy Adams’ greatest strength as a writer is his flair for natural dialogue.

He is raising the poker again and Anna bites her lower lip so hard she chokes a little in the blood that runs down her throat... 
 
On a cold, wet night recently widowed psychology lecturer John Pritchard visits spiritualist Aida Golding with his son. Although wary something has driven him here. And he is drawn to a troubled young woman who is trying to contact her child. Something about her intrigues him and despite his doubts he continues to attend meetings. 
 
One night at an intimate séance in Aida's house the lights go out and one of the group is brutally murdered. John has his suspicions but he can't prove anything. He senses that Aida has some hold over the girl and he offers her a place of refuge in his home. But the past haunts Anna in the most chilling of ways. And all too soon John realises he's made a terrible mistake...

Torchwood The Men Who Sold The World

John Telfer reads this exciting Torchwood adventure - a prequel to Torchwood: Miracle Day.

John Telfer reads this exciting Torchwood adventure - a prequel to Torchwood: Miracle Day. 
 
When Oscar Lupe appears 20,000 feet up in the air, his body is frozen solid and free-falling to earth. It shatters on impact. Soon after, a CIA Special Activities Division squad goes rogue with a cargo marked ‘Torchwood’ that they’ve been escorting from somewhere called Cardiff. 
 
The Agency puts Rex Matheson on the case. As the strange deaths pile up, Rex realises there must be experimental tech out there, but someone is obstructing him at every turn. Rex is the CIA’s golden boy - but has he met his match in the evasive Mr Wynter…? 
 
Based on the hit series created by Russell T. Davies, The Men who Sold the World is a prequel to Torchwood: Miracle Day, starring John Barrowman and Eve Myles as Jack Harkness and Gwen Cooper, with Mekhi Phifer as Rex Matheson. 
 
NB: Contain strong language, sexual references and graphic scenes of violence

Kronos

A new novelisaton of the classic Hammer film, Captain Kronos Vampire Hunter, with a new foreword by the writer and director Brian Clemens.

'What manner of monster can wreak such damage? I only hope you know how it can be stopped.' 
 
The peace of an English village is shattered when a young girl withers before her friend's eyes, becoming but dust and bones. Witnessing this terrifying transformation, local physician Dr Marcus fears the village has been cursed by the presence of evil. He immediately summons his old army friend, the mysterious but powerful vampire hunter, Kronos. 
 
Together with the help of his assistant Professor Grost, Kronos has dedicated his whole life to destroying vampires. He knows that there is nothing so varied and deadly. With a vampire nothing is certain, especially how one might be able to kill it. 
 
As more and more villagers fall prey to this deadly curse, time is against him. And when it comes dangerously close to home, Kronos is faced with a terrible choice...

Torchwood: The Men Who Sold The World

Agent Rex Matheson investigates the disappearance of a CIA squad transporting secret Torchwood cargo - a Torchwood: Miracle Day prequel

Guy Adams is the author of Torchwood: The House that Jack Built and was a regular contributor to Torchwood magazine. He wrote the best-selling Rules of Modern Policing: 1973 Edition, The Future of Modern Policing: 1981 Edition and The Wit and Wisdom of Gene Hunt, along with a two-volume series companion to Life on Mars. His other books include The Case Notes of Sherlock Holmes and the fantasy novels The World House and Restoration.

When Oscar Lupe appears 20,000 feet up in the air, his body is frozen solid and free-falling to earth. It shatters on impact. Soon after, a CIA Special Activities Division squad goes rogue with a cargo marked 'Torchwood' that they've been escorting from somewhere called Cardiff. 
 
The Agency puts Rex Matheson on the case. As the strange deaths pile up, Rex realises there must be experimental tech out there, but someone is obstructing him at every turn. Rex is the CIA's golden boy - but has he met his match in the evasive Mr Wynter...? 
 
Based on the hit science fiction series created by Russell T Davies, The Men Who Sold The World is a prequel to Torchwood: Miracle Day, starring John Barrowman and Eve Myles as Jack Harkness and Gwen Cooper, with Mekhi Phifer as Rex Matheson.

Guy Adams

An Unofficial Handbook to the Hit TV Series

With season 2 now released, don't miss out on getting the perfect gift for any Stranger Things fan in your life. 
 
Grab your Eggos and prepare to enter Hawkins, Indiana – just don't forget your fairy lights 
 
If you devoured Stranger Things and you're looking to fill the demogorgon-sized hole in your life, then look no further than Notes From the Upside Down. This fan handbook is here to tell you more about the origins of the show, including the mysterious Montauk Project conspiracy theory, get you clued up on the inspirations behind the characters, and assess the show's DNA. 
 
If you've ever wondered why Spielberg is such a huge influence, which Stephen King books you need to read (HINT: pretty much all of them) and how State Trooper David O’Bannon earned his name, then this book is for you. 
 
Guy Adams is a superfan and this is his amusing and informative guide to everything you're going to need to know to understand Stranger Things.

Guy Adams

Books by Guy Adams

Series by Guy Adams

Torchwood

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Top 10 fantasy crime novels

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