This Charming Man

#2 Stranger Times

C. K. McDonnell

$22.99

Paperback

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English

Transworld
02 May 2023

Crime & Mystery; Fantasy; Magic

Series: Stranger Times

Manchester is suffering from a nasty dose of the vampires, which is just the sort of story the weekly newspaper The Stranger Times likes to get its teeth into. Or perhaps that's really the other way round...? The second riotously entertaining novel in C. K. McDonnell's Stranger Times series.

STOP PRESS! The Stranger Times wins the 2023 British Fantasy Award for Best Audio Work!

Vampires do not exist. Everyone knows this. So it's particularly annoying when they start popping up around Manchester . . .

Nobody is pleased about it. Not the Founders, the secret organisation for whom vampires were invented as an allegory, nor the Folk, the magical people hidden in plain sight who only want a quiet life. And definitely not the people of Manchester, because there is nothing more irksome than being murdered by an allegory run amok. Somebody needs to sort this out fast before all Hell really breaks loose - step forward the staff of The Stranger Times.

It's not like they don't have enough to be dealing with. Assistant Editor Hannah has come back from getting messily divorced to discover that someone is trying to kidnap a member of their staff and while editor Vincent Banecroft would be delighted to see the back of any of his team, he doesn't like people touching his stuff - it's the principle of the thing.

Throw in a precarious plumbing situation, gambling debts, an entirely new way of swearing, and a certain detective inspector with what could be kindly referred to as 'a lot of baggage' and it all adds up to another hectic week in the life of the newspaper committed to reporting the truth that nobody else will touch.

This Charming Man is the second book in the critically acclaimed The Stranger Times series.

'Wonderfully dark, extremely funny, and evocative of Terry Pratchett - which I think is the highest compliment I can give.' ADAM KAY, about The Stranger Times . . . 'A gag-filled romp . . . in the spirit of Terry Pratchett.' The Times 'Great characters, a jet-propelled plot, and a winning premise.' Guardian 'Fresh and genuinely funny.' SFX

By: C. K. McDonnell
Imprint: Transworld
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 198mm, Width: 127mm, Spine: 31mm
Weight: 357g
ISBN: 9780552177351
ISBN 10: 0552177350
Series: Stranger Times
Pages: 528
Publication Date: 02 May 2023
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Born in Limerick and raised in Dublin, C K (Caimh) McDonnell is a former stand-up comedian and TV writer. He performed all around the world, had several well-received Edinburgh shows and supported acts such as Sarah Millican on tour before hanging up his clowning shoes to concentrate on writing. He has also written for numerous TV shows and been nominated for a Kid's TV BAFTA. His debut novel, A Man With One of Those Faces - a comic crime novel - was published in 2016 and spawned The Dublin Trilogy books and the spin-off McGarry Stateside series. They have been Amazon bestsellers on both sides of the Atlantic. As C. K. McDonnell, he is the author of The Stranger Times series contemporary comic fantasy series. Caimh lives in Manchester. To find out more, visit whitehairedirishman.com

Reviews for This Charming Man (#2 Stranger Times)

With crisp plotting, scabrous dialogue and deftly applied splashes of gore, former comedian C.K. McDonnell has served up another winner from his cast of delightful losers. * DAILY MAIL * McDonnell makes Manchester chaotic, hilarious, elegiac and sinister at the same time . . . very, very funny . . . the work has already been compared frequently to Terry Pratchett, and given the whip-crack sharp lines and wryness, it is not inappropriate. But it is not a weak clone of Pratchett's work, and it has its own political edge. * SCOTSMAN * Intriguingly brilliant . . . its greatest strength is in its engaging and enthralling characters, both new and old. The author revels in their personalities, their foibles and flaws as they guide you hilariously through an urban fantasy landscape bursting with myth and magic; all often hiding in plain sight . . . perhaps more Gaiman or Adams than Pratchett, McDonnell has a gift for describing the fantastical as delectably formulaic . . . if you enjoy your fantasy peppered with wit and deft creativity, then McDonnell's books will sit comfortably on your bookshelf next to those revered genre alumni. * STARBURST * Fast-paced, brilliantly written, and with characters to die for, This Charming Man will have you laughing out loud time and again. * THE-BOOK-DRAGON *