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The Art of Death (DI Grace Archer 1)
David Fennell
London's latest art installation is a real killer . . .
An underground artist leaves three glass cabinets in Trafalgar Square that contain a gruesome installation: the corpses of three homeless men.
With the artist promising more to follow, newly-promoted Detective Inspector Grace Archer and her caustic DS, Harry Quinn, must race against time to follow what few clues have been left by a savvy killer.
As more bodies are exhibited at London landmarks and live streamed on social media, Archer and Quinn's pursuit of the elusive killer becomes a desperate search.
But when Archer discovers that the killer might be closer than she originally thought - she realises that he has his sights set firmly on her...
He is creating a masterpiece. And she will be the star of his show.
An underground artist leaves three glass cabinets in Trafalgar Square that contain a gruesome installation: the corpses of three homeless men.
With the artist promising more to follow, newly-promoted Detective Inspector Grace Archer and her caustic DS, Harry Quinn, must race against time to follow what few clues have been left by a savvy killer.
As more bodies are exhibited at London landmarks and live streamed on social media, Archer and Quinn's pursuit of the elusive killer becomes a desperate search.
But when Archer discovers that the killer might be closer than she originally thought - she realises that he has his sights set firmly on her...
He is creating a masterpiece. And she will be the star of his show.
GENRE
Crime; Thriller
UK PUBLICATION
February 2021
Crime; Thriller
UK PUBLICATION
February 2021
Praise
"A truly extraordinary crime novel."
Lynda La Plante
"Early one morning a lorry rolls into Trafalgar Square in central London and unloads three large glass cabinets. It is a gruesome art installation, shocking because floating in the liquid inside each cabinet is the naked body of a homeless man posed as if begging ... This is Belfast-born Fennell's first thriller, and you couldn't ask for a more assured if startlingly graphic and gory debut."
Irish Independent
"Written with a clear grasp of social media, the story simply bristles with invention - though it is not for the faint-hearted."
Daily Mail
"The Art of Death is a great yarn with some very neat modern touches ... It's pacy and visual, it would sit very well alongside Marcella and Bloodlands as a TV series. Fennell dunnit!"
Dig With It magazine
"A serial killer classic in the making, The Art of Death is neatly plotted, perfectly paced and brilliantly characterised with a clever concept that hooks you in and holds you tight, right up to the extremely satisfying final page."
Susi Holliday
"A hugely compelling procedural thriller set in London. Unsettling, fast-paced, suspenseful and gripping. Loved the way the cityscape was rendered (I miss London!) EXCELLENT."
Will Dean
"A serial killer thriller with the darkest of hearts, David Fennell more than earns his place at the crime fiction table with this superb exploration of a psychopath with the creepiest modus operandi I've read in a long time, and a flawed yet brilliant detective."
Fiona Cummins
"A stunning start to what promises to be a fantastic new series. The Art of Death is layered, twisty and so deliciously dark. A hero for our age; DI Grace Archer is fierce and relentless, intuitive and driven, yet underneath the mask she wears, she's also surprisingly vulnerable and just a little bit damaged. I can't wait to see what she gets up to next."
M. W. Craven
"A tense-as-hell high-body count page turner, but a rarer thing too - one that's full of genuine warmth and humanity."
William Shaw
"Chilling, unsettling and wonderfully atmospheric, it grips from the first page to the last. I hope we’ll be hearing much more from Fennell and his brilliant detective, Grace Archer."
Brian McGilloway
"Hair-raisingly dark ... Make sure you look out for it in February as you won't be able to put it down."
Araminta Hall
"Gripping from the first page to the last, with a great heroine in DI Grace Archer and a plot with hints of Damien Hirst and the “art crime” of Bowie’s Outside, set in contemporary London. Crime fiction doesn’t get much better."
Paul Burston
"David Fennell paints a twisted vision of modern London in the grip of a terrifying serial killer. The Art of Death is a deftly sculpted crime thriller that takes a scalpel to contemporary issues, as DI Grace Archer overcomes challenges, present and past, in her quest for justice. Perfect for people who like their reads on the nerve wracking side of creepy. Highly recommended."
Adam Hamdy
Lynda La Plante
"Early one morning a lorry rolls into Trafalgar Square in central London and unloads three large glass cabinets. It is a gruesome art installation, shocking because floating in the liquid inside each cabinet is the naked body of a homeless man posed as if begging ... This is Belfast-born Fennell's first thriller, and you couldn't ask for a more assured if startlingly graphic and gory debut."
Irish Independent
"Written with a clear grasp of social media, the story simply bristles with invention - though it is not for the faint-hearted."
Daily Mail
"The Art of Death is a great yarn with some very neat modern touches ... It's pacy and visual, it would sit very well alongside Marcella and Bloodlands as a TV series. Fennell dunnit!"
Dig With It magazine
"A serial killer classic in the making, The Art of Death is neatly plotted, perfectly paced and brilliantly characterised with a clever concept that hooks you in and holds you tight, right up to the extremely satisfying final page."
Susi Holliday
"A hugely compelling procedural thriller set in London. Unsettling, fast-paced, suspenseful and gripping. Loved the way the cityscape was rendered (I miss London!) EXCELLENT."
Will Dean
"A serial killer thriller with the darkest of hearts, David Fennell more than earns his place at the crime fiction table with this superb exploration of a psychopath with the creepiest modus operandi I've read in a long time, and a flawed yet brilliant detective."
Fiona Cummins
"A stunning start to what promises to be a fantastic new series. The Art of Death is layered, twisty and so deliciously dark. A hero for our age; DI Grace Archer is fierce and relentless, intuitive and driven, yet underneath the mask she wears, she's also surprisingly vulnerable and just a little bit damaged. I can't wait to see what she gets up to next."
M. W. Craven
"A tense-as-hell high-body count page turner, but a rarer thing too - one that's full of genuine warmth and humanity."
William Shaw
"Chilling, unsettling and wonderfully atmospheric, it grips from the first page to the last. I hope we’ll be hearing much more from Fennell and his brilliant detective, Grace Archer."
Brian McGilloway
"Hair-raisingly dark ... Make sure you look out for it in February as you won't be able to put it down."
Araminta Hall
"Gripping from the first page to the last, with a great heroine in DI Grace Archer and a plot with hints of Damien Hirst and the “art crime” of Bowie’s Outside, set in contemporary London. Crime fiction doesn’t get much better."
Paul Burston
"David Fennell paints a twisted vision of modern London in the grip of a terrifying serial killer. The Art of Death is a deftly sculpted crime thriller that takes a scalpel to contemporary issues, as DI Grace Archer overcomes challenges, present and past, in her quest for justice. Perfect for people who like their reads on the nerve wracking side of creepy. Highly recommended."
Adam Hamdy
Also by David Fennell
Grace Archer series
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Other books by David Fennell
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Rights Sales for THE ART OF DEATH
Czech Republic: Dobrovsky
UK & Commonwealth (exc. Canada): Bonnier Zaffre
UK & Commonwealth (exc. Canada): Bonnier Zaffre