Meet Talus, the world's first detective.
A dead warrior king frozen in winter ice. Six grieving sons, each with his own reason to kill. Two weary travellers caught up in a web of suspicion and deceit. In a distant time long before our own, wandering bard Talus and his companion Bran journey to the island realm of Creyak, where the king has been murdered. From clues scattered among the island's mysterious barrows and stone circles, they begin their search for his killer. But do the answers lie in this world or the next? Nobody is above suspicion, from the king's heir to the tribal shaman, from the servant woman steeped in herb-lore to the visiting warlord whose unexpected arrival throws the whole tribe into confusion. And when death strikes again, Talus and Bran realise nothing is what it seems. Creyak is place of secrets and spirits, mystery and myth. It will take a clever man indeed to unravel the truth. The kind of man this ancient world has not seen before.
Industry Reviews
'A close cousin to the writings of Conan Doyle, Christie, and Marsh - Mystery fans will look forward to Talus's future investigations.' - Publisher's Weekly 'A+ Great fun, well worth it - extremely well done and very enjoyable. Putting Sherlock Holmes and Watson into the Stone Age worked for me!' - British Fantasy Society 'This book is an unexpected delight, a detective story in a setting like no other, and I recommend it unreservedly.' - Crime Fiction Lover 'Talus and the Frozen King is the ideal book for mysteries lovers who want a classic murder scenario in a new setting. It's not a rehash or a reimagining of old ideas, but one that makes use of the genre's tropes to the best of Graham Edwards' abilities and that makes it a worthy read.' - Adventures In Sci-Fi Publishing 'It all makes for a pretty fast, intense mystery as shadows thicken, nothing is as it seems and men start to die all around. Combined with an ending I didn't expect from a mystery novel that stokes the fires of my inner geek, is it a wonder I only have good things to say about this book? Highly recommended, and definitely on the shortlist for best books I've read this year.' - Drunken Dragon Reviews 'There aren't a lot of books like this out there, that's for sure. While there's a strong element of fantasy in this one, at it's heart it really is a variety of your good old detective story. The prehistoric ice age setting garners huge points from me, and like I mentioned, so does our protagonist being an eccentric bard. I think both mystery and fantasy readers alike will feel right at home with this one. A very entertaining and fast read.' - Bibliosanctum 'I think what Edwards has tried to do is ambitious, how do you create a Holmesian character in a world where philosophy, science and logic are still in their infancy. How do you create the world's first detective without it feeling like it's Holmes and Watson in bear fur. I think the answer lies in exceptional world and character building.' - Bookonaut
