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A novella in the Danny Lancaster series by Bill Todd. Short, sharp and full of memorable characters.

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Book description

Big Eddie Archer is throwing a celebrity party for the reopening of The Bellerophon public house. When singer Paul Toopen, star of TV reality show Dreamboat, goes missing there is only one man the pub’s guv’nor can call on. 
But Danny Lancaster is off his game after overdoing Eddie’s free hospitality at last night’s dress rehearsal. Fans besiege the pub and the media are everywhere. This could be a public relations disaster but Eddie reckons if Danny can crack the case before closing time it will make the new Bellerophon famous.
Danny’s head is pounding but Eddie’s star guests might just be trapped in a pub with a killer. And the clock is ticking down to last orders. #TheBigBellBash

My review - 

This novella length Danny Lancaster story puts us in the classic locked room situation, but there are over one hundred people in the room with Danny, and one has committed a murder. Two of the stars of a reality TV programme are present at the reopening of The Bellerophon, and there’s huge media interest. We see the efforts of staff to prevent people leaving and the vlog reports transmitted live from the pub. It’s a great story, with the clock ticking and so many people who could be in the frame. Danny’s incentive for sorting it out is the promise of free beer for life. An excellent read.

About the author

I've spent most of my working life as a journalist on local and national newspapers. 
You meet a lot of people, see things, learn stuff. For a crime writer, it's a plot factory.
Before journalism I tried my hand at odd jobs including furniture removals (watch out for the flat-packs, they tend to pack flat when lifted!), photography, teaching and running a magazine group.
I've done quite a bit of travel writing. It's not all cocktails under the palm trees but it is a fantastic job that's taken me to more than 40 countries, from the white wastes of Arctic Finland to the deserts of Namibia.
People often ask my favourite place. In an age of globalisation, many destinations look the same but Iceland and Namibia are like stepping onto another planet. Go if you can.
I've enjoyed a long love affair with Western Crete. The mountains, coastline, food and people make me wonder if I lived there in some previous life. I just have to watch the waxed wings on a hot day.
I was delighted and surprised to receive the Ed Lacy travel award in 2007.

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Just a thought

Never put off till tomorrow the book you can read today ― Holbrook Jackson