The Eight Bench Walk, the latest Mac Maguire detective mystery, is now available from Amazon Books (see the links below).

Here’s the blurb –

After a long hard winter Mac goes on holiday to Cyprus to soak up some sun and becomes involved in a murder investigation. An old man has fallen from the balcony of his holiday apartment and the police believe that he was pushed. Mac helps the police teams in Cyprus and the UK uncover the truth behind his death. What they find leads them on a deadly chase for a priceless treasure…

It’s set in Cyprus and it’s the first Mac Maguire book that’s been set completely abroad. This had it’s own challenges but it still proved to be a rewarding exercise for me. I’ve been to Cyprus four times now with the last two trips being partly research trips for this book. I’ve been able to talk to people in Cyprus and this has helped tremendously with the characters and also in describing the political situation on the island. While I don’t go into this in too much detail in the book it’s something that cannot be ignored.

The Piale Pasa AKA ‘The Eight Bench Walk’

However, I found that the situation in Cyprus felt eerily familiar to me. My family are Irish so I’ve been all too aware of the situation in Northern Ireland over the years, especially during the time of ‘The Troubles’ when a virtual civil war was being fought on the ground. A similar situation exists there in that it also has two communities who historically have never got on with each other and an arbitrary border that has only exacerbated the situation. Unfortunately for Northern Ireland, with Brexit on the horizon, the old tensions are all too likely to be resurrected.

However, The Eight Bench Walk is a book that I’ve really enjoyed writing, especially when the weather outside my window in the UK was at its worst. One of my readers said that she could ‘Feel the sun on her face’ when she read the book. I was absolutely delighted with this comment as that’s exactly how I felt when I was writing it.

‘To Zinobia’ bar

All of the locations used in the book are real although I have changed some of the names. ‘Yanni’s Bar’ is actually a lovely little bar called ‘To Zinobia’ where I used to go every day for a contemplative drink and a think about the book’s plot. Although I can’t speak much Greek and they couldn’t speak much English we still communicated. Much of the story was put together there as I sipped at a bottle of Keo beer and watched the backgammon players. The ‘Kyrene’ bar is actually called ‘Kybele’ and it is exactly eight benches away from the fort. It has a lovely sea view and does a terrific Full English breakfast.

I hope that I’ve done justice to Cyprus. I’ve found it to be a beautiful laid-back place that both my wife and I have fallen in love with. So much so that we’ll be going back again early next year!

For the first time I’ve also attached an ‘Author’s Note’ as I felt that a little explanation about some aspects of the book might be of value to a reader.

I hope that you enjoy the book. In any case, please leave a review and let me know what you think.

The Eight Bench Walk is available in Amazon Books UK / Amazon Books US / Amazon Books Canada