I’m working on the back cover blurb for The Head of the Tiger, the latest Paul Halter book in English, due out mid-June:
“The murderer known as the ‘Suitcase Killer,’ who has been causing panic by leaving dismembered bodies in London’s railway stations, vanishes into thin air when cornered cutting up his latest victim. The detective team of Dr. Twist and Inspector Hurst receive a tip that he resides in Leadenham, a sleepy village twenty miles from the capital. Another resident, a retired major of the Indian Army, claims he can summon an evil genie by rubbing an artifact known as ‘The Head of the Tiger.’ He and a doubter stay in a room where not only is every door and window locked from the inside, but each is guarded by a witness. Nevertheless, the major is found dead, and the doubter unconscious from wounds which could not have been self-inflicted; there is nobody else in the room. Could the serial killer be an evil genie? Or is it conceivable that two murderers, each with the apparent ability to vanish at will, inhabit the same small village?”
It doesn’t say, but there is a rational explanation for everything and abundant clues, true to classic mystery tradition. This will be the sixth Paul Halter novel in English (and the seventh LRI publication.)
I’m in the final throes of preparation and am waiting for the five volunteer proofreaders to send me their results. Experience has taught me I need at least four (no matter how good, it’s unusual for anyone to catches more than fifty percent of the errors), and there is no shortage of volunteers. I break the translation into three parts —judiciously chosen to end at a crucial point—and wait for the feedback from the first before sending out the second, so the story appears to the readers as a monthly serial. From all accounts this is a great experience: by the time the third part goes out, they are climbing the walls trying to work out the puzzles the diabolical Monsieur Halter has concocted and trying to outguess him. Nobody ever succeeds. For, make no mistake about it, the man is a master of misdirection and a deviser of brilliantly clever murders.
Currently, I’m trying to finalize the orders for the signed and lettered edition for The Head of the Tiger. They are the same trade paperbacks produced by Amazon/Createspace except that they are signed by Paul Halter with a dedication in French. There are only 26 of them for each title (assigned a letter from A to Z) and when they are gone they are gone forever.They are ordered directly from me at pugmire1@yahoo.com. If you place an order before June1, you can personalize the dedication to read: “For Peter” or “To Jennifer” or “For the Library of Matthew” etc. etc. (your choice) They cost $39.99 which isn’t bad for a signed limited first English edition of a major writer.