'DS George Cross is as arresting as the cases he solves.' RICHARD E. GRANT

“A perfect detective for our time and for all time.” STEPHEN FRY

 ‘Compelling, full of twists and turns, I couldn’t put this down. Sullivan has created a truly original and endearing detective in George Cross. I’m looking forward to the next one.’ SIMON MCCLEAVE on The Politician

The Monk
by Tim Sullivan
Hardback / 27 April / Head of Zeus

DS George Cross has always wondered why his mother left him when he was a child. Now she is back in his life, he suddenly has answers. But this unexpected reunion is not anything he's used to dealing with. When a disturbing case lands on his desk, he is almost thankful for the return to normality.

The body of a monk is found savagely beaten to death in a woodland near Bristol. Nothing is known about Brother Dominic's past, which makes investigating difficult. How can Cross unpick a crime when they don't know anything about the victim? And why would someone want to harm a monk?

ABOUT TIM SULLIVAN

Tim Sullivan is a crime writer, screenwriter and director whose film credits include A Handful of Dust, Jack and Sarah and Cold Feet. Early in his career he directed Jeremy Brett’s iconic portrayal of Sherlock Holmes in ITV’s The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes¸ cementing his lifelong passion for crime fiction.

Tim’s crime series, featuring the socially awkward but brilliantly persistent DS George Cross, has been widely acclaimed and topped the book charts. The Monk is the fifth in the series.

He lives in North London with his wife Rachel, the Emmy Award-winning producer of The Barefoot Contessa and Pioneer Woman.

To find out more about the author please visit TimSullivan.co.uk 

Twitter: @timjrsullivan / Instagram: @timsullivannovelist / TikTok: @timsullivanauthor

TALKING POINTS & FEATURE IDEAS

  • Creating character – from films to crime novels, what keeps us hooked?

  • Differences between writing for screen and writing novels – from detailed storyboarding, to being surprised by what your character does next…

  • How experience as a director helps the novel writing process – from The Casebook Of Sherlock Holmes to George Cross…
    NB Tim’s first two movies were adaptations of books which was another way of learning about the process of novel writing and the difference between the page and the screen.

  • The importance of supporting characters in fiction – in Sullivan’s George Cross novels his partner at work, Josie Ottey, is often his conduit, interpreter, and apologist to those that don’t make any effort to understand him. Alice Mackenzie, the young staffer, relatively new to the department acts as the eyes for the reader as she comes to understand her boss and his ways. His father, Raymond, is a constant source of love and support for someone who is so often misunderstood and abused. This cast of characters enables the detective, sleuth, pathologist, whoever the main character in a crime novel is, to function at their best.

  • The perfect detectives, and what they have in common – from Sherlock Holmes to Poirot and Philip Marlowe to Harry Bosch

  • Creating George – from his passion for playing the organ to his absent mother, what makes George tick?

  • Creating a setting – why Bristol is the perfect place for the DS George Cross series

  • Mortality / grief intruding in the most unexpected of places – Tim’s father died in his arms at his wedding as they left the church

SELECTED PRAISE

 'A British detective for the 21st century who will be hard to forget' DAILY MAIL

 ‘The fact that Cross has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder makes him just as intriguing as the murder mystery’ THE TIMES

 ‘Elegant writing and a firm grasp of the crime medium…We’ve had sleuths on the autistic spectrum before but Sullivan’s copper is among the most distinctive characterisations.’ FINANCIAL TIMES

‘Fantastic story with a brilliant D.S. Loved it’ FROST MAGAZINE

‘A compelling, suspenseful police procedural with an intimate, positive insight into living on the autistic spectrum' WOMAN

'A good police procedural made doubly interesting by the development of the characters' CHOICE

'True characters, a fresh setting, and a good mystery – this one's got the lot.' THE MORNING STAR

'Superb, clever and taut' BELFAST TELEGRAPH

'An absolute cracker' THE BOOKBAG

‘[An] extremely accomplished novel… [with] a plot-line which keeps you constantly on your toes…George Cross is superbly written…the author really captures the person the little details that make him the person he is…[A] crime novel of the highest quality, packed with twists, protagonists who leap of the page with a narrative which kept me engaged throughout…This is a series which I cannot recommend highly enough, by an author who has elevated himself to the top of the crime writing genre.’ Andy Wormald, AMW BOOKS