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The Laughing Policeman (Brimstone Chorus) Hardcover – February 14, 2022
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Thirty-four years ago, a supernatural horror was summoned into the world, leaving nothing but mutilated corpses in its wake...
Until the day the trail went cold.
Now it’s back, and the fate of a young Traveller girl and her mother hang in the balance.
Their only hope of survival rests in the hands of cynical ex-detective Charlie Haynes. But what chance does a pensioner have against a demon? And if he can’t save them from the clutches of this ancient evil, what will become of mankind?
The Laughing Policeman is the first book in the Brimstone Chorus supernatural horror series. If you like gritty, fast-paced suspense, dry humour and dark forces, then you won’t be able to put down Elizabeth J. Brown’s addictive and ultraviolent debut.
A warning: The Laughing Policeman contains scenes of violence and strong language, that some readers may find distressing.
- Print length381 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateFebruary 14, 2022
- Dimensions6 x 1.15 x 9 inches
- ISBN-101739817052
- ISBN-13978-1739817053
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Product details
- Publisher : Kobold Books; reprint edition (February 14, 2022)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 381 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1739817052
- ISBN-13 : 978-1739817053
- Item Weight : 1.61 pounds
- Dimensions : 6 x 1.15 x 9 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #3,143,811 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #16,374 in Occult Fiction
- #30,582 in Police Procedurals (Books)
- #60,358 in Paranormal & Urban Fantasy (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Elizabeth J. Brown was born in Kent, England. This probably explains her obsession with tea and cake. She currently writes the Brimstone Chorus series - dark fantasy horror featuring demons, witches and a whole host of things that go bump in the night.
Her debut novel, The Laughing Policeman, takes place in 1980s England and features detectives, dark supernatural forces and dry humour.
When she isn’t in front of her laptop or spending time with her family, Elizabeth is usually absorbed in a book, film or anything that involves the strange, fantastical or supernatural.
Get your FREE Brimstone Chorus starter story at elizabethjbrown.com
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The Laughing Policeman is both creepy and heartfelt. It felt like such a short read because I enjoyed it so much. Highly recommend!
*Spoilers*
Charlie has been looking for the Caravan Cannibal for years but the killings stopped. 34 years later deaths start happening with the same M.O. as the Cannibal but could be the same person or a copy cat? Could it be someone linked to Charlie ?
The story begins with a botched robbery and a curse being unleashed. It reminded me of the film Snatch mixed with Wishmaster or Hellraiser. Innocent people are killed, a demonic entity is freed, and life goes to hell for everyone involved.
Elizabeth J. Brown’s writing style is a throwback to the Gothic literature classics in its pacing and attention to time and place. The author isn’t afraid to let a scene run its course and to hop around in a big cast of characters. As with the inherent risk with this tactic, the book falls victim to having some meandering parts where we’re just waiting for certain characters to get from Point A to Point B. Others may disagree and argue that it engrosses the reader in the story. Whatever floats your boat.
The uniqueness of the possessed character is what sets it apart from traditional demonic possession novels. It reads more like an action-revenge thriller with a protagonist plagued by a demon than a horror novel most of the time. He’s basically Venom, but instead of being infected by a symbiote that gives him superpowers and a cool costume, he’s possessed by a resentful demon who enjoys deforming his host while carrying out his bloody quest.
For the aforementioned reasons, The Laughing Policeman was a bit all over the place for me. I found it to be dense at times and completely entertaining at others. I would’ve trimmed quite a bit to make it more streamlined, but that’s just my taste. But throughout the entire narrative Brown proves that she is a gifted writer. I know she’s written some other books, but I’d be particularly intrigued by how she’d fare in the short story realm.
If what I’ve described sounds appealing, check it out. Fans of Clive Barker, Richard Bachman, and Susan Hill will enjoy it. I look forward to different directions this very talented author chooses to go in the future.
This to me, almost felt like two different stories melded together into one. The first part of the book sets things up brilliantly for the second half, which takes place three decades in the future.
As mentioned above, the character development here is fantastic, as is the storytelling and pacing of this book. I will definitely be getting my hands on the sequel ASAP, as I really want more of Charlie and Diane.
Top reviews from other countries
The story takes place over a number of years, beginning in 1984 and jumping ahead to 2018 in the second part. The demon’s hold over Stephen drives him to the brink of madness and to perform increasingly brutal acts as he’s compelled to hunt down the bloodline of those responsible for his suffering. When the last remnants of this family flee overseas, Stephen’s left wandering the streets as a vagrant, barely able to hold the demon back as its craving for violence and blood constantly bubbles beneath the surface of his rational mind. Alongside Stephen, the story also follows some of his victims, the Boswells, his police partner and best friend, Charlie Haynes, and a Ciara and Addison, a terrified mother and daughter on the run from a violent partner. These characters help to flesh out this fictional world, which is so seeped in British-isms that I couldn’t help but smile! Characters talk in slang and witticisms that are only too familiar to me, which helped to ground the piece and give even minor or despicable characters a sense of flair and reality; the way the author characterises both the demon and its violent prey is commendable and adds an unsettling sympathy to their plight even as they perform horrific acts.
There’s also a greater mystery at work here; haunted by the mysterious murders, Charlie loses everything trying to figure out who’s behind the wholesale slaughter of the Boswell family and why that strange dagger keeps turning up again and again. Between him and Stephen’s desire to rid himself of his demonic partner, we learn of a mysterious group of witches and mages, an occult sect who seek to destroy the demon before it can fulfil its dark ambitions, and the author lays just enough breadcrumbs to make me intrigued for what’s next in her “Brimstone Chorus” series and how the events of this book tie into that larger narrative. Still, “The Laughing Policeman” works perfectly well as a standalone piece; there were times when information was kind of dumped on us or repeated for the benefit of other characters, but I didn’t mind this as it was always related in new and different ways. The gore also makes the book incredibly appealed, as does the chaotic relationship between Stephen and his demonic partner; the demon reminded me of Ryuk from the “Death Note” franchise and I thoroughly enjoyed the dialogue they shared and the descriptions of its dishevelled appearance and gruesome acts! Overall, this was a massively enjoyable book that was easy to read and had me hooked from page one, so I’d definitely recommend it, especially to fans of gothic horror or with a love for dry British wit!
Mrs Brown is a new independent author, whose collaboration with Kobold Books has resulted in this well presented debut novel, exploring the human condition in a substantial story of crime and the supernatural, swiftly leading to the thrilling climax... And a promise of more to come.
This book was a refreshing departure from my usual genre, and now I'm looking forward to the next volume of "The Brimstone Chorus".
One to watch... It'll make a good script!