Mark Charlton-Kings

MARK CHARLTON-KINGS

Although Mark Charlton-Kings was born and educated in Gloucestershire, he has lived overseas most of his life. After graduation Mark's career in the oil industry and in international business took him to Africa, the Middle East and United States. Whilst abroard he also acted as a foreign correspondent for the quality British newspapers.

Mark has written two books of the Dalton trilogy and is now working on the third. REVENGE IS WILD JUSTICE is a crime mystery set in Edwardian England and traces the lives of Adam Dalton, the blacksmith's son, and members of the wealthy upper class Somerville family. Sir Charles Somerville MP., is murdered and the novel outlines the lives of the many people who have a motive to kill him. The action is set in rural England, on board Titanic, in the air with the RFC over the Front during the First World War, the East End of London and the capital of the Ottoman Empire.

SMOKE WITHOUT FIRE, Mark's second novel, was written in Africa, England and Cyprus. It traces the life of Craig Dalton, grandson of Adam Dalton in Revenge is Wild Justice. This too, is a crime thriller involving a serial killer in Bristol. Mark's knowledge of the locations where his thriller is set ensures realism. Mark gained first-hand experience climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, visiting game reserves and rafting down the Zambezi. He has also flown light planes, attended Crown Court trials, liaised with Avon Police and been fired upon by African guerrillas, all of which feature in his saga of love, hate, injustice and revenge.

The third book in the trilogy will be set in World War 2 and will describe the life of Philip Dalton, Adam's son and Craig's father, who is a Mosquito pilot in the RAF. It will also be a murder mystery.

Today, Mark has homes in Paphos and Bristol, where he is a full time writer and newspaper columnist. His other interests include archery, U3A, Neighbourhood Watch, travel and restoring and rallying classic sports cars.

SMOKE WITHOUT FIRE

BOOK REVIEWS

Fourteen book reviews appeared in newspapers and magazines immediately after publication.

Extracts from some of these reviews are shown below.

'If you survive the horrifying prologue - you're in for a damn good read!'

Bookworm Lifestyle Magazine

'The interwoven threads in this enthralling novel will challenge your powers of deduction. You will be lulled by the love story and the settings; appalled by the behaviour of men, yet facinted by the court case.

Insight Magazine

'Mark Charlton-Kings, like Frederick Forsyth, betrays his journalistic background, since this novel is laden with fascinating information, including an explanatory Addendum. Besides doing considerable research he has also lived in most of the locations mentioned, so (the book) has a truly authentic air.'

Maria Etheridge

IN TOUCH MAGAZINE

' . . . it takes the reader on a fast-paced journey through the lives, loves and trials of a group of very believable characters, always holding the attention with clever twists and turns. This is, however, more than a thriller, although it certainly provides all the ingredients necessary to succeed in that genre; it is also a love story with tensions, passions and surprises aplenty.

. . . in his descriptions, which are vivid and authentic . . . and the storylines are interwoven with considerable skill to reach a most satisfying dénouement. '

Carole Manuel - Book Critic

U3A SPOTLIGHT MAGAZINE

'Charlton-Kings has created a complex crime mystery, with many twists and clues to test the readers' deductive ability. The police investigation and the court case make fascinating reading.

This absorbing and well researched saga . . . should appeal to most adult readers, especially those who enjoyed the early books of Wilbur Smith and the . . . crime thrillers of Ian Rankin

Chris Mills Paphos Post, Cyprus

'The characters are well drawn and the interweaving storylines certainly maintain the pace. There are unexpected twists, clever coincidences and intriguing clues that will challenge the reader . . . Parts reminded me of the TV series, 'Band of Gold', as does the clever cover.

Katherine Dance - PALS Magazine

'Just as you wonder how events . . . seemingly so different, can possibly come together, Mark with his writing skills makes the connections, but not without first testing the readers' own skills of deduction.

. . . the beauty of this book is the richness of the settings . . . apart from being a really good story, it is also highly educational. There is nothing better than a story that keeps you reading into the small hours . . . . . . and thinking about the characters and events long after the book is finished. It would make a great film.'

SCOOP MAGAZINE

' . . . great settings of the novel that provide the fascinating read . . . the novel is an absorbing and well researched saga . . . and you feel that you have been on a long, mind challenging journey once you put the book down.'

Deena Efstathiou

Cyprus Weekly