Andrew Nicoll – författare

Otto Witte was once many things. But now, sitting in his caravan, drinking what's left of his coffee (dust), listening to the Allies rain their bombs on his city, he is simply scared. And so he's decided to write the story of his life. It is an extraordinary story, a story about how, with the help of his friends (and a camel), an acrobat of Hamburg became the King of Albania, and fell in love along the way.

''A triumph of tone, very moving, completely convincing'' - ANDREW MARR''A Baltic Brief Encounter'' - INDEPENDENTEvery morning, Mayor Tibo Krovic stops off at the local café on his way to work. He drinks his Viennese coffee with extra figs, leaves a bag of sweets for the owner, and then continues on to his office. There he awaits the arrival of his secretary: the beautiful, married, but lonely, Agathe Stopak.In the respectable town of Dot, there is nothing the good Mayor Tibo can do about his love for Mrs Stopak. Until one day Agathe accidentally drops her lunch into the fountain and a family tragedy is revealed. In that moment, everything changes.The Good Mayor is a magical story of fate and chance, of loss and love. An international bestseller, published in 23 countries, this stunning novel will be loved by fans of Joanne Harris (Chocolat), Louis de Bernieres (Captain Corelli''s Mandolin) and William Boyd (Love is Blind).PRAISE FOR THE GOOD MAYOR:''One of the best books I''ve ever read . . . It had a humour and lightness of touch that hooked me from the first page to the last'' - Daily Telegraph''An extraordinary achievement - original and profoundly creative'' - Scotsman''The delicious writing takes it into a rare league'' - The Sun''A story of love, dreaming and loss . . . you will not be disappointed.'' - Andrew Marr, Observer''An exuberant, whirlwind read, with a glint of steel beneath the frothy plot.'' - Guardian''Clearly the handiwork of a master storyteller.'' - Financial Times''A literary novel and gorgeously written, old-fashioned romance.'' - The Australian Women''s Weekly''Told with fantastical detail, delightful insights and a touch of humour, this fairy tale-ish romance is a genuine treat.'' - Publishers Weekly

"A mystery that touches the heart, with characters caught in a world that's harsh but trembles with tender emotions. A beautiful story." JAMES NAUGHTIE, BBC Radio 4 When the door opened and he came out, there came with him the stench of a dead thing, the sweet, sulphurous, warm, rotten chicken smell that only ever comes from unburied flesh. A dead body is found in a locked house. It has been stabbed in a frenzy, the hands and feet bound, the skull smashed, false teeth knocked from its jaws. Blood pools around the corpse and drips from the staircase. Yet nothing is missing: money and valuables remain untouched. Who could have murdered an old woman in such a horrifying way? And why? This is the mystery facing Sergeant John Fraser and Detective Lieutenant Trench when wealthy spinster Miss Jean Milne is murdered in the quiet seaside town of Broughty Ferry. Yet, despite an abundance of clues and apparent witnesses, the investigation proves troublesome: suspects are elusive and Miss Milne herself is found to be far from a model of propriety.And when sensational headlines put pressure on the police force to find a culprit, Fraser and Trench must work fast to prevent the wrong man from going to the gallows. But will they ever unravel the secret life and curious death of Miss Jean Milne? PRAISE FOR ANDREW NICOLL "The sense of setting and era are spot on, and the dusky streets of Scotland are suitably spooky." HEAT MAGAZINE on The Secret Life and Curious Death of Miss Jean Milne "An intelligent crime novel with secrets, passion and great characters - just a great murder mystery." PORTOBELLO BOOK BLOG on The Secret Life and Curious Death of Miss Jean Milne "A triumph of tone, very moving, completely convincing." ANDREW MARR on The Good Mayor "An exuberant, whirlwind read, with a glint of steel beneath the frothy plot." THE GUARDIAN on The Good Mayor

"A mystery that touches the heart, with characters caught in a world that''s harsh but trembles with tender emotions. A beautiful story."JAMES NAUGHTIE, BBC Radio 4When the door opened and he came out, there came with him the stench of a dead thing, the sweet, sulphurous, warm, rotten chicken smell that only ever comes from unburied flesh.A dead body is found in a locked house. It has been stabbed in a frenzy, the hands and feet bound, the skull smashed, false teeth knocked from its jaws. Blood pools around the corpse and drips from the staircase. Yet nothing is missing: money and valuables remain untouched. Who could have murdered an old woman in such a horrifying way? And why?This is the mystery facing Sergeant John Fraser and Detective Lieutenant Trench when wealthy spinster Miss Jean Milne is murdered in the quiet seaside town of Broughty Ferry. Yet, despite an abundance of clues and apparent witnesses, the investigation proves troublesome: suspects are elusive and Miss Milne herself is found to be far from a model of propriety. And when sensational headlines put pressure on the police force to find a culprit, Fraser and Trench must work fast to prevent the wrong man from going to the gallows. But will they ever unravel the secret life and curious death of Miss Jean Milne?REVIEWS"Nicoll takes a true story and builds it into a twisting piece of prose with an unexpected shift towards the end."DAILY EXPRESS (****, Summer''s Most Addictive Crime Fiction)"Beautifully Done."THE SUN"The sense of setting and era are spot on, and the dusky streets of Scotland are suitably spooky."HEAT MAGAZINE"A superb read, the sort of book that keeps you compulsively turning pages."UNDISCOVERED SCOTLAND"Nicoll offers a plausible, if shocking, solution to the crime at the end...in the style of the best Agatha Christie. The writing of a Christie-esque novel in the 21st century, however, requires a fresh and lively narrative, coupled with a wry and critical humour, to make it feel compellingly modern enough. Nicoll achieves that and more by bringing us, sometimes uncomfortably so, closer to our sins of the past."THE NATIONAL"An intelligent crime novel with secrets, passion and great characters - just a great murder mystery."PORTOBELLO BOOK BLOG"A triumph of tone, very moving, completely convincing."ANDREW MARR on The Good Mayor"An exuberant, whirlwind read, with a glint of steel beneath the frothy plot."THE GUARDIAN on The Good Mayor