Simon Mason – författare

'This is absolutely first class' Stephen Fry'Simon Mason has created crime fiction's most entertaining double act in decades' Mick Herron'Move over Morse' Val McDermid'My favourite UK series' M W CravenOn a warm and pleasant evening in Oxford, gentle city of poets and scholars, rioters outside a hotel full of asylum seekers set a young refugee on fire. The city - the country - convulses in shock. Is this who we are? It's international news of the very worst kind, and the Chief Constable demands immediate and exemplary action in bringing the perpetrators to justice. The detectives leading the investigation fill him with misgivings, however: DIs Ryan and Ray Wilkins (no relation), Thames Valley's detective pantomime horse, one Oxford-educated, the other Oxford-trailer park. He doesn't understand why they work together. 'Do they even get on?' 'Somehow that doesn't seem necessary,' their Superintendent replies.Who burned the boy alive? Was it a far-right extremist? Was it an ordinary person who had simply gone along to watch and got caught up in the emotion? Could it even be one of the children who were there? Deploying a range of investigative skills, some standard, some unconventional and some frankly nuts, the Wilkinses do what they do: results with chaos. But when they discover that the victim was not an asylum seeker after all, or even a resident of the hotel, the whole investigation kicks into a completely different configuration.READERS ARE LOVING RYAN AND RAY:'Loved it, what a wonderful read' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Really, really enjoyed and was sorry to finish it' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Have really enjoyed the whole series' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'If you like Slow Horses, either the books or the Apple series, this book is for you' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Set in present day Oxford, England, it is Morse times two' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Can't put these books down' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'A real un-putdownable page turner . . . A tremendous read' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Warm, entertaining, and above all thought-provoking, Daemon Voices provides a remarkable insight into the mind of one of our greatest writers. He explains which storytellers have meant the most to him, including William Blake and John Milton, why their work has resonated with him, and how it has inspired his own thinking.In over 30 essays, written over 20 years, Philip Pullman reveals the narratives that have shaped his vision, his experience of writing, and the keys to mastering the art of storytelling.

Eleven-year-old Martha is used to being the one who has to keep her head. Tug, her little brother, is too small. Dad is too strange. And Mum's not here any more.So when Dad falls off the roof, it's Martha who ices his knee and takes him to the doctor. And when Dad doesn't come home, it's Martha who cooks Tug's favourite pie and reads him his bedtime story. And when Dad passes out, it's Martha who cleans him up and keeps his secret.But eventually Dad's problems become too big for even Martha to solve. There is only one person who can sort things out now. Dad.

At the Wildlife Park, Will tells his family everything he knows about the big, fierce animals. Lucy is only interested in the small, furry animals. When Lucy bumps into a really big, fierce animal, some interesting facts tumble into Will's mind...

Part of the Bug Club reading series used in over 3500 schools Helps your child develop reading fluency and confidence Suitable for children age 7-8 (Year 3) Book band: Brown A Phonics phase: N/A

 

This title is part of Bug Club, the first whole-school reading programme to combine books with an online reading world to teach today's children to read. In this Year 3 Brown B (NC level 3b) fiction novel … At the school talent show, Will plans to do a judo act with his friend, Tim. Lucy plans to give a skipping demonstration with her friend, Pokehead. When Tim and Pokehead get flu, Will and Lucy decide to put on a magic act together …

'Move over Morse. Simon Mason Oxford crime novel breathes fresh life into the police procedural' Val McDermid'As great a contribution to the noble British genre of detective fiction as any writer for decades' Stephen FryA DI RYAN WILKINS MYSTERYA SHOCKING DISAPPEARANCEA four-year-old girl goes missing in plain sight outside her nursery in Oxford, a middle-class, affluent area,her mother only a stones-throw away.A TRIGGERING RESPONSERyan Wilkins, one of the youngest ever Detective Inspectors in the Thames Valley force, dishonourably discharged three months ago, watches his former partner DI Ray Wilkins deliver a press conference, confirming a lead.A DARK WEBRay begins to delve deeper, unearthing an underground network of criminal forces in the local area. But while Ray's investigation stalls Ryan brings his unique talents to unofficial and quite illegal inquiries which will bring him into a confrontation with the very officials who have thrown him out of the force.Praise for the DI Ryan Wilkins Mysteries'Mason has reformulated Inspector Morse for the 2020s' The Times'Start now and avoid the rush' Guardian

**CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF RYAN AND RAY? BUY THE LATEST BOOK, THE DANGEROUS STRANGER, NOW**'Ryan and Ray go from strength to strength, and this, their third outing, is the best yet. Simon Mason has created crime fiction's most entertaining double act in decades' Mick HerronOxford, city of rich and poor, where the homeless camp out in the shadows of the gorgeous buildings and monuments. A city of lost things - and buried crimes. At three o'clock in the morning, Emergency Services receives a call. 'This is Zara Fanshawe. Always lost and never found.' An hour later, the wayward celebrity's Rolls Royce Phantom is found abandoned in dingy Becket Street. The paparazzi go wild. For some reason, news of Zara's disappearance prompts homeless woman Lena Wójcik to search the camps, nervously, for the bad-tempered vagrant known as 'Waitrose', a familiar sight in Oxford pushing his trolley of possessions. But he's nowhere to be found either. Who will lead the investigation and cope with the media frenzy? Suave, prize-winning, Oxford-educated DI Ray Wilkins is passed over in favour of his partner, gobby, trailer-park educated DI Ryan Wilkins (no relation). You wouldn't think Ray would be happy. He isn't. You wouldn't think Ryan would be any good at national press presentations. He isn't. And when legendary cop Chester Lynch takes a shine to Ray - and takes against Ryan - things are only going to get even messier.WHAT READERS ARE SAYING ABOUT LOST AND NEVER FOUND'If you like intelligent crime novels, with excellent characters, then try this series' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'A fast paced, entertaining read which is very enjoyable' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'An excellent, very readable crime novel' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Another gripping tale from the first to the last chapter' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

**CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF RYAN AND RAY? BUY THE LATEST BOOK, THE DANGEROUS STRANGER, NOW**'Simon Mason has created crime fiction's most entertaining double act in decades' Mick Herron'As great a contribution to the noble British genre of detective fiction as any writer for decades' Stephen FryOxford. A city of lost things - and buried crimes. At three o'clock in the morning, Emergency Services receives a call. 'This is Zara Fanshawe. Always lost and never found.' An hour later, the wayward celebrity's Rolls Royce Phantom is found abandoned in dingy Becket Street. The paparazzi go wild. For some reason, news of Zara's disappearance prompts homeless woman Lena Wójcik to search the camps, nervously, for the bad-tempered vagrant known as 'Waitrose', a familiar sight in Oxford pushing his trolley of possessions. But he's nowhere to be found either. Who will lead the investigation and cope with the media frenzy? Suave, prize-winning, Oxford-educated DI Ray Wilkins is passed over in favour of his partner, gobby, trailer-park educated DI Ryan Wilkins (no relation). You wouldn't think Ray would be happy. He isn't. You wouldn't think Ryan would be any good at national press presentations. He isn't. And when legendary cop Chester Lynch takes a shine to Ray - and takes against Ryan - things are only going to get even messier.What readers are saying about Lost and Never Found 5* An engaging detective double act5* Best in the series so far5* Set in present day Oxford, it is Morse times two

**CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF RYAN AND RAY? PREORDER THE LATEST BOOK, THE DANGEROUS STRANGER, NOW**DEEP DECEPTION. TWISTED FATE.'As great a contribution to the noble British genre of detective fiction as any writer for decades' Stephen FryA Daily Express Book of the Year 2025Thames Valley has a new Superintendent - DCS Wainwright - young, charismatic and ruthless, charged with pushing through big reforms. Her in-tray is full of problems - and at the top of the pile is the problem of Wilkins and Wilkins.Trailer park boy DI Ryan Wilkins, interesting looking in baggy trackies and over-large lime-green puffa. In his personnel file is a handwritten note scribbled by the outgoing Super: 'Do not, repeat not, give him responsibility.' And posh boy DI Ray Wilkins, improbably handsome in navy blazer and tan chinos: 'Thinks too highly of himself. More experience needed at the wet end.' Their previous investigations - though somehow successful - were models of disorder and dysfunction. The new Super needs to take action.There's been a shocking murder in the heart of Oxford, the stabbing of a security guard during an attempted armed robbery. Meanwhile, an elderly professor of linguistics goes missing from his home in cosy Iffley Village.The high-profile murder investigation can be safely handled by reliable detective DI Hare. The entry-level enquiry into the wandering academic can be given to the problem duo, with instructions to keep it simple. But when the body of the professor is found, still dressed in his pyjamas and dripping wet, spreadeagled on a hotel lawn miles from home, things get a little unexpected for the Wilkinses. Will Ray keep on top of the brief? Will Ryan keep it together?PRAISE FOR SIMON MASON 'Terrific' Mick Herron'This moody, atmospheric novel is full of surprises' Sunday Times (Crime Book of the Month)'[W]ell plotted and very funny' Sun'This has a TV series written all over it' Daily Mail

**CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF RYAN AND RAY? BUY THE LATEST BOOK, THE DANGEROUS STRANGER, NOW**DEEP DECEPTION. TWISTED FATE.'Move over morse' Val McDermid 'A superb series' Sunday TimesThames Valley has a new Superintendent - DCS Wainwright - young, charismatic and ruthless, charged with pushing through big reforms. Her in-tray is full of problems - and at the top of the pile is the problem of Wilkins and Wilkins.Trailer park boy DI Ryan Wilkins, interesting looking in baggy trackies and over-large lime-green puffa. In his personnel file is a handwritten note scribbled by the outgoing Super: 'Do not, repeat not, give him responsibility.' And posh boy DI Ray Wilkins, improbably handsome in navy blazer and tan chinos: 'Thinks too highly of himself. More experience needed at the wet end.' Their previous investigations - though somehow successful - were models of disorder and dysfunction. The new Super needs to take action.There's been a shocking murder in the heart of Oxford, the stabbing of a security guard during an attempted armed robbery. Meanwhile, an elderly professor of linguistics goes missing from his home in cosy Iffley Village.The high-profile murder investigation can be safely handled by reliable detective DI Hare. The entry-level enquiry into the wandering academic can be given to the problem duo, with instructions to keep it simple. But when the body of the professor is found, still dressed in his pyjamas and dripping wet, spreadeagled on a hotel lawn miles from home, things get a little unexpected for the Wilkinses. Will Ray keep on top of the brief? Will Ryan keep it together?PRAISE FOR SIMON MASON 'Terrific' Mick Herron'This moody, atmospheric novel is full of surprises' Sunday Times (Crime Book of the Month)'[W]ell plotted and very funny' Sun'This has a TV series written all over it' Daily Mail

A Guardian best crime and thriller book of 2024'Excellently lean and tense crime novel with a touch of the nouveau roman about it' Ian Rankin'Mason has been mainlining Simenon for a while, and it shows' Mick Herron'The very definition of unputdownable' David Peace'It's like the provincial British version of Maigret' Clare ChambersThe people I work with call me 'Finder'. I'm a specialist, a finder of missing people.July 2015, Sevenoaks. 12-year-old schoolgirl Alice Johnson went missing while doing her paper round, her bag found discarded on the pavement. At 08.00, she was spotted standing in heavy rain at the side of the busy by-pass. At 11.00, she was seen talking to the driver of a black car in Tonbridge. After that, nothing. Alice was never found.Nine years later the body of another schoolgirl, Joleen Price, is pulled from a nearby lake and a local man named Vince Burns detained. Convinced that Burns is guilty in both cases, SIO Dave Armstrong calls in the Finder to investigate the earlier disappearance.Interviewing those who thought they knew her, the Finder gradually reveals a hidden Alice, a girl of surprising contradictions. Seeking answers from her divorced parents - an over-protective mother, a negligent father - the Finder is forced to consider violently opposing narratives. Was the timid 12-year-old a victim of the predator Burns, as he himself hints? Or was she carrying out a plan of her own?The Case of the Lonely Accountant, book two in the Finder Mysteries, is OUT NOW!

'Excellently lean and tense crime novel with a touch of the nouveau roman about it' Ian Rankin'Mason has been mainlining Simenon for a while, and it shows' Mick Herron'The very definition of unputdownable' David Peace'It's like the provincial British version of Maigret' Clare ChambersThe people I work with call me 'Finder'. I'm a specialist, a finder of missing people.July 2015, Sevenoaks. 12-year-old schoolgirl Alice Johnson went missing while doing her paper round, her bag found discarded on the pavement. At 08.00, she was spotted standing in heavy rain at the side of the busy by-pass. At 11.00, she was seen talking to the driver of a black car in Tonbridge. After that, nothing. Alice was never found.Nine years later the body of another schoolgirl, Joleen Price, is pulled from a nearby lake and a local man named Vince Burns detained. Convinced that Burns is guilty in both cases, SIO Dave Armstrong calls in the Finder to investigate the earlier disappearance.Interviewing those who thought they knew her, the Finder gradually reveals a hidden Alice, a girl of surprising contradictions. Seeking answers from her divorced parents - an over-protective mother, a negligent father - the Finder is forced to consider violently opposing narratives. Was the timid 12-year-old a victim of the predator Burns, as he himself hints? Or was she carrying out a plan of her own?The Case of the Lonely Accountant, book two in the Finder Mysteries, is OUT NOW!

A Guardian best crime and thriller book of 2024'Mason has been mainlining Simenon for a while, and it shows' Mick Herron'The very definition of unputdownable' David Peace'It's like the provincial British version of Maigret' Clare ChambersBournemouth 2008, the height of the financial crash. Don Bayliss, a timid and well-mannered accountant, vanishes after leaving his office before a scheduled meeting. His wife is both perplexed and distraught. His clothes are found discarded at the mouth of Poole Harbour.After seven years of searching with no firm leads, the investigation is closed, and Don is presumed dead.Until, sorting through his possessions, his wife finds a garish business card of one Dwight Fricker and decides it must be of some importance. Now more than eight years after his disappearance Dorset Police call in the Finder and the cold case is reopened.The Finder begins with the last sightings of Don on the day he went missing, hearing how he seemed in a hurry, somewhat distracted? He unearths a string of overlooked clues that lead him to face the unlikely friendships that Don had made, the somewhat overbearing nature of Mrs Bayliss, the secrets that haunted him in his home life and the mistakes that led to him being investigated at work.The Case of the Lonely Accountant is a dark and rich mystery that centres upon one lonely man and reveals the distance between those who are missing and those who are lost.

'Mason has been mainlining Simenon for a while, and it shows' Mick Herron'The very definition of unputdownable' David Peace'It's like the provincial British version of Maigret' Clare ChambersBournemouth 2008, the height of the financial crash. Don Bayliss, a timid and well-mannered accountant, vanishes after leaving his office before a scheduled meeting. His wife is both perplexed and distraught. His clothes are found discarded at the mouth of Poole Harbour.After seven years of searching with no firm leads, the investigation is closed, and Don is presumed dead.Until, sorting through his possessions, his wife finds a garish business card of one Dwight Fricker and decides it must be of some importance. Now more than eight years after his disappearance Dorset Police call in the Finder and the cold case is reopened.The Finder begins with the last sightings of Don on the day he went missing, hearing how he seemed in a hurry, somewhat distracted? He unearths a string of overlooked clues that lead him to face the unlikely friendships that Don had made, the somewhat overbearing nature of Mrs Bayliss, the secrets that haunted him in his home life and the mistakes that led to him being investigated at work.The Case of the Lonely Accountant is a dark and rich mystery that centres upon one lonely man and reveals the distance between those who are missing and those who are lost.

**CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF RYAN AND RAY? BUY THE LATEST BOOK, THE DANGEROUS STRANGER, NOW**SHORTLISTED FOR THE CWA GOLD DAGGER 2023'As great a contribution to the noble British genre of detective fiction as any writer for decades' Stephen Fry'This moody, atmospheric novel is full of surprises' Sunday Times (Crime Book of the Month)Ryan Wilkins grew up on a trailer park, a member of what many people would call the criminal classes. As a young Detective Inspector, he's lost none of his disgust with privileged elites. But he notices things; they stick to his eyes. His professional partner, DI Ray Wilkins, of affluent Nigerian-London heritage, is an impeccably groomed, smooth-talking graduate of Balliol College, Oxford. You wouldn't think they would get on. They don't. But when a young woman is found strangled at Barnabas Hall, they're forced to. Rich Oxford is not Ryan's natural habitat. St Barnabas's irascible Provost does not appreciate his forceful line of questioning. But what was the dead woman doing in the Provost's study? As tensions rise, things aren't going well. Ray is in despair. Ryan is in disciplinary measures. A Killing in November introduces an unlikely duo from different sides of the tracks in Oxford in a deftly plotted murder story full of dangerous turns, troubled pasts and unconventional detective work.

'The very definition of unputdownable' David Peace'Mason packs more into 200 pages than many writers do at twice the length' Sunday TimesIn the first months of 2020 there was a spate of murders of Black sex workers in northern cities. One of them was Ella Bailey, last seen talking to a punter in an alley in Sheffield city centre, and although no trace of her was ever found, the punter, Michael Godley, soon confessed to all three murders.Five years later, as another sex worker is murdered in the same district, the bag Ella had been carrying with her reappears, hanging on the door handles of a café, and a local vagrant claims to have seen Ella sitting on a bench in a churchyard near the site of the murder. South Yorkshire Police call in the Finder.So begins a search that takes him back to the strange days of the pandemic, to talk to those who knew Ella best, such as her wayward girlfriend 'Loz', abusive boyfriend Caine Poynton-Smith and respectable foster-parents still struggling to come to terms with Ella's life. How did their intelligent, strong-willed daughter - bright student and national schoolgirl athletics champion - end up in that alley?As fear grips the city, our Finder must court danger to discover the truth.

'The very definition of unputdownable' David Peace'Mason packs more into 200 pages than many writers do at twice the length' Sunday TimesIn the first months of 2020 there was a spate of murders of Black sex workers in northern cities. One of them was Ella Bailey, last seen talking to a punter in an alley in Sheffield city centre, and although no trace of her was ever found, the punter, Michael Godley, soon confessed to all three murders.Five years later, as another sex worker is murdered in the same district, the bag Ella had been carrying with her reappears, hanging on the door handles of a café, and a local vagrant claims to have seen Ella sitting on a bench in a churchyard near the site of the murder. South Yorkshire Police call in the Finder.So begins a search that takes him back to the strange days of the pandemic, to talk to those who knew Ella best, such as her wayward girlfriend 'Loz', abusive boyfriend Caine Poynton-Smith and respectable foster-parents still struggling to come to terms with Ella's life. How did their intelligent, strong-willed daughter - bright student and national schoolgirl athletics champion - end up in that alley?As fear grips the city, our Finder must court danger to discover the truth.

**CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF RYAN AND RAY? BUY THE LATEST BOOK, THE DANGEROUS STRANGER, NOW**'As great a contribution to the noble British genre of detective fiction as any writer for decades' Stephen Fry'Simon Mason has created crime fiction's most entertaining double act in decades' Mick HerronA SHOCKING DISAPPEARANCEA four-year-old girl goes missing in plain sight outside her nursery in Oxford, a middle-class, affluent area, her mother only a stones-throw away.A TRIGGERING RESPONSERyan Wilkins, one of the youngest ever Detective Inspectors in the Thames Valley force, dishonourably discharged three months ago, watches his former partner DI Ray Wilkins deliver a press conference, confirming a lead.A DARK WEBRay begins to delve deeper, unearthing an underground network of criminal forces in the local area. But while Ray's investigation stalls Ryan brings his unique talents to unofficial and quite illegal inquiries which will bring him into a confrontation with the very officials who have thrown him out of the force.Follow on with Lost and Never Found, the next book in the DI Ryan Wilkins Mysteries, which The Times described as 'Inspector Morse for the 2020s.'What readers are saying about The Broken Afternoon5* 'A thoroughly engrossing crime fiction romp with Ryan Wilkins continuing to be a wonderful creation by the author'5* 'A relentlessly paced police procedural that kept me guessing until near the end'5* 'Super'5* 'Ray and Ryan win again'

At the beginning of the 11th century, General Yang sends his son Zongbao to exterminate the bandit living in Dragon-Taming Wood. In the forest, Zongbao is surprised by the bandit's teenage daughter, a kung fu prodigy, who challenged him to unarmed combat. Her deal? If Zongbao wins, she will lead him to her father's secret hideout. If she wins, she will take him to her father as her prisoner.So begins Mu Guiying's extraordinary story, which will end with a spectacular battle for the destiny of her country.

Amy Roecastle is beautiful. Selfish. And missing.Vanished without a trace in the middle of the night, she's taken her ferocious dog - and something else, too. Something deadly.Amy's best friend is lying to Inspector Singh, who has no leads and no idea.Cue Garvie Smith. Teenage slacker. Undeniable crime-solving genius.Garvie's one step ahead of the investigation. But there's nothing simple where Amy is involved. And this time Garvie's about to find himself in way over his head.

Meet Garvie Smith. Highest IQ ever recorded at Marsh Academy. Lowest ever grades. What's the point? Life sucks. Nothing surprising ever happens.Until Chloe Dow's body is pulled from a pond. His ex-girlfriend.DI Singh is already on the case. Ambitious, uptight, methodical - he's determined to solve the mystery - and get promoted. He doesn't need any 'assistance' from notorious slacker, Smith. Or does he?

It's exam season - but Five Mile is in shock. A teenage boy was shot last night, with no clear motive and no clues.Garvie Smith - reprobate, genius and waster - was just getting down to a spot of revision. But he knows he's the only one who has any idea where to look for the answers. Starting with his best friend's girlfriend.Exams. What exams?