Glaston Town, a gritty neighbourhood in a corner of London, is home to a cast of motley characters. Immigrants and old-timers, criminals and constables, clergymen and crack addicts, students and shopkeepers, pimps and politicians all live more or less together. Most compelling is Jack Corbyn, a brilliant teenager who would rather count bricks and screws than chase girls. As he matures he becomes an unlikely Glaston Town hero, but his relationship with childhood mate Bee O'Neall is troubled when a wealthy woman who hires her as a companion plucks her out of poverty. Seeking romantic advice, Jack turns to an unlikely mentor, the local prostitute Leila Pain. Just as things seem to be going better for Jack, a brutal murder shocks the neighbourhood. Newly minted Detective Constable Sharon Tyllor is called in to assist in the investigation, but as an outsider she finds that nobody is talking-and that everyone, it seems, has a motive for this particular crime.
With an introduction by Tony Goldenberg, on the back cover.
What reviewers say about Glaston Town:
"Life, Love, and Murder in a Corner of London. A project of Dickensian sweep...in just the way Dickens might do it now." Nate Briggs, Kindle Book Review
"In La Frenière's debut thriller, the savage murder of a local citizen threatens a close-knit community in a small London village.The novel is split in three separate parts, each in a distinctive genre...A trio of stories that stand out individually but, like the Glaston Town residents, are much stronger as a whole." Kirkus Review
"A complex and rewarding novel...A murder mystery that feels tragically real." Jon Thum, author
"A long overdue novel from a master storyteller!" Patricia Sands, author
"You'll find echoes of the author's life and experiences in the words, and you'll find yourself immersed in a compelling mystery that you'll never forget." Rebecca McNutt, author
"Glaston Town, the gritty debut novel by Céline La Frenière has many bleak moments of poverty and despair, but the prevailing theme is the sense of community that emerges in the darkest of times." Jane Clinton, Camden New Journal