‘It’s Christmas. A book club meeting ends in a triple murder. A demon is posing as Santa. It can only mean one thing…The Stranger Times are back.’
[ About the Book ]
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…
For most people, that means a time of celebration, relaxation and inebriation, but not for the staff of The Stranger Times.
While a book club meeting ending in a triple murder isn’t unprecedented, it is at least noteworthy. It quickly emerges that this is no ordinary book-club-triple-murder either, as it features a librarian possessed by a chaotic entity who has broken through from another dimension and is hellbent on vengeance. He’s made a list, but he’s not checking it twice as the whole of humanity is on it.
Who would want to summon such a thing? And how is anyone going to be able to send it back?
As if that wasn’t enough to be dealing with, a shocking revelation about a member of The Stranger Times team’s past brings family together, but not in a way that’s ever going to make it into a Hallmark movie.
Featuring demonically possessed Santas, blood-thirsty books and the ghost of a legendary nightclub, it’s beginning to look a lot like a Christmas apocalypse for The Stranger Times…
[ My Review ]
Ring The Bells by C.K. McDonnell published October 9th with Bantam. Described as a ‘funny and festive new paranormal mystery…the fifth book in the award-winning, critically acclaimed and laugh-out-loud funny The Stranger Times series.’
I am thoroughly enjoying this wacky and fun series from C.K. (Caimh) McDonnell. As many of you already know I am a huge fan of Caimh’s writing having discovered his mighty way with wit and words via his Bunny McGarry books. I think it’s fair to say that Caimh has almost a cultish following of devoted fans at this point, myself included, who appreciate and enjoy his sense of humour and his wonderful cast of characters across all his writing.
Ring the Bells is the latest addition to The Stranger Times series which is set in Manchester with the ex-Fleet Street, alcoholic and generally obnoxious Vincent Banecroft at the helm. In the run up to the festive season the team behind The Stranger Times newspaper are against the clock to get the latest edition ready for print when disaster strikes. A hacker has shut down their computer system causing near ructions in the office as none of the team are especially qualified in IT.
Meanwhile a supernatural occurrence at a book club meeting in a library has ended in carnage with three dead and some weird signage left behind that no one is capable of deciphering. A savage scene awaits the investigation team but with no logical reason for what they see, it soon becomes clear that it might just be beyond their remit. DI Tom Sturgess has become, unwittingly, the lead investigator for anything bizarre that occurs in the Greater Manchester area so after surveying the devastation at the library he has to look to the The Stranger Times for assistance.
It appears a portal of some sort has been opened and something otherworldly and intent on vanquishing humanity has been released so the odds of surviving this one are pretty slim for all the team involved. Meanwhile there are additional strange happenings within their own office walls as an unexpected story breaks in the most unorthodox fashion.
Ring the Bells continues in the same manner as the previous four books with its fantastical and entertaining plot. High-energy and so much fun, it’s packed with unhinged personalities, freakish (yet completely normal for The Stranger Times) incidents, unconventional work practices and offbeat relationships. C.K. McDonnell has developed a series that offers the complete distraction that many of us are looking for today. His pure wit, and his ability to create such a motley crew of lovable oddballs is very much the appeal of these books. Humorous, yet also very smart, Ring the Bells just proves that this series is really top-class entertainment and one I will continue to recommend. Bravo Caimh!
[I have linked all my reviews to the book cover images below so just click on each to read my thoughts]
[ Thank you to Caimh and to Bantam for a copy of Ring the Bells in exchange for my honest review]
[ Bio ]
Born in Limerick and raised in Dublin, C K (Caimh) McDonnell is a former stand-up comedian and TV writer. He performed all around the world, had several well-received Edinburgh shows and supported acts such as Sarah Millican on tour before hanging up his clowning shoes to concentrate on writing. He has also written for numerous TV shows and been nominated for a Kid’s TV BAFTA.
His debut novel, A Man With One of Those Faces – a comic crime novel – was published in 2016 and spawned The Dublin Trilogy books and the spin-off McGarry Stateside series. They have been Amazon bestsellers on both sides of the Atlantic.
As C. K. McDonnell, he is the author of The Stranger Times series contemporary comic fantasy series.
Caimh lives in Manchester.
Website ~ whitehairedirishman.com
