The Figurehead - Softcover

ABERDEEN, Scotland – 1840 Return to an age where sail was being challenged by steam, new continents were opening, and the world was full of opportunities for people to be as good—or as evil—as they chose. When the body of a local shipwright is found on the beach, neither the customers and suppliers he cheated nor the women he molested are surprised. But the mystery intrigues woodcarver John Grant, who determines to seek out the truth of the killing. His work and his investigations bring him into contact with William Anderson, a rich merchant—and his daughter Elizabeth. Commissioned to create a figurehead that combines the features of two women, John eventually uncovers a sordid tale of blackmail and death as, simultaneously, he struggles to resist the pangs of unexpected love.

Bill Kirton was a university lecturer in French before taking early retirement to become a full-time writer. He's won two 2011 Forward National Literature Awards - 'The Sparrow Conundrum' was the overall winner of the Humor category and 'The Darkness' was runner up in the Mystery category. His historical mystery, 'The Figurehead', was long-listed for the 2012 Rubery Book Awards. He's produced material in many different media. His radio plays have been broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and 4 and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. His stage plays have been performed in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and the USA and he's been the visiting artist to the Theatre Department of the University of Rhode Island on four separate occasions. There, he directed stage plays, gave classes on creative writing and theatre, performed in revues and translated three plays by Molière for public performance, one of which won a BCLA prize. Material from his Edinburgh Festival revues was broadcast on the BBC, ITV and French television. He's also been a TV presenter and a voice-over artist and his scripts for corporate and educational DVDs and videos have won awards in the UK and USA. He's been a Royal Literary Fund Writing Fellow at the Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, and the universities of Dundee and St Andrews. His published novels are set in the north east of Scotland. 'Material Evidence', 'Rough Justice', the award-winning 'The Darkness', 'Shadow Selves' and 'Unsafe Acts' all feature DCI Jack Carston. 'The Figurehead' is a historical novel set in Aberdeen in 1840. The award-winning 'The Sparrow Conundrum', is a spoof spy/crime novel also set in Scotland. As Jack Lefebre, he's written a satirical fantasy novella about on online role-playing game; the game and the book are both called 'Alternative Dimension'. His short stories have appeared in the Crime Writers' Association annual anthology in 1999, 2005 and 2006. Another was chosen as one of the 'Best British Crime Stories, Vol. 7', a 2010 anthology edited by Maxim Jacubowski. His non-fiction output includes 'Just Write', co-written with Kathleen McMillan, 'Brilliant Study Skills', 'Brilliant Essay', 'Brilliant Dissertation', 'Brilliant Workplace Skills' and 'Brilliant Academic Writing'.