2 BY COL BURY

2 this week from a British author from Manchester.

Both are on the Kindle, both are of the shortish variety probably weighing in at around 120 pages for the pair, if the Kindle page count thingy is to be believed on Amazon.

One I have had for ages, one for a few months - time to read the bloody things then!

The Cops of Manchester

Includes the story, MOPPING UP, selected for THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF BEST BRITISH CRIME 9, and EYES WIDE SHUT from THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF BEST BRITISH CRIME 11.

Praise for The Cops of Manchester

“Short, sharp, shocking - and all set in my beloved Manchester. Great Stuff!” - Mandasue Heller, bestselling crime writer.

“I've been impressed by Col’s writing and been happy to have the opportunity to publish him, twice.” - Maxim Jakubowski, author, editor and publisher.

“Bury is going places. He shows boldness by tackling different styles of writing which encompass humour, paranoia, action thrillers and urban discontent.” - Crimesquad.com

“Col Bury pulls no punches, landing a flurry of hard jabs to the solar plexus that leaves us breathless. This is tight, gritty, bare-knuckle writing.” - Howard Linskey, author of The Drop.

“Fast dialogue and edgy plots, keeps you turning the pages. Cracking!” - Sheila Quigley, author of the Seahills series, and the Holy Island trilogy.

“Bury has the ability to draw you into a story fast, gripping the reader by lapels and not letting you go. With razor sharp dialogue and a vast array of grim characters, Col Bury epitomises the term ‘Brit Grit’.” - Luca Veste, author of Dead Gone.

Product Description 

Ever fancied being a cop?

Could you handle the pressure of hunting down a vigilante who’s killing criminals at a ferocious rate? Consider how you would deliver a death message to a distraught parent. Would you protect the public by tailing a gangster’s vehicle, knowing the occupants were armed? Or follow a suspect into a dark alley? How would years of dealing with society’s appalling, and often violent, underbelly affect you? And, does anyone really like a bent cop?

Love them or loathe them, cops run toward danger as everyone else flees.

With alternating short and longer fiction, The Cops of Manchester provides an eclectic taste of life as a cop - with a few 'surprises' - in the gritty urban setting of Manchester, UK.

Author’s note: some of these stories are hard-hitting, so not for the faint-hearted.

Manchester 6

Praise for Manchester 6

“Darkly funny, muscular prose with stark imagery. A must read.” – Richard Godwin, author of Apostle Rising.

“Top selection filled with dark humour, pathos and gritty action.” – Matt Hilton, author of the Joe Hunter thriller series.

“Snappy and powerful with realistic characters.” – Nick Quantrill, author of Broken Dreams.

“Col Bury’s Manchester 6 may well be the epitome of Brit Grit.” – Paul D Brazill, widely published British noir writer.

Product Description

Manchester 6 focuses on the best and worst of human nature, personified in the gritty urban setting of Manchester, UK. It features a plethora of no-nonsense characters you’d ordinarily want to avoid. The six stories highlight generally decent folk who become embroiled with the lower echelons of society, aka scumbags. Whether it’s the paranoid, spliff-sucking writer who has an online spat, or an ex-soldier hunting a notorious gang, there’s conflict galore. Meanwhile, hell hath no fury, like a window cleaner ripped-off of his Christmas tips, and a heroic family man faces Al Qaeda and the decision of his life. When you add to the mix, the luckiest gambler in town having a ball, coked up in a lap-dancing club, and an eccentric ice cream van owner who pushes ‘friendship’ beyond the limit, you know something’s got to give, and, boy, does it! This collection oozes dark wit and has more twists and turns than a snake on speed.

Col Bury was born and raised in Manchester, UK, and is the crime editor of award winning ezine, Thrillers, Killers ‘n’ Chillers. His short stories can be found in many anthologies, including, The Mammoth Book of Best British Crime 9. His fiction is scattered around the blogosphere, at the likes of A Twist Of Noir and The Flash Fiction Offensive. A New York agent enjoyed Col’s online stories so much that they’re now working together developing his crime novel series. When he’s not working, being a daddy, writing, reading or editing, Col shoots pool or watches his beloved Manchester City FC.

Col has his website here and a full length novel is out in June published by Caffeine Nights Publishing - My Kind of Justice

Blurb......

Newly-appointed DI Jack Striker, of GMP’s Major Incident Team, has a dark secret, one that would land him in prison. 

Striker’s first case seems a straight-forward gang-on-gang slaying, until a notorious youth is found hanged. Before any chance to investigate, bodies begin stacking-up.

With the hot breath of the brass burning his neck, including hard-faced DCI Maria Cunningham who’s onto him, Striker knows this case will make or break him. 

The media-dubbed ‘Hoodie Hunter’ mixes MO’s, leaving few leads, and Striker recognises the work of a highly-skilled vigilante killer.

When Striker’s nephew is put into a coma, it becomes personal. Desperate, he runs an unofficial op’ with trusty colleagues, stunning DC Lauren Collinge and un-PC DC Eric Bardsley, placed in the line of fire.

The killer’s trail leads Striker into his own shady past, but will he catch the Hoodie Hunter before he or a colleague becomes the next victim?