A year after going missing from home, Tommy Scarlett is found unconscious in an isolated country road. He has a fractured skull, broken wrist, and numerous other injuries. Recovering in hospital, Tommy has no recollection of the past. He doesn’t even recognize his own family.
After returning home, Tommy suffers severe headaches and acute depression. Desperate to help him, his father puts him into the care of a private therapist. But Tommy soon learns his troubles are far from over.
As the past is slowly unlocked, it becomes increasingly clear that Tommy has suffered an ordeal so horrendous it beggars belief. And those responsible are determined to silence him by any means possible.
Can Tommy find out what really happened to him and bring those responsible to justice?
Or will the past finally catch up with him and finish him off for good?
Song of the Psychopath will be published by Tilbury Publishing on 4th February and is available for pre-order from Amazon (paperback is already available for order).
My Review:
Tommy is found on a country road with serious injuries one year after going missing a year earlier following an argument with his sister Danielle. He has no memories of anything prior to the moment he is found, no recollections of his family life or school friends. Unsurprisingly he is angry and confused and lashes out at those who love him. His physical injuries take a while to heal and he has scars on his back and buttocks that have clearly been caused by another person But the mental and emotional damage is a while other thing. Most worryingly, he starts to have blackouts, going into a kind of fugue state and exhibiting strange behaviours. Sometimes he can remember what happened during these moments, other times not, but it becomes increasingly clear that Tommy has been through something hugely traumatic during his year away, and that there are people who will do whatever necessary to make sure he doesn't tell anyone anything about what happened should his memories return.
After returning home, Tommy suffers severe headaches and acute depression. Desperate to help him, his father puts him into the care of a private therapist. But Tommy soon learns his troubles are far from over.
As the past is slowly unlocked, it becomes increasingly clear that Tommy has suffered an ordeal so horrendous it beggars belief. And those responsible are determined to silence him by any means possible.
Can Tommy find out what really happened to him and bring those responsible to justice?
Or will the past finally catch up with him and finish him off for good?
Tommy is found on a country road with serious injuries one year after going missing a year earlier following an argument with his sister Danielle. He has no memories of anything prior to the moment he is found, no recollections of his family life or school friends. Unsurprisingly he is angry and confused and lashes out at those who love him. His physical injuries take a while to heal and he has scars on his back and buttocks that have clearly been caused by another person But the mental and emotional damage is a while other thing. Most worryingly, he starts to have blackouts, going into a kind of fugue state and exhibiting strange behaviours. Sometimes he can remember what happened during these moments, other times not, but it becomes increasingly clear that Tommy has been through something hugely traumatic during his year away, and that there are people who will do whatever necessary to make sure he doesn't tell anyone anything about what happened should his memories return.
Oh blimey! I went through every emotion reading this book! Tilbury is known for his dark, hard hitting books, which have earned him his 'Twisted Tilbury' title. I haven't read all of them, but I've read a good number and this is certainly the darkest of them. This is not a book for the faint hearted, and it covers subjects that could be upsetting for some.
Poor Tommy! Goodness, my heart went out to him. The author paints a very clear picture of him - a young man, a boy really, full of pain, frustration, desperation and anger. As he lashed out at those who love him, I just wanted to wrap him up in the biggest hug. His 'episodes' are frighteningly described and very vivid, as are the resulting effects on Tommy. The frustration of his parents also comes from the pages, but I would have liked to see Rachel, Tommy's mother as a stronger character, really fighting for her boy. But I loved his sister Danielle, who does everything she can to try to help her brother find peace. And Jordan is just the loveliest lad.
On the flip side, there are some absolutely detestable characters in this book. Violent and evil. They are all well drawn and their evil deeds are described very graphically. I winced more than once, at one scene particularly. But I was totally invested in these characters and needed to see where the story took them.
The storyline was really interesting. We see Tommy struggling with recalling distressing fragments of memories alongside the nefarious planning and ongoing misdeeds of others, some of which are very imaginative, as we go hurtling towards the moment the two strands come together, and one heck of a denouement. Along the way, there was one huge OMG! for me, a real 'What the...?' moment. I suspect many of you will feel the same. And the very end gave me a lump in my throat.
This is a dark, tense and twisted psychological thriller with varied, well rounded characters throughout. It does contain a lot of violence so it won't be everyone's cup of tea but it gripped me from the get go and kept me glued to the pages. I loved it.
The Author:
Mark lives in a small village in the lovely county of Cumbria, although his books are set in Oxfordshire where he was born and raised.
He's always had a keen interest in writing and after being widowed and raising his two daughters, Mark finally took the plunge and began self-publishing. After being published by an indie publisher Mark has now returned to self-publishing and re-launched his back catalogue, before his new thriller, Song of the Psychopath, is published this month.
When he's not writing, Mark can be found playing guitar, reading and walking.
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