It’s a very exciting guest on Linda’s Book Bag today as I stay in with Tim Sullivan to find out all about his latest novel. My enormous thanks to Emma Finnigan for arranging this for us. Let’s immediately find out more:

Staying in with Time Sullivan

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag Tim.

Thanks for asking me.

Thank you for agreeing to stay in with me.

No problem. Got to the age where I prefer a good night in to a moderate one out!

Oh me too! Anno domini and all that! Tell me, (although I rather think I know) which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

My latest, The Monk, featuring DS George Cross as it’s out tomorrow.

Happy publication day for tomorrow Tim. What can we expect from an evening in with George Cross?

Hopefully a good yarn but also sense of understanding someone like George. He’s on the autistic spectrum and so sometimes misunderstood. He can be literal, socially awkward and unintentionally rude. But his way of approaching his life is also his gift when it comes to solving crime, murder in particular. He’s a dogged follower of the evidence. He’s doesn’t have gut instincts about cases and won’t let things go until he’s got to the bottom of them. He simply can’t. He’s drawn to outsiders in cases because in many ways that is what he is himself. He actually fits into a tradition of detectives who we would now say are possibly on the spectrum, from Auguste Dupin, Sherlock Holmes to Poirot.

He sounds a brilliant character. I must catch up with the series. What do readers think about George?

This is what some readers have said –

‘I never review books, I’m a rater but not a reviewer but I just had to share that I love George!’

‘I love the character that is George Cross. Brilliant, socially awkward with a mind for puzzles second to none.’

‘DC Cross as a character is funny, irritating, clever and makes you really laugh at times with his black and white view of the world and how it results in interactions with his colleagues or people on the case. For all of his quirks, he is an excellent detective…’

‘George Cross is a wonderful character, an unusual detective, brilliant to read… Putting my finger on why I loved this book so much is difficult, it’s different to the norm, Cross is different, I really loved him.’

It seems that it really is all about George.

He sounds fabulous! So why have you chosen a monk as a victim in this book?

The Monk is set in Bristol where I went to school – in fact the book is dedicated to my English teacher there. It’s a city I know well and love. I decided on a monk being the victim in this particular book because it seemed so unlikely. Why would anyone want to kill a man who is secluded from normal life by choice and has devoted his to God. I myself was an altar boy at Farnborough Abbey as an adolescent and so have drawn on my experience of the place for the book.

I think all authors draw a little on what they know. As an ex-English teacher I love the dedication to your teacher Brian.

What else have you brought along and why have you brought it?

I’ve brought my wife along to tell me when my jokes aren’t as funny as I think they are.

I have a feeling many husbands might need to do that – mine included…

John Coltrane and Miles Davis for music and endless snacks so we don’t have to bother with a proper meal rounded off with some fantastically wicked ice cream. I’d love a couple of readers to come along as well as I’d be fascinated to hear what they have to say about the books.

From what I’ve been hearing about The Monk Tim I think they’d be saying very positive things indeed. I’m delighted to have The Monk on my TBR and can’t wait to read it. Now, you get the music on and dish up the ice cream and I’ll give readers a few more details.

The Monk

‘I am insanely in love with George Cross’ Stephen Fry

To find a murderer, you need a motive . . .

THE DETECTIVE
DS George Cross has always wondered why his mother left him when he was a child. Now she is back in his life, he suddenly has answers. But this unexpected reunion is not anything he’s used to dealing with. When a disturbing case lands on his desk, he is almost thankful for the return to normality.

THE QUESTION
The body of a monk is found savagely beaten to death in a woodland near Bristol. Nothing is known about Brother Dominic’s past, which makes investigating difficult. How can Cross unpick a crime when they don’t know anything about the victim? And why would someone want to harm a monk?

THE PAST
Discovering who Brother Dominic once was only makes the picture more puzzling. He was a much-loved and respected friend, brother, son – he had no enemies. Or, at least, none that are obvious. But looking into his past reveals that he was a very wealthy man, that he sacrificed it all for his faith. For a man who has nothing, it seems strange that greed could be the motive for his murder. But greed is a sin after all…

The Monk is part of the DS George Cross thriller series, which can be read in any order, is published tomorrow 27th April 2023 by Head of Zeus and is available for purchase here. 

About Tim Sullivan

Author image courtesy of Ivan Weiss

Tim Sullivan is a crime writer, screenwriter and director whose film credits include A Handful of Dust, Jack and Sarah and Cold Feet. Early in his career he directed Jeremy Brett’s iconic portrayal of Sherlock Holmes in ITV’s The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes¸ cementing his lifelong passion for crime fiction.

Tim’s crime series, featuring the socially awkward but brilliantly persistent DS George Cross, has been widely acclaimed and topped the book charts. The Monk is the fifth in the series.

He lives in North London with his wife Rachel, the Emmy Award-winning producer of The Barefoot Contessa and Pioneer Woman.

To find out more about the author please visit Tim’s website, follow him on Twitter @TimJRSullivan find Tim on Instagram.