D. M. Mitchell has been compared to Dean Koontz, Stephen King, Ruth Rendell, M. R. James, Linwood Barclay, Umberto Eco, the Bronte sisters, Charles Dickens and many others. Discover for yourself why D. M. Mitchell is being regarded by some as one of the UK's most original and exciting writers of psychological crime thrillers and supernatural fiction. 'THE MOST SAVAGE OF BEASTS IS TO BE FOUND WITHIN THE HEART OF MAN.' It is 1817, Regency England. Thomas Blackdown, a thieftaker and ex-soldier, receives word that his brother and father are in deep trouble and need his help. But Blackdown is a man that harbours bitter memories; a man banished from his homeland because of a terrible accident, and so is reluctant to return to his ancestral home in Somerset. However, once there he discovers that his brother has been savagely murdered - torn to shreds by a mythical creature the locals call the Blackdown Beast. Thomas Blackdown does not believe in a creature of fantasy, and is determined to bring to justice his brother's murderer, encouraged by his brother's fiance, Julianne Tresham, and aided by the faithful servant Addison. But Blackdown is quickly drawn deep into a complicated web of deceit, power, greed and murder involving Lord Tresham - Julianne's father - and the cold Sir Peter Lansdowne. What is the mysterious Lupercal Club? Why do ex-soldiers go missing from Commodore Pettigrew's travelling theatre? What strange thing is happening in Devilbowl Wood where Blackdown's brother was found mutilated? And what savage, hellish creature prowls the night? Soon, Blackdown must fight for his own life and face up to his demons both imaginary and real. He will need all his wits and skills to survive if he is ever to discover the shocking truth behind the evil that has penetrated as far as the government itself. Set in Regency England following the end of the Napoleonic wars, 'Blackdown' is D. M. Mitchell at his creative best, crafting a believable world of strange, larger-than-life characters, with his trademark intricate plotting and surprise ending, a novel that is a rollicking good thriller, horror and adventure story rolled into one. And in Thomas Blackdown, Mitchell has given us a hero like no other before - a Darcy with bite, a Bond in breeches..."