OPEN & CLOSED - in paperback at last!

[Mat Coward]

Thanks to the brilliant “backinprint” programme run by the Authors Guild, my last “Don and Frank” crime novel, Open and Closed, is at last available as a trade paperback. You can order it through any real or online bookshop, or direct from the website:
http://www.iuniverse.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=SKU-00012...

Here are some of the reviews of the hardback edition:

“Will please devotees of this too-little-known series ... Some of the banter between the two leads will remind some readers of the wordplay in a Donald E. Westlake novel, and that’s just fine. Readers who have not yet sampled this quirky and entertaining series should be vehemently encouraged to do so, with all haste.” - Booklist.

“The charm of his writing wins the reader over” - Shots.

“Mat Coward makes the prosaic exotic. The detail of our everyday lives comes alive in his hands.” - Morning Star.

“For me the victim and his family ring particularly true. Definitely worth getting your library to order (or even buy it yourself too.)” - The Library Campaigner.

“Watching the pair methodically interview and re-interview all of those who are potential killers is great fun, and the depictions of the diversity of ages, personalities and social strata of all who are involved are skillfully portrayed. The plot moves along briskly with a good deal of humor. The political irrationality of the threatened closure of the library is delightfully balanced by Packham’s iconoclasm, and his acumen and wit make him a detective whose adventures are definitely worth following. RECOMMENDED.” - www.iloveamysterynewsletter.com .

“Don Packham and Frank Mitchell make a humorous pair ... the characters come alive ... I highly enjoyed this novel, and the previous stories about the two British detectives.” - LoveRomances.com.

“The plot clips along” - Mystery Scene.

“Amusing, witty mystery ... Coward knows how to write endearingly likeable characters. The surrounding and incidental characters feel textured and real, and this is one of Coward's great skills; he knows how to write people ... They're quintessentially British whodunnits written with style and aplomb. They're not dark, they're rarely explicitly violent and they're often very, very funny ... Coward's infectious sense of fun and his clear, flowing prose make this a fun, divertingly entertaining and pleasant read.” - Crime Scene Scotland.

“What marks this book, and indeed Coward’s other Don and Frank mysteries, out from the rest of the genteel English copper pack is Coward’s excellent sense of humour and his endearingly sympathetic characters who often surprise us by breaking free from what appears to be obvious stereotype. Open and Closed is an entertaining, light and very funny take on the traditional English mystery. Coward’s breezy style guides the reader willingly through the twists and turns of this clever, witty novel.” - Jacqueline Rice, Crimespree Magazine.

“Enter hard-bitten cynic DI Don Packham and not-so-innocent DC Frank Mitchell. Their relationship is a comic masterpiece, especially in dealings with the eccentric characters who populate this book. One incident with a mobile phone will make you laugh out loud.” - Warwickshire County Library Service, staff recommendations website.