Mat Coward: 11 books

Twelve tales of crime, from one of the most acclaimed short story writers of his generation. “One of the most original and gifted writers in contemporary crime fiction.” - Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. “Possibly the best writer of short stories working in the crime world today.”...

There’s a body in the library. The Bath Street public library in the London suburb of Cowden, that is—an impressive, modern facility that was only recently opened. Now, the borough council wants to close it as part of a “rationalisation” package. So, one autumn night, militant library-lovers...

Mat Coward has been writing a monthly gardening column for the Morning Star newspaper since 1993, mostly concentrating on the organic cultivation of fruit and vegetables. This collection gathers around 100 of his favourite columns from the last two decades.

Mat Coward's critically-acclaimed police procedural, set in a near-future London, is the most topical crime novel of the decade. In a world of fuel shortage, food scarcity, and wars over water, the Commonwealth of Britain is struggling to turn necessity into opportunity, and build a happier,...

A hilarious collection of misprints, double entendres, crazy headlines, bloopers and other amazing press cuttings, from the author of the popular @MatsHeadlines Twitter feed.

Nine stories of cats and crime, by one of mystery fiction’s most acclaimed writers of short stories.

A Don Packham and Frank Mitchell Mystery. At a London pub one February night, a lock-in is in progress. Thirteen members and supporters of the Hollow Head's darts team are celebrating a great victory over a rival house. But by midnight, one of them is dead, her head caved in with a concrete...

Rill is sent to the city to serve his apprenticeship as a soother's boy, one who calms the animals known as ravings after their powerful magic has been taken from them by the beastmasters. But the magic factory is full of mystery and danger, with rituals and rules that often seem to Rill not only...

Twelve-year-old Splodge Hodge lives with his family (Mum, Dad, Non-Existent Sister, and Phart the Dog) on an ordinary, peaceful housing estate somewhere in England. Peaceful, that is, until a new family moves in across the road. Well, what would you do if your neighbours from hell really were … neighbours from hell?

Suppose all the monsters in the world went on strike ... Fear is an essential part of human life, and for centuries it's been provided by vampires, werewolves, zombies and ghouls. But what happens when the monsters take to the picket line? What happens to society when real terrors take over from imaginary...

Seventeen extraordinary stories, covering science-fiction, fantasy, horror and slipstream, by one of Britain's most acclaimed short story writers. Reviewers loved the paperback edition: "Warmly wonderful" - Interzone. "Excellent" - Strange Horizons. "Pure enjoyment”...