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Portraits of the Dead - John Nicholl #BlogTour #Extract

Portraits of the Dead – John Nicholl

Today I am pleased to be able to participate in the blog tour for Portraits of the Dead by John Nicholl.  My thanks go to Sarah Hardy and Bloodhound Books. 
Emma didn’t know how long he hid in the large Victorian wardrobe to the side of her single bed. She didn’t know how long he peered between the two heavy oak doors, and watched, as she slowly drifted into fitful sleep. She didn’t know what time he pushed the doors open and crept towards her in the darkness of the night.

Detective Inspector Gravel finds himself faced with a difficult case when a local nineteen-year-old university student is abducted and imprisoned by a sadistic serial killer, who has already tortured and killed at least five young women.

Can Gravel find the girl and stop the murderer?

He will learn that the greater the evil, the deadlier the game…


Today on my blog, I am pleased to be joined by John Nicholl who tells me a little bit about all the books that he has wrote.

I write darkly psychological suspense thrillers, which draw heavily on my experiences as a police officer and child protection social worker. I guess, given my career, the genre chose me. I’ve written five full length novels to date, the most recent of which, Portraits of the Dead, will be published by the brilliant Bloodhound Books in July 2018.

I wrote articles for newspapers and a national social work magazine during my working life, but White is the Coldest Colour was my first novel. I felt driven to complete it once I’d started, although it was a steep learning curve. By far the hardest thing was conveying such a brutal plot line without including any gratuitous or graphic detail. Fortunately, the majority of reviewers seem to like the book, which reached # 10 of all books on Amazon. A re-edited version was published by Bloodhound Books in February 2018 and became a bestseller for a second time.

When Evil Calls Your Name, my second novel, is a sequel, although it can be read as a standalone. The book is written in a very different style to White, as if by Cynthia, the main character, in the form of a journal, whilst serving a prison sentence. It is primarily intended as an interesting and entertaining read, but I hope it also goes some way to communicating the insidious negative effects of psychological and physical domestic violence on its victims. Some reviewers have thought that the book was written by Cynthia herself, one even saying that she was brave to write it given the horrendous things she went through. I find that gratifying. It’s intended to be a raw and realistic book, that while entirely fictional, was inspired by real events. There are far too many real-life Cynthia’s in the world, who suffer violence at the hands of men. I hope that the book plays a small part in bringing attention to what is still largely a taboo subject. A re-edited version was published by Bloodhound Books in April 2018.

My third book, Portraits of the Dead, is a serial killer thriller full of twists and turns. Like my first two books, it’s set in Wales, which I think makes sense, given that I spent the majority of my career working in my home country. I find it easier to write from experience and I hope it gives the books an authentic air of gritty realism. A re-edited edition will be published by Bloodhound Books in July 2018.

My fourth novel, originally titled A Mind To Kill, is an intense female revenge thriller - A Death Wish for the modern world. The book focusses on the insidious danger posed by predatory criminals who target potential victims via the internet. A re-edited edition, renamed Before I Met Him, will also be published by Bloodhound Books in July 2018.

My fifth novel, A Cold Cold Heart, tells the story of a handsome, charismatic and merciless serial killer, who targets the daughter of the police officer leading the hunt to catch him. It’s a tense, fast-paced tale packed with suspense. An audiobook edition of the book will be published by W.F. Howes in the coming months.

Working with Bloodhound’s excellent editorial, publishing and publicity team has been a very positive experience. I really couldn’t be with a better publisher. I’ve been incredibly fortunate in that sales of my books have been better than I could have hoped.  I’d like to say a massive thank you to all the wonderful readers and bloggers who have made it happen. It’s truly appreciated.

Thanks to John Nicholl for joining me on my blog today and sharing the information about the books he has wrote.  I must confess to having a few of these in my TBR list.


John Nicholl, an ex-police officer, child protection social worker and lecturer, has written six darkly psychological suspense thrillers, each of which has been an Amazon # 1 bestseller. John is happily married, lives in rural west Wales, and has three adult children and one grandchild, with a second expected in August 2018. He began writing after leaving his job heading up child protection services for Carmarthenshire.

John is represented by Toby Mundy - Literary agent at TMA.

You can find out more about John and his books at: http://www.johnnicholl.com 
Facebook                            https://www.facebook.com/john.nicholl.988

Goodreads                         https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13795294.John_Nicholl

Twitter                                 https://twitter.com/nicholl06

Agent                                    http://tma-agency.com My thanks to John Nicholl for stopping by my blog today and sharing the fantastic books that he has written. Also Sarah Hardy @ Bloodhound Books for my spot on the blog tour.
