FICTION
THE NOVEL
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HareWhen William Burke was hanged in Edinburgh as a serial killer in 1829, his accomplice, William Hare, was set free after turning king’s evidence against his partner-in-crime. Fleeing from a potential lynching in the Scottish capital, Hare headed for London, where rumours spread of his death in a lime pit at the hands of an angry mob.
Thirty-four years later, a series of murders in Boston terrifies the public and thrusts the city’s police force into a desperate search for the killer. When Hare is found working as a labourer on Boston’s latest canal-building project, Captain Alexander Gillespie believes he has his man, the same murderer he chased through the streets of Edinburgh during his first year with the police. But as the slayings continue, Gillespie must turn Hare loose and use the mind of one killer to catch another. From the oak-panelled studies of Massachusetts’s universities to the grimy underworld of the city’s docks, Gillespie and Hare must pursue a shadowy villain before he strikes again. Against the backdrop of the American Civil War, their search leads them closer to the killer and into the heart of a desperate plot that could threaten the very future of the United States itself... |
Hare was originally published in hardback, paperback and ebook by Knox Robinson Publishing between 2014 and 2017
REVIEWS
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"Peter Ranscombe took 18 months pounding out Hare, writing it during “snatched moments” outside his regular work hours. Those labors paid off in an enthralling novel that might make you think twice about history’s simplistically condemnatory portrayal of a Scottish killer."
J. KINGSTON PIERCE, KIRKUS REVIEWS - FEB 2015 "Haven't read a book so quick in ages. Couldn't put it down. Very well written, interesting and exciting. Kept wondering how it would end and liked the way the author did that. Really well researched." - AMAZON REVIEW - OCT 2015
"Terrific fast paced thriller. The dark and murky past was brought so vividly to life you almost felt yourself in the Boston docks or Edinburgh old town or the Canadian frontier. Great characterisation throughout and I especially likes Burke sitting on Hares shoulder like a bad penny. Well worth a read." - AMAZON REVIEW - JAN 2016
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Radio & Video
You can also LISTEN to Peter's in-depth discussion with the late, great Angie Townsend on her RICHT GUID BLETHER radio show by clicking HERE
You can also WATCH Peter discuss the inspirations behind the book by taking a walking tour round Burke and Hare's Edinburgh haunts with THE EDINBURGH REPORTER by clicking HERE
EXTRACTS
EVENTS
Peter was invited to speak at book festivals, libraries and other locations throughout Scotland to explore the facts and the fiction behind Burke and Hare, discussing his novel with audiences ranging from a handful of hardcore bookworms through to crowds of more than 200 people.
These events have included:
These events have included:
