STAFF PICK: Winner of the Writing Magazine's best novel award!
Children of Fire is set in 1841, at the height of the industrial revolution in the North West England. The story is told through the eyes of Josiah Ainscough, who returns from travels on the continent, and he surprises everyone by joining the Stockport Police Force, rather than following his adopted father's footsteps into the Methodist Ministry.
While Josiah was abroad, five men died in an explosion at the Furness Vale Powder Mill. Was this an accident, or did the Children of Fire, a local religious community, have a hand in it? As a policeman Josiah must uncover the truths behind the Children of Fire, and Josiah is forced to solve the puzzle of the violence loose in the Furness Vale, before more people die.
Josiah is torn between his affections for Rachael, a leading member of the Children of Fire, and the vivacious Aideen Hayes, a visitor from Ireland. With more crimes unfolding rapidly, Josiah struggles to prevent a large illicit shipment of military grade gunpowder from getting to Ireland for use in terrorist attacks, and it becomes clear that he is out of his depth.
Author Paul Beatty lives in Marple, Stockport and his background is in the civil service, politics and academic research. Paul is a Methodist Preacher in his local area and focusses his time on his creative writing, where he has published a number of short stories, poetry, and more recently, a novel, "Heron Fleet", in 2013. Paul is a member of The Storyteller's Place - a local reading group which meets weekly.
- ISBN13 9781912362851
- Publish Date 28 November 2017
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 29 July 2021
- Publish Country GB
- Imprint Book Guild Publishing Ltd
- Format eBook
- Language English