Home of the John Farrow
World Renown
Émile Cinq-Mars Mystery Thrillers from Canada.
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JOHN FARROW MYSTERIES, INC.
In John Farrow's riveting 10th novel featuring his iconic detective Émile Cinq-Mars, an investigation into a peculiar rash of deaths, in which the elderly sitting up straight suddenly "pop off," lays bare the roots and intricacies of the opioid crisis. As he investigates, Cinq-Mars encounters the secrets of a New Hampshire community wracked by tragedy, and meets the valiant women who will struggle to save him, as he has struggled to save them.
Friends, a word on the publishing side of my life for the few (or the few more than a few) who may have an interest. A Patient Death, a title I never intended to be a portent for the novel, will now be out around Nov 1st, 2023, after years of surprising delays. The novel was accepted, in New York at St. Martin’s Press, where I’d published the novels that comprise The Storm Murders Trilogy, but my editor was fired as happens too often in this business, along with most of the editorial staff, and I moved my publishing ventures to London, UK. The book was put in sequence to follow the three novels I was doing with Canongate/Severn House. And yet, when it came time to sign the new contract, I felt the tug of home, which was being neglected; I chose to go instead with Exile Editions in Canada. Next, Covid gave the publication an elbow to the ribs, Exile shut down for a bit, matters of some gravity afflicted involved individuals (who are well now) and the manuscript lingered. Finally, with an abundance of patience, A Patient Death, along with its follow-up mate, Bright Shining as the Sun, shall emerge.
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They are to be the 10th and 11th Émile Cinq-Mars crime novels (my 17th and 18th overall — yikes!) that are under my pen name John Farrow. I’ll add here that 25 years ago the first Émile Cinq-Mars novel emerged to splendid worldwide reception. Courtesy of eBooks in the digital age, City of Ice continues to enjoy a modest readership to this day, as do the others. I’m grateful for the ongoing interest, which, at this point in the game, is thanks solely to word-of-mouth.
Thank you!
A BIT ABOUT JOHN FARROW MYSTERIES, INC.
The Full Story
John Farrow is the pen name I chose to write crime novels, after decades of writing literary fiction under my real name, which is Trevor Ferguson. How did that come about? Well, the "Trevor" novels were a critical juggernaut, one fabulous review after another, of the sort any ambitious writer would crave. Sales, however, dilly-dallied. I needed to eat. I tried my hand at a crime novel, the first being "City of Ice". Suddenly, I was published world-wide and my bank account bulged. While I've written plays and another "lit" novel since, and dabbled in film, I'm now focussed on my Émile Cinq-Mars crime novels for the duration. They're a challenge and a joy to write and readers seem to enjoy the results. (The reviews have continued as splendid as well.)
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LADY JAIL (2021)
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One of my
"One of my favorite series. I love Émile Cinq-Mars!" _ Lee Child
AN ÉMILE CINQ-MARS THRILLER, PUBLISHED BY SEVERN HOUSE (CANONGATE).
SPRING 2021 (US & CA) & FALL 2020 (UK)
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Purchase at Amazon in the U.S. https://www.amazon.com/author/johnfarrow-aka-trevorferguson
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BALL PARK (2019)
AN ÉMILE CINQ-MARS THRILLER, PUBLISHED BY SEVERN HOUSE (CANONGATE).
JULY 31 2019 (UK) & NOVEMBER 1 2019 (US & CA).
Purchase at Amazon in the U.S. https://www.amazon.com/author/johnfarrow-aka-trevorferguson
ROAR BACK (2020)
AN ÉMILE CINQ-MARS THRILLER, PUBLISHED BY SEVERN HOUSE (CANONGATE).
JANUARY 2020 (UK) & APRIL 2020 (US & CA).
"REMARKABLE STUFF." — Kirkus Review (starred)
Purchase at Amazon in the U.S. https://www.amazon.com/author/johnfarrow-aka-trevorferguson
THE STORM MURDERS TRILOGY
THE STORM MURDERS (2015); SEVEN DAYS DEAD (2016); & PERISH THE DAY (2017)
ÉMILE CINQ-MARS THRILLERS, PUBLISHED BY THOMAS DUNNE BOOKS (ST. MARTIN'S PRESS)
"One of the best mysteries from Canada in some time." (Kirkus, starred review)
"An excellent thriller in which characters, plot, and setting score a triple for suspense." (Library Journal, starred review)
"This terrific story, with sympathetic characters and Farrow's crisp prose, is some of the best fiction to come out of Canada." (Bookpage)
"Farrow is an authoritative writer who creates characters with depth and plots that say something about them." (The New York Times.)
"One of my favorite series. I love Émile Cinq-Mars!" (Lee Child)
"A gale-force thriller ... had me hooked from the first howling chapter." (Kathy Reichs, author of the Bones series.)
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Purchase at Amazon in the U.S. https://www.amazon.com/author/johnfarrow-aka-trevorferguson
RIVER CITY (2011)
450 YEARS OF MONTREAL HISTORY AND OF THE FRENCH EXPERIENCE IN NORTH AMERICA WRITTEN AS AN ÉMILE CINQ-MARS THRILLER! HARPERCOLLINS, 2011. 845 PAGES IN ITS ORIGINAL EDITION, 1,000 PAGES IN ITS PAPERBACK EDTION! IT'S A BRICK! Psssst! GREATLY DESIRED BY COLLECTORS.
"Fast-paced and full of sex, gore and political intrigue." (Globe and Mail)
"An engrossing literary thriller ... A lively - though blood-spattered - refresher on the early exploration of Canada and the creation of Montreal." (Winnipeg Free Press)
"The author holds the reader in his grip to the end ... [Farrow's] historical research is impressive, and his gritty prose brings the streets of 1950s Montreal to life." (The Gazette; Montreal)
ICE LAKE (2001)
AN ÉMILE CINQ-MARS THRILLER, PUBLISHED BY RANDOM HOUSE (U.S. & U.K.) & HARPERCOLLINS, CA., 2001
"A taut and gripping mystery." (Publishers Weekly, starred review)
"An entertaining read, the subject matter timely, the characterizations distinct. The many fans of Cinq-Mars ... will welcome this latest glimpse into the dark political forces at work beneath the mean streets of Montreal." Globe and Mail
CITY OF ICE (1999)
THE NOVEL THAT TOOK THE WORLD BY STORM. AN INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER PUBLISHED IN SEVENTEEN COUNTRIES. RANDOM HOUSE (U.S. & U.K.) and HARPERCOLLINS, CA.
"Rich descriptions of Montreal in winter ... blend well with the bone-chilling plot." (The New York Times)
"Farrow, who admires the morally complex thrillers of John le Carré and Martin Cruz Smith (Gorky Park), achieves much the same high ground." (Macleans)
"Marvelous. John Farrow combines gritty realism with smart, fast-paced storytelling in this taut, compelling thriller that never lets the reader off the hook." (Lynda La Plante, Prime Suspect)
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