A Song from Dead Lips

‘A first-rate police thriller set amidst the seamy underside of the swinging sixties … The totemic year of ‘68 will never seem the same again’ C. J. Sansom. - C. J. Sansom

‘Convincing atmosphere, lively dialogue and a fun cop duo unite Beatlemania, English racism and the Biafran war’ The Times. - The Times

‘Excellent … authentic, often humorous … The Sixties have been examined and presented every which way, but A Song From Dead Lips manages to be something fresh, both in this regard and as a detective novel’ Killing Time Crime. - Killing Time Crime

‘Excellent procedural … A gripping story, with two appealing protagonists and impeccably researched period details deployed throughout’ Laura Wilson, Guardian. - Guardian

‘Superb characterisation, a vivid recreation of the era, its sights, sounds and prejudices make this a highly enjoyable and readable debut for the pairing, although with Tozer threatening to return to the West Country, a series seems a shade ambitious. I trust that Shaw, who is certainly a name to note for the future, has a plan to subvert this and we shall see this original and likeable couple again soon’ Crime Review. - Crime Review

‘Excellent’ Mail on Sunday. - Mail on Sunday

‘Shaw skilfully re-creates an era of social turmoil and class conflict … against a vivid background of pop culture, casual racism and Britain’s involvement in the bitter civil war in Nigeria’ Sunday Times. - Sunday Times

William Shaw has been shortlisted for the CWA Historical Dagger, longlisted for the Theakstons Crime Novel of the Year and nominated for a Barry Award. A regular at festivals, he organises panel talks and CWA events across the south east.

Shaw is the author of the acclaimed Breen & Tozer crime series: A Song from Dead Lips, A House of Knives, A Book of Scars and Sympathy for the Devil; and the standalone bestseller The Birdwatcher. He is writing a new crime series starring the character DS Alexandra Cupidi from The Birdwatcher, the first of which is Salt Lane. He worked as a journalist for over twenty years and lives in Brighton.