Michael Marshall

Page Updated: 20/09/02

Michael Marshall

The Straw Men

05 Aug 02

by Michael Marshall

About the Author (Photo (c) Sandy Auden)

Bibliography

First British Edition HarperCollins (2002)

The Straw Men
Friends. Neighbours. Serial Killers.

Sarah tries to struggle, but the man holds her. The scream never makes it out of her throat. ‘Nobody’s watching,’ the man says. ‘I made it this way. l can walk where nobody sees.’

Sarah Becker is the fifth girl to be abducted by this maniac. Judging from the state of the bodies that have been found, her long hair will be hacked off and she will be tortured. She has about a week to live.
Former LA homicide detective John Zandt has an inside track on the perpetrator -his own daughter was one of his victims two years ago.
But the key to Sarah’s whereabouts lies with Ward Hopkins, a man with a past so secret not even he knows about it. His parents have just died in a car accident, but they leave Ward a bizarre message that leads him to question everything he once believed to be true.
As he begins to investigate his own past Ward finds himself drawn into the shadowy, sinister word of the Straw Men - and into the desperate race to find Sarah, before her time runs out.
‘Just when you think there’s nothing new under the sun in the world of the suspense novel, along comes The Straw Men. It’s brilliantly written and scary as hell. Be the first on your block to stay up all night with this one; it’s a masterpiece, reminding us that even paranoids really do have enemies.’ Stephen King
More Praise for Michael Marshall:
‘A cracking pace and fluid prose ... Sizzling’ The Times
‘Tense, exciting and at times very, very funny… He’s worth every penny’ Time Out
‘A storytelling skill that can only be described as pure genius’ Venue
‘Wry, fast-paced and original. Brilliant’ Scotsman
‘Sharp as a switchblade’ the List
‘He’s in a class of his own’ Independent

About The Author
Michael Marshall is a novelist and screenwriter. Born in Knutsford, Cheshire in 1965, he spent much of his childhood in America, South Africa and Australia, before his family returned to the UK. His teens were spent in Essex until he went up to Kings College Cambridge, where he studied Philosophy and Social and Political Science.
He achieved a 2:1 but spent far more time working with the Cambridge Footlights and on the 1987 National Tour. After college he became part of a comedy group called And Now, In Colour who wrote and performed two series for BBC Radio 4. He worked in graphic design and the writing of corporate videos, before becoming a full-time writer in 1995. He has already established a successful writing career under the name Michael Marshall Smith, his first novel, Only Forward the Philip K. Dick and August Derleth awards and its critically acclaimed successors, Spares and One of Us, have both been optioned for film by DreamWorks and Warner Brothers respectively.
Michael is currently writing an original movie for the UK production company, Shine - working title Friends For Ever. He is also developing a six-part television series called Cityscape with the BBC. Six of Michael’s short stories are currently being adapted for television by London production company, Little Bird. He is currently appearing as a writer/performer in ITV’s cult late night comedy show Dare to Believe. He lives with his wife Paula and cats in North London and Brighton.

Bibliography
N.B. dates and publishers in dark red indicate British First Editions. Dates and publishers in black indicate recent reprints.

The Straw Men (HarperCollins, 2002) Aug 02