Killing Mum

By Allan Guthrie

Receiving ten grand as down payment on a hit isn't that much of a surprise to Carlos Morales. After all, arranging contract killings is his business. But he never expected that someone might want his mother dead!

What's equally troubling is the fact that the anonymous package arrived addressed to 'Charlie'. Only two people call him by that name: his wife and his mother. Has his wife just hired him to whack her mother-in-law? Or is his mother just looking for some help to put an end to her misery? Or maybe there's another answer entirely.

One thing's for sure: Carlos is about to find out.

Praise for KILLING MUM

"Dark, warped and funny, and with a surprising number of twists and turns for such a short book... Loved it." Big Beat From Badsville

"Nobody working today has Guthrie’s way with black humor and sweat-drenched suspense" Bookspot Central

"... another fantastic whirlwind of violence and intrigue from Allan Guthrie, who is fast becoming a master in his genre. It hits you a powerful punch in the very first paragraph and just gets darker from there on in." Euro Crime

"All I could do as a reader was hold on tight and get to the end... Not a word is wasted. The characters are real, where they live -- and how -- makes sense. They tell us about themselves not in what they say but in what they do, how they act, the way they move from one decision to another. ... In that short space and time a complete world has been set up and a monumental chain of events has been completed. An amazing achievement." Sea Minor

"Guthrie packs his prose with real suspense, his usual droll take on human venality and enough surprises to keep you turning the pages quickly. A really nice piece of crime writing." Ed Gorman

"another fine contribution to hard-core noir by one if its finest contemporary practitioners" International Noir

Praise for SLAMMER by Allan Guthrie

"SLAMMER is the most relentlessly page-turning novel this reviewer has come across in a long, long time ... delving deep inside a mind that is quickly unravelling into psychotic madness... Guthrie creates empathy for all his characters – there are no faceless monsters here – and in portraying the prisoners and their guards as two sides of the same human coin, he nails a universal truth about the nature of life and about the way we differentiate good and bad, sanity and madness." The Scotsman

"This is Guthrie's masterpiece to date, grim and brutal in tone, cunning in design and flawless in the telling. Guthrie keeps the numerous plot turns both exciting and believable. There is a surprise twist in the middle of the novel that stuns the reader and makes the pace even faster...SLAMMER is not only artful, it's real art." Bookgasm

"...an absolute masterpiece, really should be at the top of everyone's "must-read" list" Eurocrime

"...a gripping psychological crime novel. When we speak of those on the forefront of dark fiction ...Guthrie’s name is near the top of the list, and SLAMMER proves why." Bookspot Central

"a dark jigsaw-puzzle of a book... expect moments of 'oh, I see!' mingled with sharp sadness. Nick Glass is an unforgettable protagonist and Guthrie has placed him in a darkly tragic, poignant, and ultimately satisfying psychological thriller." The Drowning Machine

"Guthrie's prose is a series of short, sharp shocks, reeking of the visceral brutality of the toughest contemporary noir... those who enjoy the darker side of the genre are in for some serious thrills." The Guardian

"one of the best thrillers of the year" The Editor's Notebook

• Language: English
• Publisher: Allan Guthrie
• Release date: Dec 3, 2010
• ISBN: 9781458086983

Book preview

Reviews for Killing Mum

[datrappert · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Guthrie is a fine writer, and this novella gets nastier with every twist. It shows what can happen when there is lack of trust in a marriage as it pulls you deeper and deeper into the husband's nightmare. You won't forget this one for a while.

[heavydnilbett · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A bite sized entry from the author/agent Allan Guthrie that reads like a gritty noir dream, following a hitman's attempt to discover who put the contract out on his mother.Fast and furious and a pleasure to read!

[bettesbooks · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Different premise for a suspense tale but never developed the characters.
Left me cold.

[aliceanna-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Seriously effed up. Overall, well written but much to dark for my tastes. Formatting was a hot mess too.