The Carpenter's Tale

By Chris Quinton

It should have been a bit of a break for Mark Renfrew, attending an archaeological conference with his lover, Jack Faulkner. No ghosts, no drama beyond the academic. But it didn't work out that way. The modern Five Star hotel held a dark secret, and Mark knew he had to uncover it before more people were hurt.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kouros Books
• Release date: Feb 2, 2021
• ISBN: 9798224888559

Chris Quinton

Chris Quinton  Chris started creating stories not long after she mastered joined-up writing, somewhat to the bemusement of her parents and her English teachers. But she received plenty of encouragement. Her dad gave her an already old Everest typewriter when she was ten, and it was probably the best gift she'd ever received – until the inventions of the home-computer and the worldwide web. Chris's reading and writing interests range from historical, mystery, and paranormal, to science-fiction and fantasy, writing mostly in the male/male genre. She also writes the occasional male/female novel in the name of Chris Power. She refuses to be pigeon-holed and intends to uphold the long and honourable tradition of the Eccentric Brit to the best of her ability. In her spare time [hah!] she reads, or listens to audio books while quilting or knitting. Over the years she has been a stable lad [briefly] in a local racing stable and stud, a part-time and unpaid amateur archaeologist, a civilian clerk at her local police station and a 15th century re-enactor. She lives in a small and ancient city not far from Stonehenge in the south-west of the United Kingdom, and shares her usually chaotic home with an extended family, three dogs, a Frilled Dragon [lizard], sundry goldfish and tropicals

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Dedication

To the Usual Suspects – as always, thank you for your support, nags, kicks in the arse,

copious amounts of tea, beer, wine, and encouragement.

You make writing even more of a pleasure.

~ * ~

The Carpenter's Tale

It took Jack Faulkner half an hour to extract himself from the gaggle of archaeologists gathered in the hotel's reception area. He doubted he'd be missed. The latest discoveries in a ravine a few miles from the Valley of Kings in Egypt had grabbed everyone's interest. Usually he'd be in on the gabfest, oblivious to all else. But this time, after registering at the desk, he had other plans. His lover had gone ahead to their room.

They'd been together for just over a year, and Jack still got that delicious frisson in his blood at the thought of Mark, waiting for him in a room with one large double bed. Okay, it was ten o'clock in the morning, but this conference was programmed to last for three days, and they would need to snatch every chance they could to be together.

Until recently, Jack had been fortunate enough to score short-term jobs in England, and had chances to accompany Mark on some of his research trips to Wales and Cornwall. But yesterday he'd signed the contract that would take him to Cyprus for four months. Mark, tied to the UK by his commitments to The Dominic Waldron Experience TV show, would not be going with him. For the first time they'd be apart longer than a handful