Smoke Gets in Your Eyes is a crime mystery set in the 1940s and is the first in a planned series. It is based along the now-closed Great Central Railway line,
in the days of the London & North Eastern Railway ownership. Much of the action centres around Woodford Halse, Charwelton and Leicester Central. Lots of steam locomotives, human interest and action!
SYNOPSIS
Violet McIntyre has a decision to make. Her mother and younger sister depend on Violet making this the correct choice, but she could never have forseen just how bad it would prove to be.
Soon Violet's life is curiously linked to an investigation that Detective Inspector Charles Vignoles of the L.N.E.R Detective Department is pursuing. Vignoles thinks he's making good progress,
but when two young railway cleaners at Woodford Halse locomotive depot make a startling discovery, everything spirals out of control, becoming ever deadlier by the hour. D.I.
Vignoles struggles to understand the worsening situation, and like the smoke from the grimy locomotives that gets in his eyes, his judgment becomes clouded.
But he cannot afford to make a mistake - a woman's life depends upon it.
NEWS
The second book in the series is due to be released later this year.
Called A Murder of Crows, it will again be set in Woodford Halse and the surrounding area.
It is hoped that one day the books may be turned into a television series.
Stephen said: "It is very filmable, perfect for Sunday evening TV."
If you would like to review Stephen Done's books for your newspaper or magazine, please request a review copy by email
Set in 1946 during the austere gloom of post-war Britain, this is a gripping and atmospheric murder mystery, laced throughout by the atmosphere of the old Great Central Railway and the swing beat of the music of the time.
Read more at Stephen's webpage
To read an interview with the author click here
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An intriguing mystery, warm-hearted and evocative of the time in which it is set - just after the last war. All of the characters and settings ring true - you really feel that you are transported back in time, on the footplate of a war-weary steam locomotive. If you are interested in the history of the railways, you'll love the detail - if, like me, you're not too much of a trainspotter, you'll love the way the human drama unfolds.
Behind the main story strands, state nationalisation and emerging equal rights issues colour the palette - but the author gives this a gentle sepia wash rather than the usual full-on treatment. And his messages are, in many ways, all the more powerful for it.
The author paints a picture of how this could have been a time for revolution, with shortages of everything, except for potential victims of loan sharks, counterfeiters and small-time criminals. How the 'good guys' deal with the threats posed a sinister, burgeoning underworld, growing in the heart of their community and infecting the creaking instruments of the state is the real point of interest in this novel. And the ways in which the various issues raised by the author are resolved are ultimately very satisfying.
All in all, just like the railway system described in 'Smoke Gets In Your Eyes', you get the sense that, in post-war rural England, 'whistle while you work' and 'make do and mend' attitudes were formidable weapons in the war against, on the one hand, societal change and, on the other, gangsters, spivs and kidnappers.
Dave Baker
I found it thoroughly enjoyable on both levels. Very well plotted
detective story with some excellent characters and some wonderfully
nostalgic steam railway stuff which took me right back to the 1950's and some of my favourite engines. It's a highly unusual package which
deserves to do very well and I intend to drive over to Woodford Halse to mooch around the scenes and settings!
Tony Boullemier
What a page turner! An atmospheric and gripping story set in England in the austere post 2nd world war period. The characters are painted very vididly and are (mostly!) very sympathetic! I loved the historical authenticity too - lots of women were working during and just after the second world war and the author demonstrates how they were involved in daily life.
Sian Harrington
'An absolutely riveting story. It has all the elements of a cracking yarn - tension and suspense that wills the good guys to hurry up and catch the villains and a love interest that hopefully can be developed in future books'
'It would be nice to see Inspector Vignoles join the likes of Morse and Wexford in the expanding ranks of literary sleuths'
British Railway Modelling, October 2008