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  • Are you in the mood for an exciting crime novel set in Switzerland?;
  • do you have time for a few amusing short stories from a Swiss hotel business, or:
  • do you like any of my book posters for your wall?

On this website, I present crime novels and short stories by my English father, as well as my own thrillers, illustrated books and book posters.

 

"After I had finished my sketches, I sat down again to row to the shore. Suddenly I heard voices. I felt uncomfortable because I could understand almost everything that was being said, but I couldn't see the speakers. I was determined that this would not affect my holiday. Besides, it was none of my business if four men were meeting on Lake Maggiore to plan a crime."

 

The criminals see things differently.

 

The painter flees across the Alps to the Bernese Oberland. He finds a safe haven in central Switzerland on Lake Sarnen.

 

But that's where his problems begin.

This novel is available only in German. The original in English, "DIED O'WEDNESDAY', published in 1959 is out of stock.

Background

My father's first thriller was set in the early 1950s.

Great Britain, one of the victorious powers of the Second World War, suffers from high social inequality and harsh austerity measures. In bombed-out London, food rationing continued until 1954.

Thanks to its higher standard of living and stable prices, Switzerland is a popular travel destination for enterprising English tourists.

Italy, its southern neighbor, has not yet begun to deal with the fascist crimes historically.

Disillusioned by his wasted life in Italian captivity, frustrated by two failed love affairs and disillusioned by a disappointing post-war period, Edwin Gamble spends a summer vacation in Ascona, a village in the Italian part of Switzerland.

Against this background, the author develops an exciting plot, with stimulating dialogues, clever transitions and surprising twists.

 

The stories are complemented on my second website (photo & book posters) by my father's illustrations, my photographs and book posters.

STORY & PHOTO is a retiree's adventure with two websites in German and English. 

Marcus Brian Vladimir Townend, translator, author, photographer and retiree, lives in central Switzerland.