Malcolm Pryce's novel "The Winter of 1948" is a quirky, nostalgic crime read that follows Jack Wenlock, a railway detective, as he searches for his mother, who may have survived a shipwreck off the coast of Java. Along the way, he encounters a motley assortment of drifters and must stop them from completing a journey that will take them into the realm of myth.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 384 pages
Publication date: 04 February 2021
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

The perfect quirky nostalgic crime read – a tale of steam trains, giant squid, missing screenplays, missing mothers, and a quest for the truth, from the inimitable Malcolm Pryce. It's the winter of 1948. The four great railway companies have just been nationalised, and Jack Wenlock – the last of a fabled cadre of railway detectives – is thrown out onto the street. Penniless, with new bride Jenny to support, and hiding from a murderous organisation called Room 42, Jack's prospects look bleak. But then a letter arrives from a mysterious Cornish Countess revealing that Jack's mother – long believed to be dead – may have survived a shipwreck off the coast of Java. Seizing the opportunity to track down his only remaining family member, Jack and Jenny board a boat heading East. The trail takes them to a run-down Siamese hotel where a motley assortment of drifters has washed up. Here, a spy, an assassin, a deserter, an old soldier, and a fading Hollywood movie star all await the arrival of a missing part for a flying boat and a journey that will take them into the realm of myth. But if Jack is ever to see his mother again, he has to stop them…

The Perfect Quirky Nostalgic Crime Read – A Tale of Steam Trains, Giant Squid, Missing Screenplays, Missing Mothers, and a Quest for the Truth, from the Inimitable Malcolm Pryce

It's the winter of 1948. The four great railway companies have just been nationalised, and Jack Wenlock – the last of a fabled cadre of railway detectives – is thrown out onto the street. Penniless, with new bride Jenny to support, and hiding from a murderous organisation called Room 42, Jack's prospects look bleak. But then a letter arrives from a mysterious Cornish Countess revealing that Jack's mother – long believed to be dead – may have survived a shipwreck off the coast of Java. Seizing the opportunity to track down his only remaining family member, Jack and Jenny board a boat heading East. The trail takes them to a run-down Siamese hotel where a motley assortment of drifters has washed up. Here, a spy, an assassin, a deserter, an old soldier, and a fading Hollywood movie star all await the arrival of a missing part for a flying boat and a journey that will take them into the realm of myth. But if Jack is ever to see his mother again, he has to stop them…

Weight: 262g
Dimension: 129 x 197 x 28 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781408895276