... the purpose of which is to tell you something about my published books and, more importantly, where you can buy them! There's also something about me, and all the latest news of my writing. This is updated regularly, so please come back again.

                                         ken@ken-holdsworth.co.uk

 About my books...

An historical adventure with a touch of the supernatural. Described by the media as, 'Bernard Cornwell meets Dennis Wheatley', the story begins off the coast of British East India before returning to the villages of eighteenth century Cheshire, England.

ISBN 9781906166007                                                                         

The year is 1752 and His Britannic Majesty’s sixty-gun, ship-of-the-line, Indefatigable, drops anchor at Fort St George, Madras, a trading post of the British East India Company.

Discover why Thomas Neville, an officer in the 22nd Regiment of Foot and heir to a title and estates back in England, is serving on board as a common deckhand.

Follow his adventures in India, his friendship with the legendary military hero and Empire builder, Robert Clive, his clash with the agents of Suraja Dowla, the sadistic Newab of Bengal, and, back in England, of his continuing struggle against the sinister devil worshipper, the Reverend Edwin Cruikshank...in this action-packed tale of love and adventure.

"This is Ken's debut novel, and a very good one it is too. The book takes us from India, back to England, and follows Neville's adventures as he tries to unravel mysteries involving his family, his love, and a dark devil worshipper. There are many twists and turns in the book and it's certainly full of great descriptive characters, including the wicked witch, Megan Griffith... but is she all that wicked? You'll have to read the book to find out! 'Possessed' is a good read. I'm told Ken is currently working on a sequel - I look forward to reading it."   Chris Clarke. The Sharpe Appreciation Society Magazine.

"Young Thomas Neville, the brash and sometimes endearing, main character of Ken Holdsworth’s 2008 novel Possessed, is a happy man in 1752. He’s an officer in the 22nd Regiment, and his home life is comfortably situated, with his father in possession of the fine old property of the Neville estate. Thomas sees all this very clearly:
    'It is only when you no longer have something that you realise its value.
There was a time when I would wake up in the morning and look forward to each new day. I suppose that was happiness, but I never consciously thought about it.
   I was young and fit, the heir to a large country estate, a captain in the British Army—and head over heels in love. I had everything and I wanted for nothing.
    That is, until the day Edwin Cruikshank came into my life.'
    Cruikshank is an altogether assured fictional creation; he insinuates himself into first the care and then the control of the Neville estate, and every time Thomas’ military adventures on land and sea allow him the leisure to return home to visit his family, he finds the situation worse. Cruikshank initially impresses him. 'He really was the most engaging of men,' he thinks at first, 'and I felt strangely at ease in his company.' But gradually he comes to see that the man might be pure evil, and the elements are in place for a rousing climax in which Thomas and his band of comrades face off against the dark forces Cruikshank has at his disposal.
    The narrative here is unfailingly brisk, and the numerous homages to the great Gothic mysteries are so effectively and affectionately deployed (“It was dusk when I crossed the heath,” etc.) that readers will be highly entertained." Steve Donoghue. Historical Novel Society.

This is the cover of the Ulverscroft large-print hardback edition published 1st July 2010 and distributed throughout all English-speaking countries. It is available from all good bookshops, online at Amazon and from the publisher www.ulverscroft.com

ISBN 9781444802115

... and so to my next book, a modern-day murder mystery with a theatrical backdrop set in the remote fen country of East Anglia.

With shoulder-length blond hair and cornflower-blue eyes, Ronnie Simmons was quite irresistible to his fellow actors – of both sexes, and in the jaundiced opinion of his boyhood friend, TV soap star Nick Carter, he loses his heart with boring regularity. So it came as something of a surprise when Ronnie’s sister, Susan, begs Nick to talk her brother out of his latest relationship. Being between jobs, Nick sets out for the rural backwater where Ronnie is appearing with an Arts Council sponsored touring company, but behind the idyllic pastoral façade lies a disturbing mystery and Nick is soon involved in violence and murder. 

ISBN 9781906166045

"LOVED 'The Final Curtain'! An absolute treat of a read - great characters,fascinating background. It's always good to write about what one knows, and how you know your stage - been there myself and I could smell the greasepaint!"   Alanna Knight, author of over 60 books and the creator of the popular Victorian detective, Inspector Jeremy Faro.

"A conversational style, easy to read and accessible. I was reminded of Dick Francis. The plot is well worked out. An enjoyable and entertaining book."    Marjorie Quarton, columnist, feature writer and author. 

This is the cover of the hardback edition, available from all bookshops, online from Amazon, or direct from the publisher, Ulverscroft Large Print Books: www.ulverscroft.com

ISBN 9781847828187

And now, 'Neville's Quest', the long-awaited sequel to 'Possessed', will be released on 1st March 2012.

The year is 1754. On discovering she was pregnant with his child, the Satanist, the Reverend Edwin Cruikshank, has sold Thomas Neville’s beautiful mulatto sweetheart, Emily, into slavery.

Now Cruikshank is dead, but will Thomas ever be free of the demon that possessed the rogue priest? Follow our hero to South Carolina Colony. Read how he and his small band of former soldiers fight pirates on the high seas and a French expeditionary force on Georgia’s frontier … and on his return to England, face highwaymen, grave robbers and a family of lawless thugs … in this gripping tale of love and adventure in the eighteenth century.

ISBN 9781906166045

'Neville's Quest' will be available from booksellers, online at Amazon or direct from the publisher: www.ulverscroft.com

The Royal National Institute of Blind People has selected 'Possessed' and 'The Final Curtain' for inclusion in its Talking  Book Library. Superbly narrated by actor of stage and screen, Matthew Field, they are now both available to their 40,000 blind or partially sighted members. 

The RNIB has also published a  Braille edition of the 'The Final Curtain'.