In pitting the hapless, heroic Mick Jarvis and friends against the forces of contemporary corruption, Steve Lunn gives us what we desperately need: hope. Seriously researched and seriously funny, this joyous thriller puts a wry smile on the face of the Oxford novel.
Cathy Galvin, poet, journalist, founder of the Word Factory
Steve Lunn’s new novel is a page-turner with a very serious message – none more so: how corrupt and potentially murderous individuals within all society’s centres of power, from local government, big business, the police, and even academe, are taking control of the land and indeed of all our lives. It’s a work of fiction but it’s firmly rooted in reality and is all too horribly plausible.
Colin Tudge, author of The Great Re-Think
I loved The Price of Dormice! It's an amusing and fast-paced thriller with a cast of memorable characters and lots of references to Oxford. But it's also a commentary on the huge forces behind large-scale development, and how difficult it is to protect the environment.
Prof. Riki Therivel of Oxford Brookes University, strategic environmental assessment specialist
A powerful new voice in the world of crime fiction. With a cast of involuntary, hapless heroes, Lunn takes on the force of greed that is wrecking our country and our countryside.
Linda Proud, award-winning novelist, co-founder of Godstow Press
Pacy, entertaining, clever, and very funny, The Price of Dormice is, at face value, a pacy, romantic, thriller - but the topical politics and social relevance cloak a steely message within the levity.
Charles Pither, chair, STARC (Stop the Arc)
The Price of Dormice is brilliant and I rarely say that about anything. What a fantastic book. I had a lot to do today but got around to none of it as I just HAD TO keep reading - and sure enough, the intricately plotted threads all come together, it all made sense in the end. And what an ending!
En route there is comic gold, like the entire sequence of surveillance under various disguises - the bird watcher, the French artist with fake moustache, the Jehovah's Witnesses! I am reminded of Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther. This is great stuff, absolutely perfect. There were more than enough plot-lines to keep me enthused about turning every page. And I DID NOT reach for a tissue at the end! I swear.
It's absolutely delightful - more please! Mick's next adventure can't come soon enough.
Stephen Lunn (no relation), international bestselling author of the magnficent US-based trilogy Theodore Bobnoggin and The Backyard Chronicles