The Dead Hamlets (The Book of Cross)

Something is rotten in the court of the faerie queen. A deadly spirit is killing off the faerie, and it has mysterious ties to Shakespeare's play, "Hamlet." The only one who can stop it is the immortal Cross, a charming rogue who also happens to be a drunk, a thief, and an angel killer. He is no friend of the faerie since they stole his daughter and made her one of their own. When it appears she may be the next victim of the haunting, though, he must race against time to save her. He encounters an eccentric and deadly cast of characters along the way: the real Witches of Macbeth, the undead playwright/demon hunter Christopher Marlowe, an eerie Alice from the Alice in Wonderland books, a deranged and magical scholar - and a very supernatural William Shakespeare. When Cross discovers a startling secret about the origins of "Hamlet" itself, he finds himself trapped in a ghost story even he may not be able to escape alive!

The National Post

“[Roman] . . . has created a pulp novel with genuine depth and wisdom, insight and consummate skill. It’s not capital-l Literary, but it cannily bridges both worlds.”

Quill & Quire

“. . . Cross’s tale sweeps you up with its gallows humour, whether you’re revelling in the pleasures of two-fisted, angel-punching action or the cleverly rendered language.”

Publishers Weekly

“[The Mona Lisa Sacrifice] never lets the reader pause for breath. . . .”

Library Journal

“The author of The Warhol Gang and Please (writing as Peter Darbyshire) takes urban fantasy to a different level with this tale of conspiracy and confession.”

The Examiner

“The Dead Hamlets resembles something written by Neil Gaiman with its somewhat mystical imagery, and at other times it reads as a full-blown work of bizarro fiction.”

The Vancouver Sun

“[Roman]’s big dumb fun book is actually whip smart.”

About the Author

Peter Roman is the pseudonym of Peter Darbyshire, who is known for PLEASE, THE WARHOL GANG, and THE MONA LISA SACRIFICE.

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