Hero of a best-selling mystery series ... and his author wants him dead.

Frank Miller, hero of the best-selling mystery novels written by The Man Upstairs, works the weird streets of Chapeltown as a private detective. During the legendary case of the Black Widow everything changed, Frank becoming aware of his fictional existence. Proclaimed at the time as a work of genius, Frank believes it was the first sign The Man Upstairs was sick.

This latest case, involving the death of a care worker, and coinciding with the appointment of Chapeltown’s first elected mayor, has Frank baffled. The Man Upstairs appears to be losing the plot, giving the womanising Frank a steady girlfriend, Marge, who wears blue pyjamas and warns him that to survive he must change from the tired cliché that he has become.

As the case darkens, Frank recognises the depth of his creator’s sickness. His days are numbered as clearly as the pages in the books in which he features. The looming battle with the Mayor of Chapeltown is nothing less than the battle to save himself, Marge, the series, and the mind of the Man Upstairs.

The Man Upstairs is plotting to kill Frank Miller and take Chapeltown to hell.

'How I love Mark Fowler's books. He just simply has his very own distinctive style of writing and this is a little gem. It was like watching an old Bogart and Bacall movie play out.' Susan Hampson - From Dusk Till Dawn. Top 1000 Reviewer.

'This book deserves five stars for sheer originality. The narrative voice of Frank is gritty and humorous. There are some raunchy moments, but handled tastefully and in keeping with the genre. All in all, a rollicking ride and recommended if you’ve grown weary of one-dimensional PI characters.' Kim Rigby.

'Raymond Chandler meets Doris Day in Genre Fantasy Supreme.' Tim Walker.

'The book had me hooked from the beginning and I didn’t want to put it down until the final page. Brilliantly written and entertaining. I found myself thinking about it even after I had finished it.' Laura Furuta.

'Deliciously witty and well-crafted, this story kept me guessing until the end.
If you like Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler's work, you'll love this disturbing take on the detective mystery genre.' London Lass.

'Mickey Spillane meets Paul Auster in this full-tilt boogie of a novel. Check out The Man Upstairs and check out Frank Miller's paranoia - and then check out your own.' Roger Brammer.

Other books by Mark L. Fowler include: The Poisoned Eye of a Loving God, Twist, Coffin Maker, Red Is The Colour, Blue Murder, The Devil Wore Black, The Smell of Copper, Scarlet Ribbons, Silver, Sextet, The Bathroom Murders, Painted Fire.