The Glass Tower

by Gregg Dunnett

  Geoffrey Saunders, a failed would-be writer, had developed a deadly obsession with the novelist Julia Ottley. So much so that, when a pair of young students that Ottley had previously met and supported with a generous bursary, had begun to work at the small B&B lodge at the very lighthouse where Ottley's brilliant debut novel had been set, it had sparked a terrible jealousy in the oddball Saunders. He had spied upon them and finally hidden in the couple's bedroom. Then he had murdered Robert Dee with a garden fork, driving it repeatedly into his chest in a frenzied attack. He had then given chase to Rebecca Lawson, eventually cornering her in the lantern room at the top of the former lighthouse. From there he had thrown her to her death on the rocks below. Saunders had then calmly made himself a cup of tea laced with cyanide and drunk it. The police suspected – and eventually confirmed – that he had distilled the deadly poison from the pips of apples, just as he had once described doing in his own, unsuccessful, novel.

  There were discrepancies to the picture. Little points that didn't quite fit. Why, for example, had he left his car in a quarry car park on the mainland side of the island's tidal causeway? If, as some suggested, it was simply because the tide was in when he went to cross, then how did he cross? But these were minor points, and it was rare for any major crime to be perfectly reconstructed, when all the witnesses were dead. What mattered was the weight of evidence against Saunders. He was well-known to Ottley – they had both been members of a local Dorset creative group – though she soon revealed she had moved to London in an attempt to escape from his increasingly threatening attentions. Members of the group confirmed that he had a particular fondness – almost obsession for – Ottley. And Ottley's London neighbours also confirmed he had harassed them, claiming that the novelist was refusing to answer his calls and emails.

  The forensic irregularities were compelling, too. Saunders’ fingerprints had been found on both the murder weapon and the plastic vial carrying the poison – though there were few of his fingerprints in other areas of the scene. Perhaps an insightful lawyer building a case to defend Geoffrey might have picked up on that point. But there were no insightful lawyers looking to defend him. Saunders was dead, and the whole world had no doubt this was a good thing. He was the savage killer of a beautiful young couple in horrific circumstances.

  But though the case was solved quickly, its sheer brutality, and its connection to a famous author and the setting of her celebrated novel, served to reignite interest in Julia’s work. First she earned out the enormous advance she had received for her debut novel, and then sales continued to grow. The Glass Tower became a must-read book. The crimes that lay beyond its words added an element to the book that made its rather mundane story become prophetic. Then, when rumours began to swirl that Julia was working on a follow-up that in some way touched upon the killings, the interest reached new heights. The few details of its progress that were leaked became news around the world.

  When those lucky enough to read early drafts did so, they were stunned by the crystal clear quality of the language, the sparkling prose, and the gripping inevitability of the plot.

  Sure, some argued that it was a risk, a jump too far for a literary novelist to change genres to what was essentially a retelling of true crime. But not Julia’s publishers, nor her agent, not when they saw how well The Glass Tower was still selling, and not when they saw the staggering levels of anticipation for the follow up.

  Some argued it was poor taste to build a fictional novel around the real-life and horrible crimes of Geoffrey Saunders, but others saw it more as a touching tribute to the young lives of Robert Dee and Rebecca Lawson.

  After she had circled the room once, allowing those she deemed worthy to offer congratulations, Julia snapped her fingers at Marion Brown. At once Brown went to inform her boss that Julia was ready for the grand unveiling. The managing director of the publisher climbed onto a small stage and asked for the attention of everyone there. He gave a short speech – pre-approved by Julia, and this time largely devoted to thanking her for gracing his company with the fruits of her gifts – and then he checked that everyone had their glasses filled. Only then did he unveil the title, and the beautiful new cover for Julia's second novel:

  One Shattering Secret

  A short message from the author

  Thank you for reading The Glass Tower. I really hope you enjoyed it, and if you were rooting for Geoffrey to save the day, I’m sorry to disappoint you (I’m starting to wonder if I just don’t like happy endings).

  If you have enjoyed the book then I’d also like to ask you a favour - would you be able to leave a review? I’m an independent author without the backing of a big publisher, and recommendations from real readers make an enormous difference in getting books like this one noticed. To leave a review you can follow the link below, or search for the book’s title on Amazon, Goodreads, or wherever you like to buy your books.

  https://readerlinks.com/l/559911

  And if you know someone who might enjoy meeting Julia, please do let them know. Thank you!

  And as a further thank you, I’d also like to offer you a free read. Killing Kind is a novella I wrote in 2018, and I’m offering it free to readers as a thank you for signing up to my email list. It’s a dark and twisty story about a man who leaves notes on park benches across London, claiming to have spent a lifetime of killing. It’s also the story of the detective who has to put herself in harm’s way to catch him.

  To get your copy click the link below, or if that doesn’t work (some Kindle models don’t work with links) simply type the following address into any web browser/smart phone. Then follow the onscreen instructions.

  www.greggdunnett.co.uk/free

  You’ll also get updates on what I’m writing next, and occasional freebies, but you’re free to unsubscribe at any time if that gets annoying (and I won’t make you give the book back!)

  There follows a quick summary of my other books, and the one children’s book (which was the result of a collaboration with my two kids). I do hope you’ll check them out.

  Thank you again for reading. I really appreciate it.