Mistress Murder : Mark Ramsden
“A visceral, comic, sexy masterpiece.”
Susie Godly is many things to many people. Lover, daughter, mother, ex-wife, entrepreneur and - in her guise as Mistress Murder - one of the most in-demand dominatrixes in London.
Susie has bought herself a first-class ticket on the hedonism express and shows no sign of slowing down for anyone or anything. Yes, her marriage ended badly - sure, it’s fair to say she’s probably doing a few too many drugs - and yeah, most people would agree her love-life sits at the more ‘complicated’ end of the spectrum - but it’s nothing Susie can’t handle, right?
As she does her best to ride the wave of joyous mayhem she’s created, Susie’s attempts to live her best life are thwarted by the appearance of a mysterious stalker who seems infuriated by both her and her lifestyle. Susie’s dealt with stalkers before of course - they’re par for the course in her business - but this one operates on a different level of malevolence, and she is forced to take desperate steps to ensure her safety and the safety of the people she loves.
Mistress Murder provides a hilarious, beautifully frank, and entirely unselfconscious window into a hedonistic subculture where few have dared to tread.
Praise for Mark Ramsden
"This is a laugh out loud, erudite, sly, blood-and-gore-soaked evisceration of an England we would prefer to pretend does not exist, with a series of cut-throat observations and knock-out one-liners that would make even the best political satirist weep with envy. A set of finely-tuned characters tread the boards in a horrifyingly amusing, twisted, sex 'n' drugs-crazed examination of vengeance - both personal and state sanctioned. Oh yes, and did I mention that it’s a love story?" -Lesley Ann Sharrock (author of The Seventh Magpie and Fatal Reaction)
“Delightful.” Maxim Jakubowski, The Guardian
“Agreeably distasteful.’ The Sunday Times
“A baroque and uproarious parody of every genre you could think of. You’ll laugh along till your piercings ache.” Time Out
“Witty and absolutely hilarious.” Stuff
“Deliciously dark.” Desire
“Weird but great.” Front
“An excellent novel. Very, very,very funny.” Headpress
“Lashings of humour, generally of a hue blacker than a thigh-high leather boot.” Big Issue