PUBLISHED NOVELIST & PROFESSIONAL ACTOR
Mark Pepper
BA (HONS) - Dip. RADA - PGCE
Man Down
Paperback 353 pages ISBN: 9798328414210
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Second edition, published by Ballistic Books in 2024.
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Matt Spiller drives a souped-up taxi, suffers from SAD, and has a difficult past.
It’s Christmas Eve, and one of his fares is about to become extremely troublesome.
Helen Spiller still loves her husband, but can no longer live with his moods. She’s a wonderful mum, with a screw quietly working loose in her head.
Now their eldest daughter has hooked up with a very bad boyfriend.
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Spiller thinks he has the skillset to handle all this.
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He’s dead wrong.
Man Down
Paperback 373 pages ISBN-10: 1914480813 ISBN-13: 978-1914480812
Hardcover 332 pages ISBN-10: 191448083X ISBN-13: 978-1914480836
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First edition, published by Red Dog Press in 2021. (No longer in print.)
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Praise for MAN DOWN
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“Man Down is an adrenaline fuelled ride from page one, with twists and turns aplenty, and features what may be the best death ever committed to paper! A compulsive, engaging read full of grit, violence and the blackest of humour.”
Chris McDonald, author
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“With prose as bold and bruising as his protagonist, Pepper’s Matt Spiller is an inspired creation. Hugely enjoyable.”
Rob Parker, author
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“An absolute belter of a crime novel.”
Punk Noir Magazine
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The Stories We Tell Ourselves: Blog Tour Review of Man Down by Mark Pepper
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The Irresponsible Reader By HC Newton
Man Down by Mark Pepper: The Wrong Man in the Wrong Place at the Wrong Time
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Locky Loves Book
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Books 'n' Banter
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The Bookwork Journal
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The Book Magnet
Blog Tour: Man Down - Mark Pepper
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A Knight's Reads
Man Down by Mark Pepper @PepSixSix @RedDogTweets #blogtour #authorinterview #mandown
Excerpts from Amazon reviews
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“It’s an incredibly well-crafted thriller interwoven with drama and adorned with really dark humour. The story of Matt Spiller is an amalgamation of multiple storytelling styles – hectic and dynamic yet beautifully economic in its delivery... Mark Pepper’s ‘Man Down’ is a dish of insanity and I say it in the most positive way.”
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“This was a bonkers read—that’s a compliment, in case that wasn’t clear. On the one hand, it’s impossible to predict how Pepper is going to start at Point A and end up anywhere near Point Z, but he does, and when you look back at it, the logic is clear and sound… The humor is dark, the action is frequent and dynamic, with characters that you want to get to know better and see more of.”
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“The feel of the book has tones of the Death wish movies. With characters that leap off the page and lines that most authors can only dream of, this isn’t a thriller. It’s a mindset, a statement, a defiance.”
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“There are some grim moments, but they’re tackled with an off-kilter humour that might make you question your own moral boundaries. Man Down is an engaging read that will keep you entertained and guessing.”
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“Gripping in its innovative ideas and with its unlikely events that lead on from one another with all the different threads tying up at the end in a grand finale!”
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“We are warned from the start about Matt Spiller. You won't like him, but you will. It's complicated, and very entertaining. How to make the ordinary extraordinary!”
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“It was fast paced with great twists and turns throughout with a little humour which also made it a fun read.”
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“This book is brilliant, it keeps you hooked from the start.”
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“Once started hard to stop. Read it in two days! Fast paced, lots going on plus a good bit of humour. Somewhat unrealistic but story is written well and flows superbly with some really likeable characters.”
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“Fast paced with a great amount of humour throughout. A wild ride from start to finish.”
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“A really good read with good characters. Full of Action. Had me hooked.”
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“Don’t be tempted into thinking this will be a gloomy and dour read, it’s far from it….it’s fast paced, action packed and quite amusing in places and will definitely have you running into some unexpected rabbit holes… Mark Pepper is a writer that deserves high praise for his incredibly defined, detailed and descriptive novels.”
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“This is great book which I read in one sitting because it hooked me from the off. I loved where the tale led.”
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“Mark Pepper stole my weekend; I simply couldn't put his new book down! Man Down is just brilliant: gripping, gritty, funny and totally addictive... Take a bow, Mr Pepper! Man Down is outstanding. I gave it so many virtual rounds of applause as the scintillating plot played out... With an ingenious and highly original plot, Man Down is an unforgettable fast-paced thriller. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.”
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“What an absolute belter Man Down is. One of those rollercoaster thrillers you want to race through yet, at the same time, keep the enjoyment going as long as possible.”
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“I really enjoyed Man Down – it was entertaining, gripping and crazy, in a good way! The story was well written and cleverly plotted with some brilliant twists and turns and a few red herrings. It was unpredictable and fast paced, with lots of action and tension, and I never knew what was going to happen next.”
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