Love Will Tear Us Apart

(The Stranger Times 3): Don’t miss this riotous supernatural fantasy novel, perfect for fans of Terry Pratchett!

By: C. K. McDonnell

Narrated by: Brendan McDonald

Brought to you by Penguin.

The Stranger Times - winner of the 2023 British Fantasy Award for Best Audio Work!

Love can be a truly terrible thing.

Marriages are tricky at the best of times, especially when one of you is dead.

Vincent Banecroft, the irascible editor of The Stranger Times, has never believed his wife died despite emphatic evidence to the contrary. Now, against all odds, it seems he may actually be proved right; but what lengths will he go to in an attempt to rescue her?

With Banecroft distracted, the shock resignation of assistant editor, Hannah Willis, couldn't have come at a worse time. It speaks volumes that her decision to reconcile with her philandering ex-husband is only marginally less surprising than Banecroft and his wife getting back together. In this time of crisis, is her decision to swan off to a fancy new-age retreat run by a celebrity cult really the best thing for anyone?

As if that wasn't enough, one of the paper's ex-columnists has disappeared, a particularly impressive trick seeing as he never existed in the first place.

Floating statues, hijacked ghosts, homicidal cherubs, irate starlings, Reliant Robins and quite possibly several deeply sinister conspiracies; all-in-all, a typical week for the staff of The Stranger Times.

©2023 C. K. McDonnell (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

Brilliant and bananas . . . we love it.

Joyful, silly and funny.

Two Word Review - Read it! 5 Word Review - What Are You Waiting For?. . . my favourite of the series, not only does it manage to be funnier than the others it also gets a whole lot darker.

As completely and wonderfully bonkers as the previous two books in this series . . . a rollercoaster of a ride . . . kooky and fantastical, a riotous experience, one not to be missed. As The Times put it "a tennis match of witty banter."

Full of dark comedy that will leave you chuckling under your breath . . . it is always lovely to catch up with the gang in Manchester, watch them get on to new shenanigans and deal with some more supernatural stuff.

This is a series that I would happily read more of.

Another great entry in this series. McDonnell does some impressive world building and deploys a range of types of humour, including some great one liners . . . But at the heart of this series is McDonnell's great compassion for the crew of The Stranger Times. On top of plenty of ongoing mysteries, this is the not-so-secret ingredient that will keep readers coming back for more.

Truly epic . . . one of the best series I have ever read.

Not much publishing going on with all that mayhem

With Hannah and Vincent split on their own story lines the energy was very different, especially at the start. I found that it felt more like the first two books when I turned the speed up to 120%, as if the recording was posted at a slower speed than the earlier titles.

It was good to see the vulnerability behind Vincent's bluster, and learn more about Stella. The plot borrowed a seed from Harry Potter, but took it in an amazing, and creepy direction.

definitely witchcraft

How does Caimh consistently write books this entertaining? He never misses. If writing side characters was an Olympic sport he'd be the Michael Phelps of whatever they decided to name it.

Your Heart Will Break with the Characters' Hearts

In book three of this excellent series, McDonnell takes a piece of the background of the editor of the paper which appeared to have been included to explain why this brilliant (but thoroughly obnoxious) man has sunk to being the editor of this not-very-highly-respected newspaper. In book 3, that backdrop becomes the focus of an absolutely gripping plot about true love and what a man will do to save his soulmate. It is gut wrenching, exciting, and often very sad, but it also shows just what kinds of people compose the staff of The Stranger Times.

There are also the expected subplots which keep the story moving, help to even better establish this strange magical world, and give plenty of screen time to the other characters we have grown to love so much.

This is another fantastic book.

Clever and very funny

I enjoyed many things about this story. I especially enjoyed wondering about the influences the author might have been drawing from.

Loved it!

I’m only sad because I devoured it so fast. Hoped it would last me more than a couple days.