Dark Lantern Tales is publishing rare, very early detective fiction as part of its “Brilliant New Editions” series. “Mystery and crime fiction fans, and especially historical fiction readers, will find these novels fascinating, exciting, and very different from modern crime fiction,” explains Publisher Mark Williams.
He adds, “Dark Lantern Tales novels are not modern historical fiction that imagine life in that era, but are popular thrillers written in the 1800s for everyday working people of the 1800s to enjoy. The language is different, the settings are a contrast between extreme wealth and gritty urban life, and the criminals are ruthless.”
To help the reader enjoy “a sort of time travel to the late 1800s,” each Dark Lantern Tales book has some historical information, a glossary of the slang terms found in the books, and lots of illustrations.
In Charlotte, trade paperback copies can be seen and bought at Park Road Books (in Park Road Shopping Center), a popular local independent book store. Williams says, “Drop by Park Road Books and take a look.”
They are also available online from Amazon and other sellers as eBooks or trade paperbacks. “Eventually,” Williams adds, “we’ll add audiobooks.”
Dark Lantern Tales is the new venture for Mark Williams, following his long career in the music recording business. As he says with a smile, “I believe that making a career change every half century will help keep your outlook fresh.”
Williams has created a web site with lots of information about the history surrounding these vintage novels at https://darklanterntales.wordpress.com/
If you want to know, “What is a Dark Lantern, anyway?” you can find the answer here: https://darklanterntales.wordpress.com/what-is-a-dark-lantern/
