Local author releases murder mystery novel with paranormal angle

By Sam Odrowski

When areal author Lawrence Ayliffe mustered up the courage to write his first book, he didn't know where his words would take him. But when he picked up a pen and started writing, he found himself creating a thrilling murder mystery novel, with a supernatural twist. 

Ayliffe, better known in the writing world by his pen name A.E Lawrence, released his first book “Ghosts of Angels” at the start of this year, which is now available at Forster's Book Garden in Bolton, Booklore in Orangeville, Sleuth of Baker Street in Toronto and online. 

The book is about Nick Palmer, a homicide detective and his partner Gabriela Martinez investigating a murder, later discovered to be part of a string of killings, carried out by a secretive 16th century Mexican cult that conducts human sacrifices.

Apparitions of the murder victims begin appearing to Palmer, sending him on a quest through major cities in Europe and Mexico to track down the leaders of the cult who are responsible for the ritualistic executions.

“It's a murder mystery with a paranormal twist that's a bit unusual,” said Ayliffe. “I personally haven't come across anything like it before.”

The book is for an adult audience due to the nature of its content and coarse language. 

Ayliffe said people who like crime thrillers and the supernatural will enjoy the book.

“It's sort of a mixed bag,” he told the Citizen. 

There are several plot lines and stories that intertwine, so the book is written a bit like a T.V show, he noted. 

Ayliffe said it's also structured in bite size pieces as opposed to long chapters, keeping the story moving. 

Part of the book's inspiration has been drawn from Ayliffe's research and travels. He spent time in Mexico, where he learned about ancient religions and culture. 

The book's cover was illustrated by Carlo Giambarrasi, who lives in Sardinia, off the coast of Italy.

Ayliffe, who's worked in advertising most his life, said he's always wanted to write a book but never knew how to get started.

One day, when listening to the interview of a famous writer on CBC, he heard that they don't develop their characters or plot, instead they just write the first paragraph and then the book writes itself. After hearing this, Ayliffe said he already had the first paragraph of Ghosts of Angels in mind, so he wrote it out and kept going. 

This effort culminated into the publication of his book, Ghosts of Angels, in February of this year. An effort that he's really enjoyed undertaking. 

“The writing part is the fun part,” he said. “It's the editing and then putting it out there, that's the big deal.”

Since releasing his book, feedback has been positive and he's been asked by many readers, when is the sequel coming out?

A sequel titled, “Next of Kin” is in the works, but Ayliffe's next book to be published is “Henry's Dream”, which is about a Walmart clerk who, at night, dreams of being a spy assassin.

The book is already written and is currently being edited. Ayliffe said he's hoping it is released next spring.