RELEASE TOUR: The Attercop by Peter E. Fenton (Excerpt)
RELEASE TOUR – The Attercop by Peter E. Fenton
How far would you be willing to go to keep the one you love?
Length: 62.5k words
Series: The Declan Hunt Mysteries Book Number 4
Prior Reading: required (previous books are available to review)
Genre: Contemporary, Cozy/Low Spice, Mystery/Thriller, Romantic Suspense
Tropes: Mystery, Age Gap, Workplace Romance, Hot Detective, Canadian Romance
Trigger/Content Warnings: “While there aren’t explicit descriptions, there are mentions involving homophobic comments, there is a beating, and there is a kidnapping that has elements of violence.”
Designer: Erin Dameron-Hill
https://books2read.com/TheAttercop
The Attercop is the fourth book in the Declan Hunt Mysteries series.
Charlie Watts has found the perfect partner in Declan Hunt, and he hopes that they can spend the rest of their lives together. But when your boss is sexy and talented, sometimes you’re not the only one who wants to tie him down.
The Attercop, a clever adversary who is good with disguises, starts to spin a web of lies and deceit to get Declan for his very own. And as the two detectives look into a break-in where nothing is taken, and a random beating at a gay bar, their perfect partnership begins to unravel.
Will Charlie be able to stop the worst from happening, or will The Attercop get his wish and take Declan away from Charlie forever?
EXCERPT:
Colin shifted in his seat. “I’m afraid of things.”
She looked down and made a note. “What sorts of things?”
“May I have a glass of water, please?”
“Of course.”
She got up and went to the small fridge by her desk. “I hope you don’t mind bottled water?”
“No, that would be all right,” he said as she returned and passed him the bottle.
His hands trembled as he took off the cap, set it down, lifted the bottom of his mask and took a sip of water.
When he was finished, he put the mask back into place. He stayed silent.
“Are you all right, Colin?” Michael asked gently.
“Yes. I’m sorry.”
“Would you like to continue?” she asked.
He nodded.
“So, Colin, you said you’re afraid of things. What sorts of things?”
He wrung his hands before whispering, “Nightmares. I’ve been having nightmares. I had them as a kid, but they only lasted a night or two and then they went away, but now…” His eyes widened. “They’ve come back, and with a vengeance. I’m terrified to go to sleep.”
She gave him a reassuring smile. “Colin, I’m so sorry to hear that. That must be very difficult.”
“Yes.”
“So, Colin, do they occur every time you go to sleep?”
“No. But at least three or four nights a week.”
“I see,” she said. “And how long have you been having these dreams?”
He paused. “Months now. Two, maybe three.”
This is going to take some time, she thought.
“Colin, do you feel like you can tell me what your dreams are about?”
He started to breathe deeply, and his eyes began to water.
“I’m standing in my bedroom and I’m staring at my hands. I’m holding the world. And this world in my hands…I can see the clouds moving, and the world is shaking. And I don’t know what I’m supposed to do, but I know that something bad is going to happen and only I can stop it.”
“What do you think is going to happen, Colin?”
“The world is going to…explode or something. I’m not sure. I just know it’s going to be really bad. And then…”
Colin started to shake. “And then the world starts to split open…like an egg that’s hatching. And from inside the glowing world, they come streaming out.”
He stood and began to pace around the room.
Michael kept her voice even and calm. “Colin, you’re all right. You’re safe here. I’m going to try and help you. So you said they come streaming out. What are they, Colin? Can you tell me?”
He stopped and turned to her with a look of terror in his eyes. “Spiders. Hundreds of spiders.”
EARLY REVIEWS:
“This series is perfect for fans of Detective/Mystery Romance!” Tosha – Goodreads Review
“The first two books in this series were exceptional as far as I was concerned. They were funny, had some excellent characters, they moved along at a cracking pace and were over way too soon. But with the third, and now this fourth book, the author has chosen to take a slightly darker slant to his writing. These last two books have amped up the suspense and the author has layered up the mystery with a much more deft hand.” “This has been a great series and I do adore Peter Fenton’s writing, humour and wonderful characterisations.” SebFox – Goodreads Review
“Loved this series! It’s quirky and fun, the writing style is unique, and the characters make the books exciting and suspenseful.” Pontiki – Goodreads Review
about the author:
Peter’s first novel, The Woodcarver’s Model was released by Pride Publishing in April of 2022 and was a four time nominee in the Goodreads M/M Romance Readers’ Choice Awards.
Following the success of the first book, Pride Publishing released The Declan Hunt Mysteries series which includes Mann Hunt (nominated for a Goodreads M/M Romance Readers’ Choice Award and recently translated into German, Italian and Spanish), Hoodoo House, (also a Goodreads M/M Romance Readers’ Choice Award nominee and now available in Italian and Spanish), and The Burnt which came out in August of 2025 in English, Italian and Spanish with Entwined Publishing. The Burnt was recently nominated for a Goodreads M/M Romance Readers’ Choice Award in the Mystery/Whodunnit category. The Attercop marks the fourth and final novel in The Declan Hunt Mysteries series.
2024 also saw the release of the critically acclaimed teen novella Not Not Normal, published by Lorimer Press. This book was also nominated for a Goodreads M/M Romance Readers’ Choice Award.
Peter’s previous work was focused on writing for the stage, with award-winning productions of The Giant’s Garden, Newfoundland Mary, Bemused, and The Detective Disappears being produced across the country.
All of his novels are proudly set in Canada and are filled with humour and heart.
He spent many years working in palaeontology in remote locations including the Canadian Rockies, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
