Tim Vicary
Author of The Elephant Man [Oxford Bookworms]
About the Author
Image credit: via Goodreads
Series
Works by Tim Vicary
Oxford Bookworms Library: Justice: Level 3: 1000-Word Vocabulary (Oxford Bookworms 3) (2008) 27 copies, 6 reviews
The elephant man (Oxford Bookworms) 20 copies
Oxford Bookworms Playscripts: The Murder of Mary Jones: Level 1: 400-Word Vocabulary (Oxford Bookworms Library Playscripts) (1999) 13 copies, 1 review
Oxford Bookworms Library Factfiles: Dinosaurslevel 3 (Oxford Bookworms Library. Factfiles. Stage 3) (2012) 5 copies, 1 review
The Oxford Bookworms Library: Stage 1: 400 Headwords: Mutiny on the Bounty (Oxford Bookworms ELT) 2 copies
Oxford Primary History: Roman Invasion: From Different Points of View (Oxford Primary History) (1993) 1 copy
Oxford Primary History: Vikings: From Different Points of View (Oxford Primary History) (1993) 1 copy, 1 review
Guest Room 1 copy
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Other names
- Megan Stark
- Gender
- male
- Short biography
- Hi. My name's Tim Vicary and I'm an author and a university teacher at the Norwegian Study Centre at the University of York, England. I've written three crime/legal thrillers in 'The Trials of Sarah Newby' series, and I'm currently writing a fourth. I've also written four historical novels, two children's books, and about twenty graded readers for foreign learners of English in the Oxford Bookworms series, published by Oxford University Press, two of which, Titanic and The Everest Story, won awards from the Extensive Reading Foundation in 2010 and 2011 respectively.
My legal thriller, A Fatal Verdict, was awarded a B.R.A.G Medallion for an outstanding independently published book in 2012, and in 2013 Bold Counsel won the Awesome Indies Seal of Approval.
I live in the English countryside, near York. When I'm not writing I like horse-riding, cycling, and swimming.
[retrieved 9/7/2013 from Amazon.com] - Nationality
- UK
- Associated Place (for map)
- UK
Members
Reviews
Fascinating and Deeply Moving
Catherine O'Connell-Gort, the only surviving child of Sir Jonathan O'Connell-Gort had always been wild and reckless. When other girls of her age and class were 'coming out' as débutantes, she insisted on going to university to study medicine. And it was there that she met Sean Brennan – handsome, charming... and an active member of the nascent Irish Republican Army.
Catherine's father is desperately taking a stand for the old regime against the I R A murderers show more and rebels who are killing policemen in the street. And his task is made next to impossible because all the Irish institutions – the police force, the civil service, even the post office – have been infiltrated by Sinn Féin spies, and the Irish people look the other way. Nobody ever sees who carries out the murders and the British can do nothing without the I R A knowing their plans. The members of Sinn Féin, however, are not hampered by rules of gentlemanly behaviour. They are in no doubt that they are fighting a war, waged for the independence of their beloved Ireland, and if innocent people are killed in the process, that is the sacrifice that must be paid.
There are many reasons why you might want to read this book, not the least of which is that it describes more vividly and emotively the early days of the I R A than any text book could.
As always in these circumstances it is the little people who get hurt, the policemen with families to support and a pension to worry about, the idealistic young men like Sean Brennan who are recruited by Sinn Féin and turned into killers.
But there are other reasons. This is one of the most poignant love stories I have ever read. I was moved to tears more than once and kept hoping against hope that somehow Catherine and Sean's fragile, doomed love would survive the bloody battlefield that was Ireland in 1919.
And finally, you might choose to read it for the same reason I did. Because you have read Tim Vicary before and recognised him for the superb writer he is. Make no doubt about it, Tim Vicary is a master of his craft. His prose is fluent and beautiful, his characterisation superb, his plots perfectly structured and paced.
When I read the first book I became a fan. With this one I have become an addict. show less
Catherine O'Connell-Gort, the only surviving child of Sir Jonathan O'Connell-Gort had always been wild and reckless. When other girls of her age and class were 'coming out' as débutantes, she insisted on going to university to study medicine. And it was there that she met Sean Brennan – handsome, charming... and an active member of the nascent Irish Republican Army.
Catherine's father is desperately taking a stand for the old regime against the I R A murderers show more and rebels who are killing policemen in the street. And his task is made next to impossible because all the Irish institutions – the police force, the civil service, even the post office – have been infiltrated by Sinn Féin spies, and the Irish people look the other way. Nobody ever sees who carries out the murders and the British can do nothing without the I R A knowing their plans. The members of Sinn Féin, however, are not hampered by rules of gentlemanly behaviour. They are in no doubt that they are fighting a war, waged for the independence of their beloved Ireland, and if innocent people are killed in the process, that is the sacrifice that must be paid.
There are many reasons why you might want to read this book, not the least of which is that it describes more vividly and emotively the early days of the I R A than any text book could.
As always in these circumstances it is the little people who get hurt, the policemen with families to support and a pension to worry about, the idealistic young men like Sean Brennan who are recruited by Sinn Féin and turned into killers.
But there are other reasons. This is one of the most poignant love stories I have ever read. I was moved to tears more than once and kept hoping against hope that somehow Catherine and Sean's fragile, doomed love would survive the bloody battlefield that was Ireland in 1919.
And finally, you might choose to read it for the same reason I did. Because you have read Tim Vicary before and recognised him for the superb writer he is. Make no doubt about it, Tim Vicary is a master of his craft. His prose is fluent and beautiful, his characterisation superb, his plots perfectly structured and paced.
When I read the first book I became a fan. With this one I have become an addict. show less
When Charles II died and was succeeded by his Catholic brother, James, England was torn between loyalty to the Crown and fear of papists. The Protestants, who had flourished under Cromwell and Charles, now had to worship in secret. When the inevitable rebellion came, in support of Charles’ illegitimate son, James Duke of Monmouth, a great deal of the support came from these dissenting groups. This is the story of the people of the village of Colyton, ‘England’s most rebellious town’, show more and their struggle to defend their faith.
Caught in the middle of a war that is none of her making, Ann Carter knows she should support the Monmouth cause and the men of her village, including her betrothed, but she secretly hopes that the war will release her from her boring fiancé, leaving her free to follow her illicit love, the dashing Robert Pole, son of the local lord and an officer in the King’s army.
Tim Vicary has captured the era with deadly accuracy. In those days life was brutal and held cheap. Women were chattels and any life other than that of dutiful wife was considered improper. Amid the violence and horror of the rebellion, Ann struggles with her conscience and her secret desires.
This is a beautifully-written and well-researched work full of fascinating detail about life in 17th century England. In fact, if you want to learn history without trying, this is the way to do it.
But you should read it for other reasons too. Mr Vicary knows how to write a good tale. His characters are utterly believable and the plot is exciting, drawing the reader in to an alternative world. This is what I believe fiction should do, and if it teaches you something about a very interesting period of history, then that is a bonus.
I recommend this book without reservation. show less
Caught in the middle of a war that is none of her making, Ann Carter knows she should support the Monmouth cause and the men of her village, including her betrothed, but she secretly hopes that the war will release her from her boring fiancé, leaving her free to follow her illicit love, the dashing Robert Pole, son of the local lord and an officer in the King’s army.
Tim Vicary has captured the era with deadly accuracy. In those days life was brutal and held cheap. Women were chattels and any life other than that of dutiful wife was considered improper. Amid the violence and horror of the rebellion, Ann struggles with her conscience and her secret desires.
This is a beautifully-written and well-researched work full of fascinating detail about life in 17th century England. In fact, if you want to learn history without trying, this is the way to do it.
But you should read it for other reasons too. Mr Vicary knows how to write a good tale. His characters are utterly believable and the plot is exciting, drawing the reader in to an alternative world. This is what I believe fiction should do, and if it teaches you something about a very interesting period of history, then that is a bonus.
I recommend this book without reservation. show less
Thrilling and Fascinating
Sarah Newby has fought hard for her success. Finding herself pregnant at the age of fifteen, she managed not only to bring up her child, but to continue her education and achieve her ambition of becoming a criminal barrister. She regularly defends people she suspects are guilty, but in the courtroom that is irrelevant. What matters is how cleverly you present your case. It is, after all, just a game.
But she feels differently when her own son is accused of a show more particularly brutal rape and murder.
A Game of Proof is the first of the Sarah Newby courtroom drama series. And what a tremendous début it is.
Not being aware, when I first came across Tim Vicary, just what a superb writer he is and that I would want to read everything he's ever written, I read them in the wrong order – starting with the second book, A Fatal Verdict. But, even though that made me aware of the outcome of this first novel, that scarcely impinged upon me once I began to read. This book fairly flows. And it is SO exciting. The characters are so well-drawn that you are drawn into their lives – so completely, in my case, that I forgot place and time and didn't surface until I had finished.
It left me wanting more. Luckily there are more. Read this one first, and then there are another two to go.
And then there are the other Tim Vicary books. But I'll leave you to find out for yourself. There are few greater pleasures than that of discovering a wonderful new author and exploring everything they've written. show less
Sarah Newby has fought hard for her success. Finding herself pregnant at the age of fifteen, she managed not only to bring up her child, but to continue her education and achieve her ambition of becoming a criminal barrister. She regularly defends people she suspects are guilty, but in the courtroom that is irrelevant. What matters is how cleverly you present your case. It is, after all, just a game.
But she feels differently when her own son is accused of a show more particularly brutal rape and murder.
A Game of Proof is the first of the Sarah Newby courtroom drama series. And what a tremendous début it is.
Not being aware, when I first came across Tim Vicary, just what a superb writer he is and that I would want to read everything he's ever written, I read them in the wrong order – starting with the second book, A Fatal Verdict. But, even though that made me aware of the outcome of this first novel, that scarcely impinged upon me once I began to read. This book fairly flows. And it is SO exciting. The characters are so well-drawn that you are drawn into their lives – so completely, in my case, that I forgot place and time and didn't surface until I had finished.
It left me wanting more. Luckily there are more. Read this one first, and then there are another two to go.
And then there are the other Tim Vicary books. But I'll leave you to find out for yourself. There are few greater pleasures than that of discovering a wonderful new author and exploring everything they've written. show less
This was one of those fortuitous discoveries, a free Kindle book that appealed to me because it's British and deals with their legal system. It's well written, has a great plot, and led me right back to Kindle to order the order two in the Sarah Newby series.
A woman is found bleeding in the bathtub, lungs filled with water, wrists slit. The call is phoned in by her boyfriend who claims he had been out getting some things for dinner and some flowers only to discover her when he arrived home. show more The paramedics find her barely alive, but for Terry, the local DI, several things just don't add up. Following an investigation, it becomes his job and that of his team to convince Sarah, now acting as the prosecuting barrister (the English system of solicitors and barristers is so interesting) that enough evidence exists to prosecute the boyfriend, David, for murder.
The interplay of the lawyers at the trial is interesting enough, but what makes it really special is that the reader really has no idea whether David is, in fact guilty of murder, even though the physical evidence does seem to point in that direction. The dead girl's family are convinced he did it, as well as his own lawyer.
SPOILER: A second trial follows as Melinda, the dead girl's sister kills David, but her mother is charged with the murder.
Anything more would be to completely give away the outcome, which, satisfied no one. show less
A woman is found bleeding in the bathtub, lungs filled with water, wrists slit. The call is phoned in by her boyfriend who claims he had been out getting some things for dinner and some flowers only to discover her when he arrived home. show more The paramedics find her barely alive, but for Terry, the local DI, several things just don't add up. Following an investigation, it becomes his job and that of his team to convince Sarah, now acting as the prosecuting barrister (the English system of solicitors and barristers is so interesting) that enough evidence exists to prosecute the boyfriend, David, for murder.
The interplay of the lawyers at the trial is interesting enough, but what makes it really special is that the reader really has no idea whether David is, in fact guilty of murder, even though the physical evidence does seem to point in that direction. The dead girl's family are convinced he did it, as well as his own lawyer.
SPOILER: A second trial follows as Melinda, the dead girl's sister kills David, but her mother is charged with the murder.
Anything more would be to completely give away the outcome, which, satisfied no one. show less
Awards
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 59
- Also by
- 1
- Members
- 2,557
- Popularity
- #10,042
- Rating
- 3.4
- Reviews
- 767
- ISBNs
- 199
- Languages
- 3
