Lord of the thrills, Brummie novel inspired by Tolkien

A fascination with stories, reading and writing really started for me on the first day I attended St Philip’s School on the Hagley Road, Edgbaston. Back then, in the 1970s, every new pupil received a brand-new copy of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit. I read this fantasy very quickly, delighting in Tolkien’s sketch of a dragon on the cover, and learning that this world-famous author had attended my school! More than this, Tolkien drew on nearby Perrots Folly and Edgbaston waterworks in his subsequent work The Two Towers.

Birmingham and its locations, also features in The Wonders of Doctor Bent, not least Erdington, where I grew up, and The University of Birmingham, where I completed a PhD on the writing of William Golding (Lord of the Flies, etc.) in 1999. The university was yet another place that Tolkien mined, using the Joseph Chamberlain Memorial Clock as the model for the Eye of Sauron in The Lord of the Rings. I also drew on aspects of the university in the campus sections of my new novel.

In The Wonders of Doctor Bent, I portray the devastating impact of mental trauma but also the potential routes to recovery. The fiction delves into criminal accountability, mental health and the healing power of the arts.

The worlds of Jason Hemp, an English lecturer, and Dr Bent, the unlikely Medical Director of high-security psychiatric hospital Foston Hall, come together in a dark tale of murder, revenge and abandonment. Attempting to track down his twin brother’s killer, Jason finds his life unravelling in unexpected and frightening ways, whilst visionary Dr Bent attempts to reform Foston Hall into a place of comfort, all while facing his own mental health challenges.

In essence, The Wonders of Doctor Bent is about creative survival in spite of mental collapse. It draws on my post-doctoral career leading research at the Institute of Mental Health combined with my critical reading of literature through my doctoral studies at The University of Birmingham. In short, following in Tolkien's footsteps as a professor, I have had just the right preparation to extend from academic writing to fiction. The advance reviews suggest a successful transition!

"Crawford is a master storyteller. The Wonders of Doctor Bent covers deep and dark themes in a compelling and highly engaging manner. Be prepared to be taken on a thrilling adventure that delves into the very essence of what makes us human...” - Professor Ahmed Hankir, Consultant Psychiatrist, and author of The Breakthrough

“I loved the book! The Wonders of Doctor Bent is an engaging and entertaining novel. Paul Crawford has created two memorable central characters, and draws on his own real-life experience of health humanities and creative practice to draw us into his vividly realised version of life in the contemporary English midlands.” - Professor James Moran, Professor of Modern English and Drama, The University of Nottingham

"Brooding, brilliant and beautiful." - Dave Chawner, standup and TV comedian, mental health campaigner and author of Weight Expectations

"A beautifully written and engaging psychological thriller that will keep you thinking long after the final page… With impeccable prose and a thought-provoking plot, this dark literary thriller not only captivates fans of the genre but also offers profound value to those with lived experience of or an interest in mental health, shedding light on the complexities of compassion and accountability." - Dr David Crepaz-Keay, Mental Health Foundation

“A moving tale of loss and love. Jason Hemp breaks down after his perfect brother is murdered and Dr Bent, an imperfect, thrill-seeking, motorcycle-riding healer, fights to transform the humiliating state of the public services. His revolutionary changes are undermined, and he is left wondering what it is all for, and resolves to repair his own dark wounds...” - Kam Bhui CBE, Professor of Psychiatry, University of Oxford

"A brilliantly written thriller which draws us into the dire consequences of adverse childhood experiences. It poignantly reveals the potential for recovery." - Gene Beresin MD, Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

"Moving storytelling and vivid characters take the reader on an emotional journey of grief, loss, and love. Though the themes are dark this novel is a celebration of the resilience of the human spirit. Crawford at his very best." - Thomas Curran, Leading psychologist and author of The Perfection Trap

The Wonders of Doctor Bent is available at Amazon, WHSmith, Foyles, Waterstones, Cranthorpe Millner, and all good bookshops.