‘The Beresford’ by Will Carver | @will_carver @OrendaBooks @RandomThingsTours | #blogtour #extract

Thrilled to welcome you all to my stop on the blog tour for The Beresford by Will Carver. Today, I am sharing an extract with you but first, let’s see what Will’s latest offering is all about.

Author : Will Carver
Title : The Beresford
Pages : 276
Publisher : Orenda Books
Publication date : July 22, 2021

| ABOUT THE BOOK |

There’s a routine at The Beresford.

For Mrs May, every day’s the same: a cup of cold, black coffee in the morning, pruning roses, checking on her tenants, wine, prayer and an afternoon nap. She never leaves the building. Abe Schwartz also lives at The Beresford. His housemate Smythe no longer does. Because Abe just killed him. In exactly sixty seconds, Blair Conroy will ring the doorbell to her new home and Abe will answer the door. They will become friends. Perhaps lovers.

And, when the time comes for one of them to die, as is always the case at The Beresford, there will be sixty seconds to move the body before the next unknowing soul arrives at the door. Because nothing changes at The Beresford, until the doorbell rings…

| EXTRACT |

Mrs May would joke that she was so old, she knew Jesus the first time around. 

‘I’m hanging in for the second coming because he still owes me money.’ 

It was her icebreaker with every new tenant at The Beresford. Everyone found her charming and Blair was no exception to that rule. ‘So, number two is over there beneath the stairs. That’s Abe, who you met briefly when he let you in. He’s kind of quiet and bookish but a very sweet and reliable boy. You’re upstairs in number five, which is above me. You’re not a tap dancer or anything, are you?’ Mrs May smiled. 

‘Oh, no. Nothing like that.’ Blair smiled back. 

‘Well, the room next to you is empty at the moment and the kid in the one next to mine is hardly ever around. I can’t think of his name off the top of my head.’ 

The rates were reasonable for the space you got at The Beresford, and the deposit was so low that, often, tenants would move out or move on without a word and not care about forfeiting the money. The place had something of a turnaround. You could forgive Mrs May for not remembering everyone’s names, but she blamed her forgetfulness or her age, of course. 

She handed Blair the key to flat five. 

‘That’s it?’ 

‘That’s it. The place is clean and ready to go. I can have a chat with Abe and get him to help you with any boxes you have if you’d like. I’m sure he’d help.’ 

Good old Abe. Chivalrous Abe. Predictable Abe. Always there to lend a hand. 

‘I’m sure I’ll be fine.’ Blair wasn’t sure how accepting help would fit in with her new independent lifestyle. 

‘Nonsense. Why don’t you go up and take a look around, and I’ll have a word.’ 

Blair nodded, gripped the keys to her new home tightly in her right hand and made her way up the stairs. Halfway up she turned back to see Mrs May tottering back to her own place. She must have been in her eighties but her movement was more sprightly than you’d expect. 

With the key pushed halfway into the lock, Blair Conroy took a deep breath before forcing it all the way in, turning and opening up to her new life. 

Mrs May was right, the place was spotless. The long corridor led into a large kitchen, complete with central island, which had double doors that could open the space out into the living area. There was a coffee machine, wine rack, bowl of lemons and vase of daffodils to dress the white room and give it a splash of colour. 

Care and attention had been paid to keep the space neutral in order to appeal to any new resident while illustrating the impact one’s own colour preferences could have. This was not something that was offered ‘upstairs’. 

The lounge had a huge bookcase that was only half filled. Plenty of room for the two boxes of literature that Blair had brought with her. Parquet flooring and wooden cladding on the bottom half of the wall made it darker than the white painted wood on the hallway walls. But it was somehow more comforting. And warmer, even when the open fire was not yet roaring. There was nothing she could do about the floral fabric sofas but there was plenty of scope to make the space her own. 

She remembered her promise to send a text when she arrived safely, so she took a seat and fulfilled that obligation. Her parents would respond to her within the minute. Blair took that minute to sit back and take in the space that was her lounge. Through the window she could see the light was beginning to disappear from the day and she still hadn’t unpacked her car. 

Just a minute to breathe. To take it all in. 

Her phone vibrated. Proud parents. They were going out for dinner. They wanted pictures of the place once she was unpacked.

---

Ah. Nothing like moving into a new home, is there? Let’s not forget, however, that this is Will Carver and this evil genius will take you some place completely unexpected. Curious? You should be! Grab your copy of The Beresford today!

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| ABOUT THE AUTHOR |

Will Carver is the international bestselling author of the January David series.

He spent his early years in Germany, but returned to the UK at age eleven, when his sporting career took off. He turned down a professional rugby contract to study theatre and television at King Alfred’s, Winchester, where he set up a successful theatre company.

He currently runs his own fitness and nutrition company, and lives in Reading with his two children.

Will’s latest title published by Orenda Books, Hinton Hollow Death Trip was longlisted for the Not the Booker Prize, while Nothing Important Happened Today was longlisted for the Theakston’s Old Peculiar Crime Novel of the Year and for the Goldsboro Books Glass Bell. Good Samaritans was a book of the year in Guardian, Telegraph and Daily Express, and hit number one on the eBook charts.