SHORTLISTED FOR THE CWA DAGGERS HISTORICAL AWARD 2022
Spring, 1840. In the Dorset market town of Wimborne Minster, a young choirboy drowns himself. Soon after, the choirmaster—a belligerent man with a vicious reputation—is found murdered, in a discovery tainted as much by relief as it is by suspicion. The gaze of the magistrates falls on four local men, whose decisions will reverberate through the community for years to come.
So begins the chronicle of Crow Court, unravelling over fourteen delicately interwoven episodes, the town of Wimborne their backdrop: a young gentleman and his groom run off to join the army; a sleepwalking cordwainer wakes on his wife’s grave; desperate farmhands emigrate. We meet the composer with writer’s block; the smuggler; a troupe of actors down from London; and old Art Pugh, whose impoverished life has made him hard to amuse.
Meanwhile, justice waits…
More information
Andy Charman
Andy Charman was born in Dorset and grew up near Wimborne Minster. He has had short stories published in anthologies and journals. Crow Court is his first novel.
He studied Philosophy and Literature at the University of Warwick, is married, has a daughter and now lives in Surrey. He writes in the corners and the edges of the day, in evenings and mornings, and while commuting by train. The fourteen shorts stories of Crow Court have been researched, written and refined over many years; the first story to be finished, The World’s End, was originally short-listed in Cadenza magazine’s short-story competition in 2008, and was published in the anthology, Pangea, in 2012.
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12th May 2022Another Longlist and Literary Festivals
A couple of months ago Unbound sent me some very exciting news: Crow Court had been picked out by the Festival du premier roman in Chambéry, France and I was being invited to attend the 35th festival, this year.
It has taken quite a while for the full scale of this to become clear, and I am absolutely over the moon with this opportunity. The festival celebrates first novels in Europe, inviting…
24th February 2022Farnham Literary Festival March 7
In a couple of weeks, I’ll be putting in an appearance at Farnham Literary Festival. I’ll have the wonderful Rachael Kerr introducing and then I’ll be talking about Dorset dialogue, Crows and the end of an era that came with the arrival of railways in rural Dorset. It’s not always easy to describe these topics without sounding like a GCSE exam question on the industrial revolution, so I shall be…
9th June 2021There’s a festival happening next week, and you’re invited!
On Wednesday 16th June, I shall be appearing at the Sturminster Newton Literary Festival 2021, talking about Crow Court, characters, dialect and dialogue. I’ll be focusing on the different characters that crop up in Crow Court, how they are differentiated by the way they talk—and the way they think, and I’ll cover some of my favourite expressions from the Dorset characters. 'Going up Stur!'
7:00…
11th March 2021Crow Court's Reception
It is now almost two months since the official publication of Crow Court and this is how it is going:
“This vivid historical drama, set in 19th-century Dorset, begins with suicide and murder before spiralling out to tell a dark tale of justice covered up.”
Sarah Hughes ‘75 Best Books of 2021’ iNews January 8, 2021
If you backed Crow Court by signing up for a physical copy, you should have received yours by now. If a copy hasn’t landed on your doormat, it is most likely because you’ve not yet confirmed your mailing address, so please log onto the Unbound website and confirm your address soon. If you encounter problems, contact someone at Unbound via support@unbound.com.
I’ve had from some wonderful feedback…
1st July 2020Crow Court Into the Summer
Dear Subscribers,
Crow Court continues to edge towards publication. I believe everything is still in train to have copies with you in the Autumn, although the official publication date remains January 2021. We’ve been through the final copy-edit which was an education in how well some blatant typos can hide from view; I also learned that I am unnecessarily mean with commas and have an aptitude…
3rd April 2020New Pledge - Writer Coaching Session Rewards
Dear Subscribers,
I hope you—and all those dear to you—are well and staying safe and comfortable.
This is a brief update about some new pledge levels. I know you have already pledged in support of Crow Court, and we are very grateful for both your support and your patience, but I wanted to let you know about the new pledge levels and new rewards, and to explain the reason for adding them at…
4th March 2020Crow Court: The Cover Revealed!
Dear Subscribers,
As the first days of March pass us, spring is finally beginning to make an appearance. Evenings are little lighter, daffodils litter the roadsides and there is even (sometimes) a little warmth in the air. It’s a time for new life and re-growth; vicars up and down the country are composing their sermons accordingly. Not to mention marketing executives working similar themes…
20th May 2019Courting Crows
Some really exciting news: Crow Court is now 100% funded. This is a thrill, a relief and an enthralling prospect because it opens the pathway to being fully published. Many thanks to everyone who has backed the project so far, it has been really encouraging to receive such solid support.
This is, I hope, just the beginning. Crow Court will now go through editing, typesetting, layout design, marketing…
12th May 2019Crow Court Nearly
Hi,
It seems about the right time for a quick update about Crow Court. Funding has now reached 84% so I’m hoping it will be complete by the end of the month. With this in mind Unbound are offering a 10% discount on pledges, so if there’s anyone you think might be interested, please pass this on. The discount code is ALMOST.
I’ve learned a great deal over the past few months, some aspects of which…
12th February 2019Crow Court February Update
It has been two months since we started crowd-funding Crow Court. We've already reached 14%, which is fantastic, and the level of support from everyone has been amazing. It is so impressive to experience such generosity.
There have been some large pledges that are remarkably generous and there have been pledges from people who are stretching their budget just to contribute. They are equally gratifying…
