Sting's Choice in British Literature + Bargains Today

September 22, 2025

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Most people know Sting as the frontman of The Police—but fewer know that he’s been a longtime devotee of Gormenghast, the gothic fantasy trilogy by British author Mervyn Peake. His obsession goes beyond casual fandom: he once played the central villain Steerpike in the BBC Radio 4 adaptation, owns the film rights, and has named a horse Steerpike and one of his daughters Fuchsia after Peake’s characters.

Sting first encountered the books in his youth, when a girlfriend gave him Titus Groan. He admits they were tough going at first—dense prose, eerie settings—but once he got in, he was utterly captivated. He has said that finishing the trilogy felt like inhabiting someone else’s dark, baroque world, and it helped to shape his artistic imagination.

What’s striking is how Sting’s love for Gormenghast is not just nostalgic. Over decades, he’s kept pushing to share it: from adapting scripts and trying to get a film project off the ground, to speaking out about Peake’s cult status and the beauty in the books’ strange, slippery architecture.

If you've never had the pleasure of reading the trilogy, there's a fantastic illustrated edition HERE, or you can check out the books in order below:

  • Titus Groan

  • Gormenghast

  • Titus Alone

  • Titus Awakes - This one is not truly part of the trilogy, as it was completed by Peake’s widow based on fragments he left behind. She never published it, but her children and grandchildren later decided to publish it decades after she had passed.

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British eBooks on Sale: September 22nd

As always, a short disclaimer on the sale listings - the overwhelming majority of our readers are US-based, so sale availability may vary outside of the US (it’s up to the publisher/author if they wish to coordinate sales internationally). Deals can disappear at any time, but all e-books were $2.99 or less at time of writing.

  • With No One As Witness by Elizabeth George - DI Thomas Lynley, with Barbara Havers and Winston Nkata, hunts a London serial killer targeting adolescent boys, but a devastating tragedy within the team threatens to derail the investigation and cost more lives.

  • Counting Crows by Joe Talon - A ritual killing draws ex-British Special Forces soldier Lorne Turner and local vicar Ella Morgan into a dark investigation that marks the start of this supernatural thriller series.

  • The Hidden People by Alison Littlewood - In 1851, Albie Mirralls leaves London to investigate his cousin Lizzie’s death in the superstitious village of Halfoak, where whispers of changelings and hidden folk blur the line between myth and murder.

  • The Witching Hour by Syd Moore - Widowed teacher Sarah Grey and her son Alfie, haunted after a drunken séance in their coastal town, uncover the dark legend of a 19th-century sea witch whose ghost may not be what it seems.

  • The Man on the Street by Trevor Wood - In gritty Newcastle, homeless veteran Jimmy hears a suspicious splash in the Tyne and, driven by memories of his past, risks everything to help a missing girl find her father in this first novel of the series.

  • Murder at the Loch by Dee MacDonald - When Ally McKinley and her puppy Flora discover a body in the loch near her Highland village, the guesthouse owner-turned-amateur sleuth must solve two shocking murders—including that of a newlywed countess—before the killer strikes again.

  • The Toll House by Carly Reagon - When Kelda moves into an old toll house with her young son, a hidden death mask unleashes terrifying events that force her to confront the home’s sinister past before it consumes them both.

  • Revenge by Christopher C. Tubbs (PRE-ORDER DEAL) - In 1828, Lady Bethany Ashley-Cooper sails with her crew into the turbulent heart of Gran Colombia, where aiding Bolívar plunges them into a deadly battle of conspiracies, insurgents, and high-seas survival.

  • The Charity Shop Detective Agency by Peter Boland - Three retired volunteers in a Southbourne charity shop form the Charity Shop Detective Agency when a domino-clutching murder victim pulls them into a seaside mystery.

A Few Print Book Deals…

Print books aren’t sold as cheaply as ebooks (and Amazon has recently announced plans to take larger fees on books priced under $9.99, causing many publishers/authors to increase prices), so for these we look for books priced at $10-12 or less at time of writing.

  • Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear - From maid to Cambridge scholar to wartime nurse, Maisie Dobbs begins her career as a private investigator in 1929 London, where her first cases force her to confront lingering scars from the Great War.

  • Lil’s Bus Trip by Judy Leigh - At 82, Lil drags her daughter Cassie and friend Maggie onto a bus tour across Europe, where adventures from Normandy to Amsterdam bring laughter, friendship, and the chance of unexpected romance in their golden years.

  • Hidden Secrets at the Little Village Church by Tracy Rees - Jobless and heartbroken, Gwen Stanley retreats to the village of Hopley, where a forgotten church visitors’ book filled with secrets leads her into mystery—and an unexpected connection with a local artist.

  • The Golden Oldies Guesthouse by Dee MacDonald - Tess and Simon Sparrow trade city life for a crumbling Cornish clifftop hotel, where leaky roofs, quirky guests, and fresh starts turn their retirement project into a summer of love, laughter, and second chances.

“Only when we have a respect for time will we have learned something of the art of living.”

Jacqueline Winspear, Maisie Dobbs

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