Phantom At The Feast
A Gripping Thriller Exploring the Human Cost of Secrets in a Modern Britain
Will be published approx. on 18. June 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
624 pages
978-1-83501-579-7 (ISBN)
Description
Police stations are outdated, and AI's make more efficient detectives, or so says a UK Home Office determined to make cuts.
When the sole witness in a trafficking case is discovered brutally murdered, a brass horseshoe forced between his teeth, Detective Sergeant Rex King is summoned back to London and into a labyrinth of memory, music, and political unrest. From The Clash's ragged 1985 busking tour to the fractured legacy of the anti-nuclear movement, Rex follows threads that tug uncomfortably at his own history - echoes he can't quite place, shadows that refuse to settle.
When Rex's boss, DCI 'Lollo' Lawrence, suddenly disappears, and long-buried papers from the Miners' Strike surface, he must work alongside a sharp young detective, a seasoned former soul boy, and the National Crime Agency's unsettlingly brilliant new AI. Yet the deeper he travels, the more he finds the investigation folding back on him: professional loyalties strained, personal relationships tested, and accusations from his undercover past threatening to unmake him.
Two murders, one 'misper' and a force under fire - has former 'spycop' DS Rex King finally met his match?
When the sole witness in a trafficking case is discovered brutally murdered, a brass horseshoe forced between his teeth, Detective Sergeant Rex King is summoned back to London and into a labyrinth of memory, music, and political unrest. From The Clash's ragged 1985 busking tour to the fractured legacy of the anti-nuclear movement, Rex follows threads that tug uncomfortably at his own history - echoes he can't quite place, shadows that refuse to settle.
When Rex's boss, DCI 'Lollo' Lawrence, suddenly disappears, and long-buried papers from the Miners' Strike surface, he must work alongside a sharp young detective, a seasoned former soul boy, and the National Crime Agency's unsettlingly brilliant new AI. Yet the deeper he travels, the more he finds the investigation folding back on him: professional loyalties strained, personal relationships tested, and accusations from his undercover past threatening to unmake him.
Two murders, one 'misper' and a force under fire - has former 'spycop' DS Rex King finally met his match?
Reviews / Votes
'White is always convivial company. His books are characterised by stylistic innovation, a feeling for place, and a love of rogues and rebels' The Guardian 'I'm reading an advance copy right now and (no spoilers) it's every bit as good as The Fountain in the Forest. DS Rex King of the Holborn Homicide and Serious Crime Command is at the top of his game, and so is the author. An Oulipian page-turner, and how many of those are there?' David Collard 'Line of Duty meets Our Friends in the North in what reads like a collaboration between Georges Perec and Ed McBain. A fiendishly fun crime story' Matt Thorne 'Tony White always manages to find the sweet spot between stylistic innovation and genuine entertainment. Phantom at the Feast is no exception - I really REALLY enjoyed it' Susan FinlayMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
Thickness: 16 mm
Weight
309 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-83501-579-7 (9781835015797)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Tony White
Phantom At The Feast
A Gripping Thriller Exploring the Human Cost of Secrets in a Modern Britain
E-Book
approx. 06/2026
Bedford Square Publishers
€12.99
Not yet available
Person
Tony White is the author of six previous novels including The Fountain in the Forest and Foxy-T (both Faber & Faber) and Shackleton's Man Goes South (the first novel ever published by the Science Museum).
A former writer in residence at the Science Museum, he has reviewed for the Guardian, The Idler and Irish Times. He is currently a Fellow of the Royal Literary Fund attached to Royal Holloway University of London, and an Associate Lecturer on the Creative Writing MA at Birkbeck. He is a member of the Crime Writers' Association.
A former writer in residence at the Science Museum, he has reviewed for the Guardian, The Idler and Irish Times. He is currently a Fellow of the Royal Literary Fund attached to Royal Holloway University of London, and an Associate Lecturer on the Creative Writing MA at Birkbeck. He is a member of the Crime Writers' Association.