Murder & the Devil: 1: The Racids

By Karl Swainston

'There are characters in this life and in history too who are, quite simply, bad. No matter how much love and sweet attention is given to them, they cannot resist being bad. Gerard Racid was one such character.'

• Language: English
• Publisher: Karl Swainston
• Release date: Jun 23, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463202005

Karl Swainston

Karl lives in a small village outside Goole with his two Chihuahuas, Arthur and Bambi, and a perfectly ugly cat called Audrey. Karl is a keen runner, DIY and SEO enthusiast. Karl is father of two children, Rebecca and Alex, and grandfather to a wonderful granddaughter called Chloe.Karl was born and raised from humble beginnings in South Leeds, poignantly and comically remembered later in life when, as a landlord of a pub in Harrogate, he penned his stark but very funny, Tales from a Harrogate Caravan.After leaving St Thomas Aquinas Grammar School in Leeds, Karl worked as a fishmonger and a postman for a year before moving to London to work within the construction industry for nearly twenty years.In his early and mid-twenties, Karl was a strong county chess player, playing for both Leeds regionally and Yorkshire nationally, a beautiful and charming time, and certainly not dull! Tales from a Harrogate CaravanIn his mid-thirties, Karl returned to education and graduated from Leeds University with an Honour’s Degree in Latin, with additional duly electives in Russian and English classical literature.In the next year Karl successfully undertook a PGCE and became a secondary school teacher, specialising in working with students with complex behavioural issues; sometimes a difficult profession, but one with many memorable and funny moments.Karl’s published literary writings are panoramic, covering genres from fiction, metaphysical, psychological, philosophical, supernatural, spiritual, physical, health, to business and construction. His books include Murder and the Devil, A Quantum Way of Life, Scardale, A Metaphysical Journey, and Tales from a Harrogate Caravan. Karl has also written various home improvement guides. Recently, Karl’s literature was translated into Portuguese and published.Karl now writes full-time. He is currently writing both fiction and non-fiction, and he is also writing various articles for different websites.If you wish to read more on the varied writings of Karl Swainston, then visit:Amazonhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=karl+swainston&ref=nb_sb_nossorSmashwordshttps://www.smashwords.com/books/search?query=Karl+Swainston

Book preview

MURDER AND THE DEVIL

1 – The Racids

by

Karl Swainston

Table of Contents

Racid

Racid’s Fortunes Change

Racid and a Chance Meeting

Racid

There are characters in this life and in history too who are, quite simply, bad. No matter how much love and sweet attention is given to them, they cannot resist being bad. Gerard Racid was one such character.

In the year 1935, to a pair of wonderful parents, young Racid was born. He was a weakling of a child, but his infirmity only made his parents dote upon him even more. His mother would pinch his cheeks with love and try to make him chuckle, but little Racid never even raised a smile, let alone a chuckle. As time progressed, his parents worried whether something was wrong with their ‘little baby’ and the lack of laughter within him. They took him to a specialist; numerous tests were carried out, and the devastating news was returned that the boy was 'retarded'; such was the brutal diagnosis of the time. However, it wasn’t that Racid was 'retarded', which made him