Killing Time: A Sunday Times Bestselling 'pitch-perfect' treat for winter

Killing Time is a gift of a short story from Alan Bennett - a glorious, darkly comic treat.

Praise for Killing Time:

• 'A mini-masterpiece.' - THE TIMES
• 'Full of wit and style.' - OBSERVER
• 'A terrific cast of characters, and secrets and chaos aplenty.' - iNEWS
• 'A geriatric Lord of the Flies.' - SPECTATOR

Welcome to Hill Topp House

Hill Topp House is a superior council home for the elderly. It’s less of a home and more of a club — and very much a community.

Among the unforgettable residents are:

• Mr Cresswell, the ex-cruise ship hairdresser
• Mr Peckover, the deluded archaeologist
• Mrs Foss, the enterprising spirit of the house

A Darkly Comic Tale

Covid is the cause of fatalities and the source of darkly comic confusion, but it’s also the key to liberation. As staff are hospitalised, protocol breaks down, and the surviving residents seize their moment. They scamper freely, arthritis allowing, in the warmth of the summer sun.

'Violet? She'll be having a little lie-down,' said Mrs McBryde. 'She likes to give her pacemaker a rest. I'll rout her out.'

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER