217:, where Pinkie is holding Amy at gun-point in a pod at the top of the wheel. Smith is revealed to be Dr. Roger Blume, an executive of an international pharmaceutical company. Blume tells MacNeil that his company had created the virus artificially to make money from selling a vaccine. The Chinese girl had been intentionally infected and the virus allowed to spread. She had been killed to suppress the evidence.
242:, a reader suggested to May that he write a novel against the background of the pandemic. May later said, "I thought about it for a minute before I realized that I've kind of already done it. I told my publisher about it and my editor just about fell out of his chair. He read the entire book overnight and the next morning he said, 'This is brilliant. We need to publish this now.'"
220:
In a fit of anger, Castelli tries to shoot Blume, who escapes by climbing up the outside of the wheel toward the pod where Pinkie is holding Amy. MacNeil follows. In a final struggle, Blume gets the better of MacNeil and is about to hurl him to his death when, in a moment of remorse, Pinkie shoots
209:
chat window that is open on Amy's computer indicates that she has been discussing the case with her mentor, Dr. Samantha Looker. At Looker's flat, they discover that the mentor has been murdered (by Pinkie) and her chats with Amy have been hijacked by a third party, who turns out to be Mr. Smith.
29:
187:
Meanwhile, Dr. Amy Wu, a forensic scientist who is in a relationship with MacNeil, determines that the remains are probably those of a girl of about ten years of age, of East Asian origin, and with a harelip. She takes the bones back to her flat to do a
233:
over six weeks in 2005, but it was rejected by publishers in the UK who thought that the portrayal of London under siege by a flu epidemic was unrealistic. He put the manuscript to one side and turned his attention to other projects. In 2020, when the
184:). Pinkie has been hired by a shadowy "Mr. Smith" to keep watch on the police investigation and to ensure the bones don't lead them anywhere. Pinkie kills two witnesses to prevent them from giving information to MacNeil.
160:
is in lockdown. The city is under military control, a strict curfew is in force and there is extensive public surveillance. Among those who have died from the virus are the prime minister and members of his family.
252:
On publication, May announced that the profits from the book would be donated to charities supporting health workers and other COVID-19 victims. Shortly after publication, he used part of the advance to donate six
195:
At the house in
Wandsworth, a neighbour tells MacNeil that the house was recently occupied by a couple named Smith who had a ten-year-old adopted daughter, a Chinese girl with a harelip.
327:
205:
who believes that the
Chinese girl was the source of the pandemic. After MacNeil retrieves Amy's voicemail message, he and Castelli hurry to her flat, but they find it empty. An
140:, set against the background of a deadly influenza pandemic. He wrote it in 2005, but it was rejected for publication as unrealistic. It was published in April 2020, during the
198:
Pinkie surreptitiously enters Amy's flat while she is taking a shower. Sensing the presence of the intruder, she phones MacNeil and leaves a panic-stricken voicemail message.
304:
123:
210:
Using the chat window to communicate, Smith threatens to kill Amy unless MacNeil hands over whatever evidence the police have against him.
373:
176:. At every step of the way, he is surreptitiously followed by a sociopathic killer who calls himself Pinkie (after the antihero of
363:
164:
Detective
Inspector Jack MacNeil is ordered to investigate the discovery of fresh human bones found at a building site in
368:
358:
284:
201:
While preparing to break into the house in
Wandsworth, MacNeil encounters Dr. Sara Castelli, an investigator with the
202:
189:
181:
285:"A pandemic thriller, once rejected by publishers for being unrealistic, is now getting a wide release"
172:
ticket found at the scene takes him along a chain of clues, eventually leading to an empty house in
246:
77:
239:
169:
137:
39:
258:
235:
206:
141:
118:
59:
49:
103:
28:
352:
177:
328:"'Lockdown' author helps hospital's virtual visiting service with iPad donation"
214:
173:
153:
92:
245:
The book was published as a Kindle e-book on 2 April 2020 by
Riverrun, a
221:
Blume and helps MacNeil to safety, falling to his death as he does so.
165:
305:"Quercus to publish Peter May novel set in London pandemic lockdown".
157:
254:
136:
is a 2020 mystery thriller by
Scottish crime writer
249:imprint. A paperback edition followed on 30 April.
117:
109:
99:
83:
73:
65:
55:
45:
35:
8:
300:
298:
238:was forcing countries around the world into
21:
156:pandemic that kills 80% of those affected,
27:
20:
261:for use in its virtual visiting service.
270:
278:
276:
274:
7:
16:2020 mystery thriller by Peter May
14:
316:Author's Introduction to Lockdown
283:Elassar, Alaa (4 April 2020).
1:
307:The Bookseller. 31 March 2020
144:and its resulting lockdowns.
390:
326:Ross, John (25 May 2020).
374:Quercus (publisher) books
113:Print (paperback), e-book
26:
203:Health Protection Agency
332:The Press and Journal
190:facial reconstruction
89:2 April 2020 (e-book)
364:Novels set in London
168:. A thumbprint on a
152:Five months into an
369:2020 British novels
359:Novels by Peter May
23:
170:London Underground
259:NHS Western Isles
236:COVID-19 pandemic
213:They meet at the
207:instant messaging
142:COVID-19 pandemic
129:
128:
124:978-1-52941-168-3
100:Publication place
381:
343:
342:
340:
338:
323:
317:
314:
308:
302:
293:
292:
280:
192:from the skull.
85:Publication date
31:
24:
389:
388:
384:
383:
382:
380:
379:
378:
349:
348:
347:
346:
336:
334:
325:
324:
320:
315:
311:
303:
296:
282:
281:
272:
267:
227:
150:
110:Media type
91:30 April 2020 (
90:
86:
17:
12:
11:
5:
387:
385:
377:
376:
371:
366:
361:
351:
350:
345:
344:
318:
309:
294:
269:
268:
266:
263:
226:
223:
149:
146:
127:
126:
121:
115:
114:
111:
107:
106:
104:United Kingdom
101:
97:
96:
87:
84:
81:
80:
75:
71:
70:
67:
63:
62:
57:
53:
52:
47:
43:
42:
37:
33:
32:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
386:
375:
372:
370:
367:
365:
362:
360:
357:
356:
354:
333:
329:
322:
319:
313:
310:
306:
301:
299:
295:
290:
286:
279:
277:
275:
271:
264:
262:
260:
256:
250:
248:
243:
241:
237:
232:
224:
222:
218:
216:
211:
208:
204:
199:
196:
193:
191:
185:
183:
182:Brighton Rock
179:
178:Graham Greene
175:
171:
167:
162:
159:
155:
147:
145:
143:
139:
135:
134:
125:
122:
120:
116:
112:
108:
105:
102:
98:
94:
88:
82:
79:
76:
72:
68:
64:
61:
58:
54:
51:
48:
44:
41:
38:
34:
30:
25:
19:
335:. Retrieved
331:
321:
312:
288:
251:
244:
230:
228:
219:
212:
200:
197:
194:
186:
163:
151:
148:Plot summary
132:
131:
130:
18:
353:Categories
265:References
229:May wrote
225:Background
215:London Eye
180:'s novel,
174:Wandsworth
240:lockdowns
154:influenza
138:Peter May
93:paperback
74:Publisher
66:Published
40:Peter May
22:Lockdown
231:Lockdown
133:Lockdown
60:Thriller
46:Language
337:21 June
247:Quercus
166:Lambeth
78:Quercus
50:English
158:London
36:Author
255:iPads
56:Genre
339:2022
119:ISBN
69:2020
289:CNN
257:to
355::
330:.
297:^
287:.
273:^
341:.
291:.
95:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
