Tag: thrillers

A helicopter crash results in the pilot and a military policeman burned to death. It’s unclear what they were doing, but this was no accident and the name BlackJack is found at the scene.

Ash Carter knew that the Special Investigations Branch were tracking a killer, and when a faceless body is found in Perak, and he loses contact with the SIB, he races to north-east Malaya to help. There Carter discovers a mysterious town that the locals won’t talk about.

With no sign of his contact and a mounting body count, Carter is drawn into a dark case from which there seems no escape.

Murray Bailey got his first taste of success when he was published in the Times at 18 and in his local newspaper. Although he went on to pursue a different career, he continued to write and edit and became the editor of an international magazine and editor of 4 technical books. His first work of fiction, I Dare You, was published in 2016 and The Lost Pharaoh continues the ancient Egyptian story glimpsed in Map of the Dead and is his ninth title. Murray was born in Greater Manchester, England and has being moving south ever since. He now lives on the beautiful Dorset coast with his wife and family.

Q and A

Q: What was the inspiration for Singapore Killer?

A: The whole series was inspired by my father who was a military policeman in Singapore during the 1950s.

Q: What prompted you to start writing the Singapore Series?

A: I read a Lee Child novel and thought: I can do that. I have a character and an exotic setting – plus the seeds for a plot. However I subsequently found it harder than I expected.

Q: How much research did you do before starting?

A: I took my dad to Singapore for his 75th birthday. He thought it was a holiday but I never stopped asking questions. I’ve been again since. I’ve and also been to Kuala Lumpur and Penang, both of which feature in the series.

Q: So no further research as you work?

A: Lots of research! I have a number of good reference books for the period including a fabulous one full of photographs. Of course I use the internet, but I also have a few readers who can also be called upon to help.

Q: Singapore Killer is book 5. Can it be read as a stand-alone?

A: I hope so. It’ll help to read them in order, but it really shouldn’t matter.

Q: Will there be a sixth book?

A: Yes, it’s called Singapore Fire, and it will be the last of the series. However Ash Carter may well appear in Hong Kong if he does resurface.

Q: Map of the Dead which had flashbacks to ancient Egypt, was an Amazon best seller. Your dad didn’t inspire that one?

A: No. One of my hobbies is Egyptology. Reviews have compared the stories to Dan Brown and Preston & Child, although I think the flashback/sub plot to ancient Egypt makes mine distinctive.

Q: You’ve had three ancient Egypt based stories published so far, are there plans for more?

A: There is a standalone which is the story of the character in the flashbacks. The other two are part of a trilogy. I’m hoping to complete Code of the Dead fir publication next year.

Q: What tips would you give to an aspiring writer?

A: Just write. Edit, listen to feedback and try and improve. However be true to yourself and your style.

Q: If you could pick the three best books in your chosen genre, what would they be?

A: I am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes; The Woods by Harlan Coben, and; The Last Child by John Hart.

Q: How much time do you spend writing each day?

A: It varies a lot because I do other work as well, but writing and research probably add up to four hours a day on average. However I don’t write at weekends because that’s family time.

Q: If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?

A: I’m fairly well-travelled, both for work and pleasure, but I also love home. I live close to the beautiful Jurassic Coast of England and as long as I can also travel, I have the best of both worlds.

Q: You didn’t always live on the south coast.

A: My family originate from Manchester, where I was born. However I lived in numerous places in England before settling about 7 years ago.

Q: Which has been the hardest book you’ve written?

A: Always my next one. Code of the Dead has required a lot of research both modern day and historically.

Q: Which of your books is your favourite?

A: That’s difficult. I think it’s either Singapore Killer or Secrets of the Dead (this is being renamed Sign of the dead for a re-launch later this year).

Q: What was the first story novel you wrote?

A: When I was a teenager I wrote a kids book. I’m not sure what happened to it!

Q: What was your first taste of success as a writer?

A: If you count journalism, then I would say having an article published by the Times when I was 18. Otherwise it wasn’t until I wrote the first version of Singapore 52. It was originally called The Jin Deception and won a competition to be reviewed by Harper Collins. The result was a total rewrite!

Q: Why didn’t you go into journalism?

A: Maths and physics was more my thing back then and I wanted a career that would pay well. Years later, I edited a magazine for a year which gave me enough experience to know that I’d made the right decision.

Q: Would you write full time if you could?

A: I’m not sure. I have a fantastic work-life balance, where I consider writing to be work. Whatever I do, I ensure I get plenty of family time.

Q: Map of the Dead had a treasure hunt embedded within the story. Has the golden pyramid been won and are you planning any more hunts?

A: Yes the pyramid has been won. It took up far too much of my time and detracted from my writing. It’s spawned a story idea involving reassure hunters though, so expect that in a couple of years. Would I do it again? Never say never.

Q: What do you enjoy most about writing?

A: Getting feedback from readers. If I entertained them, then it makes me happy. It’s an odd motivation when I try to rationalise it, but it’s more important than the satisfaction of completing a story. And definitely more important than financial reward.

Q: Have you attended any courses in creating writing.

A: After my early failures, I did an online course and a two-day one. The thing that helped the most was learning to structure the story. Understanding the traditional stages and thinking about story arcs.

Q: Your stories are all different—even within a series. But do you use the Twelve Steps or Snowflake approach?

A: I think about structure but I don’t let it dominate the story. I hate it when a writer seems to follow a formula or a story is too linear. My aim is to surprise my readers. Hopefully I achieve it.

Q: What was the best advice you received as a writer?

A: To set my book aside after the first draft and only return to it when I’d almost forgotten the story. That way I aim to edit my story like I’m reading it for the first time. Because I have a number of projects on the go, I can forget the story detail reasonably quickly! And the older I get the faster I seem to forget it.

Q: Do you have any routines when you sit down to write?

A: Not really. The main thing is that I don’t procrastinate. If I’m not sure of how the next scene works, I don’t fret about it, I just write. I can cut it out or edit it later.

Q: Have you suffered from writer’s block?

A: Again, not really. It’s usually because the story doesn’t progress correctly. I either work on another project or jump to a later chapter. The most fun I had was writing Singapore Killer. I was about 2/3rds through when the sequence of events didn’t seem quite right. So I jumped to the end and wrote the last chapter (which I hope you like!) then worked backwards chapter by chapter. It soon became clear that I needed an extra day so that everything could happen without feeling crammed in—and to give BlackJack enough time.

Q: Can you give us a teaser for Singapore Fire?

A: In the first book, Carter falls for Su Ling, the niece of the criminal gang. However the relationship doesn’t work because they are on different sides of the track. In the final book, they plan to escape from Yipp—although it’s not as straightforward as they hope. A few other loose ends also get tied up, but that’s as much as I’ll say.

The Ash Carter series

1. Singapore 52

New Year 1952. Ash Carter is coerced into working for the Singapore government. Both political and military tensions are high. The great fear is that the “war” in Malaya will spill over onto the island and that Chinese Communists are plotting against the government. Carter is tasked to uncover the plan. Meanwhile he has his own personal agenda. He wants to find out who killed his friend.

2. Singapore Girl

A grisly discovery. When a headless body is found on the causeway, Ash Carter is called upon to investigate. He needs to find out if this is just another drug-war punishment or something more. The investigation soon gets shut down. But he knows it’s not over. And it’s not in his nature to quit.

3. Singapore Boxer

Undercover agent. Ash Carter joins a private protection force in Malaya. He thinks he’s investigating a missing person, but locals are dying. Amid intrigue, deceit and deception, will Carter uncover the truth before it’s too late?

4. Singapore Ghost

Bad spirits in Penang. Ash Carter has a job that seems beneath him: babysit a newspaper reporter. She’s investigating ghost stories at the Penang barracks but it’s Carter’s past that is back to haunt him. Stuck between the two criminal organisations, Carter must find a solution and put the ghosts to rest.

5. Singapore Killer – to be released 1 June 2020

Who is BlackJack? Ash Carter knew that the Special Investigations Branch were tracking a killer, and when a faceless body is found he’s drawn into the case. As the body count racks up, Carter realizes he’s also a target and no longer knows who he can trust.

6. Singapore Fire – to be released early 2021

The Endgame: Ash Carter is in love, but Su Ling is inextricably linked to Andrew Yipp, the head of the biggest Chinese Secret Society in Singapore. Political tensions are high and the Secretary for Internal Security tasks Carter to find evidence against Yipp. Fail to do so and Su Ling will be arrested and charged.

Once again caught between the government and the criminal gangs, it’s time for Carter to choose. Escape now or stand and fight?

My thoughts:

This a fast paced thriller, taking us deep into the jungle as Ash Carter pursues the mysterious BlackJack and starts to uncover a conspiracy and criminal enterprise taking place under the authorities’ noses.

I hadn’t read the previous books in the series before reading this one, and I don’t think I suffered for it, there’s enough back story to explain Carter’s skills and reasons for being in Singapore, while not just repeating the previous stories. A lot happens very quickly, but not in a way that’s confusing – rather the plot hooks you and speeds you along as the investigation heats up and Carter becomes a target.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour but all opinions remain my own.

An LA screenwriter is killed shortly after completing his latest script, FALL OUT – a thriller destined to be a blockbuster but written with a secret double purpose. Echoing events from the past the screenplay is sent to a very specific group of people and will change their lives forever. All are connected to a movie that had abruptly stopped shooting in the jungles of the Philippines years before. FALL OUT exposes the truth about a conspiracy and murder that led to a half-a-million fortune for a lucky few.
Follow the story of Producer Marcus Riley, who sets out on an increasingly dangerous quest to get FALL OUT made. From a powerful Agent’ s office in Hollywood, hidden treasures in Belgravia and a remote chalet in the Swiss Alps to murder at the Cannes Film Festival, Marcus teams up with designer Melinda (Mako) de Turris as they and the other recipients of the screenplay are pursued by an assassin from the past.
With clues cleverly concealed in the screenplay, Marcus and Mako unravel a lethal puzzle that for some will bring death, others the truth and ends in a cave with a shocking secret…..

Buy here

Mark Grenside began his working career straight out of school at Lloyds of London, specializing in Kidnap, Ransom and Extortion Insurance. At 25 it was time for a career change and to dump the suit and tie so he started his media career working for Jim Henson and The Muppets. From that moment on he has been involved in Entertainment and nearly every aspect of it. Mark then went on to create and produce a number of television series and mini-series. At the same time he started a music management company launching million seller artist Neneh Cherry. In 2004 he arranged a $250 million buy-out of the Hallmark Channel International which was then successfully sold to NBC. He returned to producing a number of movies and mini-series.
He has recently somehow morphed into a serial entrepreneur and is now a co-founder of seed to shelf CBD producer Dragonfly Biosciences (www.dragonflybiosciences.com) and a founder in two separate digital companies…. but has also seen a very good return from his love of cooking in an expanding waistline.
A probably unhealthy amount of time and money is lavished on a collection of classic cars that he has raced all over the world. He enjoys risk and has parachuted in New Zealand, scuba dived in the Pacific, hang-glided in the Himalayas and even tobogganed down the Cresta Run. In nearly every case chasing after his wife who is utterly fearless!
He is now writing the follow up to Fall Out, entitled The Bastion. In addition he writes also puts out a humorous blog with subscribers in more than 40 countries. www.andanotherthing.com. Mark has two grown sons, two daughters in law, three grandchildren and lives with his wife, a pug and a French bulldog in Malta.

My thoughts:

This was a clever, gripping thriller, from Cannes to Manila, Los Angeles to London, Marcus and Mako unravel the conspiracy that began decades earlier.

Exposing the dark underbelly of the film industry and the lengths some will go to to keep their past, and secrets, hidden.

Intelligent and twisted, this, the first in a planned series, is one for those who enjoy a dark thrill ride.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour but all opinions remain my own.

If you looked the other way, should you be punished?

Twenty years after they went their separate ways, friends and enemies are coming together for their school reunion. Katy, who is desperate to show that she’s no longer the shy wallflower. Annabel, who ruled the school until a spectacular fall from grace. Zach, popular and cruel, but who says he’s a changed man. And Robbie, always the victim, who never stood a chance.

As the reunion nears, a terrible event that binds the group together will resurface. Because someone is still holding a grudge, and will stop at nothing to reveal their darkest secrets…

My thoughts:

This was a juicy thriller, with people’s terrible secrets popping up all over, threatening the images they’ve chosen to present to the world.

High school for some is the high point of their lives – a sad fact, but often very true. For some of the characters in this story it’s also very much the case that they’re hanging onto who they used to be in the face of their disappointment at who they are now.

Cleverly plotted and suitably twisted, this book reminds you it’s not always a good idea to look back.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour but all opinions remain my own.

‘Who am I? Why am I here? Why did my mother give me away?’

On the surface, Luke and his girlfriend Hannah seem to have a perfect life. He’s an A&R man, she’s an arts correspondent and they are devoted to their new-born son Samuel.

But beneath the gloss Luke has always felt like an outsider. So when he finds his birth mother Alice, the instant connection with her is a little like falling in love.

When Hannah goes back to work, Luke asks Alice to look after their son. But Alice – fuelled with grief from when her baby was taken from her 27 years ago – starts to fall in love with Samuel. And Luke won’t settle for his mother pushing him aside once again…

My thoughts:

The blurb (above) is a tiny bit off in terms of what happens in the novel – flipping back and forth between Luke as a baby with Alice and now, slowly the truth of what happened 27 years ago is revealed, and Alice’s tragic story is told.

However sometimes people become a little unhinged with grief and do things they know aren’t quite right, as happens here.

My mum is partly adopted (my Grandad isn’t her biological dad but in all other regards, including legally, is) so I sort of understand that adoption can be very painful for some people – both those who have been adopted and the parents, biological and adoptive.

And it is that pain that this story centres around, Luke’s joy at finding his birth mother, coupled with the fact he’s never felt close to the mother who raised him, means he perhaps embraces Alice too quickly and too deeply into his own small family; asking her to look after his infant son when his partner goes back to work.

Luckily it all more or less works out and it not quite as sinister as perhaps suggested by the cover and blurb.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour but all opinions remain my own.

Sadie and Will Foust have only just moved their family from bustling Chicago to small-town Maine when their neighbour, Morgan Baines, is found dead in her home. The murder rocks their tiny coastal island, but no one is more shaken than Sadie, who is terrified by the thought of a killer in her very own backyard.

But it’s not just Morgan’s death that has Sadie on edge. It’s their eerie old home, with its decrepit decor and creepy attic, which they inherited from Will’s sister after she died unexpectedly. It’s Will’s disturbed teenage niece Imogen, with her dark and threatening presence. And it’s the troubling past that continues to wear at the seams of their family.

As the eyes of suspicion turn toward the new family in town, Sadie is drawn deeper into the mystery of Morgan’s death. But Sadie must be careful, for the more she discovers about Mrs Baines, the more she begins to realize just how much she has to lose if the truth ever comes to light.

My thoughts:

This is a clever, clever book. Without spoiling it or giving too much away, nothing is quite what it seems in this story. People cannot be trusted, narrators are avoiding things and there’s some heavy duty gaslighting going on.

I want to discuss the only issue I had with this book, but I worry it would spoil it for readers, so if you’ve read it, come to Twitter and DM me so we can discuss please.

Other than that this is a well written, twisty thriller that shocks when the real killer is revealed.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour but all opinions remain my own.

Ben is driving on the motorway, on his usual commute to the school where he works.

A day like any other, except for Adam, who in a last despairing act jumps in front of Ben’s car, and in killing himself, turns the teacher’s world upside down.

Wracked with guilt and desperate to clear his conscience, Ben develops a friendship with Alice, Adam’s widow, and her 7-year-old son Max.

But as he tries to escape the trauma of the wreckage, could Ben go too far in trying to make amends?

Gripping and sinister, The Wreckage is guaranteed to keep you up all night…

 

My thoughts:

This started as a rather shocking crime procedural, but then it turned into something a bit darker, more twisted, and the ending, my goodness, flips the whole thing on its head.

The strange relationship that develops between Ben and Alice, the mess and devastation that both of their lives begin to revolve around, the power dynamics, it’s a whole heap of NOOOO!!!!

Honestly, I’ve not read a book quite like it, both such damaged souls drawn into a whirlpool of mess basically.

Clever, compelling and compulsive, this is definitely a must-read.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part on this blog tour but all opinions remain my own.

 

LOG IN > LOAD WORLD > SAVE HER.

Life in the near future’s NOT ALL BAD. We’ve reversed global warming, and fixed the collapsing bee population. We even created SPACE, a virtual-sensory universe where average guys like Theo Wilson can do almost anything they desire.

But ALMOST ANYTHING isn’t enough for some. Every day, normal people are being taken, their emotions harvested – and lives traded – to create death-defying thrills for the rich and twisted.

NOW THEO’S MOTHER HAS DISAPPEARED. And as he follows her breadcrumb trail of clues, he’ll come up against the most dangerous SPACE has to offer: vPolice, AI Bots and anarchists – as well as a criminal empire that will KILL TO STOP HIM finding her . . .

My thoughts:

This was really interesting, exploring the juxtaposition of reality and the virtual. SPACE overlaps real world places and Theo and his friends have to work through these layered locations in order to unravel what has happened to his mum and find out who it is that’s out to get him.

As technology weaves itself into our lives this concept comes closer to reality. Criminals are already exploiting this while the police play catch up.

This was a clever, well written thriller, in a similar vein to Ready Player One but British.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour but all opinions remain my own.