Tag: thriller

Book Review: Fires by Tom Ward

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Fires CoverAbout the Book

There’s a fire on the horizon.

For Guy, a fireman, it means the death of his wife and daughter. For 19-year-old Nathan and Alexa it means a chance to fight back against austerity and abandonment. While the teenagers turn to arson, Guy searches for meaning behind his family’s deaths, battling corruption and a lost underclass, intent on fiery revolution.

For all three, their actions will lead them to the precipice of disaster.

Format: eBook,  paperback (263 pp.)   Publisher: Crooked Cat Books
Published: 2nd November 2017              Genre: Fiction

Purchase Links*
Amazon.co.uk ǀ Amazon.com
*links provided for convenience, not as part of any affiliate programme

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My Review

From its dramatic and shocking first chapter, I was drawn into the story related in Fires, which is both thriller and exploration of the consequences of disaffection and social inequality.

The What Cathy Read Next intertextual radar is always on standby and the fact that the main character in Fires is called Guy and is a fireman naturally made me think of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 whose protagonist is Guy Montag. Indeed, in Fires, Guy’s wife, Eve, remarks “You reek of smoke…It’s coming from inside of you” echoing the scene in Fahrenheit 451 where Guy Montag is recognised because he smells of kerosene.

In Fahrenheit 451 the role of fireman is subverted to be a starter of fires not a quencher of them but its famous opening line “It was a pleasure to burn” very neatly sums up the excitement and feeling of power experienced by Nathan and his arsonist friends in Fires’ other story line. In every other respect, they are powerless.  Unemployment, the threat of unemployment, poor housing and low wages has created disaffection and anger.  For Nathan, fire is an obsession, a means to strike back and an energising force that contrasts with what he sees as his dead-end life.

‘Raging in its glory, the fire captivated him. Here was life, movement, a spark of energy rippling through the flat night air. Rubbing his thumb back and forth over the cold metal lighter, Nathan pictured the whole city burning, raised to the ground by an underclass of the discontented, waiting for a chance to take their lives into their own hands, dark figures rising in the night to mark their claim on the city.’

The industrial landscape described in the novel is clearly contemporary but at times has a post-apocalyptic feel to it with its abandoned community buildings, boarded up houses and deserted retail parks.  I felt the author was particularly good at capturing the atmosphere of the rundown areas of the city.

‘The light in the greasy cafe on the edge of the estate was dim and every surface was sticky, retaining the memory of distant meals. The clientele was mainly old men in dark Harringtons and bomber jackets, sipping cups of tea as they stared out of dusty windows.’

‘The hotel stood alone and abandoned on the main road into the city…Its four stories of windows had once been boarded up but the rain had long since rotted the wood and now the windows stared out over the empty dual carriageway, awaiting guests that were never coming.’

Presiding over everything is the huge steelworks that is the main source of employment in the city.

‘As the first stars bloomed then faded in the approach of night, Nathan turned towards the steelworks with the black curve of the river behind it. He watched the chimneys belching balls of flame and the orange glare of the blast furnaces.’

In Fires, power and money corrupt and those who possess power will go to great lengths to protect it. It is down to individuals, like Guy, to stand up to them, to reveal the truth and mete out justice. Fires is both compelling thriller and powerful indictment of the consequences of disaffection and deprivation within our society.

I received an advance reader copy courtesy of the author in return for an honest and unbiased review.

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In three words: Dramatic, thought-provoking, powerful

Try something similar…Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

TomWardAbout the Author

Tom Ward is an author and freelance journalist. He has written for Esquire, Men’s Health, GQ, the Guardian and more, and won the PPA New Consumer Magazine Journalist of the Year Award 2017. He is also the recipient of the GQ Norman Mailer Award 2012. His first novel, A Departure, was shortlisted for the People’s Book Prize and the Beryl Bainbridge Award. His short story collection, Dead Dogs And Splintered Hearts is available now. His second novel, Fires, will be released on November 2nd, 2017. Tom has been described as ‘Quite possibly the best young writer in the country’ by best-selling author Tony Parsons. Tom lives in London.

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Interview: Gary Corbin, author of Lying in Vengeance

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Today’s guest on what Cathy Read Next is Gary Corbin, author of Lying in Vengeance, the follow-up to the award-winning courtroom thriller, Lying in Judgment.   I’m delighted that Gary has agreed to talk about Lying in Vengeance, how the idea for a sequel to Lying in Judgment came about and his approach to writing in general.

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LyinginVengeanceAbout the Book

Peter Robertson, 33, once fought a man on a remote forested road and left him to die. Six months later, he served on the jury that freed a wrongfully accused man – and let his own secret slip to a beautiful but manipulative fellow juror, Christine Nielsen. Two months later, Christine wakes him in the middle of the night with a threat: kill Kyle, the man who stalks and abuses her, or have his own murderous past exposed. Peter pretends to go along as he seeks another, less violent solution, and his best friend Frankie threatens to expose the conspiracy to the police. But Kyle makes his move, breaking into her house in the middle of the night and then later kidnapping her at gunpoint. Peter’s daring rescue gives him the opportunity to fulfil her request—and he walks away, consequences be damned. The next morning, Kyle turns up dead, and the police arrest Frankie, of all people. Peter knows he’s innocent, but can he prove it without directing the finger of blame at himself—for both murders?

Format: eBook (281 pp.), paperback (306 pp.) Publisher: Double Diamond Publishing Published: 13th September 2017                         Genre: Thriller

Purchase Links*
Amazon.co.uk ǀ Amazon.com
*links provided for convenience, not as part of any affiliate programme

Find Lying in Judgment and Lying in Vengeance on Goodreads

Interview: Gary Corbin, author of Lying in Vengeance

Gary, without giving too much away, can you tell us a bit about Lying in Vengeance?

It tells the story of Peter Robertson, a good man with a dark secret: he once killed a man in a fight on a remote forested road. The beautiful and charming Christine Nielsen discovers his secret and wakes him in the middle of the night with a threat: kill Kyle, the man who stalks and abuses her, or have his own murderous past exposed. Peter must choose between two horrible options. Both involve death and revenge.

Lying in Vengeance picks up the story from Lying in Judgment. Was it always your intention to write a series and, if so, what considerations did you have to bear in mind?

I did not have a sequel in mind when I published Lying in Judgment. The sequel came about in response to my readers’ requests and in response to their questions about “What happens NOW?” At first I didn’t even see how a sequel could happen, but as I thought about the questions readers asked me, it became clear that the characters’ next adventures would be sequel-worthy.

Both Lying in Judgment and Lying in Vengeance explore the notion that a single action can have long-term consequences. What is it about that idea that interests you?

Everything! We all live so close to the edge of catastrophe, really. When I see random tragic occurrences – say, a crashed car on the side of a highway – I often think about how life-changing, yet unexpected, such events can be. How would it change my life, and the lives of random strangers who just happened to be there at the time? Life seldom goes as planned, and the different ways that people respond to the unexpected is what makes for great storytelling.

How did you go about making Peter Robertson a sympathetic character despite his obvious flaws?

Everyone has flaws — and even the villain in a story has virtues. Peter, like everyone else, has both. He loves his wife and is very faithful to her, even as he knows she is cheating on him. He is devoted to his sick mother and sacrifices quite a bit for her. He’s honest, thus torn about his situation, and works toward the goal of a not guilty verdict for the innocent man accused of the crime. Other people like him because of his loyalty to his friends and family, his steadfastness, and his responsible character, and readers tend to like characters that other sympathetic characters like. He’s also the point of view character, which naturally tends to lead the reader to root for him.

You’re an actor as well as a writer so to what extent are you writing yourself a great part when working on your books?

Ha! If only I were a good enough actor (or screenwriter). Maybe if I had a little more hair and a body 25 years younger…Levity aside, being an actor helps when creating characters, because I can put myself in their skin in a scene and take action from their perspective. It also helps with creating sharp, concise dialog – long soliloquies are tough on actors.

You’re a man of many talents because you’re also a published playwright. How do you think the demands of the stage have influenced the writing in your novels?

There’s quite a bit of overlap between the two forms, but also some key differences. Story structure is essentially the same, although the length and the level of detail are much different. Stage plays focus on dialog and action, and those are important to novels as well, but mystery/thriller novels also tend to emphasize the psychological side quite a bit – a character’s “inner thoughts” — which doesn’t work as well in plays. Playwriting also helps keep me focused on the “stage picture” – what the reader “sees” in a scene — and with keeping scenes short and focused. But novels give me a lot more freedom to play with location and motivation, and I try to take advantage of that in my mystery writing.

Is there a scene in the book you found particularly challenging or rewarding to write? If so, why?

The opening scene probably took me the most rewrites, so I’d probably say that one. While the imagery and the basic events were clear in my head before writing it, I found it challenging to balance the need to set up the story and get right into the action against the need to hold back and not reveal too much too soon. I wanted the reader hooked, but didn’t want to spill too much of the story too fast.

You’ve also worked as an editor – see, I said you were a man of many talents! What’s your top piece of advice to budding authors?

Don’t edit your own work! While I do editing for others, I can’t do my own, and I don’t think anyone can. There’s nothing quite as valuable an objective second or third opinion on your work before it gets published. A good editor will help spot the weaknesses not only in your prose but also in your story – things we’re blind to in our own work.

Which other writers do you admire?

I love the work of Phillip Margolin, John Irving, Scott Turow, Barbara Kingsolver, Toni Morrison, Bob Dugoni, Elmore Leonard, and Stephen King (though I’m not much of a horror fan). Poe was an early inspiration, along with Chandler and Doyle. Among playwrights I’m most influenced by Neil Simon and Sam Shepard. I also love the early 19th century romantic writers – Coleridge, Blake, Wordsworth, and Byron.

What are you working on next?

I’m currently working on the third book in The Mountain Man Mysteries, entitled The Mountain Man’s Badge, which I expect to publish in 2018. I’m also working feverishly on finishing a full-length stage play called “Voodoo Snowball,” a full-length comedy about cancer, family, and healing through (or in spite of) voodoo.

Thank you, Gary, for those fascinating answers.  I’m really looking forward to reading Lying in Vengeance just as soon as it reaches the top of my review pile.

GaryCorbinAbout the Author

Gary Corbin is a writer, actor, and playwright in Camas, WA, a suburb of Portland, OR.

His debut novel, Lying in Judgment, released in March 2016,  is a courtroom thriller about a man who serves on the jury of a murder trial for the crime he committed. It was selected as Bookworks.com “Book of the Week” for July 11-18, 2016, and was the feature novel on Literary Lightbox’s “Indie Spotlight” in February 2017.  Gary’s second novel, The Mountain Man’s Dog, came out in June 2016. The sequel, The Mountain Man’s Bride, was released in February 2017.

An award-winning playwright, several of his plays have been produced in the Portland, OR area, some of them multiple times. In addition to his own scripts, Gary writes, ghost-writes, and edits scripts. He specializes in tight, realistic dialogue involving sharply drawn, interesting characters in complex relationships. As well as writing and editing for private sector, government, individuals, and not-for-profit clients, his creative and journalistic work has been published in BrainstormNW, the Portland Tribune, The Oregonian, and Global Envision, among others.

A home brewer as well as a maker of wine, mead, cider, and soft drinks, Gary is a member of the Oregon Brew Crew and a BJCP National Beer Judge. He loves to ski, cook, and garden, and hopes someday to train his dogs to obey.

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