Book number four and I still can’t believe how good this author is.  Don’t pigeon-hole this man a ‘crime author’, he is so much more than that.  A phone call tells our protagonist, John, that the father he assumed dead in fact has been alive for the last thirty years.  Naturally John does some serious digging and the criminal underworld he throws up gives him mixed answers.  This is quality stuff.

Synopsis

John Harper has always been alone. His mother died when he was just seven years old and he was raised in New York by an aunt he barely knew. He never even made his father's acquaintance - a man who died shortly after he was born. After leaving the Big Apple as soon as he was old enough, his life consisted of one moderately successful book, a collection of affectionately received newspaper columns and a comfortable existence in Miami. Then everything changes. A liquor store heist goes wrong - and turns John's existence on its head. It seems that his father didn't die all those years ago. In fact, he has thrived in the New York underworld. But now the man himself lies critically injured in a Manhattan hospital and it's time for father and son to meet at last ...

Reviews

'Tension is high, and the pace never flags' -- Victoria Moore, Daily Mail

'There's a riveting plot at the centre of this frustrating thriller' -- Kevin Sweeney, Irish Times

About the Author

R.J. Ellory originally studied graphics and photography, he intended to pursue a career in photojournalism, but for many reasons - all of them well within his control - this never came to fruition. He started writing more than ten years ago and hasn't stopped since. His novels have been translated into Italian, German and Dutch, and his novel Candlemoth  was shortlisted for the Crime Writers' Association Steel Dagger for Best Thriller in 2003. He has also written books under the name Roger Jon Ellory, which can be viewed by clicking here.   He divides his time between his work as a novelist and voluntary programmes in the areas of drug rehabilitaion and youth literacy. He is married with one son, and currently resides in England.   In 2011 R. J. Ellory was shortlisted for the CWA Dagger in the Library, awarded to an author for a body of work.   Author photo © Adam Scourfield More books by this author Author 'Like for Like' recommendation