Sins of the Father
Page 27
Fortunately it did make the grade, and in April 2006 – some twenty-five years after I began sending off my work – I finally got to see my name in print. That brought an unforeseen problem: the first time I searched for myself on Amazon a whole host of David Harrisons popped up, including one who wrote travel books about Sussex. Later, when I visited local bookshops to publicise the novel, a couple of the proprietors assumed I was DH the travel writer.
By then I was underway on my next novel, SKIN AND BONES, inspired by an extraordinary dream in which a young woman gets caught up in a shooting spree in a small Sussex village. The entire opening sequence unfolded in stunning detail, gifting me a story that I felt compelled to write, and it went on to transform my writing career. By December 2006 I had offers of representation from four of the ten agents to whom I had submitted the novel. Having to choose between them was an utterly surreal experience – only a year or two earlier every agent I approached was turning me down flat.
I signed with Janklow & Nesbit UK, and one of the first decisions was to adopt a pseudonym for future books. SKIN AND BONES was eventually published by Preface, an imprint of Random House, under the name Tom Bale. TERROR’S REACH followed, which marked the beginning of a series featuring a former undercover cop, Joe Clayton. More details of these titles can be found below.
This ebook edition came about because, in late 2010, it was announced that Creme de la Crime had been acquired by Severn House. The backlist titles weren’t part of the proposed deal, which meant that rights to SINS OF THE FATHER reverted to me once the sale was complete. Given the huge opportunities now available to writers as a result of the ebook revolution, I decided to self-publish. For more information about me and my subsequent books, please read on, or visit my website: www.tombale.net/
Also available :
SKIN AND BONES
On a cold January morning, a nightmare awaits in a small Sussex village. A deranged young man goes on the rampage, shooting everyone in his path before taking his own life. It is a senseless, tragic event, but sadly not an unfamiliar one.
At least that's what everyone thinks.
Only Julia Trent – believed to be the sole survivor – knows that there was a second man involved. But after being shot and badly injured, her account of the massacre is ignored. Julia cannot let it rest there. Together with Craig Walker, the journalist son of one of the victims, she determines to find out the truth. As Julia and Craig peel back the layers of a dark and dangerous conspiracy, they discover the slaughter did not begin on that bitter day in January. And worst of all, it won't end there...
This is a mystery and a thriller that is satisfying on every level.
Jon Jordan, CRIMESPREE
What truly sells SKIN AND BONES is Bale's almost cinematic storytelling style, along the lines of what Lee Child does with his Jack Reacher series.
Jim Winter, January Magazine
Introducing Joe Clayton:
TERROR’S REACH
A burning summer’s day explodes into violence. A murderous gang targets the exclusive south coast island of Terror’s Reach, home to rival business tycoons Robert Felton and Valentin Nasenko. The residents are facing annihilation, and only one man stands a chance of saving them.
Four years ago, after an undercover police operation went disastrously wrong, CID officer Joe Clayton lost his career and his family. Forced to adopt a new identity, he drifted from place to place and ended up on the Reach, working as a bodyguard to Nasenko’s wife, Cassie, and her children. Now he must draw upon all his experience and reserves of strength to keep them alive.
But nothing is as it seems on Terror’s Reach, and a long night of betrayal and murder leaves Joe fighting for his own survival ...
We didn't know how Tom Bale was going to top his debut novel, Skin and Bones, but he has triumphed again with a nail-biting thriller. Great action, tense and gripping.
LOVEREADING
Bale has a very effective line in suspense. For readers of thrillers, this book should tick most of the boxes. A thoroughly good read. Recommended.
THE BOOKBAG
The next Joe Clayton thriller:
BLOOD FALLS
Joe Clayton thought the dangers of his undercover career were behind him. He was wrong. One grey October morning, while working in a quiet Bristol street, he hears the voice of the man who has sworn to destroy him. Minutes later Joe is running for his life again.
Desperate for sanctuary, he heads for the small Cornish town of Trelennan, and the home of Diana Bamber, widow of a former police colleague. But Diana reacts strangely to his arrival, and gradually Joe discovers that Trelennan is far from the idyllic, law-abiding resort it claims to be.
The town is in the grip of one man. Leon Race doesn’t welcome strangers, especially ex-cops who start asking questions about missing women. Soon Joe is caught up in another undercover role, but as he penetrates the web of secrets that ensnares the town’s elite, his own secret is at risk of discovery. And all the time his old enemy is circling...
“With old-fashioned villains, and a sharp line in dialogue, Clayton is getting better and better. This is a neat British gangster thriller written with elan and substance. “
GEOFFREY WANSELL, DAILY MAIL
“With strong characters, a fast pace and lots of twists and turns, this is a satisfying read, right to the shocking end.”
PETERBOROUGH EVENING TELEGRAPH
New in 2013 - a standalone thriller:
THE CATCH
How far do you go for a friendship?
That's the question Daniel Wade is forced to ask when a simple favor has fatal consequences. For the sake of his old schoolmate, Robbie - and more importantly for Robbie's sister, Cate - Dan agrees to go along with a lie. But soon he's sucked into a conspiracy that threatens to consume them all.
How hard do you fight for a fortune?
For Gordon and Patricia Blake, the dead man held the key to a glorious future. Now that future has been ripped from their grasp, and the Blakes want to know why. Then they want revenge.
How can you hope to survive?
With a ruthless predator on their trail, Dan realizes that evading justice is the least of their worries. All that matters now is staying alive.
“Tom Bale is one of the best British thriller writers around.”
SIMON KERNICK
“Tom Bale's awareness of the old creative writing mantra ‘character is destiny’ pays off addictively in The Catch...solid, purposeful and well written.”
THE GUARDIAN
“Races along to a gripping finish.” SUNDAY MIRROR
“The Catch is a marvellously pitched tale of dishonour, greed and self-preservation triumphing over duty and obligation.”
GRAHAM SMITH, CRIMESQUAD
“A clever tale of unintended consequences... this is also a good crime set-piece novel.” ADRIAN MAGSON, SHOTS
“This is a powerful and compelling thriller with intriguing human relationships at its heart.” LINDA WILSON, REVIEWING THE EVIDENCE