Tag: thrillers

Authors, Book Reviews

“The Blood of Patriots and Traitors” by James A. Scott

At the outset, let me say that this is an advance review of a book scheduled for publication in February 2023. “The Blood of Patriots and Traitors” ( an interesting title to start with!) is by James A. Scott, the author of “The President’s Dossier” and this too is published by Oceanview Publishing of Sarasota, Fl. By the way, “The President’s Dossier” was awarded the Best Thriller/Adventure Novel at the American Book Fest in 2020.

Maxwell Geller is a former CIA officer who has had considerable success in his career, especially on the Moscow front. He is pretty much forced to come out of semi-retirement to accept a challenge which will take him back to Moscow. His assignment is to bring out a defector who has extremely valuable secrets which the CIA is desperate to get. The defector has asked for him by name based on his reputation in Moscow.

This fast paced thriller is absorbing as it is full of action. It starts with how Geller is compelled to accept this assignment as he basks in the sunshine on a Sydney beach. Things move very rapidly and the events described hold your attention from start to finish. Geller goes about his task with many twists and turns coming his way. It is one thing for him to know whom to contact and quite another to know whom he can trust. The book has a number of interesting characters. As is to be expected, some of them are not whom they appear to be. In the murky world of espionage and spying, as you can imagine, there are many ways of making someone change his/her mind and allegiance.

James A Scott has a good grasp of plotting a story and delivering it with aplomb. I am sure “The Blood of Patriots and Traitors” will be well received when it is published. Keep a lookout for this book. It is worth a read!

Authors, Book Reviews

“The Girl Who Lived” by Christopher Greyson

I was reading a thriller after quite some time. This one was, ” The Girl Who Lived ” by Christopher Greyson. I found it quite interesting though at times there was a lot of repetition. The author hammered home points building the the character of Faith Winters in the story of four murders that took place years ago in a small town in America. She was the survivor- and of course- “the girl who lived”.

Faith’s traumatic experiences are chronicled in great detail. As one reads more of the story, the reader develops a soft corner for her as she is very much the underdog. She has spent time in a mental asylum, has problems of drugs and alcohol. As a consequence her mind is pretty messed up. Yet one part of her mind ceaselessly tries to assemble the bits of the puzzle that is driving her crazy: a huge need to find out what actually happened that day years ago when her sister, her father and two others were killed in mysterious circumstances in a cottage in the woods.

She returns to that town when she is discharged from the mental asylum, determined to find a closure on what has been bugging her for years. She has no one she can trust. Her dead sister’s boyfriend is in the local Police force. He tries to help Faith but she is not sure how much she can confide in him. Her relationship with her mother continue to be strained. Her mother has written a best selling book about the murders. This angers Faith who believes the has cashed in on a family tragedy.

In the course of the story, Faith is driven to desperation, enough to make her contemplate ending her life. However, she stumbles on from one clue to another. It then dawns on her that while she is looking for the killers, someone is hunting her down! She must find the killers before they kill her to silence her forever.

The book leaves you with an interesting climax! Greyson’s thriller is well worth the time and money you spend reading it.

Authors, Book Reviews

“The Hit” by David Baldacci

If you like action-packed thrillers, you will enjoy, “The Hit” by David Baldacci, an acclaimed writer in this genre. The book begins with a gripping account of how a handler for the CIA, Doug Jacobs is literally shot on the job. He is killed as he directs his sniper to shoot an assigned target. Suspicion falls on Jessica Reel,  a former sniper expert in the Agency who has gone rogue. The case is assigned to Will Robie, known far and wide to be the best in his trade. Robie has to find and stop Jacobs’s killer.  Continue reading ““The Hit” by David Baldacci” →

"Let The Dead Stay Dead"

A Beta Reader On “Let The Dead Stay Dead”

I value Divakar Kaza’s opinion a lot as regards books as he is both a voracious and discerning reader. I had sent him a copy of the manuscript of my third thriller, ‘Let The Dead Stay Dead” for his comments. He was the first to see my earlier two thrillers, “It Can’t Be You” and “Lucky For Some, 13.”

Continue reading “A Beta Reader On “Let The Dead Stay Dead”” →

On Writing: Resources for Writers

Tips for Writers from Mike Wells

There is no finish line in writing. That’s what makes it so fascinating for me. You can improve all the time, whether you are a novice or a published author. The objective of most writers is to have their stories published. This process is, as you will find out if you haven’t done so already, is a long one and is by no means as easy as it sounds.  Today, I share a few articles that caught my attention on this topic from Mike Wells, in his website/blog Mike Wells Books/The Green Water Blog.  Continue reading “Tips for Writers from Mike Wells” →

"It Can't Be You", "Let The Dead Stay Dead", "Lucky For Some, 13"

Evolving As A Writer

I was reflecting the other day on how I have evolved as a writer over the last few years that I have been deeply involved in writing.  When I wrote “It Can’t Be You” my debut novel, I had no idea how it would all end but I vastly enjoyed an incredible new experience of writing a story and getting a book published.

On reflection, a few thoughts about the writing of “It Can’t Be You.”

Continue reading “Evolving As A Writer” →

On Writing: Resources for Writers

What Makes Me Write?

I used Grammarly to grammar check this post, because 763,909 people from all over the world like their Facebook Page , and hey, all of them must have found some value in it, just as I did!

What makes me write? What makes me write every day? These are the reasons why I started writing as a second career after 35 years as a business executive, the last 10 of them being an independent consultant and executive coach. Continue reading “What Makes Me Write?” →

Uncategorized

Evolving As A Thriller Writer

It’s been  over two years since my debut novel, “ It Can’t Be You”( Cedar, 2010)  was published.  Since then I have written and had published an anthology of short stories titled, ” He Sees Everything & Other Short Stories” (Smashwords, 2011) and another thriller, “Lucky For Some, 13.” (Mahaveer, 2012.)

I started writing full-time rather late in life, as you might know. I was 59 when my debut novel was published. I had spent most of my working life, over 35 years,  as a Human Resources and Talent Management specialist, firstly in the corporate sector and later for a decade as an entrepreneur and independent consultant.

It was perhaps inevitable that I would be frequently asked if I had written about “People Management” or ” Organizational Development” and things of that kind. Indeed most people were shocked when they came to know that I had written fiction, and even more shocked when I told them I wrote thrillers.

I guess the urge to write thrillers came from my reading interests as a kid. I was a major fan of James Hadley Chase, Ian Fleming, Alistair MacLean, Frederick Forsyth, and Jack Higgins, to name but a few. It was natural therefore for me to attempt to write a thriller first.

What makes me, or anyone else like to write thrillers? I liked this interesting article by Matt Richtel in the New York Times. I thought about it and I can say I don’t think I had any such experiences as Matt had which influenced me to become a thriller writer.

 

 

 

"Lucky For Some, 13"

LFS13 reviewed in Indian Book Reviews

“With a little bit of trimming here and there, and a good run-through over some details, this book can be one of the best in its genre in the country. Prem Rao has the making of an interest-creating thriller writer.”

I am happy that my second thriller, “Lucky For Some, 13” was recently reviewed in the popular site Indian Book Reviews.

Please do leave your comments on their website. Thank you.

"Lucky For Some, 13"

Characters in “Lucky For Some, 13.”

If you have read my second thriller, “Lucky For Some, 13” released in December 2012, you might like to try this quiz I have put together for you about the characters in “Lucky For Some, 13” on Goodreads. 

In earlier posts, I have introduced you to some of the characters here and here.

But where do these characters come from? The author’s mind and what he/she has observed over time. You may remember someone you knew years ago or someone who you met recently. It could be someone you know or merely some one you caught a fleeting glimpse of. That’s what makes crafting a character so fascinating for me.

Here are some snippets and thoughts that went into my mind while creating these characters:

  • At a wedding reception, I saw an American lady with mehndi on her hands and dressed in a sari. She actually carried it off very well and you will find some of this in a description of Alice Hatchman.
  • To make Mohini a stronger character, I had to tone down Dash’s character in describing their relationship. He has his own strengths but they do not include physical combat!
  • Many of the aspects of life for the “support staff” in luxury apartment complexes such as the drivers, nannies and the like come from my own observations and stories I have heard.
  • I like to think that all my characters are totally believable and there is nothing unrealistic about even one of them. I lay great emphasis on having credible characters, be they in ” good” or “bad” roles.

If you haven’t read “Lucky For Some, 13” yet, order it from Flipkart, where it is currently sandwiched between titles by Lee Child and Karin Slaughter to be #631 out of the 17857 titles listed in the category: Suspense & Thrillers.