Last week I mentioned that our associate editor, Bill Palmer, had published his first novel, Overexposed. Although I knew he had been working a spy thriller, publication caught me by surprise and I promptly downloaded it to the Kindle app. I’ve now finished reading.
Now I’ve had friends before who have self-published and I have to say I have not been impressed. One book was so bad I couldn’t get beyond the first chapter. I then had to lie through my teeth and make encouraging noises, while fearing an interrogation on the details of plot.
With Bill’s book I needn’t have had such reservations. As a first novel — or as any novel for that matter — it makes a great read. I am impressed more than I can say. I found myself immersed from the first chapter as the hero, Guy Miller (who reminds me somewhat of Bill himself) gets drawn into the cloak-and-dagger world of the Queen’s Wayfarers, a clandestine organisation that has been protecting British interests since the days of Francis Walsingham under the first Elizabeth.
Five hundred years later, the Wayfarers recruit Guy — a photographer and travel author (coincidence….) — to carry a top-secret micro SD card to contacts in Europe. It sounds unlikely in these days of instant data transfer, but Bill makes the whole thing very plausible and exciting. The theme is Brexit, Britain’s farewell to the European Union, and the Wayfarers are there to protect our interests in an increasingly hostile continent.
Indeed, I suspect this must be the first Brexit thriller. When I was young it was all Cold War and spies coming in from the cold; then it was terrorism that fascinated the writers. Could Brexit be the next big theme?
The whole plot is thoroughly well researched and, as you can imagine, the photographic detail is immaculate, with Guy’s Fuji X-Pro2 playing a leading role in the drama.
Having read Bill’s book in record time I can thoroughly recommend it. It’s £2.95 well spent (£6.49 if you prefer a paperback version). You will find Overexposed here at Amazon.
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Well done Bill, when is the next episode? Sharp Focus…? Best get the Leica out then. 🙂
Next year. I’ve promised my wife not to start writing #2 straightaway ;0)
It will involve Moscow, Putin, Oligarchs, meddlesome princes…
You read it here first!
Noooooooooooo!!!!!!!!! Mike I am on chapter 33, don’t make me read this…
… too late!
Phew… fortunately you haven’t given the game away.