A contemporary paranormal crime thriller set in Jersey, Cornwall, Manchester, London and places not of this world.
After shooting and killing his nephew, a gunman runs amok in a London park. What drives Edward to commit such a heinous act? Who will survive yet another of his moments of madness? Set in Jersey, Cornwall, Manchester,London and places not of this world, Random Bullets is a contemporary crime thriller with a sprinkling of paranormal.
Excerpt
The split second that Florence’s heart stopped pumping, she was whisked upwards through the water and high into the air. Something was pulling her effortlessly over the sea wall and across the road to her home. She landed effortlessly in the branches of a flowering cherry tree in her garden, just above the heads of Marcus, Charlie and Lara. Charlie and Lara had been visiting his parents’ house in Jersey as they often did, leaving the Cornish sea-food restaurant in the capable hands of his restaurant manager. The trio all sported swimwear and were drinking cider as they sprawled indolently on sun loungers around the pool. Florence screamed at them for a solid ten minutes to try to gain their attention, but they just kept on talking between themselves, oblivious to her distress.
‘I wish mum would hurry back with the prawns. I really fancy a prawn salad tonight,’ said Charles sulkily.
‘I’d have thought you’d be fed up with the smelly things, what with us owning a seafood restaurant,' Lara chipped in with a slight sneer.
‘Oh God, the prawns that I caught will all be washed away by now. What will they eat for supper?’ thought Florence, unaware that she had far greater problems to deal with, and yet no problems at all.
Whilst her spirit was struggling to acclimatise to being up in the cherry tree, Florence’s discarded shell was washed up on the beach hours later. Her body was deposited like a large piece of driftwood amidst the other shells, seaweed and litter, much to the horror of a couple of paddling middle-aged holidaymakers that had stumbled upon her corpse.
Florence pondered a while. ‘How is it possible that I can think if my brain is lying washed up on the beach with the rest of me? It makes no sense. I must be in another weird dimension that nobody ever imagined existed. I’ll hopefully get used to it, eventually. The best that I can do to contact those three fools below is rustle a few leaves. It’s taking far too much energy even to do that, so I’m not going to bother trying any more. It’s probably all for the best, because communicating with the living will neither solve my problems nor theirs. All that’s left for me to do now is to observe. Hmm, that’s a thought. Observing could turn out to be interesting. It means that I can spy on Marcus without him being aware that I’m watching his every move. I’m sure that he’s been talking online to sluts whenever I wasn’t around. I doubt that he’ll be in the mood to do it tonight once he’s been made aware that I’m dead. Hang on! He’s looking at his phone now whilst the other two are busy swimming in the pool. I’ll swoop down next to him and have a gander at what the old bugger is looking at.’
In a flash, his invisible wife was leaning closely over Marcus’s shoulder as he scrolled through his phone with a secretive smile on his weather-beaten face.
Professional Reviews
I Started it and couldn't put it down
I started it and couldn't put it down. There's lots going on to show how people's lives collide one day in a park in London and how tragic consequences follow one man's mother's decision to disinherit him. Some eyebrow raising bits too!
Diane Drinkwater.
5.0 out of 5 stars I was ‘inside’ his head feeling the rage, pain and anguish.
5.0 out of 5 stars
I was ‘inside’ his head feeling the rage, pain and anguish.
By Ali – The Dragon Slayer on 17 Aug. 2016
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
I happened to come across this author purely by coincidence on twitter and I received the book in exchange for an honest opinion. As a blogger it is so easy to get caught up with all the ‘big’ name authors, blog tours or whatever book is being hyped at the time in the blogger community. So on that basis it was an absolute delight to find this hidden gem, it wouldn’t have reached my radar otherwise. Which proves there are so many books and potential enjoyment being missed!
This is a mix of crime and thriller, with an underlying paranormal element which is not my usual preference but it worked so well in this.
There is no slow build up, it’s instant action from the outset. Who doesn’t like being in a park on a hot sunny day, there can be many reasons behind each visit and we are introduced to several characters whose daily activity involves being in that particular London park on that fateful day, when a random gunmen is on the loose.
Edward has many issues, ranging from a troubled childhood up until the events that lead him to the point where he loses his ‘rightful’ inheritance. There is a complex family history and this is where the story unfolds as we learn about the relationships between him and primarily, step-brother Charlie and his nephew Sam. I could easily visualise what slimy little toads these people were!
The reader is taken on the journey between past and present, the young Edward didn’t always behave in a responsible way and his teen love interest makes a re-appearance later in life. I found the parts revolving around him and Janine quite heart-wrenching. As hard as Edward wants to improve himself he is stuck in a downward spiral, some due to his own stupidity but the majority exacerbated by circumstances.
The descriptions of Edward’s living conditions pull emotions in all directions. At times I wanted to shout at him to get a grip and make something of his life instead of making poor decisions or mixing with the wrong people, especially Tommy. But by the next paragraph I was ‘inside’ his head feeling the rage, pain and anguish.
Although the ending was obvious from the outset due to the nature of the story I was totally transfixed and couldn’t wait to see how all the pieces fitted together. Thankfully all the loose ends are tied up nicely to completion. There are a lot of characters involved but the writing style makes it easy to follow.
I really enjoyed this, since finishing it I have been attempting to understand the psyche behind Edward’s thoughts and have come to the conclusion that even the most ordinary people can sink into madness if the provocation is there, quite a scary thought!
I have other books by Joy sitting on my Kindle, just waiting for an opportunity to read them. Based on Random Bullets I think I’m in for a treat. Just reverting back to my comment about ‘meeting’ on Twitter it just shows the importance social media can play in book awareness/promotion.
5.0 out of 5 stars A Combination Of Related Tales
5.0 out of 5 stars A Combination Of Related Tales
By Sue Gale on 28 Sept. 2016
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
A book of many strands which combine to keep your attention from first page to last. Well written complex characters have our sympathies pulled in many directions and ensure our interest until the final word. An Author whose work I shall follow with much interest and I suspect much enjoyment.
A gripping crime thriller for fans of fast twists, dark secrets, and adrenaline-fueled suspense
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