It is 1997, eight months since vigilante justice-seeker Claymore Straker fled South Africa after his explosive testimony to Desmond Tutu’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission. In Paris, Rania LaTour, journalist, comes home to find that her son and her husband, a celebrated human rights lawyer, have disappeared. On an isolated island off the coast of East Africa, the family that Clay has befriended is murdered as he watches.

So begins the fourth instalment in the Claymore Straker series, a breakneck journey through the darkest reaches of the human soul, as Clay and Rania fight to uncover the mystery behind the disappearances and murders, and find those responsible. Events lead them both inexorably to Egypt, where an act of the most shocking terrorist brutality will reveal not only why those they loved were sacrificed, but how they were both, indirectly, responsible.

Relentlessly pursued by those who want them dead, they must work together to uncover the truth, and to find a way to survive in a world gone crazy. At times brutal, often lyrical, but always gripping, Absolution is a thriller that will leave you breathless and questioning the very basis of how we live and why we love.

| Interview |

• What book truly inspired your life and why?

Seven Pillars of Wisdom by T E Lawrence definitely hit me. I read it when I was seventeen. I wanted to be a warrior. Seven Pillars, with its heady mix of adventure, philosophy, science, far flung desert lands, language and culture, and its strong anti-war undercurrent, impressed me deeply. I knew then that I had to go to these places, that I could fight for what I cared about without learning to kill. So instead of becoming a soldier, I became a scientist, and devoted my life to protecting the beautiful places of the world.

 

• How did you pick who you dedicated your book too? 

The book is dedicated to the love of my life.  Pretty easy choice.

• Did you do a lot of research for your book? 

For this one, not much. I have spent a considerable amount of time in the locations described in the book over the past few years, mostly for work.  I did some internet research to refresh my memories of certain key historical events that form the centrepieces of the plot.  The one big thing I did was travel back to Egypt, on my own,  last year, for a couple of weeks.  It had been a few years since my last extended trip there, and I wanted to immerse myself in the place again, to make sure I got the feel of it right.  It was a great trip – I crisscrossed the country, lived simply, went to specific places I wanted to use as settings – the crash site, the rendezvous, the place the massacre occurred.

• What was your favourite read of 2017?

Sapiens, by Yuval Noah Harari. Fantastic.

• If you had to take three books on a desert island what would they be?

The complete works of William Shakespeare; The collected short stories of Ernest Hemingway; War and Peace.

• Can you tell us a little about your publishing journey? 

It took me about three years once I had a reasonable manuscript together to find an agent, Broo Doherty from DHH. Then another two years to find a publisher – the great Karen Sullivan at Orenda books. At the time she was working at Arcadia Books in London, and they had just signed me. Karen decided to leave Arcadia and asked me if I would like to come with her. I said yes, and she bought the rights to my books, and I became the first Orenda author. Now, of course, Orenda is going great guns. I am very grateful.

• Can you share with us a photo that tells a story? 

• What would you like your readers to know before starting your book?

Absolution is the fourth, and for now last, in the Claymore Straker series. You can read each book as a standalone, but there are some key threads that run through and connect all four books. Literary thrillers for the intelligent reader, I call them. For me, it’s all about challenging myself and the reader to see the world as it is, not just as we would like it to be.

• Do you have any questions that you would like to ask your readers?

I’d love to hear back from people, once they’ve read all four books in the series if they would like more. At the moment I’m feeling that the series has run its natural course.

Thank you to Paul E. Hardisty, Orenda Books and Random Things Tours for the opportunity to be part of the book blog tour. 

| Buy Link |

Thank you to Becky McCarthy at Penguin Random House for your copy of The Friend.

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