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An Initial Countdown: A Haszard Narrative
After witnessing what transpired to be the murder of a seemingly innocent man, Haszard be-comes yet more intrigued when he hears of a vicar spontaneously combusting in his own church, locked from within. To add fuel to his intrigue, both men were from the same remote country village.
As Haszard begins looking into the matter, he is bombarded with peculiar tales of people connected to the church, and of strange goings-on. Piecing the facts together, Haszard be-comes convinced that he knows what’s been going on, but there is only one choice of action, which is fraught with danger…
As Haszard begins looking into the matter, he is bombarded with peculiar tales of people connected to the church, and of strange goings-on. Piecing the facts together, Haszard be-comes convinced that he knows what’s been going on, but there is only one choice of action, which is fraught with danger…
260 pages, Paperback
Published February 28, 2017
4 people want to read
About the author
Kevin E. Hatt
9 books27 followersKevin E. Hatt is a registered operating department practitioner of many years experience.
His love of writing began when he was at school, but on leaving, he didn't write anything more until 1984, when he was inspired by the Lovejoy narratives by Jonathan Gash.
After completing two stories, they were chucked to the back of a cupboard whilst he pursued his other love - that of painting, and there they remained until 2009, when they were resurrected and brought up to date.
Since then, Kevin has completed eighteen of his black comedy Haszard narratives, plus three stories in another series - The DI Bellamy cases, which are more traditional police dramas. To date, two Haszard books have been released, but with so many more to follow, this is only the tip of the iceberg. At present, there is no release date set for the first of the Bellamy tales.
When not writing, Kevin enjoys cricket, running, real ales and decent curries.
His love of writing began when he was at school, but on leaving, he didn't write anything more until 1984, when he was inspired by the Lovejoy narratives by Jonathan Gash.
After completing two stories, they were chucked to the back of a cupboard whilst he pursued his other love - that of painting, and there they remained until 2009, when they were resurrected and brought up to date.
Since then, Kevin has completed eighteen of his black comedy Haszard narratives, plus three stories in another series - The DI Bellamy cases, which are more traditional police dramas. To date, two Haszard books have been released, but with so many more to follow, this is only the tip of the iceberg. At present, there is no release date set for the first of the Bellamy tales.
When not writing, Kevin enjoys cricket, running, real ales and decent curries.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 12, 2018
An Initial Countdown: A Haszard Narrative, by Kevin E. Hatt. Haszard is a registered operating theatre practitioner, but when his and another car are forced from the road there is nothing to do but wait for the emergency services while the scoundrel responsible sped away. The more he reflected on the event the more he was convinced someone had driven the other car from the road deliberately. Regardless, it was a month until Christmas and he was determined not to get involved, but fate had other plans. News reached him about the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of the Vicar of Frinton, aside from the intrigue he had no real interest, not until the discovery that the driver of the other car had been from the same place, and died on the same day. Then alarm bells started to ring. Mr Haszard has a skill for discovering answers to the impossible, and before he knew it he was promising the vicar’s widow that he would help to discover the truth. Little did he know the path it would take him down, nor how dangerous it would prove to be.
An Initial Countdown is the ninth book in the Hazard series and reads perfectly as a stand alone novel. Filled with a great cast of deep and vivid characters with their own distinctive personality making it easy to become invested in their lives. Suspense, and twists will keep a reader on the edge of their seats, unable to tear their eyes from the page. As for the writing style, wow, talk about immersive. The perfect combination of dialect and description with a very distinctive and entertaining narrative voice. This is the first book I’ve read by Kevin E. Hatt, but I am seriously considering picking up some more of his work.
An Initial Countdown is the ninth book in the Hazard series and reads perfectly as a stand alone novel. Filled with a great cast of deep and vivid characters with their own distinctive personality making it easy to become invested in their lives. Suspense, and twists will keep a reader on the edge of their seats, unable to tear their eyes from the page. As for the writing style, wow, talk about immersive. The perfect combination of dialect and description with a very distinctive and entertaining narrative voice. This is the first book I’ve read by Kevin E. Hatt, but I am seriously considering picking up some more of his work.
April 3, 2018
The author describes this book as a stand-alone novel, although it is part of a series. This in mind, near the end of the story I was expecting something to rationalize why the principal character involved himself in activities that were inconsistent with his profession. But the entire novel has him playing a role that the reader cannot reconcile, because the author has not revealed who this character really is.
Secondary storylines are well woven into the novel, and character development is acceptable, although supporting characters could have been used to better advantage in defining the main character.
The overall storyline is entertaining, as it relies mainly on the somewhat comedic sleuthing of the principal and supporting characters. However, there are parts where I questioned the credibility of the process, the characters relying more on good fortune than good planning.
Reviewed by Doug
Secondary storylines are well woven into the novel, and character development is acceptable, although supporting characters could have been used to better advantage in defining the main character.
The overall storyline is entertaining, as it relies mainly on the somewhat comedic sleuthing of the principal and supporting characters. However, there are parts where I questioned the credibility of the process, the characters relying more on good fortune than good planning.
Reviewed by Doug
April 20, 2018
3.5/5.0
“An Initial Countdown” reads like an old 1970s British TV adventure show, with a cheeky main character, a band of loveably eccentric friends, quirky scenarios, and more pub visits than would be legal here in the States.
Read full review in the 2018 April issue of InD'tale Magazine.
“An Initial Countdown” reads like an old 1970s British TV adventure show, with a cheeky main character, a band of loveably eccentric friends, quirky scenarios, and more pub visits than would be legal here in the States.
Read full review in the 2018 April issue of InD'tale Magazine.
April 14, 2018
Bolder than the previous ones
Read the series and join the band of whacky friends in a serious mystery and unique detective skills. He rounds out characters from previous books and makes you jump to conclusions. Loved the series and look forward to seeing what is next.
Read the series and join the band of whacky friends in a serious mystery and unique detective skills. He rounds out characters from previous books and makes you jump to conclusions. Loved the series and look forward to seeing what is next.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews