A Good Thriller discussion

Our March Readalong and Q&A is now up and running. The Kindle edition is currently 49p on Amazon and 61 cents on Amazon.com. Hope some of you will join in this month.

Enjoy!

Thank you Janet!
I'm looking forward to this book.

I'm sorry to say I couldn't finish this book. The author pads the text with a lot of unnecessary explanations and exposition. It is distracting and was driving me mad.

I'm sure it might have a good suspense core, but all the other stuff was too distracting.

I got a free copy from the author for an unbiased review. From my conversations with the author, he's releasing a updated version of the book based on comments and feedback from readers like you Kirsten.

So I am sure this feedback would be appreciated by the author.

Cheers,
Minion

Yes, an important note, a new version will be ready in the next few days, and will be slightly shorter book by 16 pages.

I have read the book, and was one of the fastest pace and gripping books, and that was the old version.

I do recommend it, and worth the wait.

Hi Kirsten,

I'm sorry that you didn't like my book. Your comments are the same as some reviewers who read my book. What you've read is the old version that is indeed very wordy, especially in the early chapters.

I have revised my manuscript based on the comments I've received from reviewers. The new version will be less wordy; I've deleted 16 pages of over-explanations and unnecessary trivia. The new version is still being treated by the publisher. It should be ready mid next week and I was hoping the readalong would use the new version instead of the wordy old one. For those who have downloaded the old version, I will send the new version for free.

I do hope you are willing to try the new version again, Kirsten. I would really like to have your opinion after you've read Chapter 5 ;-)

Justin

Justin I just downloaded it, please send me the new version when it's available, thanks

Good to know about the changes. I'm not sure which one I downloaded a few days ago - we'll see.

Perri/Agnieszka,

The new version will be available next week.

Justin

AMAZING!! I was sent a copy of this by the author and I am extremely grateful as the book was epic! (That's a word I don't usually use). I absolutely loved this book and found it completely gripping. It took me a while to read but this was only because I was reading it on my phone - if it was an actual book I probably would have read it in a matter of days. I am a huge Chris Ryan fan so I feel guilty to admit I probably wouldn't have chose to read this myself because my attitude would have been "it won't be as good as Chris Ryan" . . . . I'd have been proven wrong! I am definitely a huge fan of this book now and hope to read a lot more of the author's work. The only fault I could give is that sometimes there is too much detail and description in parts were it isn't needed but I know the author has already acknowledged this and is amending it. The story itself was such an adventure that at times is actually swore out loud with shock! I won't even try and re-tell any of the story because I am not a writer and wouldn't do it any justice in describing it, I'm just a 28 year old girl who loves to read. I am looking forward to more work from this author, who is clearly incredibly talented and passionate about his writing. Also, without giving anything away, I was fascinated in a weird way with a character called Niall and I was slightly disappointed that there wasn't more mentioned about him personally and his past etc. But then I thought this itself could be a separate book on its own (that I would definitely read). Hint hint Justin :-)

Hi Kelly,

Thank you for your glowing review and I'm glad you like my book! Yes, the new version is less wordy and it is still being treated by the publisher. It should be ready this week.

Just to let everyone know, the sequel to this book is called "The Officer".

Justin

Hi Kelly

I am also a fan of Chris Ryan, with other great authors like Tom Wood, Simon Kernick, Mark Dawson, Vince Flynn and Lee Childs.

This book fits with fans of any of the above, but as the same time as an action thriller, it is also a great crime thriller.

Welcome to the group Kelly

Here is the links for free copies of the books.

EPUB: http://www.mediafire.com/file/cat81c1...

MOBI: http://www.mediafire.com/file/2w0sw59...

Sean wrote: "Here is the links for free copies of the books.

EPUB: http://www.mediafire.com/file/cat81c1...

MOBI: http://www.mediafire.com/file/2w0sw59..."

says invalid or deleted file :(

Yes, sadly. I have contacted Justin. Asked him to sort out urgently.

The Goodreads message screwed up the link somehow. Sorry about that...

MOBI: http://www.mediafire.com/file/2bs3ht3...

EPUB: http://www.mediafire.com/file/rukoxj1...

Justin

For those who downloaded the mobi file, please make sure that there are 17 chapters in the table of contents. If you see 18 chapters, this means you are viewing the old version. If you've previously downloaded this book from Amazon, it seems the old version is somehow over-riding the new version.

Anyone else facing the same problem?

Justin

The Goodreads message system seems to corrupt the file name on the link and thus corrupt the file. For those who have trouble opening the EPUB or whose EPUB looks messy/corrupted, please PM me your email address and I'll send it to you directly.

Justin

Thank you Justin,

I'll go later to my local HotSpot, download the file and let you know.

New links worked for me. Dang that prologue was brutal!

Agnieszka/Perri,

Could you please confirm that you have 17 chapters instead of 18 in the table of contents? Thanks.

Justin

Justin wrote: "Hi Kirsten,

I'm sorry that you didn't like my book. Your comments are the same as some reviewers who read my book. What you've read is the old version that is indeed very wordy, especially in the ..."

Interesting, Justin, you say if I make it past chapter 5 the unnecessary explanations will be less? I gave up at the point she gets to Ireland. But maybe I'll give it another go.

It's nothing personal, Justin, but I really hate when they overdo discussing background in a book. It really distracts from the plot (at least for me).

Hi Kirsten,

Of course I don't take it personally :-) It would be unrealistic to expect that everyone would like my book and writing style. Some people told me they can't continue just because they don't like reading in present tense.

I sure hope you'll review the new version. Please download the new version and make sure that it has 17 chapters in the table of contents. Chapter 5 is a key chapter. If you still don't like it after you finish Chapter 5, then I'm not sure you will enjoy the rest of the book.

Justin

Hi Justin, I recently purchased your book from Amazon. Am I correct in assuming when you update your book that Amazon will do an automatic update to the book I own? They usually do this. I have not started the book yet, hopefully soon.

Hi Lynn,

My publisher updated the new ebook version only a couple of days ago and it would take a couple of weeks for Amazon to update it. I don't know if they automatically update them or not, but I'll try to find out.

Justin

Justin wrote: "Hi Lynn,

My publisher updated the new ebook version only a couple of days ago and it would take a couple of weeks for Amazon to update it. I don't know if they automatically update them or not, bu..."

Thank you. Yes, Amazon sends out updates to books that you've purchased all the time.

Yes Justin, I have the 17 ch. version

Perri wrote: "Yes Justin, I have the 17 ch. version"

Me too!

Disclaimer: I received an Amazon gift from the author for the old version and skimmed through the new version for this readalong.

First is the writing style. At first it felt awkward reading something in present tense, but then you'll get used to it. After all, this book is set in the future and I imagined that it would've been even more awkward reading it in simple past tense.

I gave Justin a lot of feedback after I reviewed the old version and it looked like he implemented most of them. The info dumping in the early chapters is still there but it was a hell of a lot better than the old version. The most significant cut was the background info on the 2 main characters. In the old version, it felt as if Justin was just trying to show off the results of his extensive research rather than writing something that strengthens the plot. Sidney Sheldon or Tom Clancy likes to do this too, but not this extreme. Readers of fiction want to be entertained when they read something, not get a lesson on the organization structure of various military units and their training doctrine. Fortunately, most of these were deleted in the new version.

The strongest elements of this book are the original plot line and the action sequences. In a nutshell, the plot line is like the movie Top Gun; there's some action at the beginning, followed by training, and then a lot of really fast paced action from the middle to the end. The action sequences were really entertaining and managed to jack up my heart rate. The gore was a bit over the top but realistic so if you have a weak stomach, some scenes might make you queasy.

The twists were really unexpected and totally shocking. I could name a few movies that managed to stir my emotions, like Saving Private Ryan, LOTR: Return of the King, and E.T., but this is the only book that stirred a lot of emotions in me. A couple of scenes were so well written that it touched my soul and managed to make me cry!

There are still too many trivia and "asides" for my tastes but I forgave them because this is the only book that succeeded in making me really emotional. I gave the old version a 4.5 star but gave the new version a 5 star.

Lukas, sounds like you gave some really sound advice. I agree the present tense narration feels awkward at first. I'm settling in for the training... :)

Hi Lukas,

Your brutally honest feedback helped me a lot. Thank you very much for your help in improving my book!

Justin

I've disabled the links to the book. If anyone wants a free copy, please PM your email address and I'll send it to you.

By the way, has anyone passed Chapter 5 yet? What do you think?

Justin

Not yet for me , but I was wondering about the cover of the book and your photo. Will this be explained later in the book?

You mean about the skull-themed balaclava? There's an explanation why she has to wear a balaclava in Chapter 5 and 15.

Justin

My book has 18 chapters.

Hi Lynn,

That's the old version. If you have Kindle, you should first "remove from device" the old version before loading the new version.

Justin

Justin wrote: "Hi Lynn,

That's the old version. If you have Kindle, you should first "remove from device" the old version before loading the new version.

Justin"

Thank you

Squeamish warning (view spoiler)[ Wouldn't biting and mouthing intestines lead to e.coli, shigella or other nasty things? (hide spoiler)]

They're just love bites... ;-)

Justin

Justin very kindly sent me a free copy to read. I am about one third of the way through the novel. I am really enjoying it so far. I read the first one third really quickly on holiday, and it's a real page turner. I intend to get stuck in to the second two thirds of the novel this weekend. I had to have the break in between because I was travelling and the battery was dead on my tablet computer.

I am reading the longer version which does contain all the background information on the characters and the organisations they work for. I think the shorter version which edits down the volume of background information would probably be a bit easier to read for most people but I actually found the additional background information very interesting.

I think that it is generally well written so far, but two things really annoyed me about the first one third of the novel: The first is the way that the main character had a Dorset accent for a while before lapsing back in to her usual received pronunciation (that was just an utterly bizarre, and completely unnecessary, interlude which distracted from the discussions which the characters were having). The second is the way that the characters were described by reference to other people (e.g., she looked like xyz U.S. actress, he was like an aristocratic Jason Isaacs, etc.). Again, this is distracting and it also doesn't really work because most readers globally won't know who the people referred to are or what they look like. As a British reader who keeps up with U.S. culture a bit, I only knew less than half of the people being referred to and I suspect that some readers in some parts of the world won't know any of them. I also think it's a bit of a lazy way of describing characters, if I am honest, Justin - either describe the characters properly without reference to other people or don't describe them and let the reader paint their own picture of what they might look like.

I have a few questions for Justin if I may:

Why did you decide to set the novel in the near future?

How long did it take you to do all the background research? My guess would be a long time because there is a lot in there and it feels very realistic.

How did you formulate the main character?

Why is she so young? I have to say that her youth (24 at the start of the novel) and her rock hard abdominal muscles are the elements which I feel are least believable and least relateable about her. Oh, and the sports cars, of course. Why those details? Also, why so many different languages and the swearing in Dutch/Spanish? Maybe this becomes relevant later on in the novel, but it all seems a bit much at the start.

Having said all the above, I am enjoying it and I am looking forward to seeing what happens next and how it ends.

Justin - I also wanted to say that the new cover design is so much better than the one you sent to me before.

Hi Lauren,

I'm glad to hear you're enjoying my book.

Regarding the use of accents, if you've read the Harry Potter series, you'll notice that JK Rowling likes to do the same for some of her characters (Hagrid and Fleur comes to mind). The use of accents would seem insignificant at first but it will become somewhat important later on. In Chapter 5, you will get a hint that there is a traitor in the British Army and you can identify someone based on their accents.

Thanks for the feedback on the character descriptions. You're not the first to comment on that. Just so you know, my first draft didn't contain any character descriptions, but one of my three editors insisted that I put them in.

Why did you decide to set the novel in the near future? How long did it take you to do all the background research? My guess would be a long time because there is a lot in there and it feels very realistic.

I started writing this book in 2012. Every information is available online. For example, if you google Army 2020, you will see the organization structure of the British Army in the year 2020. This is one of the reasons I set it in 2026. Another reason is that in 2026, Prince George of Cambridge will be a pre-teen. This will be important for the sequel *wink wink*.

The SAS tactics can also be found online. Here's an example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGcnS...

How did you formulate the main character? Why is she so young? I have to say that her youth (24 at the start of the novel)...

For an Indonesian, you can join the police academy at 16 and graduate 3.5 years later. Sarah's age and rank is still considered realistic for an Indonesian police officer.

and her rock hard abdominal muscles are the elements which I feel are least believable and least relateable about her.

I'm glad you've noticed this :-) Another reviewer also commented about this, but after she read the whole book, she begrudgingly admitted that Sarah's rock-hard abs will be important in later chapters... *wink wink* There is a Colombian fitness model named Anllela Sagra (please google her) and she's only 22 years old. She would be my perfect "Sarah".

Oh, and the sports cars, of course. Why those details?

This will be explained in later chapters.

Also, why so many different languages and the swearing in Dutch/Spanish?

As explained in Chapter 1, Densus-88 operatives are required to master multiple languages. Some reviewers said that having her "pray in Spanish, talk French to her boyfriend, curse in Dutch, and talk German to her German Shepherd" is hilarious. I admit that some reviewers complained about some foreign languages that didn't have the translation. But with a little thought, I'm sure readers would get what they meant. For example, if Person A asked Person B something in a foreign language and Person B answered "I'm fine. How are you?", I'm sure most readers could interpret what Person A asked in the first place.

I love getting these questions/feedback, Lauren! Please keep them coming as you progress through the book.

Justin

Justin, Thank you for your reply. I am now even more intrigued to see what happens next (and what happens in the sequel)! I also thought that the "pray in Spanish, talk French to my boyfriend, curse in Dutch and talk German to my German Shepherd" was very funny....

I have just read pages 165 to 421. The parts set in Northern Ireland and in Cheshire were so tense and dramatic that I had to remember to breathe! I had tears in my eyes in places too. I can tell that it's gearing up for a really, really tense and exciting finale in the last 60 pages of the novel. I can't decide whether to sacrifice my sleep and read on now or whether to come back to it tomorrow. It's already past my bedtime..... Decisions, decisions......

Go to sleep, Lauren. Some people said they can't sleep after reading the last chapter.

Justin

I found it very exciting action packed.

I do not usual like books that take place in the future, but this made for interesting reading, especially the royal family.

I have both the paperback and epub of the old version. This book wasn't really my genre because I prefer comic books but the old version with the comic book cover caught my attention. The prologue really piqued my interest so I ordered the paperback version. I heard that there was a newer version so I downloaded the Kindle version.

My first comment is that the epub version is much better formatted than the mobi version, so if you have both kinds of readers, I strongly suggest you read the epub version.

The first few chapters was slow, so I skimmed through most of it. However, chapter 5 was really exciting! This chapter is the one that finally got me hooked. I then went back to reread the parts I had skimmed.

After chapter 5, what's interesting about this book was that it then switched from a crime fiction to a military action thriller. As in any military thriller, it was heavy in acronyms. Because I have the paperback version, I can easily look it up in the glossary at the back of the book.

I'm absolutely in love with Sarah because she reminds me of Wonder Woman, which is my favorite. The author kept mentioning her rock hard abs for some reason, but you'll see why she has to have them in the last 2 chapters of the book. Not many books has managed to shock me or made me cry, so congratulations Justin, the new version still gets 5 stars from me!

Sure, the first few chapters were a bit dull with some funny bits to keep it interesting, but once you've finished chapter 5, I'm sure anyone would get hooked. If you think the first few chapters were too dull for you, I suggest you do what I did. Read chapter 5 then go back to read the parts you've skimmed through.

The one thing that still confused me is the genre. Is this is a crime fiction or a military thriller?

Hi Adit,

Thanks for your review and your suggestion for the readers. Actually, I prefer the readers to read the chapters in sequence, but I'll just leave that up to the readers.

The one thing that still confused me is the genre. Is this is a crime fiction or a military thriller?

This is a really good question, Adit! The book is more of a military action thriller than a crime thriller, but I'm marketing this book as crime fiction, hence the over-explanations in the old version. I was afraid that crime fiction readers would be unfamiliar with the extensive use of military terminology and procedures.

Justin

I am sorry Justin; I have still not plucked up the courage yet to read the last few chapters, but I will do so within the next few days. Not tonight though because I need an uninterrupted sleep tonight after the very emotional day that we have all had here in London today. On the question of the genre of this novel, I would say that it is more of a (military) thriller than a crime fiction novel. I read a lot of crime fiction, but in my opinion this is more like a Simon Kernick type of thriller than a typical crime fiction novel. I mean that in a good way because I enjoyed all the Simon Kernick novels which I have read.

My thoughts and prayers for the people of London. Stay safe, Lauren!

Justin