Author:Tom Bale
Joe Clayton thought the dangers of his undercover career were behind him. He was wrong. One grey October morning, while working in a quiet Bristol street, he hears the voice of the man who has sworn to destroy him. Minutes later Joe is running for his life again.
Desperate for sanctuary, he heads for the small Cornish town of Trelennan, and the home of Diana Bamber, widow of a former police colleague. But Diana reacts strangely to his arrival, and gradually Joe discovers that Trelennan is far from the idyllic, law-abiding resort it claims to be.
The town is in the grip of one man. Leon Race doesn't welcome strangers, especially ex-cops who start asking questions about missing women. Soon Joe is caught up in another undercover role, but as he penetrates the web of secrets that ensnares the town's elite, his own secret is at risk of discovery. And all the time his old enemy is circling ...
With old-fashioned villains, and a sharp line in dialogue, Clayton is getting better and better. This is a neat British gangster thriller written with elan and substance
—— Daily MailWith strong characters, a fast pace and lots of twists and turns, this is a satisfying read, right to the shocking end
—— Peterborough Evening TimesIf you love a gritty UK-based drama then this book is an absolute must read ... It's cleverly constructed, beautifully thought out and with a main character that the reader can't help but associate with, it's a book that really was hard to put down
—— Falcata Times[Bale] has neatly captured the claustrophobic feel of a small town. He opens with a bang in Blood Falls, and doesn't let up until the end, which comes at a gallop, with the revelation that ... well, I shouldn't say. Recommended
—— ShotsAn excellent read ... with a surprising twist that is hard to see coming
—— Mean StreetsA fine page turner of a thriller and features again another Bale characteristic of note: no one draws thugs like this author for his villains are truly dirty, misguided and the sort of people you hope never to meet. More please
—— It’s a Crime! (Or a Mystery …)A thriller but with good characterisation and a credible plot. Recommended
—— BookbagA gripping adventure story
—— Farnham HeraldNesbo’s 11th Harry Hole novel is predictably excellent… It’s crime fiction as precision-tooled instrument of entertainment and on that level, it rocks
—— Paul Connolly , MetroWhat distinguishes Jo Nesbo...is his wry sense of humour. He not only provides a super-complex plot with plenty of twists...but also skillfully continues the lives of the all-too-fallible characters we have grown to love and hate
—— Mark Sanderson , Evening StandardAn extremely gruesome journey to the darker recesses of human nature, this grisly treat will delight Nesbo’s fans
—— MirrorIt’s a big-boned, Technicolor epic in the current Nesbo style, starting adagio and ending accelerando, but with the kind of close psychological character readings that distinguished his early work
—— GuardianAn epic tale that will delight fans of the bestselling series… There is always a risk that if you resurrect a much-loved series after a long break it will not reach its previous highs. But The Thirst is Nesbo at his glorious best with even the minor characters wonderfully drawn. This tense, nerve-shredding tale is impossible to put down as it hurtles towards a stunning finale. Nesbo is one of the best thriller writers on the planet
—— Charlotte Heathcote , Daily ExpressGripping from the get-go, deliciously dark and expertly plotted, this is Nesbo at his brilliant best
—— HeatExpertly plotted with vividly drawn characters, frenetic police chases and philosophising villains[…] Expect to be thoroughly entertained.
—— Crime Fiction LoverFast-moving…stunning.
—— Sunday Times[The Thirst is] a breath-taking reading experience … Nesbo is the master when it comes to building a long and increasingly steep dramatic curve…The pace in The Thirst is somewhat calmer than in the previous Harry Hole books, more of a waltz than a rock and roll, until we’re a bit more than halfway through. But from there on, it’s full on action with blood gushing and splattering until the last page is turned.
—— Verdens Gang, NorwayThe Thirst like its stablemates is a bulky but zippy 500-pager which never loiters in one place for long. Nesbø keeps you guessing with his usual bag of tricks, making everyone seem a little suspect (or almost everyone). His cynicism about bent coppers and unscrupulous journalists is an inexhaustible and entertaining sideshow… if you liked the other ten, you’ll greedily sink your teeth into this.
—— Jasper Rees , Arts DeskJo Nesbo is on top form…[The Thirst is] a spell-binding story about brutal crimes and ambitions gone astray.
—— Dagbladet, NorwayOne cannot but rejoice at this reunion with Jo Nesbo’s Harry Hole.
—— Krimifan.dk, DenmarkEverything that others do, Jo Nesbo can do better ... When it seems as though everything is about to be resolved in [The Thirst], most other writers would be satisfied with their work. With Jo Nesbo, the ride will still go on for 150 more pages.
—— Dagsavisen, NorwayThe Thirst combines the best of American and Nordic crime fiction ... Harry Hole is a criminal investigator with a steady salary and civil servant status. But he’s also made of mythological hero material.
—— Jyllands-Posten, DenmarkGripping from the get-go, deliciously dark and expertly plotted, this is Nesbo at his brilliant best
—— Isabelle Broom , HeatGory, disturbing, nightmare-inducing and terrific
—— Marcel Berlins , The TimesWhat distinguishes Jo Nesbo… is his wry sense of humour. He not only provides a super-complex plot with plenty of twists… but also skillfully continues the lives of the all-too-fallible characters we have grown to love and hate
—— Mark Sanderson , Evening StandardThis is a tense and scary tale. If you’re partial to bad dreams, don’t read this just before bed
—— UK Press SyndicationThe Thirst begins with the brutal killer sinking rusty metal teeth into a victim's neck, and with that gruesome murder, you'll want to sink your teeth into The Thirst and not let go
—— MailNesbo does Nordic Noir like no one else and this is crime fiction at its finest… It’s gory, gritty and compulsive reading, with a truly take-your-breath away ending
—— Nesbo , ChoiceSo meticulously does Myerson draw these characters and so intricately does she interweave the narratives that reading the novel is like watching a film and shouting at the screen while a character fails to notice the murdered hiding under the bed. The Stopped Heart is an eerie and disquieting ghost story about the natures of male desire, teenage rites of passage and how grief can shift the prism through which we perceive both the past and the present.
—— Hannah Beckerman , ObserverA strange, uncanny novel, bewitching and heady
—— Laura Freeman , SpectatorRichly rendered characters, with a well-delineated supporting cast and a strong sense of place. A debut of astonishing maturity.
—— Tim Blackburn , GuardianThis beautifully written and poetic novel is fascinating and disturbing… This is a novel which stays in the mind.
—— Dorothy Anderson , NudgeA powerful debut novel.
—— The Mail on SundayI kept flipping back, over and over, rereading pages and saying ‘Oh my God’ to myself.
—— William Leith , Evening StandardMina’s recent novel The Long Drop…is her most interesting work
—— Neil Mackay , HeraldAn atmospheric recreation of a vanished Glasgow…and a compelling exploration of the warped criminal mind. A Mina masterpiece
—— The Times, *Top Ten Crime Novels of the Decade*One of the most exciting writers to have emerged in Britain for years.
—— Ian RankinOne of the most fiercely intelligent of crime writers
—— Daily Telegraph