Investigator Sam Dyke has never met his son, Daniel. Until today. And then he wishes he hadn't.
Because Daniel has a girlfriend who isn't really suitable ... and, it turns out, is missing. In fact she's mixed up in a world of corruption and violence centering around the Ginger Twins - monstrous criminals who extend their crooked web from Liverpool to Manchester and all stops in between. Sam is determined to find the girl despite the odds against him - and also ignoring the fact that he's intruding on some apparently hush-hush police work ...
Trying to do the right thing, Sam does what he's good at. He irritates people, especially bad guys. And not surprisingly he soon finds himself on the Twins' hit list. What can a father do - except hit back?
The Private Lie pits tough private investigator Sam Dyke against a double-threat - the Ginger Twins, and his own inability to know what's good for him.
This book sells about 1000 copies per year, and is the second book in the Sam Dyke Investigations series.
These are its rankings as of 3rd October, 2014, in the Amazon US store:
#74 in Kindle Store > Books > Crime, Thriller & Mystery > Mystery > Hard-Boiled
#76 in Books > Crime, Thrillers & Mystery > Hard-Boiled
#76 in Kindle Store > Books > Crime, Thriller & Mystery > Mystery > Private Investigators
It reached No. 1 in the Hard-Boiled rankings in 2012.
I don’t care how experienced you are as a private investigator, when your son is holding a heavyweight Desert Eagle pistol on you, and he’s not smiling, it gets your attention.
‘Is it loaded?’ I said.
‘No fun if it’s not,’ he said.
I considered my options. I could rush him—but my desk was between us. I could sweet-talk him—but I wasn’t in the mood and I didn’t think he was, either.
‘You’ve got a plan to get away,’ I said.
‘Not that you’d notice. I’m as shocked as you are to get this far.’ Coming as it did from a skinny teenager’s body, his voice was surprisingly confident and strong.
‘You need a plan if you’re going to shoot someone,’ I said. ‘I don’t think you’ve thought this through.’
‘If I’d have thought this through I wouldn’t have come. I had to do it like on impulse.’
‘Impulsiveness isn’t a good trait in someone holding a gun.’
‘And being mouthy isn’t good for someone staring down its barrel.’
He had a point. I watched his eyes and gauged his breathing. There was no hand-shake and he hadn’t cracked a sweat. Two minutes previously I’d been browsing through a copy of Uncut magazine when he’d knocked and entered without invitation. A slim youth with dark hair wearing a green hooded anorak over pale washed jeans and scuffed Nike trainers. He’d checked that I was Sam Dyke, private investigator of this parish, then reached inside his anorak and pulled out the gun like an archaeologist with a rare find, holding it carefully but just tight enough to be secure. In that confident voice he’d told me his name was Dan and asked whether I knew who he was. He was surprised when I said I did.
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Italian
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Already translated.
Translated by Maria Vittoria Molinari
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Author review: Maria Vittoria Molinari worked very hard to translate the book quickly. The book uses a lot of English criminal slang and she has managed to translate it very effectively. She was very easy to work with and understood the book well. I'd recommend her to anyone looking for a good Italian translation! |
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Portuguese
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Already translated.
Translated by Natalia Orosco Ferreira
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Spanish
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Already translated.
Translated by Samantha Sugey Priego Morales
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Author review: Samantha was great to work with - very quick, very accurate and easy to discuss things with. Excellent work and thoroughly recommended. |
