The Evolution of Fear (Claymore Straker #2) - Paul E. Hardisty

PRAISE FOR PAUL E. HARDISTY

‘A stormer of a thriller – vividly written, utterly topical, totally gripping’ Peter James

‘This is a remarkably well-written, sophisticated novel in which the people and places, as well as frequent scenes of violent action, all come alive on the page … This is a really excellent debut’ Literary Review

‘A page-turning adventure that grabs you from the first page and won’t let go’ Edward Wilson

‘An exceptional debut, beautifully written, blisteringly authentic, heartstoppingly tense and unusually moving. Definite award material’ Paul Johnston

‘This is an exceptional and innovative novel. And an important one. Hardisty appears to know his territory intimately and describes in mind-grabbing detail its culture, its beliefs and its hopes. I can’t praise it highly enough’ Susan Moody

‘The author’s deep knowledge of the settings never slows down the non-stop action, with distant echoes of a more-moral minded Jack Reacher or Jason Bourne. A forceful first novel by a writer not afraid of weighty issues and visibly in love with the beauty of the Yemen and desert landscapes his protagonists travel through’ Maxim Jakubowski

‘A trenchant and engaging thriller that unravels this mysterious land in cool, precise sentences’ Stav Sherez, Catholic Herald

‘I’m a sucker for genuine thrillers with powerful redemptive themes, but what spoke to me more strongly than anything was the courage, integrity and passion with which this novel is written’ Eve Seymour, Cheltenham Standard

‘Smart, gripping, superbly crafted oil-industry thriller’ Helen Giltrow

‘It’s a measure of the wonderfully descriptive style of writing that The Abrupt Physics of Dying works as well as it does. The sense of place, and the way that the climate, the landscape and the people all combine within a location very foreign to that which many of us live in is evocative’ Australian Crime

‘The Abrupt Physics of Dying has a number of interesting psychological and sociological themes. Other than corruption and greed, fear and faith/trust are juxtaposed throughout the novel … The Abrupt Physics of Dying is a tense, gritty thriller with a gripping plot and wonderful descriptive writing’ Vicky Newham

‘Wow. Just wow. The sense of place is conjured beautifully and the author’s fondness and respect for the people and the region comes across in spades. If you need a point of reference think, John Le Carre’s A Constant Gardener. The Abrupt Physics of Dying is a thriller with heart and a conscience’ Michael J. Malone, CrimeSquad

‘A thriller of the highest quality, with the potential to one day stand in the company of such luminaries as Bond and Bourne … This is intelligent writing that both entertains and challenges, and it deserves a wide audience’ Live Many Lives

‘The story rockets along, twisting and turning amid clouds of dust from the Yemeni deserts, pausing occasionally to put aside the AK 47s and take tea amid the generosity of an Islamic culture Hardisty clearly understands and admires … An exceptional debut’ Tim Marshall, The What and the Why

‘The Abrupt Physics of Dying is compelling reading and tackles subject matter not often encountered … it is both dynamic and different and I enjoyed it immensely’ Grab this Book

‘From the beginning to the end – both of which are played out at gunpoint – this novel is non-stop action. It’s thrilling, but also highly sophisticated, and offers a startling look at what developed countries will do in their hunger for resources’ Crime Fiction Lover

‘I was a big fan, in 2013, of Terry Hayes’s I Am Pilgrim and I hadn’t up to now read a conspiracy thriller which came close to it in terms of quality. But Hardisty’s book was an excellent read with a similar sweep across the politics of international money-making’ Sarah J. Ward, Crime Pieces

‘Just occasionally, a book comes along to restore your faith in a genre – and Paul Hardisty’s The Abrupt Physics of Dying does this in spades. It’s absolutely beautifully written and atmospheric – and it provides an unrivalled look at Yemen, a country few of us know much about … appreciate intelligent, quality writing’ Sharon Wheeler, Crime Review

‘This thrilling debut opens with a tense, utterly gripping roadside hijacking … Hardisty’s prose is rich, descriptive and elegant, but break-neck pace is the king … an exhilarating, white-knuckle ride’ Paddy Magrane, Crime Book Club

‘A great page-turner with all the elements that make a cracking thriller. There’s plenty of action, twists and turns, skulduggery and an evil oil company – what more could you want? This is one of those books that makes you want to turn to Google and find out how much is fact and