Wednesday, February 4, 2015

I Can't Wait to Read: IN THE LION'S THROAT

Last year I launched a new irregular series here on Crime Watch, "I Can't Wait to Read", which features myself or other guest bloggers highlighting a crime novel (upcoming or already out) that they are really looking forward to reading.

The new series was temporarily shelved due to some personal circumstances, but now in 2015 it is back. Today, I'm looking at a book I first heard about way back in 2010, when it was shortlisted for the CWA Debut Dagger.

I Can't Wait to Read: IN THE LION'S THROAT by Bob Marriott

The book blurb: 
Motivated by the death of his younger brother from an overdose, undercover Interpol cop Brett Sadler wages war against the tidal wave of drugs flowing out of South-East Asia. When Halstead, the new Superintendent, informs Brett that Laura, a friend and colleague has disappeared, the hunt for Laura takes Brett from the steaming jungles of South East Asia to New Zealand where he runs foul of local gang members. Brett has an edgy relationship with Halstead who puts him on the trail of Rowley. The chase takes him to the island nation of Sri Lanka and there is some scintillating action before the truth is revealed.

The author: 
Bob Marriott is a Wellington-based writer and photographer. He was was born in England, but has lived in New Zealand for fifty years. A former high school teacher (teaching Phys Ed and technical subjects at Wellington's Naenae College for 25 years), he is now a travel freelancer for newspapers, magazines, and guidebooks (eg, Fodors) whose work has been published extensively in New Zealand, as well in in Australia, the United Kingdom, Southeast Asia, and the United States. 

Why I can't wait: 
I first heard about IN THE LION'S THROAT back in 2010, when I noticed a New Zealand author on the shortlist for the CWA Debut Dagger that year. As I hadn't heard anything about Bob Marriott, I did some research and managed to get in touch with him, leading to writing a feature about him and his nascent thriller for NZ Author magazine. I've wanted to read his story of an Interpol agent traipsing around the Asia Pacific on a manhunt ever since. As a travel writer myself, who has spent some time in Southeast Asia, I am looking forward to seeing how Marriott meshes his travel writing talents with the thriller plotline. Setting is always important to me in books, and I'm fascinated to read how Marriott evokes Southeast Asia. I'm also looking forward to seeing the culmination of the promise the CWA Dagger judges saw back in 2010.

When it's available: 
Available now in ebook form.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You can read more about Bob Marriott and IN THE LION'S THROAT here:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Do you like the sound of IN THE LION'S THROAT? Have you read any Asian-set thrillers before? What do you think of the CWA Debut Dagger competition and the authors it has produced? 

No comments:

Post a Comment