Angels’ Cut excerpt 1

Welcome to an Angels’ Cut excerpt involving Establishment corruption, greed, fraud and murder. Eilidh’s explosive dossier exposes cynical corruption and criminality bleeding into dark corners of the UK Establishment.  Large chunks of money evaporate like a whisky producers’ Angels’ Share.

Fearful of exposure and losing their ill-gotten gains, the corrupt Establishment clique, Bizz, takes action. Taken with callous efficiency, Eilidh is in lethal danger.

Angels’ Cut excerpt background – Eilidh is taken

Expecting a happy catch-up with his wee sister, Sam Duncan comes to London. She’s missing. Danger closes as fast as his express train. Any thoughts of a pleasant visit evaporate. Someone wants him dead, and a hair-raising quest begins. Sam’s investigative skills, honed as a tier-one operator working, alongside law enforcement, are needed.

A little chumocracy goes a long way

Does ‘chumocracy’ or ‘cronyism’ or ‘kleptocracy’, involve criminality? In the Angels’ Cut it does, as politicians, officials, bankers, business people and gangsters line their pockets with public money, lots and lots of it. Soon the danger is stratospheric. People die.

Target the family

Both Sam and Eilidh plummet into confused and malicious webs of betrayal, murder, cover-up and stunning violence. Eilidh is lost. Can Sam find her? Will they survive? As if that isn’t enough, gangsters target his family. With his trusted warrior colleague, Tonka, facts emerge and, close behind, mayhem.

Criminality and cover-ups

People say – ‘it’s a cover-up’ … ’it’s one law for them and another for us’ … ‘we bale out the banks and they get the bonuses’ … Just for once, wouldn’t it be nice if someone flushed the criminals out? Well, here you go, you have come to the right place.

Greed, cosy corruption … follow the money

The greedy fear exposure. Money is all. What will bad people do to protect a criminal investment? For instance, how much do criminal insiders steal? Is the £190 billion ($265 billion) reported by Experian in November 2017 fake news?

Scare her off or kill her?

Is her first success, as an investigative journalist be her last? Will she survive? Will she die?

Reader Comments

“I could immediately identify with his main characters, even those shady, dangerous individuals in the upper echelons of society. In this respect the story is also a measure of how eroded has become our trust in our leaders, the high and mighty of our land. His action scenes are particularly well handled – the opening scene in South Armagh is shockingly realistic. In fact there’s a gritty realism throughout this book which will linger long in the memory. All in all this is an impressive piece of work by a talented writer.” Abrach, UK

“Not your common or garden thriller, not by a long shot. A thriller it undoubtedly is, but with characters who are far better developed and fleshed out than many others of this ilk, characters who live, breathe and about whom the reader ends up caring deeply. The fact that the storyline is brilliantly crafted and the level of detail is enough (and accurate enough, too) to keep the most dedicated hardware anorak on side is just icing on the cake.” D Gixxer, UK

“As this book opens, it seems an exciting, and very readable, action thriller. Then as the characters are developed one is drawn in by the witty dialogue, by the fierce and touching family loyalties, and by the noble defense of the vulnerable against those who would abuse them to their own ends. Initially repelled by the violence in this novel, I felt, as in Stieg Larsson’s novels, the visceral satisfaction of seeing justice meted out to the abusers of women.” Maryann N, WA USA

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Angels’ Cut is available worldwide.

Angels Cut excerpt

They met, three days after Eilidh disappeared, in an elegant UK government building at 09.30, just off Cockspur Street in London. Corinthian columns and marble floors gave way to a drab interior. Four directors sat around an undistinguished table in an anonymous, secure meeting room. There were no windows, only Magnolia walls framed by white woodwork. Refreshments were available from a catering trolley. Biscuit wrappers rustled and cups clinked as people settled down.

The working name ‘Bizz’ seemed sexy, even powerful, which they all were in their chosen careers. Power didn’t guarantee freedom from hassle or difficult decisions. An aggravating investigative journalist was the main item on the agenda, a new challenge. Eilidh Duncan was the first person brought into line by the evolving criminal operation.

The Chair, a large Afro-Caribbean woman and top civil servant, Maybelle Jones, started off. ‘Okay. Let’s get started.’ Conversations stopped. ‘Our tabloid crusader should be less of an irritant now.’

‘I still have reservations about what we’ve done,’ Gemma Smythsone said.

‘She’s persistent, and she’s been talking to people and rocking the boat. I don’t like it. We don’t like it. We’re getting ripples at the top and must avoid serious waves further down. We had to do something.’ Maybelle didn’t appreciate being challenged.

An upper-crust baritone entered the discussion. Devlin Forsyth said. ‘Quite right, Maybelle. We’ve got to protect a good set-up. The cell system works. Recruitment is steady. Revenue is growing. Our partners love us. The money’s offshore. It’s a cracking deal.’

Smythsone said, ‘I accept the need to protect our position. We were a bit hasty and should have taken more time to decide on our action regarding the Duncan woman.’ Lovely as an early spring morning, and just as cool, her beautifully modulated English accent emphasized ‘protect’.

Forsyth made intimate eye contact with her, raising a brow. ‘Perhaps we were somewhat over-eager in our action, but what’s done is done.’

‘Actually, what we’re doing is risk management.’ A broad Geordie accent joined the conversation. ‘We needed to decide between kill or cure, and I’m not sure I’d have chosen cure. We haven’t been ruthless enough.’ Jim Thomas, a senior MI5 asset, was blunt as usual. ‘Risk is risk. Our operation is being disrupted. We’ve neutralized one source, with kindness and promotion as it happens, but neutralized it just the same. There are other sources, and we don’t know who they are. The Duncan girl must be sorted out. The question for me is, have we done enough? In my world, we’d have eliminated the problem.’

‘We made a decision, we agreed our plan of action, and she’s being dealt with. Let’s end it there,’ Maybelle said. People nodded.
Jim Thomas turned to Devlin. ‘How’d things go?’

‘She was taken early on Friday morning. One of our customers has specialist skills in the kidnap department. The frighteners are being applied, and she’ll be out of circulation for a few days.’

‘Sadly, necessity dictated.’ Gemma looked sad but wasn’t. ‘What happens next?’

‘No idea. Left it to our contractor … need-to-know. The bottom line is she’s been taken, she’s being warned off and the arrangements are unknown to us. She’ll be released in due course, suitably chastised.’

‘Makes sense.’

Maybelle Jones concluded things. ‘Good. Action taken and disappearance to the extent we’ve approved. Let’s get on with our day jobs.’

* * *
After the meeting, Devlin Forsyth and Jim spoke briefly.

‘Well done, that man. Your contact seems to have sorted our dilemma.’ Jim patted his shoulder.

‘Thanks. Your surveillance photos and information were a real help.’

‘No problem. Catch you later.’