Between The Lines

Incitement

Author: David Graham

Published: January 2014 by Andromeda Publishing

Category: Crime/Thriller/Suspense

….As DEA Agent Diane Mesi investigates she becomes convinced that the conflict is being orchestrated by an unknown third party. But she is marginalised by her colleagues and her judgement is challenged at every turn. Only if she can expose the truth will she be able to stop the violence and save her career.

Michael Larsen is an ex-soldier and hired mercenary who has been contracted to fuel the conflict at every opportunity until it destroys both sides. As he battles his own demons, he hopes that by directing the violence he will attain some measure of redemption…

I was given a copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.

And I’m so glad I was asked to review, it’s one of those books that grabbed me from the get go.  Although on a couple of occasions I admit having to re read pages to get it all straight in my mind, the plot gets very intricate and involved. All is not as it first seems.

I’m amazed this is David Graham’s first novel. It reads like the work of someone with experience and confidence and a few books under their belt.

Incitement dives straight into the action from page one with a raid on a drug refinery in Mexico resulting in multiple murders. A boat carrying an illegal cargo is hijacked and more people are killed. A drug lord is assassinated, all with the intention of initiating a full-blown war between two of the most powerful drug cartels, the Kosovar Fifteen Families who are based in Europe and The Alliance based in Mexico and Columbia.

Diane Mesi, a woman resolutely trying to make her mark in a man’s world, and Michael Larsen, chilling and ruthless, yet intriguing, are the main players and both are strong characters that evolve as the story progresses. The secondary characters are well fleshed out and credible. The tension and suspense escalate as it begins to become apparent to Diane that someone must be working behind the scenes, deliberately causing all the trouble.

The writing flows well and it’s very visual, which is a big plus for me. The author has obviously done a huge amount of research and the story is well thought out. The layers are woven together skilfully and I like the addition of the news report sections.

The consequences of actions taken are played out to the bitter, and unexpected, end. A thrilling read.

About the author

For David Graham, the publication of his debut novel, Incitement, was like a lot of things in life, down to a little bit of luck. Driving to work one day, listening to The John Murray Show, one of Irish Radio’s flagship programs on the national station, he heard the competition for debut novelists being announced. David had tried to get the book published a few years earlier and after a number of rejections, majorly overhauled the story but between running a small business, sitting an executive MBA and raising a family, he had never gotten around to re-submitting. Thinking ‘why not’ as the manuscript had just languished on his hard drive for more than two years, he entered and to his surprise won from over 500 entrants.

David has had a varied career as a barman, laborer, scaffolder, programmer, troubleshooter, designer and company director. He has worked throughout Europe, particularly in Scandinavia and travelled extensively internationally. David completed a BA in Management in his early 30′s after originally finishing schooling at 17 and then went on to complete the MBA while running his own business.

He’s also managed to do some fun things along the way, bungee jumping over Victoria Falls, hang-gliding over Rio de Janeiro and rock climbing in North Wales.

David is currently just completing a draft of his second novel.

He has a keen interest in history, economics and current affairs and lives with his wife and two young sons in Dublin.