The Lazarus Charter by Tony Bassett - Book Tour
The Lazarus Charter
Bob Shaw is baffled to see a man in a brown coat at a bustling Underground station. Surely it can’t be his friend, the scientist Professor Morley? Morley perished weeks before in a blazing car. Is the man an impostor or did his friend fake his death?
This fascinating and ingenious thriller tells of Bob’s battle to find out the truth, helped by his wife Anne. They are confronted by ruthless enemies and forced to flee their home in this fast-paced spy thriller from the author of Smile Of The Stowaway.
Purchase Link
Amazon US - https://amzn.to/2WFkt0p
Amazon UK - https://amzn.to/2Lb5ENX
Excerpt
(Teacher Bob Shaw is waiting for a London Underground train at Euston
Square when he spots a face he recognises)
‘It was then by chance I glanced up and saw the man
briefly through a carriage window. He was wearing the same brown leather
coat he always wore.
And once I’d seen
him, I couldn’t tear my eyes away, even though I had only seen him for about
two seconds.
It was a face I
knew so well. But it was the face of a man who shouldn’t have been
there. Who couldn’t have been
there.
My heart pounded
as though it would burst from my chest.
‘Good God! Good God!’ I murmured.
I leapt up and paced along the underground platform, straining for a
clearer view as the train drew to a halt. . . . .
Abruptly, inexplicably, he turned his head to the right and, for a
second, our eyes appeared to meet. I felt a sudden intake of breath at the
sight of the slim features with kind eyes and a grey goatee beard.
Then he turned away without the slightest hint of recognition and I saw
him slip a pair of dark glasses on as he left the train and mingled with all
the departing passengers.
I had no idea if he’d recognised me and pretended he hadn’t, or if he
simply hadn’t noticed me at all.
His greying hair was cut much shorter than I remembered. He set off up
the platform, in a direction away from me, at a furious rate, marching towards
the exit. Full of energy, he seemed. Full of life.
I tried to track his progress beneath the fluorescent lighting but I could
only catch brief glimpses of him striding along like someone late for an
appointment. He was darting in and out of the shadows, leaving other passengers
trailing in his wake. The double doors of the red underground train closed
again, and a moment later the train moved away.
I didn’t know what to do. I just
stayed where I was while the clattering carriages disappeared into the black
void. Then, on impulse, I belatedly raced up the stairs in an effort to catch
up with him. A quest for an explanation. A quest for certainty.
I didn’t question the logic –
running after a man who shouldn’t have been stepping off the Tube on a
Wednesday afternoon just after four pm. Tightly clutching my folder of
documents in my right hand, I just ran.’
Author Bio –
Tony Bassett, who was born in West Kent, grew up wanting to be a writer from the age of nine when he edited a school magazine. After attending Hull University where he won a `Time-Life' magazine student journalism award, he spent six years working as a journalist in Sidcup, Worcester and Cardiff before moving to Fleet Street. Tony spent 37 years working for the national press, mainly for the `Sunday People' where he worked both for the newsdesk and the investigations department. He helped cover the Jeremy Thorpe trial for the `Evening Standard', broke the news in the `Sun' of Bill Wyman's plans to marry Mandy Smith and found evidence for the `Sunday People' of Rod Stewart's secret love child. On one occasion, while working for `The People', he took an escaped gangster back to prison. His first book, `Smile Of The Stowaway', is one of four crime novels Tony has written over the past three years. He has five grown-up children and eleven grandchildren. He lives in South East London with his partner, Lin.
Social Media Links –
Twitter: @tonybassett1
Tony’s author website
2 Comments
Tony Bassett writes: Thank you very much for featuring The Lazarus Charter on your website and for publishing the brief excerpt, which comes from Chapter One. Best wishes, Tony
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome! :)
DeletePlease try not to spam posts with the same comments over and over again. Authors like seeing thoughtful comments about their books, not the same old, "I like the cover" or "sounds good" comments. While that is nice, putting some real thought and effort in is appreciated. Thank you.