‘The moment his nose shattered, he knew he had no hope of escape’
After The Affair is a very impressive debut from Irish Writer Jonathan Kaye. Self-published, this is a novel that I feel deserves a lot more media coverage than it has received to date so I was delighted when asked to join the Blog Tour by Helen Claire (Author/Publicist).
Described as ‘a cleverly-plotted, thrilling page-turner’ , After The Affair is a fast paced novel that will most definitely keep your attention right to the last page.
Please read on for my full thoughts…
Book Info:
Do you like a book with a gripping story? A page-turner you can’t put down? A book with believable characters, a twisty yet credible plot and an easy-to-read pace?
If that’s you, then this thriller set in Dublin should be right up your street.
“University Lecturer David Ryan is having an affair. And he thinks no-one knows.
He’s wrong. Someone does know. And that someone is out to blackmail him.
But when the blackmail attempt goes wrong, both Ryan and the blackmailer find themselves dragged into an underground (and decidedly seedy) world of secrets, lies and violence. A world where no-one can be trusted and everyone has something to hide.
Set in modern-day Dublin, ‘After the Affair’ is the unputdownable debut thriller from author Jonathan Kaye.”
David Ryan is a lecturer in Trinity College Dublin. Having written and published his first novel, he is in the midst of book signings and other promotional work. Married to Sarah and with a young son Jamie, life could not be more perfect for David.
But unfortunately for David, temptation crosses his path one evening while in Cork and he succumbs. Initially in denial and in an attempt to put it behind him, David returns home to Dublin repentant but decides to keep his secret liaison to himself. After a second encounter back home in Dublin, David is unable to resist the lure of this woman and soon finds himself caught up in an affair. While feeling incredibly guilty, David justifies it to himself by referring to his marriage as stale. The excitement he now feels has been missing from his relationship with his wife for quite awhile.
However, it’s not long before David’s world is turned upside down when he discovers his secret is no longer that. David becomes the victim of blackmail.
In a strange twist of fate, David and the blackmailer get thrown together and are suddenly exposed to a very frightening world where brutality and violence are the norm.
Putting these two individuals together was quite an inspirational decision on Jonathan Kaye’s behalf. Both from completely different cultural backgrounds, it was very interesting to see how their characters developed with the plot. Initially quite wary of each other, for reasons you will have to discover yourself, they form an almost symbiotic relationship which evolves into something more as they face an enemy together.
There are quite shocking scenes in the book but these are necessary in exposing the atrocities committed.
At times, as a reader, you are so drawn into the story that you find yourself almost shouting at characters. Their fears become your fears. Their horrors become your horrors.
In the opening scenes of After The Affair you enter a very different world away from lecturers and book signings to a world of money, fast living and disregard for others. You may wonder briefly where this is going but trust me when I tell you it’s so worth hanging in there. The book picks up pace and you will soon find yourself lost among it’s pages as you delve into the lives and tragedies of it’s characters.
Jonathan Kaye is definitely an author to look out for in the future. His writing has a wonderful flow to it that captures the reader and takes you on a terrifying roller coaster of a ride through the seedy depths of crime and evil.
An unbelievable debut from Jonathan Kaye, gritty and explosive.
I will leave you with a few words of his own
‘Word of mouth is the only way a book like this will sell well. As a self-publisher, I don’t have a marketing or advertising budget to fall back on. I just have you.’
Purchase Link ~ After The Affair
Who is Jonathan Kaye?
Jonathan Kaye is a stay-at-home dad who decided to write a thriller when his son started school. The house was tidy by ten every morning so what else was he gonna do till, like, three? Apart from drink coffee with moms – which he is very good at by the way.
It took him a while to figure out the plot. He even had to use google to find out what policemen and judges and people like that did. Characters were easier. He just based one of them on himself and all the others on people he knew. Seriously it’s what all writers do. Why do you think Stephen King’s protagonist is invariably a novelist?
Three years after starting out, he wrote the words ‘The End.’ It was quite the experience. Then he proofread and proofread and proofread again … but he knows there might still be one or two typos and he asks you to not be too upset by the fact.
Finally, he’s sitting here now wondering why he’s writing about himself in the third person. It is making him feel important and aloof though!
You can find out more about Jonathan on Facebook @jonathankayenovels
On Twitter @JonathanKaye000
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