A Noir-style mystery thriller set in Australia, and my first self-published novel
BUSTED
Date
November 2015
Role
Author, Editor, Publisher
The story behind this piece
Busted was written and released in 2015 within the span of just 9 months. Completed when I was 18 years old, during the tumult of my final year of high school, this novel is the first piece of narrative fiction I ever commerically published.
—
“Hugo had just begun to get his life back in order. He was off the drink, had cleaned himself up and even managed to consolidate the loss of his job in the police force by starting a new career as a Private Investigator. At last, it seemed he’d turned a corner, and things were going swimmingly… Until his past came back to bite him.
May, the love of his life by whom he’d been scorned, was dead. She had been murdered, and Hugo was the prime suspect all his former colleagues fingered for the crime… All that is but one: the man who had set Hugo’s downfall in motion, whose affair with May was the reason Hugo had not been there to save her, his erstwhile bestfriend, Zach.“
“As if that wasn’t enough, mere minutes after being released from custody, Hugo was accosted and almost killed by a pair of hit men, only just surviving thanks to the quick thinking and skill of his old, estranged ally.
Now, Hugo’s only hope is to solve this mystery for himself, before he is either arrested for murder or the assassins gunning for him put him in the ground. Without a clue as to who, why, or what is going on, Hugo’s only option is to clear his name, avenge his lover and uncover the truth. He finds himself in need of help from the last person in the world he wants to see, and yet the only friend he still has in a dark and dangerous city.”
See the ebook store page on Amazon here: See the ebook store page on Amazon here:
Busted is a character-driven narrative full of twists, turns and tense action sequences that still hit home after all these years. It remains a piece of work I am very proud of, particularly given that I wrote and published it at such a young age and under such tight constraints. Though time and age have altered my writing style and authorial perspectives quite distinctly, Busted holds up as a thrilling mystery adventure. In it, one sees early notes of my passion for worldbuilding, puzzle-making, tension-building, scene creation, and mood-setting. If you’re intrigued, click the link to the right to secure yourself a copy of the E-book!
