"Hang on tight!" —Harlan Coben"A potent cocktail of thrills." — Guardian "Keeps the action breakneck." — Time Out "Doesn't let up till the very last." — Daily Mirror Simon Kernick is one of Britain’s most exciting thriller writers. He arrived on the crime writing scene with his highly acclaimed debut novel The Business of Dying , the story of a corrupt cop moonlighting as a hitman. Simon's big breakthrough came with his novel Relentless which was the biggest selling thriller of 2007. His most recent crime thrillers include Siege , Ultimatum , Stay Alive and The Final Minute . He is also the author of the bestselling three-part serial thrillers Dead Man’s Gift and One By One . Simon talks both on and off the record to members of the Counter Terrorism Command and the Serious and Organised Crime Agency, so he gets to hear first hand what actually happens in the dark and murky underbelly of UK crime.
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A shot of reading adrenaline
If you need a shot of adrenaline in your reading life, then grab a Simon Kernick novel. The British thriller writer is a master when it comes to helter-skelter plotlines that quicken the pulse as the pages whir. Someone really needs to turn some of his novels into movies or TV - they seem ideal for screen adaptation: exciting plots, interesting characters, plenty of action.
THE BONE FIELD brings two of Kernick's intriguing past characters together in one book. DI Ray Mason, from THE WITNESS, has moved from counter-terrorism to homicide but is still a somewhat-rogue, do-whatever-it-takes cop. Tina Boyd, who featured in many of Kernick's thrillers, is no longer with the police force, but working as a private eye. Over the course of Kernick's oeuvre, Boyd grew from minor role to major star - like Mason she was a maverick cop with bucketloads of issues, so the pairing of the duo is like a lit fuse burning down towards a stack of dynamite.
Kernick's 'good guys' are often more anti-hero than hero, but he leaves no doubt with his villains. They're beyond bad, and THE BONE FIELD features some real nasties. It's kicked off when Mason is contacted by middle-aged Henry Forbes, whose girlfriend went missing in Thailand a quarter century ago. So how come her body now gets found in England? Before Forbes can confess to Mason what he knows, or what he did, their meeting is violently interrupted by professional killers.
From there, we're off to the races. Mason knows something bigger is going on, and is determined to find out, regardless of the danger. He needs to colour outside official lines, and that's where Boyd and her skills come in. Simple plans shatter. Each quickly finds themselves neck-deep in danger.
There's a particular sinister killer in this one, and the secrets that get uncovered are pretty dark. Kernick thatches an intriguing plot, keeps the narrative pedal to the metal, and had me engaged with the dynamic between Mason and Boyd. It's not flawless, but there's a heck of a lot to like.
There are many different kinds of thriller writers, so how you feel about Simon Kernick may depend on where your preferences fall. He's very good at what he does, one of the best. If you're keen on action-packed reads that'll have you laminated to your seat, that delve into the darker parts of the criminal underworld, and where you're riding a rollercoaster with damaged heroes, give this a try.
