Ian Walkley
I have thriller author, Ian Walkley, on today sharing an excerpt from his praised debut thriller, No Remorse. Kirkus Reviews says “Walkley’s beefy prose and rousing action sequences deliver a thriller to satisfy any adrenaline addict.”
Plus comment to win with your email! Ian will award a $50 Amazon gift card to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Follow his tour here.
ABOUT NO REMORSE:
Two men, exiles from their respective societies, take conflicting approaches in the quest to regain their place and self-respect, and find themselves at war over a kidnapped girl.
Lee McCloud (“Mac”), a special forces soldier facing trumped-up charges of murder, is forced to work for a mysterious government outfit operating outside the law.
Khalid Yubani, cast out of Saudi Arabia for an offence against another member of the Royal family, seeks revenge through ruthless acts of evil. Engaged in the worst forms of human trafficking, Khalid buys Sophia, the daughter of Mac’s best friend, who has been kidnapped in Mexico. With time running out for Sophia, Mac enlists the help of a beautiful computer genius, a British SAS soldier and a Lebanese fixer to try to find Sophia and save her from the terrifying fate that Khalid has in store.
Although starting the quest as a man with no remorse, Mac gradually discovers a side of himself that he suppressed after witnessing the abduction of his own sister years before.
Dodging assassins, corrupt generals, evil medicos, Mossad agents, corrupt bureaucrats, and sharks, Mac ignores the order to stay out of trouble and follows Sophia’s trail from Mexico to Paris, London and Dubai, and the island of Andaran, where Khalid and his henchmen are waiting…
NO REMORSE EXCERPT:
The girls’ fathers, Bob and Marvin, each carried a briefcase full of cash with a tiny GPS tracker hidden in a false bottom. They were both taller than the kidnappers, and through the scope Mac could read the pain on Bob’s face. The behavior of the kidnappers was still alprazolam bothering him, but there was nothing he could do except watch. The leader held out his palm and waved his pistol like it was a flag. He addressed the fathers in accented English.
“You’re late. We think perhaps you do not want your daughters back, eh?”
“Sorry,” Bob said, his breathing short and sharp. “We took a wrong turn coming into the dam. The signs were confusing.”
The man grunted and glanced at the one with the knife. “Check them.”
Knife Man patted them down, searched their pockets, nodded the all clear.
“You have our money?”
“Of course.” Bob’s voice came through deep and confident in his earpiece, although the armpits of his shirt betrayed his anxiety. Be courteous but strong, Mac had advised him, otherwise they won’t respect you. Being a basketball coach undoubtedly helped. “And you have our daughters,” Bob said. A statement, not a question. He held out the briefcase. “Here’s the money. We didn’t contact the police.”
Several kidnappers gave a hearty laugh.
The leader smirked. “We wouldn’t be here if you had, gringo. But your daughters would be. With bullets in their heads.” He gestured to a kidnapper wearing a red bandana around his neck. “Abrirlos,” he ordered, and the man took both briefcases and unclipped the locks.
ABOUT IAN WALKLEY:
Ian Walkley has had a career in social and market research, and has been writing novels, short stories, travel articles and copywriting since 2008. He has co-authored two publications on small business and his first novel, No Remorse, was published in 2012. Ian’s screenplay “Deniable Justice” placed fourth in the Writer’s Digest 2011 Competition for best screenplay. Ian has traveled extensively and researched his subject, and brings a knowledge of location and technical detail to the exotic settings and big screen thrills. Ian lives in Brisbane with his wife and three children.
Connect with Ian on his website
Comment to win a $50 Amazon gift card. Don’t forget to leave your email to be contacted to win!
I’m going to enjoy this tour. NO REMORSE looks thrilling.
Hello from Toowoomba.
marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Hi Mary, Thanks for your comment. I’m coming up to Toowoomba for a book signing sometime later in the year, hopefully when the flower festival is on. I’m hoping I’ll get to meet you in person and you can tell me which part of No Remorse you enjoyed the most! Cheers, Ian.
Hi Mary, thanks for stopping! It really does look like an exciting read.
Thank you for hosting Ian today.
This story sounds as though I would be holding my breath the entire time I was reading it. It really is a winner.
Dont forget to leave your email if you’d like to win!
Thanks Momjane. And several female readers have told me their husbands started reading fiction again for the first time after reading No Remorse. A great outcome, I think! Cheers, Ian.
Very engaging excerpt! Looks like an exciting book…
Thanks Trix. You can read more on my website. And if you have a Kindle the ebook is only $2.99 – got to be less than a cappuccino! Cheers, Ian.
Ian…I have never been to Brisbane but I imagine it to be very beautiful. I live near the east coast beaches here in North Carolina (in the USA) and it’s tourist season here–the beaches will be very busy here until well past Labor Day (in September). Since it’s just about winter where you are, is the beach traffic less? I love to visit our local beaches here in the winter–they are still lovely, we don’t have to pay to park, and there are no crowds!
Hi Catherine, I’ve been as far south as Virginia, where the CIA HQ is, but haven’t got to NC yet. Brisbane winter days are sunny and mild, about 70F. It’s a little cool at the beach, unless you’re a surfer or from a cooler climate. Brisbane actually is on a river, so it doesn’t have beaches. Brisbanites drive south to the Gold Coast or north to the Sunshine Coast where some of the best beaches in the world are. Hopefully next year I’ll get to go further south to NC and Kentucky and more of the southern states. There’s so much of the US to experience, it could take a lifetime! Cheers, Ian.
Great excerpt! It drew me right in, I expected to read something about about Mac and now I’m curious as to what happened to his sister…
It has a happy ending right?
Hi Lyra, How do I answer that question without in some way giving too much away. I guess it’s important to point out that No Remorse is not about the hunt for McCloud’s sister, but about the search for his best friend’s daughter, who is kidnapped in Mexico and sold. The story has some confronting scenes, but I think most people want to see good triumph over evil, and so do I. Probably shouldn’t say more than that. Cheers, Ian.
Hi Ian,
It’s nice to meet you and I will enjoy following you during your tour this week. I’ve been reading the excerpts on your website and this book sounds like it’s a griping story. It’s going on my list of books-to-buy right now.
No Remorse sounds like it would make an excellent film. It that were to happen, who do you see playing the main characters?
Hi Karen, Thanks for your comment. If you like lots of action and suspense, I’m sure you’re going to enjoy No Remorse. Quite a few readers have talked about how filmable it would be. I have written a screenplay that a few producers have read, and which came fourth in a contest. One of my readers wants Jason Statham in the lead; other suggestions might be Eric Bana, Aaron Eckhart, Chris Evans, Paul Walker… someone who is tough but a little imperfect. NOT Tom Cruise! As for the female lead, Tally, I’d picture a Sienna Miller type. I love Reese Witherspoon, but not sure if she’d fit the role. NOT Nicole Kidman please! Cheers, Ian.
I like a page turner and your book is certainly one. I wanted to know if Mac would be on time and could help the girls. Khalid was also an interesting character, I liked that he was more progressive thinking in some way, about women and felt sorry for him but on the other hand he could have done things differently and not involved himself in human trafficing!
Are there any books or writers that inspired you to write this book?
moonsurfer123(at)gmail(dot)com
Hi Anastasia,
I guess Robert Ludlum and Wilbur Smith were my original writing heroes, and more recently Nelson DeMille, Harlan Coben and Lee Child. No specific books, but I wanted to write a book that business travellers could buy at the airport and read on the plane or on their holiday – a great action thriller, but not too deep. Yes, some reviewers said I painted Khalid better than I painted Mac, actually, so I’ll give more depth for Mac in the sequel, out next year.
Thanks for your comment,
Cheers
Ian
I had to laugh at the protest to Tom Cruise but I don’t think he fits either, Chris Evans on the other hand would do nicely. No remorse would make an excellent action/thriller movie, it’s packed with suspence and one is kept guessing, hoping, reading.
Jibriel.O at web dot de
Thanks Jibriel.