The Inducement OUT NOW!

Stand-alone mystery

In search of refuge from executive burnout and a chaotic London life, Rob Crichton thinks he’s found it in a remote Northumbrian pub. What he didn’t count on was a dispute between his likable landlady, Catriona, and her estranged husband Shaun. He soon finds himself caught in the crossfire.

When he’s called back to London to salvage his neglected job, his troubles worsen. First he’s accused of accepting a massive bribe, next he’s implicated in a suspicious death. Then someone starts using artificial intelligence to ratchet up the pressure. How can he prove what’s real and what isn’t?

Ranging between London and the north Northumberland coast, this complex but sure-footed romantic mystery will have you constantly guessing. Its lively dialogue, engaging characters and vividly evoked locations give it texture and depth, while the urgency of the plot will keep you turning the pages as the story lunges towards its dramatic conclusion.

The AI threat

Just how convincing can artificial intelligence be? In The Inducement it’s used to implicate the leading man in corruption and murder. Although there are plenty of pundits out there who will explain conscientiously how to distinguish human-generated words and real photographs from fake ones, from day to day that might not count for much. People tend to believe what they want to believe. It’s a worrying prospect.

The struggling pub trade

British pubs are in decline. Drink-driving rules have steadily undermined the appeal of country pubs, and in the suburbs people seem to have found other ways to entertain themselves. The Inducement introduces us to a coastal country pub whose owner is desparately trying to find ways to keep it alive.

From the reviews

“This novel grabs your attention from the off, and doesn’t let it go ...”

“Peopled with a variety of believable and sometimes unpredictable or treacherous characters, all with their own distinctive voices ...”

“Several apparently unconnected problems wind themselves into one finally satisfying ending ...”

“An engrossing mystery in the boardroom of a London firm entangled with pub life in Northumberland ...”
 

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