Hi guys, today I am taking part in the blog tour for the book “Tight Lies” by Ted Denton, organised by Love Book Group.
TITLE: TIGHT LIES
AUTHOR: TED DENTON
BLURB
Ted Denton’s explosive debut novel is an exhilarating action thriller pitching the privileged, seductive world of a professional sports agent against a backdrop of political double-dealing, corporate corruption and brutal violence.
A young Daniel Ratchet arrives in Spain to begin his dream job as a golf agent on the European Tour. In London, the Russian Rublex Corporation, with its history mired in ‘Vory’ mafia criminality, is working on a huge gas deal of the Falkland Islands with the British government. Veteran civil servant Derek Hemmings is tasked to rubber-stamp the deal for the Foreign Office.
But things are not what they seem … With the help of Wallace, a cantankerous old golf coach, Daniel discovers match-fixing, fraud and corruption on the Tour, all at the seeming behest of Rublex. A thorn in the Russians’ side, Daniel is kidnapped before he can expose the truth. Wallace, needing help, contacts an old army buddy who deploys violent loose cannon Tom Hunter on a mission to save him.
A tense race against time ensues, both to rescue Daniel from the clutches of the Vory and for Hemmings in Whitehall to prove that the deadly deal is corrupt. The stakes are high. As the body count mounts will the volatile Hunter reveal the truth or will he be too late?
Dead or alive, the truth always comes at a cost.
EXCERPT
I ripped open the unlocked car door and pushed the skinny brown girl onto the seat. Jumped into the driver seat and turned the ignition. On the second time of asking it spluttered into life.
As it backfired I shouted across, ‘Consuela—there’s a blonde wig in the bag at your feet. Put in on now.’
‘What? Like no way. This is all just so fucked man.’ Her tiny fists were balled up tight in her lap. I could swear she was pouting.
‘Connie, put the fucking wig on now.’ I urgently swivelled my neck around me checking the streets.
‘We’ve got to get out of here. We’re dead if they catch up with us. Do it now!’
Scowling, she pulled on the wig. It was thick and heavy with platinum blonde curls. I threw on a baseball cap and sunglasses kept ready in the dash box. Rolling down the window halfway, I stuck my elbow out and casually slid the vehicle into the road. We weren’t going to outrun anyone in this thing— we’d have to bluff our way clear. We approached the intersection. A screech of tyres and two leather-clad bikers pulled out sharply, skidding into the path of a fast moving blue Ford pickup truck running in the opposite direction.
One of the hogs bailed onto its side in the effort to stop and slid under the wheels of the truck, the rider’s leg trapped underneath. Its driver, fully moustached and mulleted and wearing the obligatory checked flannel shirt, threw open his door shouting and gesticulating wildly at the pair. The fallen biker rose to his feet and wiped his bloodied mouth on the back of his hand. As if watching some carefully rehearsed synchronised dance move, he pulled out his handgun at the identical moment his wingman and mirror image did so too. They started to pump holes in the side panelling of the sky blue Ford, tearing the metal apart.
One of the hogs bailed onto its side in the effort to stop and slid under the wheels of the truck, the rider’s leg trapped underneath. Its driver, fully moustached and mulleted and wearing the obligatory checked flannel shirt, threw open his door shouting and gesticulating wildly at the pair. The fallen biker rose to his feet and wiped his bloodied mouth on the back of his hand. As if watching some carefully rehearsed synchronised dance move, he pulled out his handgun at the identical moment his wingman and mirror image did so too. They started to pump holes in the side panelling of the sky blue Ford, tearing the metal apart.
This was the perfect opportunity for us to slip away unnoticed, so I threw the jalopy in reverse and backed up down the street. Spun the vehicle in a neat skid, flipped into a side street, and put my foot down, leaving nothing but dust behind us. We drove for twenty clear minutes on the freeway out of town, most of which saw Connie sitting with the blonde wig on her lap and a sorry pout across that cherubic face.
I punched some numbers into my cell phone. ‘Mr Rodriguez, I’ve got your daughter. She’s safe and well,’ I said, grinning over at Connie. The girl’s instant response was to wrinkle up her nose and dart her little pink tongue out at me. ‘We’re ready to make the drop as arranged, Mr Rodriguez. See you in an hour.’
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Author Ted Denton was offered a bursary at an early age to serve as a commissioned officer within the British armed forces. Fascinated with both geopolitical relations and bipartisan negotiation, Ted has engaged with international governments, political faculties and Non-Governmental-Organisations (NGOs).
Ted has forged an exciting career through his founding of a private international consultancy. He undertakes extensive global travel and exploration. Ted is passionate about writing, boxing and adventuring.
