Adventure Thrillers DEATH NOTICE with Simon Maltman

2000

Michael Walker – former IRA volunteer, turned MI5 informer – had his quiet existence shattered when an IRA hit squad was dispatched on his trail to America.

One year on, Walker has been recovering from having his identity blown.

Now living in New York, he is visited by Amy Landish. The former FBI agent is looking for help to find her missing cousin, Lisa.

Walker and his other new ally, Brandon Johnson – a former thief who had robbed him – immediately agree to do anything that they can. The trio are reunited, once again set on a deadly course.

Their investigation leads to the small town of Six Mile, but the last thing they expect is to end up on the hunt for a serial killer.

Walker does not ingratiate himself with the locals or the police, while becoming the target of the killer himself. Just as Walker closes in on his quarry he receives news from home, in Belfast.

Walker moves from one danger zone to another as he finds himself back in IRA territory, where his old comrades want him dead.

Returning to Six Mile, the killer strikes again and closer to home. Walker made a promise to track him down and he doesn’t intend to break it.

Simon Maltman recently sat down with The Big Thrill to discuss his latest adventure thriller, DEATH NOTICE.

Simon Maltman

Can you pinpoint a moment or incident that sparked the idea for this book?

I was thinking about what my character, Walker, would get up to next and this main germ just popped into my head.

A novel is such a major undertaking; there’s the writing of it, of course, then you’re spending months and months revising, polishing, and then promoting it. How did you know this was the book you wanted to spend the next couple of years on?

Once I wrote the first book (which was my 8th novel) I knew I wanted to spend more time with these characters.

Were there any particular books, movies, or songs that were knocking around in your head while you were writing this one?

I always have a band in mind that I reference and name the sections after their songs. For this one it was the Northern Irish Alt/Rock band Therapy.

When you first created your protagonist for this book, did you see an empty space in crime lit that you wanted to fill? What can you share about the inspiration for that character?

For me Walker is a new Northern Irish conflicted character, studying his past and that of the Irish ‘Troubles.’ He has a little Reacher in him, a little Scudder, and some Spenser too.

In addition to a great read, what do you hope readers will take away from this story?

I hope they will be entertained. I hope it may also make people reflect on how we look at our own pasts.

What can you share about what you’re working on next?

I am currently working on a script for a ‘Walker’ short film.