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Distant Thunder
A forbidden love. A vow of revenge. And an empire on the brink of war.
Set at the end of the nineteenth century, this sweeping, epic love story traces the doomed relationship of two young people against the backdrop of a British Empire bracing itself against political opposition.
As a boy, Frank had to leave his beloved India when his mother was assaulted by a British officer and accidentally shot when Frank tried to intervene. After his father dies of shame and a broken heart, Frank must make his way to England, sustained only by the determination to revenge himself on the man responsible for destroying his family as soon as he's old enough to become a soldier himself.
Grace is the privileged daughter of an industrial magnate, but following her heart and her head makes her a champion of those oppressed by masters of the empire like her father, and so she too finds she has lost her family.
As the pair fall in love, there is only one thing standing in the way of true happiness - Frank's vow of revenge.
Set at the end of the nineteenth century, this sweeping, epic love story traces the doomed relationship of two young people against the backdrop of a British Empire bracing itself against political opposition.
As a boy, Frank had to leave his beloved India when his mother was assaulted by a British officer and accidentally shot when Frank tried to intervene. After his father dies of shame and a broken heart, Frank must make his way to England, sustained only by the determination to revenge himself on the man responsible for destroying his family as soon as he's old enough to become a soldier himself.
Grace is the privileged daughter of an industrial magnate, but following her heart and her head makes her a champion of those oppressed by masters of the empire like her father, and so she too finds she has lost her family.
As the pair fall in love, there is only one thing standing in the way of true happiness - Frank's vow of revenge.
464 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2012
7 people are currently reading
36 people want to read
About the author
T.D. Griggs
8 books12 followersT.D. GRIGGS was born in London and has lived and worked on four continents. He holds British and Australian nationality, and has worked variously as a truck driver, journalist, film extra, MD of a successful communications consultancy, and - for about seven sweaty hours - as a volunteer fire fighter. Despite that, much of the Australian bush survives.
He has written many short stories, and three other novels, including the father-son drama THE WARNING BELL (written as Tom MacAulay), and the Victorian epic DISTANT THUNDER, under his own name.
T.D.Griggs is also a professional business writer with an international client base. He lives with his wife Jenny in Oxford, UK.
To find out more visit www.tdgriggs.co.uk or follow him on Twitter @TDGRIGGS1
He has written many short stories, and three other novels, including the father-son drama THE WARNING BELL (written as Tom MacAulay), and the Victorian epic DISTANT THUNDER, under his own name.
T.D.Griggs is also a professional business writer with an international client base. He lives with his wife Jenny in Oxford, UK.
To find out more visit www.tdgriggs.co.uk or follow him on Twitter @TDGRIGGS1
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 19, 2013
I've never been a great lover of Imperial Britain: the stories of heroic men heroically destroying indigenous cultures has never seemed to me all that... heroic. Or good. Or worthwhile. It may be a history of our land, but on the whole, I'd rather not know the gory details.
But then TD Griggs produced 'Distant Thunder' and this is definitely a case of following the author - his "Redemption Blues" is one of the best contemporary thrillers I have ever read and marked him as one to follow. Against natural instinct, therefore - and I have to say against a cover that does nothing whatsoever to recommend the book - I read it.
I am so glad that I did. In brief, this is the story of two people: young Frank Gray lives an idyllic life in Bangalore (1893) when he is the unwitting witness to his mother's assault and death. A man flees the scene and based on minor memories of his uniform and a name said by his mother, Frank is set on a life bent on vengeance.
In England, Grace Dearborn is the heir to the Dearborn industrial inheritance. But she, too, is growing in a changing world and her relationship with the housekeeper, the formidable, politically active Mrs Rossiter (a wonderful foil to Grace's vapid mother), changes forever her view of the world into which she has been born.
I'm not giving too much of a spoiler to tell you that their paths cross and it is in their different priorities that much of the emotional action is grounded.
As with REDEMPTION BLUES, the language, and literacy of this is glorious, and the depth and texture of characterisation is beautiful. Frank and Grace are the kinds of people who lived with me for days after the end of the book and the denouement, particularly of Franks' quest for vengeance is handled intelligently, thoughtfully and came utterly unexpectedly.
I loved this book. Please do buy it and read it - it's a treasure.
But then TD Griggs produced 'Distant Thunder' and this is definitely a case of following the author - his "Redemption Blues" is one of the best contemporary thrillers I have ever read and marked him as one to follow. Against natural instinct, therefore - and I have to say against a cover that does nothing whatsoever to recommend the book - I read it.
I am so glad that I did. In brief, this is the story of two people: young Frank Gray lives an idyllic life in Bangalore (1893) when he is the unwitting witness to his mother's assault and death. A man flees the scene and based on minor memories of his uniform and a name said by his mother, Frank is set on a life bent on vengeance.
In England, Grace Dearborn is the heir to the Dearborn industrial inheritance. But she, too, is growing in a changing world and her relationship with the housekeeper, the formidable, politically active Mrs Rossiter (a wonderful foil to Grace's vapid mother), changes forever her view of the world into which she has been born.
I'm not giving too much of a spoiler to tell you that their paths cross and it is in their different priorities that much of the emotional action is grounded.
As with REDEMPTION BLUES, the language, and literacy of this is glorious, and the depth and texture of characterisation is beautiful. Frank and Grace are the kinds of people who lived with me for days after the end of the book and the denouement, particularly of Franks' quest for vengeance is handled intelligently, thoughtfully and came utterly unexpectedly.
I loved this book. Please do buy it and read it - it's a treasure.
September 20, 2013
Spanning the late 19th and early 20th centuries, addicts of historical, crime and romance fiction are treated to a love story spanning three continents, a murder mystery fueled by the desire for revenge and a historical attention to detail that makes the story of Frank Gray (orphaned stable boy) and Grace Dearborn (headstrong rich girl) all the more vivid. Following a deluge of boring books this spring, Griggs provided the throwaway adventure I sorely needed.
This is not the kind of book to suit being pulled apart and analysed in the review pages. Quite often, a rip-roaring story is all a girl needs and what, after all, is the matter with that? Although certain elements of Griggs’ tale seem a little predictable at times – i.e. a tragedy followed by a thirst for revenge followed by an adventure and great love story to go with it, his prose is both simple yet opulent, his historical knowledge just enough to paint a realistic picture without overtaking the plot and the battles…well, just gory enough I found. If Grace Dearborn hadn’t turned out to be such an unrealistic and contradictory character it would have been near perfect.
Griggs’ wonderfully imperfect conclusion to this, his third novel, leaves the way open (I’m hoping) for a Frank Gray sequel and I, for one, am excited to see what he has in store for us next. I shall be placing this novel in the book box at my local train station tomorrow morning, not because I no longer want it but because I need to spread the word. Griggs is bloody good.
http://relishreads.com/2013/09/20/dis...
This is not the kind of book to suit being pulled apart and analysed in the review pages. Quite often, a rip-roaring story is all a girl needs and what, after all, is the matter with that? Although certain elements of Griggs’ tale seem a little predictable at times – i.e. a tragedy followed by a thirst for revenge followed by an adventure and great love story to go with it, his prose is both simple yet opulent, his historical knowledge just enough to paint a realistic picture without overtaking the plot and the battles…well, just gory enough I found. If Grace Dearborn hadn’t turned out to be such an unrealistic and contradictory character it would have been near perfect.
Griggs’ wonderfully imperfect conclusion to this, his third novel, leaves the way open (I’m hoping) for a Frank Gray sequel and I, for one, am excited to see what he has in store for us next. I shall be placing this novel in the book box at my local train station tomorrow morning, not because I no longer want it but because I need to spread the word. Griggs is bloody good.
http://relishreads.com/2013/09/20/dis...
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May 15, 2012If this book isn't a bestseller, there's no justice. A unique blend of action, romance and keen insight set against a sweeping historical backdrop.
It's in the tradition of some of the best historical writers - Forester, O'Brian, and Cornwell - but it is no straightforward swashbuckler: has a good deal to say about the nature of the imperial project, and the tragedy of the people who were caught up in it.
If you liked - say - Jewel in the Crown, or in some ways The far Pavilions, you are sure to find this a treat, more accessible than the first, more thoughtful than the second, but packed like both of them with personal drama, colour and romance. I couldn't put it down.
Apparently the author has written another book, THE WARNING BELL, under the pen-name of Tom Macaulay. I'll try that next, but I'm glad to say that I've been told DISTANT THUNDER is intended to be the first of a series.
It's in the tradition of some of the best historical writers - Forester, O'Brian, and Cornwell - but it is no straightforward swashbuckler: has a good deal to say about the nature of the imperial project, and the tragedy of the people who were caught up in it.
If you liked - say - Jewel in the Crown, or in some ways The far Pavilions, you are sure to find this a treat, more accessible than the first, more thoughtful than the second, but packed like both of them with personal drama, colour and romance. I couldn't put it down.
Apparently the author has written another book, THE WARNING BELL, under the pen-name of Tom Macaulay. I'll try that next, but I'm glad to say that I've been told DISTANT THUNDER is intended to be the first of a series.
February 17, 2013
A great plot and 'reveals' - Frank is hero with flaws who has a problem you'll understand from the start and we just want him to succeed.
You get swept from India to Victorian London and it is all well-written and engages you into the tale.
Only then we start to skip whole sections. Grace isn't altogether a believable person. In a bid for a feisty do-gooder what we get is an irritating rich girl and it never quite comes off.
If this story had just been about Frank then this would have been a truly great read - but it just reads too often like a history book.
Worth a look, really is, - but be prepared to skip a lot.
You get swept from India to Victorian London and it is all well-written and engages you into the tale.
Only then we start to skip whole sections. Grace isn't altogether a believable person. In a bid for a feisty do-gooder what we get is an irritating rich girl and it never quite comes off.
If this story had just been about Frank then this would have been a truly great read - but it just reads too often like a history book.
Worth a look, really is, - but be prepared to skip a lot.
July 22, 2013
I am not a fan of war type stories and I was not really into reading this book as it was not really my kind of book. However, this book is so well written then it would be a shame if people were not reading it. I first heard of the book from the author, signing his books at Wallingford carnival. I'm a stick for signed books and I had to have it.
A war romance as it has not been portrayed before. The characters are well written and the storyline was so gripping I could hardly bare to put the book down. I recommend to anybody who enjoys a thrilling romance to read this book and share our support to this amazing writer.
5 stars, if only I could give more!
A war romance as it has not been portrayed before. The characters are well written and the storyline was so gripping I could hardly bare to put the book down. I recommend to anybody who enjoys a thrilling romance to read this book and share our support to this amazing writer.
5 stars, if only I could give more!
February 8, 2023
This was a slow burner and the sort of plot that made you ache for Google and mobile phones. Atmospheric and warm although I didn't like the female protagonist much; perhaps I wasn't meant to. Plenty of military history that resonates in today's world but also some extremely unlikely, lucky scenarios. Still, it was a pretty good story and well written.
November 29, 2012
Wow what a roller coaster of a book, you think you know what's around the corner and bang you're wrong. So much depth put into people and places.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews