Dead Line

by Chris Ewan

If you're a security expert, what do you do if your fiancée suddenly goes missing, presumably kidnapped? If you're Daniel Trent, a highly trained specialist in hostage negotiation, the answer is You find out who took her and you make them talk. But what if your chief suspect is taken as well? How do you get him back quickly―and alive―so you can find out what really happened to your fiancée? Set in Marseille, Chris Ewan's Dead Line is a fast-paced stand-alone thriller that pitches the reader into Daniel's world, as he tries desperately to secure the release of Jérôme Moreau from a ruthless gang in order to interrogate him on the whereabouts of his fiancée. When things don't go according to plan, Daniel must use all his skills and instincts to find the answers he's looking for, but will he be in time?

Genres: Crime, Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook

368 pages, Hardcover

First published January 30, 2013

About the author

Writing as C.M. Ewan, my latest thriller is A WINDOW BREAKS.

I'm also the author of the popular GOOD THIEF'S GUIDE TO ... series of mysteries about globetrotting crime writer and thief-for-hire, Charlie Howard. The series has been praised as "crime writing at its best" (Sydney Morning Herald) and a "delightful series" (The Seattle Times) and comprises THE GOOD THIEF'S GUIDE TO AMSTERDAM (winner of the Long Barn Books First Novel Award), THE GOOD THIEF'S GUIDE TO PARIS, THE GOOD THIEF'S GUIDE TO VEGAS, THE GOOD THIEF'S GUIDE TO VENICE and THE GOOD THIEF'S GUIDE TO BERLIN.

To download your FREE copy of THE GOOD THIEF'S GUIDE TO MURDER, simply visit my website www.chrisewan.com and enter your email details.

I love to hear from readers and always respond to every email I receive.
You can contact me via:
my website www.chrisewan.com
on Twitter @chrisewan
or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/chrisewanauthor

My critically acclaimed standalone thrillers include the major bestseller SAFE HOUSE (which has sold more than 500,000 copies in the UK and was shortlisted for the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award), DEAD LINE, DARK TIDES (an Observer "Thriller of the Month") and LONG TIME LOST (a "masterful thriller" The Independent). I'm also the author of the Kindle Single story SCARLETT POINT which, like many of my thrillers, is set on the Isle of Man.

I was born in Taunton in 1976 and graduated from the University of Nottingham with a degree in American Studies with a minor in Canadian Literature, then later trained as a lawyer. After an eleven-year spell living on the Isle of Man, I now live in Somerset, England with my wife and two children, where I write full time.

Reviews

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A hostage negotiator's fiancee vanished. It may very well be a kidnapping. Then the chief suspect vanishes as well. The negotiator tears Marseilles apart trying to get his fiancee back.

Decent, but nothing really stands out.

[Alexis Chateau · Rating 2 out of 5]

I forced myself to finish this book, because I absolutely refused to bring it with me on vacation, and would love to start a new one.

That said, I didn't enjoy this book at all. I was surprised by this, as I usually love books set in Europe, and do enjoy a good mystery. But this just wasn't a suspense thriller I was thrilled to read.

For starters, I really hate it when men write books where a woman's only purpose is to be of sexual interest to men, to bear children, or to be a damsel in distress. There are only 3 women in this book. Two are wives, and one is engaged. One is the lover of the main proragonist and the other tries to tempt him. All 3 are damsels in distress throughout the book.

There are 2 other female characters that are minor, and it's literally a case of one saying the other is admired by a lot of men and is unwell today. So that was turn off number one.

My second problem is that I believe suspense thrillers should be fast paced and to the point. If I want to know how often a guy chews his food, and every strand of hair on his head, I'll read fantasy, which I do. But in a thriller, the extra details felt like padding that slowed the story down tremendously. For this reason, halfway through the book I got so bored, I put it down for a month and read several others. It wasn't bad writing. Just not my style, and probably not the best style for a thriller.

I also did not sympathise with Trent at all. I can't imagine a man in grief over losing his fiancée who is carrying his unborn child, but still lusting after the wife of the man he believes kidnapped his fiancée. That just unsettled me. If it was a passing note in the book, it wouldn't have been so bad, but it was detailed several times. Doesn't seem like a whole lot of grief to me.

I got interested again towards the end when Viktor appeared on the scene. I love his character. He is the real hero of the book. I would have much preferred to read the story from his POV.

However, the ending itself was kind of stupid. I suppose it was supposed to come off as tragic, but it really didn't. Not to me.

What can I say? Not a book I would recommend. But I'm sure many people out there might enjoy it.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dead Line is about love, friendship and abduction. Daniel Trent and his fiance were on holiday in Marseille when Amiee went missing. Daniel started to investigate to find her during this time he became involved in a hostage negotiation to free his prime suspect.

Dead Line is the first book I have read if Chris Ewan and I enjoyed reading it. The portrayal of the characters was done well by Chris Ewan,, and I did like the way they interacted with each other. Dead Line was well written and researched by Chris Ewan. I like the description of the settings of this book.

The readers of Dead Line will learn about being a hostage negotiator. Also, the readers of Dead Line will learn about the beautiful city of Marseille.

I recommend this book.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

My third book by Chris Ewan and enjoyed it. He writes strong characters.

[HMLDN · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having read Chris Ewan’s Safe House and found it to be a great read I was massively disappointed by Dead Line. With a slow moving plot that never seems to go anywhere and a rushed and unsatisfying ending, it hardly feels worth the effort of navigating this mediocre story. That said, Ewan has written a convincingly complex protagonist but without providing enough context for the reader to really understand his behaviour.

[Liz Barnsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Coming 1st August from Faber & Faber

Having loved "Safe House" I was very much looking forward to this novel from Mr Ewan and I was very excited to receive a copy from Netgalley - thank you kindly.

Daniel Trent works in the dangerous field of hostage negotiation...along with his fiancee Aimee. When Aimee goes missing herself, Trent has a good idea of who is responsible...but then his chief suspect is kidnapped and so begins a desperate search for answers. Can Trent save the kidnap victim and find Aimee?

Well what can I say...fast paced and amazingly addictive this novel rushes you headlong into Daniel Trent's world and what a world it is. Cleverly strung out, my desire to find out what happened to Aimee soon matched Trents own...and I breathlessy followed him through all the twists and turns of the story to the final resolution - and that resolution my reading friends was clever, unexpected and brilliant.

I adored Trent as a character. Single minded, hell bent on the destruction of anyone who gets in his way no matter the consequences made me add him to my list of "literary characters I'd certainly marry"...in fact perhaps a future blog piece can talk about all those guys - he'll be somewhere near the top. The rest of the characters played their part admirably - trust no-one would be my advice and even then you'll be surprised at what happens. My favourite character by far was...ok I'm not going to tell you. You tell me when you get a chance to read it and we'll compare notes! No spoilers here.

I adore a good page turner and this novel certainly falls into that category. There are rare restful moments - make the most of them because shortly you'll be on that rollercoaster again. Don't fall off! Enjoy. Happy Reading Folks!

Find out more about Chris Ewan here : http://chrisewan.com/

Follow him on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/chrisewan

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Remember one reader's quick summary on a book jacket may be another reader's spoiler.

Downer of an ending. (Sort of like the end to Romeo and Juliet, in which one lover dies.)

Set in/near Marseilles, France, the story’s main character is a guy who works in private sector using all sorts of anti-terrorism, terrorism, espionage, surveillance techniques.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quick read not great.

[Bonnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a really suspenseful story, but the ending was really ambiguous. I guess it was "choose your own ending".

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked most of the book, until I reached the final closing chapter. I listened to the audio book version of this and I must say the narration by Simon Vance is excellent. The characters are skilled, cool and engaging. It has twists in turns throughout and the book definitely kept my attention. I was hooked from the beginning. However, the end of the book ruined it for me. I feel like the ending just had one final twist just for twists sake and I walked away somewhat disappointed after all the time I had invested in getting to know the characters. While the twist wasn't what I was expecting at all, I just wasn't satisficed with it.

[Nigel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A curious languid thriller without any actual thrills. The plotting is leisurely and laid back with some atmosphere and character description of the antihero investigator but precious little to really engage you. There are some pleasing noirish elements but it fails to go anywhere of even resolve itself satisfactorily.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 *
Standalone novel by the author of The good thief's guide series.
Daniel Trent is a hostage negotiator. When his fiance is kidnapped and her kidnapper disappears, Daniel does everything he can to find the kidnapper and his fiance. I live the good thief novels better.

[Charlie Williams · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t like it.
I didn’t even finish it.
I’m not saying it’s bad, because I have read bad books, such as Insurgent by Veronica Roth.
Personally wouldn’t pick up another Chris Ewan sorry mate.
Gonna stick to James Patterson.

[ukkindlecustomer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark, twisty, race-against-time thriller, with everyone hiding something and secrets on every page. Lives up to it's title, with events unfolding over little more than forty eight hours.
To be clear, my book is a British version in English.

[Wiebke Kuhn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tense thriller with some interesting twists but at points I was getting a little bored with it because the characters were flat.

[matthew brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping

Fantastic book, by a excellent writer. I couldn't put this one down. Plenty of twists in the story to get you thinking. Fantastic.

[Thomas A · Rating 3 out of 5]

decent thriller but unsatisfying

Lots of twists and turns in the plot but the ending was unsatisfying, and seems incomplete. Still worth reading though.

[Sharon Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book had a great story line, but I hated the way it ended. I also thought to many of the voices sounded the same. The characters were good and the scenery was well described.

[Tripfiction]

Where's Aimée? K & R in MARSEILLES

A tense, slow-burning thriller from master storyteller Chris Ewan, a novel that glides around Marseilles and environs, gradually unfolding with menace and foreboding.

Fluent French speaker, Daniel Trent, strategically happens to be at the scene of a staged traffic accident in which wealthy tycoon Jérôme Moreau is kidnapped. He is a K & R (Kidnap and Ransom) specialist, a hostage negotiator who, in the chaos of steaming bonnets and battered metal announces to the two remaining passengers in Moreau's car (his wife and his bodyguard), that he is 'The guy you need now'; they buy into this and Trent inveigles himself into their daily routine, as he investigates the disappearance and kidnap. He guides them through the negotiation process, but his motives are not solely about bringing Moreau back to his family.... Can Trent stay true to himself, how far is he willing to go?

Running parallel to his quest to secure Moreau's release is his search for Aimée, his business partner and lover, who is carrying their child. One day, not so long ago, she suddenly disappeared without trace. How do the two unfolding storylines fit together? To find out, you must buy the book.

As we have come to expect of the author, he truly immerses the reader in the location, he can transport you to the sweltering countryside of southern France in just a few sentences. He escorts you around Marseilles like someone who is very familiar with the city, over to the Calanques, and from Notre-Dame de la Garde, past Cathédrale de la Major and on into the fragrant hills above the teaming city...'the high-rise office buildings and hotels to the west of the city...to the dark waters and industrial docks of Joliette, the eastern sky had splintered into pale pinks and misty yellows and warm copper tones..."

[Judy Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

A special thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Chris Ewan's DEAD LINE, crosses over to the dark side, with professional hostage negotiator, Daniel Trent for a fast paced suspense crime thriller.

Highly skilled, Daniel Trent, the specialist works in the dangerous field of hostage negotiation...along with his fiancée, Aimee. Aimée, is also his business partner and lover, carrying their child.

When Aimee goes missing, Trent thinks he knows who is responsible and definitely will not be getting the police involved. The plan is simple, grab Moreau and make him talk. He finds himself forced to negotiate the release from kidnapping of the man as he tries desperately to secure the release of Jérôme Moreau from a ruthless gang, in order to interrogate him on the whereabouts of his fiancée.

However, someone else gets there first grabbing Moreau and finds himself working with Moreau’s beautiful ballet dancer wife- full of emotions and anguish where nothing is as it seems with eyes watching.

This was my first book by Ewan and he is quite the storyteller, a master at unfolding events at his own pace, keeping the reader on the edge with a cliffhanger ending. An intense read with twist and turns at every corner, keeping you guessing as who to trust. From gangsters, glamour, a trophy wife, plus more for a compelling action packed read.

After reading the author’s blog, found it quite interesting, his inspiration for the novel set in exotic and intriguing Marseille, mostly narrated in third-person, with extensive research, and set up for this action crime suspense novel.

Looking forward to reading, Safe House, after reading the rave reviews!

http://www.judithdcollinsconsulting.c...

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Daniel Trent is a hostage negotiator, working alongside fiancée Aimee, but he could not have expected Aimee to go missing, or his chief suspect to be kidnapped as well. All of which is setup with breathtaking speed in DEAD LINE, dragging the reader into the story from the very first page, and not letting up until the end. Every now and again I did find myself rechecking the opening pages though - the sense of pace, the tension and the sheer wild ride of DEAD LINE didn't seem like THE DEAD THIEF'S GUIDE series at all. And I really liked those books from this author.

There's something deeply satisfying about Trent's single-minded pursuit of Aimee. Anybody who gets in his road, anything that prevents him from finding where she is, who has her, swept aside with extreme prejudice. He's thinking all the time and whilst the reader might not always be in on the innermost logic of what he's up to, there's never a moment of doubt about his commitment to the cause.

What's really interesting is that there's a sneaking suspicion of an unreliable narrator as well. Trent obviously has a plan, and even the suspect's family aren't going to be allowed to get in the road, but just sometimes, there was the disquieting feeling that nobody is exactly who they seem to be - even Trent. At one point I was even starting to wonder what on earth Aimee's story was. Cleverly done, the reader can both like and not be sure about Trent at the same time as not really know who to trust.

Charging headfirst to a cliff hanger of an ending that really works in this context, DEAD LINE is a book that made this reader pay attention.

http://www.austcrimefiction.org/revie...

[Nicole Gozdek · Rating 2 out of 5]

Zunächst einmal: "Dead Line" ist bereits 4. Thriller, den ich von Chris Ewan gelesen habe. Doch während ich die Bände um den Meisterdieb und Krimiautor Charlie, der in jedem Band in einer anderen Stadt vor spannenden Herausforderungen steht, immer gern gelesen habe, hat mich "Dead Line" leider überhaupt nicht überzeugt.

"Dead Line" ist nicht schlecht geschrieben, aber der Funke ist bei mir bei der Story und den Figuren leider nicht übergesprungen. Kurz zum Inhalt: Die Verlobte des Kidnappingspezialisten und Geiselnahmeverhandlungsführers Daniel Trent ist verschwunden. Als Trents Hauptverdächtiger entführt wird, tut Trent alles, um ihn - seine einzige Spur zu seiner schwangeren Verlobten - zu befreien.

So weit so gut. Was ich bei dieser Ausgangssituation erwartet habe, ist, dass Trent den Verdächtigen befreit und dann im 2. Teil des Thrillers herausfindet, was mit seiner Freundin geschehen ist. Dies ist leider nicht der Fall, stattdessen dreht sich der Großteil des Romans um banale Details: Wie geht die Familie des Entführten mit der Situation um? Was verbirgt die Familie? Vorbereitungen auf die Gespräche mit den Entführern, etc. Dadurch hat die Handlung streckenweise große Längen, es passiert einfach nichts Interessantes. Die Entführung selbst löst sich erst auf den letzten Seiten auf.

Zudem sind auch die Figuren keine Sympathieträger: Weder Trent, der aufgrund seiner Situation im ganzen Roman getrieben und verzweifelt wirkt, noch die Familie des Entführten. Kurzum: die Figuren interessierten mich nicht die Bohne.

Fazit: Ich kann von der Lektüre von "Dead Line" leider nur abraten.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of all, I received Dead Line as part of a Good Reads giveaway. The book arrived shortly after I was informed I was a winner, and it was a very professional "packet" with the book, a book jacket, and an insert.

This book was a good read. The main character, Daniel, and his (kidnapped) fiancee, Aimee, run a ransom/recovery operation for high net worth individuals. All is turned upside down when his fiancee is kidnapped (this has happened by the time the book picks up so it is not a spoiler).

Given the kind of business they run, Daniel already knows he can't go to the cops to help find Aimee. So he takes matters into his own hands and sets out after the guy who he and an acquaintance have narrowed down as who nabbed Aimee.

You can definitely tell the author knows his stuff about kidnappers, people in Daniel and Aimee's line of work who try and recover kidnapped individuals, the overall paranoia of high net worth folks, and also the greed and double crossing that goes on between individuals involved in these sorts of activities. "Does anyone really know anyone else?" becomes a theme throughout.

There are moments of great tension, intricate detail, hope, loss, and anger strewn throughout this book. I felt the book was well written for the most part, but some sections just felt longer than than the payoff...

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't the sort of book I'd just grab off the shelf on a whim, but I got it as part of our local library's "blind date" Valentine 's program, where they wrap books in brown paper and describe them with three keywords. For "Dead Line," the three words were "France," "hostage" and "thriller," which about covers it. Overall, this is a fun read. Not perfect, by any stretch, but it's a fun turn-off-your-brain book. There are some writing tics that get old, and some odd lapses out of the third-person limited perspective with which Ewan has chosen to tell the story. If you like fast-paced thrillers with a twist, it's worth a read.

P.S. I should also add that it's a male-written thriller that doesn't really try to break out of the stereotypical portrayals of women in the genre – the strongest female character appears solely in flashback without a single line of dialogue (at least none that are memorable), and the primary female character is sometimes stereotypically manipulative of the male characters and sometimes stereotypically dependent on the male characters. It's a prime example of how "Dead Line" is fun and easy to read, but not particularly engaging on any level other than what I would label a "summer read."

[Tom Harper]

I picked this up because I'd had a bad reading experience, and I needed a book where the author actually wanted to entertain me. It was a good choice. Chris Ewan blew away the cobwebs with a punch like a double-barrelled shotgun. In one barrel, a high concept thriller that throws in two kidnaps in the first twenty pages, a hostage negotiator who's way too involved, and a clock ticking towards disaster. In the other barrel, a slice of French-flavoured old-school noir: a flawed hero, a careless wife, poisonous family politics and a sun-baked town where there are definitely no angels. Ewan has a smart, hard style that's a pleasure to read. Add a plot that twists like a knife in the gut, plus atmosphere so strong you need a shower afterwards, and you get a package that packs a brutally satisfying punch. This is the real deal.

[Papalodge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having enjoyed Chris Ewans 'The Good Thief" stories I was surpirsed that this book was listed as a 'thriller'. Not only that, but the cover stated Ewan was considered to be very well recieved.

The title refers to the deadline for handing over ransom money for a kidnapped man. The deadline moves the story.

The thriller part I most welcomed was that it only took one bullet to actually shoot at and hit a person. So refreshing from the movies and TV shows where you must watch the cops and robbers fire fifty rounds at each other yet never hitting their target. But then they are probably only sharpshooters and not snipers.

A well written story. Not necessarily a page turner; you can put it down....for awhile. Enough attention to detail, without being redundant. Also some of The Good Theif's brand of humor seeps through.

And the ending that.... Liked it.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very readable thriller in the David Morrell kind of vein...A story of a lone protagonist going against the odds and using his skills and resources to right an apparent wrong.
The main character is a hostage negotiator whose Girlfriend has been abducted or killed...believing a businessman with legitimate and nefarious links may have done it he tails him on my for the businessman to be abducted in front of his eyes.
Needless to say the hostage negotiation powers come into play as a vigilante streak does also.
I enjoyed this it was light almost holiday type reading..enough twists and turns to keep you guessing and foreseeing some plots whilst similarly there were times when I thought the book was going in another direction.
anyhow all good fun...

[Brian Stoddart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chris Ewan is one of the coming names in British crime fiction, and there are sections here that suggest why that is so. Some of the writing is excellent, with a terrific pace and atmosphere. He can create tension, and lighted it with humour to make a contrast. The scene setting is excellent, and there is a serious twist right at the end which will probably not satisfy some readers.

Perhaps not quite his best work because the plot is a little too stretched to retain believability, and because of that the storyline sometimes has to scramble to accommodate everything.

That said, a good read that will get a good audience

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

I almost gave this book a four, rather than a three. The plot was very good, and the characters started out very well, and it is very well written. However, the book just seemed to fall a little flat about halfway through. Yes, you really want to know how it ends, but don't make the mistake of skipping to the end to read the last chapter. I have the tendency to do that sometimes, then I go back and read anything I've missed. Sometimes twice. However, I did not want to go back and finish after I read the end. It took me quite a while to actually read all of it. The end was better read in the correct order...