Ash: A Novel

by James Rayburn

Agents of the state murdered his wife and took his son. Now they’re coming for Danny Ash.

Framed as a terrorist, the mild-mannered stay-at-home dad, desperate to find his child, has to evade both law enforcement and killers in the pay of shadowy vulture capitalist Victor Fabian, whose influence reaches deep into the White House. Fabian, battling political enemies and the creeping dementia that has him in its grip, is determined to silence Ash who has linked him to his wife’s murder. As he tracks his son through an American heartland scarred by poverty and opioid addiction, Ash has to confront a dark secret from his past even as he fights to save the boy’s life.

318 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 5, 2019

Reviews

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story! There are lots of characters and sub-plots to untangle but the writing is superb and definitely kept me enthralled.

I strongly recommend for anyone needing a Mission Impossible meets Natural Born Killers thrill of a ride! 4🌟

Many thanks to NetGalley and publishers for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Foxy Vixen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book as a $0.99 special from Amazon Kindle.. and it certainly was a great find. I just hope others find it and give it a chance. I would classify it as a political thriller.
At first I wasn’t sure how all of the players were going to fit in together... but it did all come together. You will certainly pick your favorite character..and mine was Scoot. How 1 person could cause so much destruction and havoc all to just gain power. This was even inflicted on Fabian’s own family.
So.. the question is does the good guy win in the end and does Fabian get his just due in the end. You will have to read and find out.
This book takes you all over the world... so be sure to put on your reading shoes and travel the world, even to very isolated places in the US.
Good Read, looking forward to reading James Rayburn’s next novel.

This book will be a March BOTM for Snag A Read For Free, so come check us out and see what other books we will be reading.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love James Rayburn(pseudonym of South African writer Roger Smith). His thrillers are as well written, violent and thrilling as any author working today. And Ash is no exception—a familiar trope-father’s search for kidnapped kid—is ramped up all the way—fast, fun, with great characters—I can’t recommend highly enough!

[Lisa Henderson-Farr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Okay here's a secret about me; a lot of time cover art influences my decision on reading a book. The more I like the front of the book, the more likely I am to pick it up. I kept putting off reading this book in favour of other books that had a more appealing cover. That was my mistake because this somewhat uninspiring front cover is hiding an explosively fast paced thriller filled with a multitude of interesting characters that all have a disturbing connection to each other.
Danny Ash seems to live a very sedate life caring for his son after his wife's death, a task that becomes infinitely more difficult since his son stopped all verbal communication following his mother's death.
After receiving an anonymous tip suggesting that his wife's death was in fact a murder and not the accidental death that was reported, he begins his own investigation. His probing into her death results in a team of armed individuals crashing through his front door and with the help of his eccentric neighbour, the kidnap of his son.
This starts a whirlwind of activity with Ash trying to find who is responsible for the abduction of his son and those responsible trying to stop Ash from uncovering the truth about the death of his wife.
This is a great read for anyone looking for a heart pounding thriller with some well defined characters and a tightly woven storyline.

[Tiffanyinhouston · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would! The opening chapter caught my attention and though there were a lot of characters introduced in a way that didn't make sense at first, the author really did weave together the story in an interesting and unique way. This is a thriller no doubt, but I am not sure how to classify it. The protagonist is just an ordinary man who has to man up when he ends up going against a villain with a lot more power than him. This was a nice departure from the normal political type thrillers I read. I would read something else by this author.

[Justine Windsor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is perhaps not my usual sort of read, but I enjoyed this a lot. Ash is a turbo-charged, action packed adventure with strong characters to root for and an intriguing element of mystery and conspiracy. The story is told with wit and verve. A well executed and entertaining book. I will look out for more from this author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are all mine.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A different kind of story that held my interest even though some key points were left unanswered and some events were a little hard to believe possible. The book never explained how Ash's wife got tied in with Victor Fabian, just why. The why couldn't really account for the extent of her relationship to Fabian. All through the book Fabian has tons of money right up to the end when it appears he is completely broke. No explanation of how this happened nor any indication that this was forthcoming. Yet, despite some loose ends, I would recommend this book to anyone who like a good suspense story especially one where good triumphs over evil.

[Keith Chawgo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rayburn’s new novel Ash is a thrill ride that leads the reader by the hand for a fast paced page turner that doesn’t let go until its explosive conclusion.

Ash is an exciting thriller that works on different cylinders creating nail biting sequences against espionage, home invasion and abduction as tools. Whilst using these, it also breaks through barriers that tend to bog down the narrative which Rayburn avoids at all costs. Using a multi-structured narrative and jumping from character to character, Rayburn does something different. We normally have this structure with all the characters joining up at the end, but the author breaks the mould and gives us something different that works exceedingly well.

The plot is simplistic in its narrative but carries forth to a deeply complex conundrum and finds itself working on the psychological aspects of past histories playing out to form the present and moulding the future. Ash is a complex character who starts out with the reader having misconceived ideas on what this character is but changes this up to form a multi-dimensional character. This is something of a rarity because most writers never think of doing this but Rayburn is very accomplished in doing so and making it believable.

The characters are very three dimensional and enjoyed the evil, the good and the questionable ones. If I have to make a criticism, I would have liked some more of characters that will killed off way too soon as they were very interesting. Of course, the characters killed off too soon could spin off their own novels as they are that well conceived.

Overall, this is an excellent book that I personally could not put down. This book consumed my life and loved every minute of it. With its plot twists, fully realised characters, personality developments and dilemmas this is certainly one to read and should keep people entertained. This book also piqued my interest in the author as well and can’t wait to read more from this author. This is a true winner.

[Shelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ash's wife Jane dies in a supposed construction accident while in China on business. He is devastated and doing is best to raise Scooter, their son, who has not spoken a work since his mother died. Ash suspects that her company may not have been completely truthful about the circumstances surrounding her death. As a result of his obsessive questions and social media presence the media start to show an interest, much to his relief.

That is until Scooter gets kidnapped in front of him and he realises that the police cannot be trusted and there is nowhere to turn. It is up to Ash to get his son back from Victor Fabian, the ruthless mobster, who refuses to recognise his increasingly losing grip on sanity. Victor has many secrets to protect and Jane was one of them.

This is a perfectly adequate thriller but nothing new and not an edge-of-your seat action adventure. I found Ash's actions required some suspension of belief, considering he had just been thrust into that world. The characters I actually enjoyed the most were Nicola and John Dapp, I thought that their behaviours were better motivated than most of the other characters.

Thanks to #Netgalley for the advance copy of #Ash in exchange for my honest review.

[Book Him Danno · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I have read by James Rayburn. The author is able to bring to life every parents fears. Danny Ash will have readers following him though his desperate attempt to find his child. The story has readers hooked to finding his missing child and as well as almost to forced they might miss the littlest detail.

The story has everything and more that readers will be looking for in a action pack thriller.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of James Rayburn Ash.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is another fast paced action thriller about an ordinary man that has to battle the wrong doings of a powerful individual. How far would you go to save your child? James Rayburn describes how one man will battles through adversity to try and help get his son back. Excellent and enjoyable read.

[Mary Kendrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ash

A whodunit... a father and his son, forced to enter into a life of murder after the killing of his wife. Son stolen, father falsely accused of a conspiracy to harm or murder the President. Plot a little jumbled. Purpose of secondary characters not clear. Was ok, but will not read any other books by this author.

[Deena worm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader's copy in exchange for my opinion/review. I really enjoyed this title. It was a fast read, and the protagonist was fun and annoying. In a good sense. Read the book, you'll understand. He pushed through.

[A]

There are books which I have read where I think, I want the time I spent reading the book returned to me. This is one of them. One dimensional writing masquerading as a story: how did it even find a publisher? Seriously. I wish I can award negative stars.

[Csimplot Simplot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book!!

[Loretta Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was all I've the place for me so it took a little to get the characters in order and keep the story line straight. It want a bad read though.

[Lori Espino · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written and a fast read but some of the things were just too outlandish for me.

[Mam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast, page burner - let's rescue the kid!! A good diversion from daily news.

[Bob Kochinskas · Rating 5 out of 5]

very suspenseful. keeps you hooked from the start.

[Siddhant · Rating 2 out of 5]

Roger Smith is one of the best writers when he sticks to what he knows : South Africa. This attempt at having a story in the US is just bad.

[Shirley Scarbrough · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why did I continue reading?

I thought it would get better. It only got worse! I gave up halfway through. I hate giving up on a book, but it got the best of me! 😩

[Book Him Danno · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I have read by James Rayburn. The author is able to bring to life every parents fears. Danny Ash will have readers following him though his desperate attempt to find his child. The story has readers hooked to finding his missing child and as well as almost to forced they might miss the littlest detail.

The story has everything and more that readers will be looking for in a action pack thriller.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of James Rayburn Ash.