The Abrupt Physics of Dying

Description

Claymore Straker is trying to forget a violent past. Working as an oil company engineer in the wilds of Yemen, he is hijacked at gunpoint by Islamic terrorists. Clay has a choice: help uncover the cause of a mysterious sickness afflicting the village of Al Urush, close to the company's oil processing facility, or watch Abdulkader, his driver and close friend, die. As the country descends into civil war and village children start dying, Clay finds himself caught up in a ruthless struggle between opposing armies, controllers of the country's oil wealth, Yemen's shadowy secret service, and rival terrorist factions. As Clay scrambles to keep his friend alive, he meets Rania, a troubled journalist. Together, they try to uncover the truth about Al Urush. But nothing in this ancient, unforgiving place is as it seems. Accused of a murder he did not commit, put on the CIA's most-wanted list, Clay must come to terms with his past and confront the powerful forces that want him dead.A stunning debut eco-thriller, The Abrupt Physics of Dying is largely based on true events - the horrific destruction of fresh water and lives by oil giants. Gritty, gripping and shocking, this book will not only open your eyes but keep them glued to the page until the final, stunning denouement is reached.

Canadian by birth, Paul Hardisty has spent 25 years working all over the world as an engineer, hydrologist and environmental scientist. He has rough necked on oil rigs in Texas, explored for gold in the Arctic, mapped geology in Eastern Turkey (where he was befriended by PKK rebels), and rehabilitated water wells in the wilds of Africa. He was in Ethiopia in 1991 as the Mengistu regime fell, and was bumped from one of the last flights out of Addis Ababa by bureaucrats and their families fleeing the rebels. In 1993 he survived a bomb blast in a cafe in Sana'a, and was one of the last Westerners out of Yemen before the outbreak of the 1994 civil war. Paul is a university professor and Director of Australia's national land, water, ecosystems and climate adaptation research programmes. He is a sailor, a private pilot, keen outdoorsman, conservation volunteer, and lives in Western Australia.

'Paul Hardisty has delivered a thriller of the highest quality - a must read novel for fans of the genre and already Claymore Straker has shown the potential to one day stand in the company of such luminaries as Bond and Bourne. This is intelligent writing that both entertains and challenges' Live Many Lives 'An exceptional debut, beautifully written, blisteringly authentic, heartstoppingly tense and unusually moving. Definite award material' Paul Johnston 'A big, powerful sophisticated and page-turning thriller. Thought-provoking and prescient' Eve Seymour 'a novel that reeks authenticity - a page-turning adventure story that grabs you from the first page and won't let go' Edward Wilson 'From the beginning to the end - both of which are played out at gunpoint - this novel is non-stop action. It's thrilling, but also highly sophisticated' Crime Fiction Lover 'A well-crafted, admirably constructed, and convincing tale of modern corruption, touching on topical issues, The Abrupt Physics of Dying has introduced Hardisty as a serious player in the (eco-) thriller genre, and I expect impressive things from him over the coming years' Charley Barnes, Mad Hatter Reviews 'A fast-moving and compelling story. The intrigue is gripping, the characters complex, the denouement satisfying' Never Imitate 'Thriller? Thriller with a conscience? Eco-thriller? Geo-political thriller? How about bloody good book? It's all of these. In his first book Hardisty has created a thriller as assured, gripping, well paced and finely detailed as they come' Tony Hill, Mumbling About Music 'For The Abrupt Physics of Dying to be a debut novel, a brilliant debut novel, there's surely only exciting things to come from Paul E. Hardisty, starting with next year's sequel The Evolution of Fear - the author writes like you'd expect from an established thriller writer - a protagonist blessed with fantastic characterisation, a detailed setting and twists to boot' Reviewed the Book 'A great page-turner with all the elements that make a cracking thriller. There's plenty of action, twists and turns, skulduggery and an evil oil company - what more could you want?! This is one of those books that makes you want to turn to Google and find out how much is fact and how much fiction' Novel Heights