“A terrifically gritty thriller.” Jo Spain

“A hard boiled neo noir classic.” Paul D Brazill 

God created the world in one week.

In six days Pastor Tom destroyed his own.

On the seventh day he rested.

Post-Troubles Belfast. One flawed pastor believes he can still make a difference. Hardened, ageing paramilitaries make a last grab for power.

Murder, kidnapping, corruption. Pastor Tom strives to make a positive difference in his community, but secrets from his past still haunt him. One bad decision follows another as he tries to do “the right thing.”

Will he soon be shackled to a path leading him far from redemption?

An Original Plot!

A new author for me, and Simon Maltman has great ideas!

Pastor Tom has almost everything he wants; a gorgeous wife, a cute daughter, his own ministry and the funds to expand the church for the good of the community. However, he’s not as squeaky clean as he seems. Living in post-troubles Belfast Tom is still in contact with those from the past when he wasn’t a pastor and he definitely was not squeaky clean. As the pressure mounts, can Tom do the right thing?

There’s plenty going on in this one; it took me until almost half way through to join the dots. A different slant on life post-troubles in Northern Ireland and I was drawn in from the very first. It unfolds carefully – there were plenty of questions popping into my head all the way through.

I’m well aware that I can be a bit pedantic at times, and that definitely came to the fore here. Each time the story really got going my attention was taken by the string of errors, both spelling and grammatical, which littered the book all the way through and I really think a little editing is called for – such a shame as it kept interrupting the momentum. Just a little extra attention to detail would make all the difference, but as it stands I can give this one 3.5*.

My thanks to Blackthorn Blog Tours for forwarding my copy; this is – as always – my honest, original and unbiased review.

Tags: crime thriller

• Format: ebook, paperback
• Size: 253 pages
• Publication Date: 10 November 2020
• Book Links:
• https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56213675
• https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/witness-simon-maltman/1138128437
• https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/witness-86
• https://www.amazon.co.uk/Witness-Simon-Maltman-ebook/dp/B08N6RBCW9
• https://www.amazon.com/Witness-Simon-Maltman-ebook/dp/B08N6RBCW9

Simon Maltman is the ‘Irish Noir’ author of novels, novellas and short stories. His recent books include ‘Witness’ and ‘The Mark.’ An Amazon Bestseller, he also splits his time working as a musician and as a tour guide on his ‘Belfast Noir’ tour. He lives in County Down with his wife and two daughters. 

• Blog: http://simonmaltmanblogs.blogspot.com/
• Twitter: @simonmaltman
• Facebook: @Simonmaltmancrimefiction