Paradise Just Turned Deadly.
The thriller readers can't put down.
The killer studied Matthew Goodwin from further along the deck of the boat. Goodwin had the air of someone who was relaxed with himself and his surroundings, the slight elevation of his broad shoulders the only sign of any tension. Goodwin scrutinised everyone, sometimes for too long, but that was to be expected of him.
Let him watch them, while you watch him.
The killer hadn’t believed Lady Luck when the man who had been instructed to follow Goodwin reported that he was taking a flight to Bangkok, then another to the island of Koh Samui.
After what Goodwin had done, after what he had taken away from you, destroying your family, didn’t he deserve to shoulder the pain?
No, he deserved worse. He is responsible for everything that’s wrong in your life.
Until now, what the killer hadn’t known was how or when he could make Goodwin pay. Then this. Perfect. It would be so much easier to get him here, with his guard down.
The killer had spent both flights planning. Goodwin would suffer. He would suffer; the killer would make sure of that.
Take it slow. Plan meticulously and revenge will be sweet. After all, this is your holiday too. It would be a holiday to remember. But let’s not get too excited. Best laid plans and all that. Watch from afar. Maybe, employ a local to get some close-up information.
Watch. Wait. Plan and be ready.
Everything has gone smoothly so far. He doesn’t have a clue you’re here. So wrapped in his own superiority, his own life that he hasn’t recognised or even looked at you. He destroyed everything important to you then just takes a holiday.
A fucking holiday!
He walks away from the destruction of your life and takes a holiday.
Relax now. Don’t let him get to you. He isn’t worth it. Enjoy the sun for a few days. Something will reveal itself that might mean you could cause him greater pain than you’ve already imagined.
The only worry at the moment, and it was minor considering recent luck, was why he was here. What could someone like him want in Thailand?
He’s not here for the party. He’s twenty years older than most of the boat’s occupants; it just wouldn’t be his thing.
Besides, the Full Moon Party, with its illicit sex, illegal substances and oft times shootings, would not be the place that a Detective Inspector would frequent.
Matthew Goodwin shuffled with the backpackers along the rickety pier. Excited voices filled the sapphire-coloured bay as battered and stained rucksacks were hauled from pier to boat, across a flimsy plank, with negligible effort or attention.
Goodwin found space on the deck of the boat and dropped his bag against the wheelhouse. Sitting with his back against it, he stretched his long legs out, so his feet hung over the side of the boat.
As the boat pulled out and into the open gulf, Matthew took in the scene around him. Sun drenched bodies were draped all over the deck. Two young men took advantage of their section of deck to sleep, bare backs starting to redden as the sun did its work. Nearby, a group of lads sat on the deck railings, smoking cigarettes and swigging beer, chatting in a language he didn’t recognise. A fair skinned girl applied suntan lotion to herself as her friend plaited her hair. Couples sat between each other’s legs. One girl traced her lover’s simple tattoo with the tip of her finger. Another played distractedly with the ring in her companion’s nipple as he spoke to her, fondling her own lip ring with her tongue.
It was obvious that this was not the first time these people had done trips like this. Where else had they been in the world, he wondered? What else had these people experienced to grow so much in confidence compared to the teenagers he dealt with back home?
His thoughts drifted to Alison. He was almost at Koh Pha Ngan, the island where she was staying. Was this a good idea? How would she feel when she saw him? It had been three months. She didn’t even know he was coming. Would she even want to see him?
But he’d come; he’d had to. For the past year he’d been selfish and self-obsessed, neglecting and hurting the one important person left in his life. He was here to rebuild the broken relationship with his daughter, no matter what it cost.
Would she give him the chance? The chance to prove he could be the father he used to be.
Two days ago, six thousand miles away, after the welcome guilty verdict at the Old Bailey, Matthew Goodwin had made his decision. Helped by a blazing row with his best friend Philip Boleman, he’d realised his need to grieve for Susan, his dead wife. He also knew, to save his relationship with Alison, he must go to Thailand.
Now he was on a boat, heading to the island that hosts the biggest monthly orgy of drugs and drink in the world.
The boat was packed, with five days still to go until the next Full Moon Party. Five more days of people on overladen and poorly maintained boats just like this one, carrying its lucrative cargo of revellers.
It would be the party of a lifetime, one that would change lives. It would change his forever.
About the author
I wrote the first draft of Thai Die while I was living in Thailand in 2003. The book cover is my actual view from my hammock while I wrote each morning.
This is the book that DI Matthew Goodwin makes his debut too. He is a complex character that I enjoyed creating and developing through this book and the series.
Thai Die is the perfect introduction to Goodwin and my unique take on using location and my own experience as the backdrop to my series of fiction thrillers. Including my home town in Surrey, in the UK, where I am now in my fifties, a mother and partner, writing thrillers alternating locations at home in Surrey and locations across the world.
Jane, San Diego
"Atmospheric and Tense, An Emotional Rollercoaster.
This is crime fiction at its best, intelligent, evocative, and emotionally impactful."
Lisa Davies, Surrey
"I generally do not read thrillers, but I was recommended by a friend, and it did not disappoint. Very easy reading, I got straight into the story and was gripped, nice little twist at the end."
Jeffrey Zion, US
“Few thrillers manage to get under your skin the way this one does. Yes, there’s murder and mystery, but at its heart, it’s a story about a broken man trying to save what’s left of his family.
Perfect for fans of character-driven mysteries.”