Paradise Just Turned Deadly.
The thriller readers can't put down.
No blood on your hands. No blood at all. Blood was so messy and there would always be the chance it might taint you.
You didn’t even have to touch his repulsive flesh nor look into those eyes.
Soon you should hear his screams.
Then when everyone comes to see your handiwork, you can go back and admire it yourself.
Shouts and the sound of cracking wood woke Goodwin sometime in the night. Flashes of light whipped at his windows. He climbed out of bed and pulled on some shorts.
A scream rose above the sound of the flames. He dashed to the door and flung it open. The bungalow next to him was a sea of burning hot flames. Tom was frantically throwing buckets of water at it whilst a small crowd had gathered, watching the flames grow.
Grabbing the water bucket in his own bathroom Goodwin joined Tom in dashing to and from the sea throwing water. He found himself working side by side with Dave too.
‘My God, I thought you were in there. How did you get out?’
‘I moved bungalows this afternoon. I wasn’t in there.’
‘Thank god for that.’ Dave was genuine in his gratitude. Goodwin stopped and stared at him. Dave stopped too. ‘Hey I might not like you much, but I couldn’t have explained this to Alison.’
Goodwin saw the truth in his words and continued to fight the fire. Between the three of them and the lack of further fuel for the fire it eventually burnt out.
‘Any idea what started it Tom?’ Goodwin asked as they stared at the remains of what had been his bungalow.
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‘I sink this was made.’ He shook his head.
‘What do you mean?’ asked Dave.
Tom walked away and returned from behind Goodwin’s new bungalow. He carried a petrol can.
‘Arson?’
‘What’s that?’ asked Tom
‘Arson. It means someone started the fire on purpose.’
‘Yes. I sink this is what happened.’
‘Why?’ asked Dave.
Tom shrugged his shoulders. ‘I not know. Zis never happen before on Koh Pha Ngan. Anyone see anything?’ Tom called to all the people around. Most people shook their heads and started back to their own bungalows.
A new arrival from that day approached Tom. ‘I was here first, walking back from the beach bar up the way. I saw the girl staying in that bungalow walking from the fire back to hers.’ He pointed at Hazel’s bungalow.
Dave shook his head. ‘I don’t think so.’
‘Oh yes I’m sure.’
‘You can’t think she started this. Why would she?’
‘I’m not suggesting anything, I’m only saying what I saw.’
‘Tom, Hazel did not do this. I can promise you that.’
‘Yeah. I know Hazel not do this. Why this one though?’
Goodwin didn’t say anything. He’d spotted a broom handle preventing any occupant from leaving the bungalow. He knew whoever set the building alight expected him to be in it. That he was sure of.
It wasn’t fair.
What was Goodwin doing outside the bungalow?
Why was he not dead, burnt to a crisp inside the charred remains of his bungalow?
How could this happen? Those men in the bar. The ones that came from Chohk Dee. They must have lied to you.
It was the only explanation.
All that planning, all that preparation, all that risk. All for nothing.
Because some stupid fuckers gave you the wrong information.
They will pay for that. But not now.
Now there is a more urgent deed to be done.
Watch. Wait. Plan and be ready.
This time he won’t survive. Or maybe… Yes, a new plan formed in the killer’s mind.
It was pure genius.
With one stone, you can kill two birds.
Get your life back, repair what Goodwin has destroyed and at the same time destroy his in the same way he did yours.
Who could think you’re a psycho when you come up with a plan like this.
Verging on insanity maybe, but isn’t that what they say, there is a thin line between genius and insanity.
This new plan is pure genius.
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.”