The Forsaken: Volume 1

It really heartens me, as Readings’ consignment buyer, to come across an author who’s scored a publishing deal after years of seriously hard graft writing and self-publishing their books. One of the last Australian thriller writers to do this was Matthew Reilly – you know, of Ice Station fame. There is much to do as a self-published author: not only do you have to write the material, but there’s also all the logistical stuff that comes after, such as printing, marketing and distributing your book. All this with no guarantee that you’ll recoup what you have outlaid. Matt Rogers is a great example of someone who has done the research to find his audience and write for them. The book sales and readership from his Dante Jacoby series as an independent writer–publisher is a testament to that. To get a publishing deal is a terrific achievement.

The Forsaken is written with the same no-nonsense, direct style as his previous books. The action, which takes place over an almost 48-hour window, is gritty and relentless. I grew up on action series like 24, and I love plots that are condensed to blocks of time. At its heart, this book is a corruption-busting revenge thriller. We follow the bitter ex-CIA strongman/assassin Logan Booth, a meat-popsicle version of the proverbial brick dunny, as he attempts to get to the bottom of why his best mate Jorge Romero is dead. What did Romero know that led to his assassination? While Logan is the titular ‘forsaken’, so too is Alice, who cuts a tragic figure grappling with her own demons.

Set largely overnight in the noisy environs of New York City, The Forsaken is a fast-paced, highly atmospheric book. Did I mention that it was action-packed?! I would be lying if I said I hadn’t already cast this movie in my head. Read this if you love Terry Hayes; read it if you love John Wick, 24, and the Bourne series.