Front Page Fridays Week-21
Welcome to Front Page Fridays Week-21. On Fridays I highlight a recently published book by showcasing the first page.
My Front Page Fridays Week-21 author is a returning guest, A.J. Aberford, and his brand-new thriller The Car Horn Revolution.
Here’s the first page:
Prologue
Zagori is a remote region of north-western Greece, famous for its inaccessibility and the forty-six fairytale villages that surround the central massif of Epirus. They cling to the hillsides, connected by narrow roads that follow deeply incised valleys, with arched stone bridges over deep ravines. It was to one of these remote villages, Aristi, that Nikos Caragea, an old man who lived in the forest at the mouth of the famous Vikos Gorge, had brought the foreign woman.
Nikos was her nearest neighbour, although he lived over a kilometre away. The woman had first appeared in the area over a year earlier and moved into a two-roomed cottage, near a disused stone chapel surrounded by a ring of oak trees that were believed to have magical powers. Local myth had it that the long-deserted chapel was one of the many back doors into Hades and, in consequence, the woman had been shunned by the community, whose members were suspicious of her solitary existence and proximity to the unholy temple of necromancy. It was said that this was a place to which the dead returned, once their bodies had decayed and their spirits were released.
About the Book
'Inimitable, fast-paced storytelling. A must read.' PETER PORTELLI, bestselling Maltese author of The Order
'This series is a joy to read.' DAVID JARVIS, author of the Mike Kingdom thrillers
If you like Henning Mankell's Wallander books, or those of Michael Dibden’s Aurelio Zen, you will love this series, with its unique blend of humour, drama and adventure. George Zammit is to Malta, what Montalbano is to Sicily or Donna Leon’s Commissario Guido Brunetti is to Venice.
As Malta’s reputation as a hotbed of political corruption continues unabated, George Zammit finds himself temporarily promoted to Assistant Commissioner in the Maltese Pulizija. But life at the top is proving even more perilous and unpredictable than it was when he was a humble inspector, especially the political side to his new job.
Malta is drawing the attention of outside forces, attracted by the island’s strategic position in the Mediterranean. A foreign power wants greater influence in the region and will stop at nothing to achieve it, threatening Malta’s very independence.
When George’s son, Denzel, takes drastic action to protect a young woman who is being assaulted by foreign mercenaries, George is put in an impossible position. Can he show support for Malta’s new strategic ‘allies’, while protecting the people he cares about? Can he be seen to do his job, while preventing an invasion by stealth of the island he loves?
George is forced to draw on all his courage and diplomacy, relying on friends and adversaries old and new, to navigate his way through – The Car Horn Revolution – the sixth thrilling adventure in the bestselling Inspector George Zammit crime series.
About the Author
Tony Gartland (writing as AJ Aberford) has enjoyed a varied career, having been both a corporate and banking lawyer, owning and running a private investment company, and founding a leading Yorkshire craft brewery. Changing direction again, he is now a debut author of the Inspector George Zammit crime and thriller series. The Car Horn revolution is the sixth book in the series, after which the Zammit family will take a well-earned rest – for a while at least!
Tony still keeps his house in Yorkshire, but lives primarily in Malta, which is the inspiration for the Inspector George Zammit series. Upon moving there, he soon became enthralled by the culture and history of the island that acts as a bridge between Europe and North Africa
Malta’s position at the sharp end of the migrant crisis, as well as the rapid growth of its commercial and offshore-financial sectors, provide a rich backdrop for his writing. The culture, politics and geography of the southern Mediterrean continually throws-up surprises in this fascinating part of the world, nothing is ever what it seems, with the lines between right and wrong often blurred and twisted.
Tony lives with his wife, Janet, and has two grown-up sons, as well as grandchildren. He is a keen cook, an adventurous traveller, a cyclist and is currently writing a new series of mysteries set in his home county of Yorkshire.
Socials and links
All the books in the Inspector George Zammit series are available from Amazon in paperback and Kindle. They’re all free on Kindle Unlimited. They are also available in paperback from my publisher, Hobeck Books – check out their website! https://www.hobeck.net/
The first three books in the series are available on Kindle, as a box set, for only £3.99! https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CMPS9TXC
Book 1 in the series, BODIES IN THE WATER, is also available as an audiobook on Spotify. https://open.spotify.com/show/2zPQ27dQcCWbRAKOJaxloG?si=fhn8A8-6QKODz-q_LwTWTQ&nd=1&dlsi=b5fb959d62774380
The latest addition to the series will be out on the 29th October, 2024, THE CAR HORN REVOLUTION. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DDHSWZKL
And finally, there is a prequel to the series – a short novella, set some years before the series begins – which is available to download free from my website: https://ajaberford.com/
I would love your readers to follow me on social media on any or all of the following:
X: @AJAberfordFacebook: AJ Aberford
Instagram: AJ Aberford
Threads : ajaberford
TiKTok: ajaberford109
I hope you enjoyed reading Front Page Fridays Week-21. Please come back next time when I’ll be featuring a different author and the first page of their book.
And please take a look at books already featured on Front Page Fridays:
1. Blood Ribbons by Lin Le Versha – https://www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/front-page-fridays-week-1/
2. Fatal Blow by Brian Price – https://www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/front-page-fridays-week-2/
3. Can I Trust You? by Rob Gittins – Front Page Fridays Week-3 – Rachel Sargeant
4. The Last Bird of Paradise by AJ Aberford – Front Page Fridays Week-4 – Rachel Sargeant
5. Never Forgive You by Hilly Barmby – Front Page Fridays Week-5 – Rachel Sargeant
6. The Mists of Pencarrack Moor by Terri Nixon – Front Page Fridays Week-6 - Rachel Sargeant
7. The Thief of Joy by Stacey Murray – Front Page Fridays Week-7 - Rachel Sargeant
8. Edge of the Land by Malcolm Hollingdrake – Front Page Fridays Week-8 - Rachel Sargeant
9. The Mind of a Murderer by Michael Wood - https://www.rachelsargeant.co.uk/front-page-fridays-week-9/
10. The Midnight Man by Julie Anderson – Front Page Fridays Week-10 - Rachel Sargeant
11. Dark Road Home by Sheila Bugler – Front Page Fridays Week-11 - Rachel Sargeant
12. Her Charming Man by Rachel Sargeant – Front Page Fridays Week-12 - Rachel Sargeant
13. Wedding Bells at the Lakeside Hotel by Linda Huber – Front Page Fridays Week-13 - Rachel Sargeant
14. Dark Island by Daniel Aubrey – Front Page Fridays Week-14 - Rachel Sargeant
15. The Shame by Maureen Myant – Front Page Fridays Week-15 - Rachel Sargeant
16. Dead Mile by Jo Furniss – Front Page Fridays Week-16 — Rachel Sargeant
17. The Violin and Candlestick by David Jarvis – Front Page Fridays Week-17 — Rachel Sargeant
18. New Memories by S.E. Shepherd – Front Page Fridays Week-18 — Rachel Sargeant
19. Young Blood by Victoria Gemmell – Front Page Fridays Week-19 — Rachel Sargeant
20. Private Investigations by Rob Gittins – Front Page Fridays Week-20 — Rachel Sargeant