The Catch

Friendship is pushed to the limit when two young men flee from an accidental death. But the victim has powerful friends, and soon there is a predator on their trail. Unputdownable suspense from the author of Skin and Bones.

Tom Bale is one of the best British thriller writers around

This fast-paced British thriller will have you on the edge of your seat as it reaches its dramatic conclusion.

Tom Bale’s awareness of the old creative writing mantra “character is destiny” pays off addictively in The Catch...solid, purposeful and well written

Bale manages to keep the momentum going by switching between the lives of the various characters while keeping his eye on the overall theme

The original Tom Bale is working his way to the top of the Brit thriller writer pile

A good, well-executed, distinctly British thriller, that is certainly worth checking out, and having already purchased a copy of ‘Skin and Bones’ on the strength of this one,  I’m glad to have discovered a new author

It’s a bloody and at times rather squalid tale as well as a gripping and unusual one. Bale specialises in villains who have believable motives for their actions but are none the less appalling for all that

On page one I was gripped by Bale’s faultless narrative, by the final page I was left in a state of awe at his storytelling skills... The prose is masterful... All in all I have to say that The Catch is an everyman novel with an acute difference, instead of offering forward a potential hero, you are offered characters trying to get away with murder. I loved its intense pace, top notch characterisation and moralistic questioning

A clever tale of unintended consequences... Tom Bale manages to balance the seemingly ordinariness of his characters with their facility for lying and self-deception in such a way that you still can’t help but hope that they survive the nastiness that is heading their way like a runaway train

a tremendous read…well put together and an excellent example of the good writers craft. I can’t say much more because I wouldn’t want to spoil for you when you rush out to buy a copy 4/5

This book captures you from the start… then twists and turns in every chapter, taking you on an intriguing roller coaster ride until the end… Great stuff!

There are some lovely characters, a swift plot, not too many red herrings and lots of action. I think it is well worth investing in.

Tom Bale has worked as a retail assistant, claims negotiator, office manager, business analyst, freelance consultant and househusband. He now writes full-time and lives with his family in Brighton. 
 
For more information, visit his website at www.tombale.net

How far do you go for a friendship? That's the question Daniel Wade is forced to ask when a simple favour has fatal consequences. For the sake of his old schoolmate, Robbie - and more importantly for Robbie's sister, Cate - Dan agrees to go along with a lie. But soon he's sucked into a conspiracy that threatens to consume them all. 
 
How hard do you fight for a fortune? For Gordon and Patricia Blake, the dead man held the key to a glorious future. Now that future has been ripped from their grasp, and the Blakes want to know why. Then they want revenge. 
 
How can you hope to survive? With a ruthless predator on their trail, Dan realises that evading justice is the least of their worries. All that matters now is staying alive.

Terror's Reach

Brilliant new thriller by the author of Skin and Bones.

Tom Bale has produced a great second book with a pace that matched his previous ... His main character Joe Clayton is a determined ex-policeman pitted against a gang presenting overwhelming odds, and the other characters are also well portrayed. The plot has many twists and turns and the book holds your interest right up to the last page

A burning summer's day explodes into violence. A murderous gang targets the exclusive south coast island of Terror's Reach, home to rival business tycoons Robert Felton and Valentin Nasenko. The residents are facing annihilation, and only one man stands a chance of saving them. 
 
Four years ago, after an undercover police operation went disastrously wrong, CID officer Joe Clayton lost his career and his family. Forced to adopt a new identity, he drifted from place to place and ended up on the Reach, working as a bodyguard to Nasenko's wife, Cassie, and her children. Now he must draw upon all his experience and reserves of strength to keep them alive. 
 
But nothing is as it seems on Terror's Reach, and a long night of betrayal and murder leaves Joe fighting for his own survival ...

Skin and Bones

Brilliant first thriller in the vein of Peter James, in which a killer goes on the rampage in a quiet Sussex village, leaving only one witness - a woman fighting for her life.

Bale keeps us guessing as our heroes edge towards a shocking climax

This first time thriller cuts the mustard ... Very readable

A spellbinding thriller ... Quite simply the best book I've read this year

Be prepared to sit up all night reading this one

Here is a treat for crime fans. Brighton novelist Tom Bale has produced a gripping contemporary thriller despite setting it largely in a sleepy Sussex village. Pacy and well written ... the deft local references simply add to the horror of the tale

Bale does the kind of spare, muscular prose that's increasingly popular with new practitioners. He gets his set pieces right too, nicely structured with the right degree of intensity. His plotting is clever, especially the late revelation of the killer. Bale deftly hijacks the archetypal English village setting of the golden age of crime writing and infuses it with the violence of an urban thriller

Skin and Bones opens with a startling scene and never slows down and never gives pause ... this is a mystery and a thriller that is satisfying on every level. Rich characters and a plot that grabs hold and won't let go ... This book gave me chills

As the story progresses, the pace speeds up until the very bloody climax ... A great first crime novel from Tom Bale

A great read, exciting, assured, fast-paced and utterly scary. Wonderful stuff

If you are a fan of thrillers, then this will certainly be up your street. It is a quite a page-turner and one you certainly won't be able to put down

Instantly engaging and terrifying crime thriller ... once you start reading, you won't want to stop. 5 stars

Anyone who enjoys crime fiction will welcome this first novel

Tom Bale has worked as a retail assistant, claims negotiator, office manager, business analyst, freelance consultant and househusband. He now writes full-time and lives with his family in Brighton. 
 
For more information, visit his website at www.tombale.net.

FROM THE AUTHOR OF SEE HOW THEY RUN AND ALL FALL DOWN 
 
 
On a cold January morning, a nightmare awaits in a sleepy Sussex village. A deranged young man goes on the rampage, shooting everyone in his path before taking his own life. It’s a senseless, tragic event. 
 
 Only Julia Trent – believed to be the sole survivor – knows that there was a second man involved. But after being shot and badly injured, her account of the massacre is ignored. 
 
 Together with Craig Walker, the son of one of the victims, Julia sets out to find the truth before she’s silenced for good. As they peel back the layers of a dark and dangerous conspiracy, they discover the slaughter didn't begin on that bitter day in January. 
 
And worst of all, it won't end there.

Tom Bale

With old-fashioned villains, and a sharp line in dialogue, Clayton is getting better and better. This is a neat British gangster thriller written with elan and substance

With strong characters, a fast pace and lots of twists and turns, this is a satisfying read, right to the shocking end

If you love a gritty UK-based drama then this book is an absolute must read ... It's cleverly constructed, beautifully thought out and with a main character that the reader can't help but associate with, it's a book that really was hard to put down

[Bale] has neatly captured the claustrophobic feel of a small town. He opens with a bang in Blood Falls, and doesn't let up until the end, which comes at a gallop, with the revelation that ... well, I shouldn't say. Recommended

An excellent read ... with a surprising twist that is hard to see coming

A fine page turner of a thriller and features again another Bale characteristic of note: no one draws thugs like this author for his villains are truly dirty, misguided and the sort of people you hope never to meet. More please

A thriller but with good characterisation and a credible plot. Recommended

Joe Clayton thought the dangers of his undercover career were behind him. He was wrong. One grey October morning, while working in a quiet Bristol street, he hears the voice of the man who has sworn to destroy him. Minutes later Joe is running for his life again. 
 
Desperate for sanctuary, he heads for the small Cornish town of Trelennan, and the home of Diana Bamber, widow of a former police colleague. But Diana reacts strangely to his arrival, and gradually Joe discovers that Trelennan is far from the idyllic, law-abiding resort it claims to be. 
 
The town is in the grip of one man. Leon Race doesn't welcome strangers, especially ex-cops who start asking questions about missing women. Soon Joe is caught up in another undercover role, but as he penetrates the web of secrets that ensnares the town's elite, his own secret is at risk of discovery. And all the time his old enemy is circling ...

Tom Bale

Praise for Blood Falls

With old-fashioned villains, and a sharp line in dialogue, Clayton is getting better and better. This is a neat British gangster thriller written with elan and substance

With strong characters, a fast pace and lots of twists and turns, this is a satisfying read, right to the shocking end

If you love a gritty UK-based drama then this book is an absolute must read ... It's cleverly constructed, beautifully thought out and with a main character that the reader can't help but associate with, it's a book ...

With old-fashioned villains, and a sharp line in dialogue, Clayton is getting better and better. This is a neat British gangster thriller written with elan and substance

With strong characters, a fast pace and lots of twists and turns, this is a satisfying read, right to the shocking end

If you love a gritty UK-based drama then this book is an absolute must read ... It's cleverly constructed, beautifully thought out and with a main character that the reader can't help but associate with, it's a book ...

With old-fashioned villains, and a sharp line in dialogue, Clayton is getting better and better. This is a neat British gangster thriller written with elan and substance

With strong characters, a fast pace and lots of twists and turns, this is a satisfying read, right to the shocking end

If you love a gritty UK-based drama then this book is an absolute must read ... It's cleverly constructed, beautifully thought out and with a main character that the reader can't help but associate with, it's a book ...

Books by Tom Bale

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