Troubleshooter is out now, most eTailers already carry it.

I promised you some insight into the influences that were sort of my guideline in style and storytelling. Maybe you discover the writers in this small series of posting for your own library, too.

Part 1: Gavin Lyall (Link to Wikipedia)

Mr. Lyall was probably the most influential guidance for "Troubleshooter". He was at the height of his writing in the Sixties when he had published a number of thrillers that all had a common denominator: a slightly damaged loner hero getting into a violent situation where his old agent/police/soldier skills are asked for again (if you read Troubleshooter already, this setting might sound familiar). Lyall had written another series (Major Maxim) in the same dry British style like his Sixties novels, but the first set of books remains for me kind of a classic foundation of the post-war non-political adventure thriller.

One other style-bit that I "borrowed" from Gavin Lyall are the very dry cliff hangers at the end of a chapter. Lately the came into fashion again, Lee Childs builds them also into his Lee Reacher novels.

Excerpt from Troubleshooter:

He put the gangster’s phone in his pocket and retrieved the gun. An automatic. Was there already a bullet in the chamber? Shit, difficult to pull back the slide mechanism with one hand.! Only one way to find out. He switched the safety off and simply shot into the next soft tissue he could find: the dead man behind him. The loud bang of the firearm was driving the curious bystanders back in panic. Paul got up, oriented himself. He was only one block away from the office.

Follow the rat home. Kill all the rats.

Paul started to run.

Maybe Amy and Tom were not dead yet.

Selected Gavin Lyall reading recommendations:
Buy: Gavin Lyall - Shooting Script
Venus with Pistol (Bloomsbury Reader)
The Most Dangerous Game (Bloomsbury Reader)