Bay of Martyrs
A tale of two continents
A master of Tartan Noir and a veteran journalist have collaborated to write a thrilling crime novel set on Australia’s south coast.
But what makes the book all the more remarkable is that while half of it was being written on Arran, the other half was being written simultaneously on the other side of the world.
Bay of Martyrs is the result of the unusual collaboration between Arran-based author Tony Black and Matt Neal. During the writing, as Tony pounded away at his computer in Whiting Bay, his co-author Matt was doing the same in the South West Victorian town of Warrnambool in Austral- ia. The result is the start of a gritty new crime series set in an exciting new location which reeks of hard-boiled authenticity. And it introduces a great new investigator - downbeat journalist Clay Moloney - and has all the ingredients for a hugely satisfying mystery.
‘This is a great read; two authors is a tricky gig and most times results in desultory effect. But here are two writers so in sync that it is seamless. A get-in-yer -face, down and dynamc read that grips and enthrals. Tony Black at the very height of his terrific talent and now with a double act to enrich his solid reputation,’ said Ken Bruen, author of The Guards and Priest
Clay Moloney, a cynical reporter with a regional Australian newspaper, is expecting an easy Sunday at work when the body of a young woman washes up at the Bay of Martyrs. The death is an inconvenience for Clay, who’s content filing obituaries and re-writing government press releases on the new multi-million-dollar airport.
But the more he digs into the Bay of Martyrs incident, the more he realises the girl’s death is not a case of misadventure, despite what the police tell him.
Tony, who has always had a close association with Arran, moved to the island with his family more than two years ago. He was born in Australia and grew up in Scotland and Ireland. He is an award-winning journalist, editor, and novelist and is the author of 13 books including, Paying for It, Gutted, Long Time Dead, and most recently Summoning the Dead. He has been nominated for a CWA Dagger seven times and was runner up in the Guardian’s Not the Booker Prize for The Last Tiger.
Matt Neal is an Australian journalist, film reviewer, musician, songwriter. Born and raised in south-west Victoria, he’s been a journalist with the Warrnambool Standard for 15 years. He’s a prize-winning songwriter as well as a frequent movie reviewer for Australia’s ABC Radio.
The paperback, published by Glasgow-based Freight Books has an RRP of £9.99, is available online and in all good bookshops.