The Patrios Network – on sale now!
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The economy may be going to hell in a handbasket, but dammit, there are books to buy and read… 😉
THE PATRIOS NETWORK, the third Brigitte Sharp thriller, goes on sale today from all good bookstores and online.
ONLINE HATE BECOMES REAL.
When a renegade British officer steals plans for a high-tech weapon that could plunge whole cities into darkness, elite MI6 hacker Brigitte Sharp is sent to get them back. But her mission goes badly wrong. Meanwhile a 'deepfake' video of a senior US politician calling for race war in Europe sends a flood of Americans to join neofascist militias on the continent. The Russians nurse a ruthless grudge against a fugitive whistleblower. And in the wings, the Chinese flex their muscles. Everything seems connected... but how?
In her toughest challenge yet, Bridge ventures undercover into the heart of the mysterious Patrios network. Her task? To make sense of the growing chaos before darkness and bloodshed engulf Europe. If a powerful enemy doesn’t get her first...
It’s available in paperback and ebook – hopefully the audiobook will also follow soon, but I don’t have any specific date for that.
If you’re interested in a peek behind the scenes, I’ve written some articles about how The Patrios Network was made:
For Crime Time, I wrote about the difficulties of starting to write this book – which centres around international travel, diplomacy, and geopolitics – during the initial Covid lockdown, when none of us had a clue what the world would look like from one month to the next.
Read the article ‘Spying in the Time of Covid’ here.
For Shots Mag, I wrote about the dark side of online communities, and the research the book required into online radicalisation, particularly of young white men, through a clandestine network of neofascist message boards and social media. Pretty horrible stuff, frankly.
Read the article ‘The Internet’s Ugly Side’ here.
I also wrote a piece for Red Herrings, the Crime Writers’ Association magazine, so if you’re a member keep an eye out for that; another for the Crime Readers’ Association newsletter, which you can subscribe to for free here; and I’m also working on one for Lucy Hay’s Bang2Write community. Links to come when they’re available.
First week sales are vital!
You’ve heard me talk before about how important pre-orders are to a book’s success, because they’re all counted towards the sales figures for the book’s first week after release. Well, here we are in the first week! So sales for the next few days are really important, too.
If you’re thinking of buying The Patrios Network, please consider doing so now – even if it then sits on a shelf for six months before you have time to read it. It really helps: online stores like Amazon will take note and promote it further through their suggestion algorithms; it’s more likely to land on a bestseller list; and it receives more buzz and attention on social media. All of which makes the publisher happy, and increases the chances I can write more 😉
(Of course, if you’re unable to but you will be able to buy it later, just go ahead and don’t worry about it. Sales at any time, even six months later, are still good!)
SIGNING THIS SATURDAY IN HARROGATE
This Saturday 1 October I’m appearing at the Imagined Things bookstore in Harrogate from 2-4pm. Do pop in a get a signed copy of The Patrios Network (or any of my other books!) if you’re in the area. Look, they’ve even made a window display 😍
Imagined Things is at 21 Montpellier Parade, Harrogate, HG1 2TG. Hope to see you there: https://imaginedthings.co.uk/find-us/
CAN’T YOU SEE I’M BURNING, BURNING:
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