The Anglesey Murders
About the Book
DI Alan Williams is called to the recovery of two
bodies from the sea at Trearddur Bay, during a storm. The lifeboat crew suspect
they’re fishermen, washed away by a wave but they’re wrong. Alan and his
detective sergeant, Kim Davies, realise the men were beaten and tied together
before they entered the water. Two miles along the headland at Porth Dafarch, a
third victim is found but there are no obvious links. As the number of victims
increases, a major investigation team battles to unravel a deadly puzzle which,
appears to have links to a series of historic murders from the 90’s.
In 1995, Peter Moore owned and operated the cinema
in Holyhead. It is thought he assaulted over 40 men and he was arrested and
charged with four murders, which he’d committed in as many months. He was
jailed for life in 1996 and is still the only recorded Welsh serial killer.
Fast forward to today and Detective Inspector Alan Williams is investigating a
series of murders with uncanny similarities to the Peter Moore attacks. Is there
a copycat on the loose or are the murders connected to the local underworld,
which controls the supply of narcotics across North Wales and the North West?
Finding a motive, is the challenge he might not win. ALL THE TIME THEY’RE
TRACKING THE KILLER, THE KILLER IS STALKING THEM…
Extract
Today I am pleased to be able to participate in the blog tour for The
Anglesey Murders. I have this book in my
list to read shortly and have already read a couple of chapters but other
things have overtaken things and I have been unable to pick this back up to
continue reading. However what I have
read is excellent and I cannot wait for my weeks holiday to curl up on a beach
and read (assuming the UK weather allows this).
In anticipation of my full review for those that follow my blog, I have
a sneaky peak for you and am pleased to be able to share the Prologue for
you.
Prologue
Liam stepped over the low wall onto the clifftop.
It was too dark to see the surf crashing onto the jagged rocks hundreds of feet
below. Out to sea, the South Stack lighthouse stood stoic in the foaming sea;
its powerful beam penetrated the darkness for miles. He sipped from the whisky
bottle and felt the liquid burning his throat. It was an expensive single malt
he’d saved for a special occasion. What could be more special than finding out
his wife had been cheating with his brother? That was pretty special. Being
made redundant the following day was special too, especially as the firm had
gone bust and he wouldn’t be paid his salary or any redundancy pay. If there
was ever a more special time, he couldn’t think of it.
Earlier, as his wife, Carla, walked out
of the front door with his son and daughter and their suitcases, he’d made his
mind up that he was going to kill himself. What was there to live for?
Everything he loved had gone to live with the only family he had left. Wife,
son, daughter, and brother gone in one breath, followed by the threat of
financial ruin; he didn’t have many options. The thought of unemployment and
being alone, without his kids, was devastating. He couldn’t go on. As he
teetered on the edge of the cliff, his future played out before him. Divorce,
repossession, bankruptcy, heartbreak, and despair.
He gulped the whisky and took a handful
of tramadol from his pocket, swallowing them greedily. Better to numb his body
as much as possible. He was a coward, Carla said. She was right. He wanted to
die but he didn’t want to feel the pain of impact on the rocks, nor did he want
to feel the bitter cold of the sea or suffer the dreadful panic of drowning if
he survived the fall. Numbness was the answer. He filled his mouth with tablets
again and washed them down with whisky. He heard the sound of a car on the
wind. The headlights pierced the night and he heard a door open and slam
closed. Then he heard footsteps on the gravel path. Someone was coming towards
him.
Suddenly, he felt frightened. Frightened
of falling over the edge, frightened of dying. Something inside him told him he
had to pull up his big-boy pants and get on with it. Life was worth living. Was
he the first man to feel the sting of betrayal? No, of course not. The wind
rocked him and he could feel the fog of the drugs descending in his mind. He
edged back from the abyss and held onto the low wall. The silhouette of a man
appeared on the path. He walked towards him quickly. The car’s headlights
picked him out against the dark sky. It was a common place for desperate people
to contemplate life and death. Some walked away, others didn’t.
‘Are you okay?’ a voice asked from the
darkness. Liam blinked against the lights.
‘Not really,’ Liam said. He swigged
from the bottle again, almost draining it.
‘Are you thinking of stepping off the
edge?’ the man asked.
‘Thinking about it, yes,’ Liam said.
‘At least, that was the plan. I can’t even do that right.’
‘You shouldn’t be too hard on
yourself,’ the man said. ‘Life can be difficult sometimes. Death is a way out.’
‘I thought it was,’ Liam agreed.
‘You should embrace it,’ the man said
approaching. He raised his right hand.
‘Embrace what?’ Liam asked, confused.
The whisky was slowing him down. He tried to grasp the man’s hand.
‘Close your eyes and enjoy the ride,’
the man said. He shoved Liam hard in the chest.
Liam staggered backwards. He opened his
mouth to scream but the wind took it away. His arms grabbed at thin air as he
toppled over the edge. It seemed like an eternity before he hit the rocks.
The man waited and watched as the
lighthouse illuminated the cliffs for a few seconds before it was plunged into
darkness again. A wave swept the body from the rocks and sucked him beneath the
surface. It was the first time he’d killed and it felt good.
About the Author
Conrad Jones a 52-year-old Author, living in
Holyhead, Anglesey, which I class as my home, before starting a career as a
trainee manger with McDonalds Restaurants in 1989. I worked in management at
McDonalds Restaurants Ltd from 1989-2002, working my way up to Business
Consultant (area manager) working in the corporate and franchised departments.
In March 1993 I was managing the Restaurant in
Warrington`s Bridge St when two Irish Republican Army bombs exploded directly
outside the store, resulting in the death of two young boys and many
casualties. Along with hundreds of other people there that day I was deeply
affected by the attack, which led to a long-term interest in the motivation and
mind set of criminal gangs. I began to read anything crime related that I could
get my hands on.
I link this experience with the desire to write
books on the subject, which came much later due to an unusual set of
circumstances. Because of that experience my early novels follow the adventures
of an elite counter terrorist unit, The Terrorist Task Force, and their leader,
John Tankersley, or `Tank`and they are the Soft Target Series, which have been
described by a reviewer as ‘Reacher on steroids’.
I had no intentions of writing until 2007, when I
set off on an 11-week tour of the USA. The Day before I boarded the plane,
Madeleine Mcann disappeared and all through the holiday I followed the American
news reports which had little or no information about her. I didn’t realise it
at the time, but the terrible kidnap would inspire my book, The Child Taker
years later. During that trip, I received news that my house had been burgled
and my work van and equipment were stolen. That summer was the year when York
and Tewksbury were flooded by a deluge and insurance companies were swamped
with claims. They informed me that they couldn’t do anything for weeks and that
returning home would be a wasted journey. Rendered unemployed on a beach in
Clearwater, Florida, I decided to begin my first book, Soft Target. I have
never stopped writing since. I have recently completed my 20th novel, The
Journey, something that never would have happened but for that burglary and my
experiences in Warrington.
As far as my favourite series ever, it has to be
James Herbert’s, The Rats trilogy. The first book did for me what school books
couldn’t. It fascinated me, triggered my imagination and gave me the hunger to
want to read more. I waited years for the second book, The Lair, and Domain,
the third book to come out and they were amazing. Domain is one of the best
books I have ever read. In later years, Lee Child, especially the early books,
has kept me hypnotised on my sunbed on holiday as has Michael Connelley and his
Harry Bosch Series.
Check out the rest of the blog
tour with these fabulous blogs:
Remember to keep an eye on my
blog in the next month or so for my full review of The Angelsey Murders.
