Updated June 2010
TERROR'S REACH is out now in hardback in the UK and other English-speaking territories, with an unabridged audio edition to follow in August 2010. TERROR'S REACH introduces a series character, former undercover cop Joe Clayton. The synopsis and opening chapters can be read here.
Reviews for TERROR'S REACH:
We didn't know how Tom Bale was going to top his debut novel, Skin and Bones, but he has triumphed once again with a nail-biting thriller. Great action, tense and gripping.
Terror's Reach matches and, indeed, surpasses Skin and Bones and whilst it may be a cliche to use the term 'page-turner', Tom Bale's latest book is just that, and he proves beyond doubt that he is definitely one to watch.
ScotKris, It's A Crime! (Or A Mystery...)
A gripping thriller.
CLOSER Magazine
The German translation of SKIN AND BONES, under the title AMOK, was published on 24 August 2009 and to date has sold almost 100,000 copies. It was selected as the Vox Top Thriller for September, with wonderful support from the Vox TV channel and the leading book chain, Thalia. More information about the German edition can be found at the publisher's website here.
SKIN AND BONES is available as an unabridged audiobook, published by W.F. Howes Ltd, in a variety of formats: CD, cassette, pre-loaded audiobook and audio download. More details can be found here. There is also a Large Print edition, available here.
Scroll down the page for reviews and author interviews.
The trailer for SKIN AND BONES is available on YouTube and can be viewed here.
Read the opening chapter of SKIN AND BONES here.
Reviews
This instantly engaging and terrifying crime-thriller sees heroine Julia Trent witness a slow and deliberate massacre... Once you start reading, you won't want to stop.
Scarlet Magazine
A well thought-out thriller... it is quite a page-turner and one you certainly won't be able to put down.
No. 1 Magazine
Here's a book that will grab you by the throat from the very first page and keep your attention to the end... a story that has plenty of action and enough plot twists to keep you on your toes.
Jillian Allison-Aitken, The Southland Times, NZ
This is a really good crime fiction book with well-executed thriller aspects, and a couple of central characters in Julia and Craig who you really are going to want the best for.
Karen Chisholm, AustCrimefiction.org
An unusual thriller, engaging from the start... A satisfying and absorbing read.
Lynda's Book Blog
As the story progresses, the pace speeds up until the very bloody climax... A great first crime novel from Tom Bale.
Paul Blackburn, Eurocrime
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.
Jon Jordan, Crimespree Mag (p. 13)
A rip-roaring page-turner, Tom Bale’s novel, "Skin and Bones" is a riveting crime thriller full of emotional tension that leaves hardly enough time to take a breath. From the spellbinding, chillingly sinister opening scenes Bale grasps his audience by the jugular and refuses to let go until the final page where the reader is left breathless. Not only is the story intelligent and fascinating but Bale reveals his gripping plot in a pulsating, intensifying cinematic style. … a powerful, haunting and unforgettable book that keeps the reader hanging at every turn and is as every bit as satisfying as the best fiction should be.
Stephen Davenport, Independent Weekly, Australia
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.
The Brighton & Hove Argus
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.
Graeme Blundell, The Australian
It is an atmospheric tale, peopled with interesting characters… This is a suspense novel with an edge to it; and the contrast between small village life and those who want to manipulate it is striking. Tom Bale does not disappoint in keeping the interest and intrigue level high. Skin and Bones is a very good effort, with some highly memorable characters and an excellent ambience of anxiety.
Sheila Merritt, Hellnotes
I received an advance copy of Tom Bale’s Skin and Bones on Christmas Eve and finished it in time for Christmas dinner. This writer had me hooked from page one and I had a tough time putting the book down, even when the kids were opening their presents.
Patrick Shawn Bagley, Bitter Water Blog
What truly sells SKIN AND BONES is Bale’s almost cinematic storytelling style, along the lines of what Lee Child does with his Jack Reacher series.
Jim Winter, January Magazine
This first crime novel cuts the mustard... very readable.
Carla McKay, Daily Mail
The first hook for me was in the synopsis; I found it full of intrigue and wondered where the author could take that kind of story. The second hook came when I started reading and I didn't want to stop… He narrates all with confidence in his craft and a keen eye on the detail of plotting… This is a fantastic novel and I don't say that lightly… It both captures the climate in Britain today as well as keeps you page-turning to the last word on the last page. A fine and confident thriller début from an author who shows all the signs of knowing what a decent psychological thriller is all about: you must not miss this one!
It's A Crime! (Or A Mystery...)
I started reading this at around eight at night (on a Friday) and went to bed at 3am, having read it in one fell swoop… The book is multi-layered and a fantastic puzzle with twists and turns. The writing is never overly descriptive, the events do not get overplayed, rather people's reaction to these events.
Skin and Bones is plotted with great care and the author unfolds the story like a pro. The main characters are well drawn and the cast characters vary from unlikeable to intensely dislikeable to surprisingly human. The writing is very sharp and the observations on how society reacts to awful acts in a close community is very close to the mark.
A ruthless gunman goes on the rampage in a Sussex village, killing 14 people and injuring another four… Was it a random act of violence? Or was it something even more sinister? Bale keeps us guessing as our heroes edge towards a shocking climax.
Matthew Lewin, The Guardian
With one of the best opening pages to a book you’ll ever read this electrifying debut thriller will leave you gasping for breath… you’ll find it completely unputdownable.
A good dramatic opening, or ‘hook’, is a pre-requisite to any action thriller and the opening to Tom Bale’s Skin and Bones, published by Preface, is certainly that… It is quite a stunning opening to what I believe is Tom Bales’ first thriller; though it is not the author’s first novel for as David Harrison, he made his crime debut with Sins of the Father, published by Creme De La Crime a couple of years ago.
Mike Ripley, Getting Away With Murder
The plot is worked through to a clever and tense ending following a number of satisfying twists. The prose is sharp and the narrative has good momentum… He clearly has a comprehensive understanding of what makes a great mystery novel.
This is one of the most quietly electrifying openings I have read in a book in a long time – and the pace doesn’t let up... I read this on a plane journey to the US, and was so enthralled, I missed two decent films I really wanted to see... A great read, exciting, assured, fast-paced and utterly scary. Wonderful stuff.
Adrian Magson, SHOTS
There are twists and turns, and plenty of action, as the book builds to it’s conclusion. It makes a pleasant change to have a crime book without the usual cop, detective, or forensic expert in the lead role, and yet it provides everything you expect. Be prepared to sit up all night reading this one!
BCF Book Reviews
I haven’t done this in ages - indeed I haven’t read a straight thriller in ages - but come next month I’d advise anyone with Christmas money to go and buy Tom Bale’s SKIN AND BONES... This is a very slick, assured piece of work and it deserves to do very well.
John Rickards
This is as unputdownable as unputdownable gets... A spellbinding thriller... From the very first line ('A glance to her left was all it took...') you're in the hands of a master storyteller, an assured craftsman.
John Davies, Latest7 Magazine
It's all told at a breakneck clip with short chapters that help keep the pages turning. This one hits the market in January, and I predict big sales.
Tom Bale’s SKIN AND BONES is one of those thrillers that despite being 400+ pages long you know won’t last until tomorrow, or at least that you won’t go to bed until you finish it… Brilliant thriller by a guy that can truly write.
This is a fast paced English thriller, very much in the genre of NO TIME FOR GOODBYE… I guarantee that this is a book you will not be able to put down! I spent the whole time on the edge of my seat… It is also great to have a really strong female character in the lead.
Author Interviews
With Gerard Brennan at Crime Scene NI: here
With Declan Burke at Crime Always Pays: here
With Adrian Magson at SHOTS ezine: here
With Michelle at Book Club Forum: here
With Patrick Shawn Bagley at Bitter Water Blog: here
With Mark Combes at The Big Thrill: here
Foreign Editions
Skin and Bones is now available in Germany - as AMOK, published by Goldmann, and in France - as LA FEMME QUI EN SAVAIT TROP, published by Presses de la Cite.