Jason Beech: Keep the Motor Running

Not a Love Triangle – Something Else

Jason Beech presents us with three people: Karl Lankester, married with two children, a wife who’s just hanging on, and her badgering mother.

Tempest Stanley, Karl’s neighbour. Sultry, sharp and embarrassed that she’s sunk so low to put up living with an abusive boyfriend.

Czech Downes, Tempest’s boyfriend, a dealer with his own crew. In his mind he’s the big man, even as he reports up the chain. Not a forgiving, soft soul.

Karl is heading for a job interview when Tempest hops into his car with a bag clutched to her chest. She’s getting her revenge by getting out, and doing it with a bag full of Czech’s money and drugs.

Karl is startled, he knows Czech isn’t a man to be messed with, even as he knows little about him. But her black eye and flat desperation has him drive away.

Oh yes, kids this is the one to shake up your holiday overindulgences. Drugs, guns, vengeance, and a little something going on with a debt collector.

Beech doesn’t sacrifice momentum as he develops the players on the page into high resolution characters. Well recommended read.

I featured two books by Jason Beech here at Murder in Common back in January. Take a look at them and read his interview here.

Available January 22, 2022 but you can pre-order on January 15th.