The Intruders - Softcover

Marshall, Michael

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0007210000 ISBN 13: 9780007210008

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2007

Synopsis

Stunning new psychological thriller from the bestselling author of ‘The Straw Men’.

Jack Whalen was an LAPD patrol cop for twelve years. He left in difficult circumstances and now he's not really sure what he is. He's not too sure about his wife, either – when she goes missing on a routine business trip to Seattle, Jack heads up there to find her: only to discover she's not really missing after all.

Over the coming days it becomes increasingly clear that something has changed, however – and is still changing. Jack is meanwhile contacted by a childhood acquaintance, Gary Fisher. Fisher's a lawyer now, and wants help in solving an odd little mystery concerning a businessman's will. The further Jack digs, the bigger the mystery seems to be – and the stranger Fisher becomes.

And in Oregon, a ten-year-old girl goes missing. It gradually becomes clear that she's at least partly in control of the situation, however – and also that she's very far from defenceless.

One man ties these three stories together. We're all haunted by the shadows of our pasts – Jack Whalen more than most – but as he is eventually to discover, the truth may go back a lot further than he ever realised.

About this title

Review:

‘A jaw-dropping mystery that makes a hairpin turn on nearly every page’ Entertainment Weekly

‘A good, taut thriller, with lots of action and a very gripping ending; Marshall takes the reader with him on the investigation with a great deal of guile and style.’ Guardian

‘Devilishly clever ... a tautly crafted page-turner of the highest order.’ Bookpage

‘A provocative and supremely intelligent thriller’ Publishers Weekly

‘Subtle, satisfying – and really scary.’ Kirkus Reviews

Praise for Michael Marshall:

'A definite page-turner – and a terrifying discourse on the nature of human evil and the darkness among us ... this is as fierce as thriller writing can get.' Guardian

‘The taut pace, crisp style and ever-present sense of menace are those of a top-drawer thriller’ Telegraph

‘Marshall is a cracker at writing tense, rich scenes’ Observer

‘Just when you think there’s nothing new under the sun in the world of the suspense novel, along comes one hell of a nasty spider called The Straw Men. It’s brilliantly written and scary as hell. Be the first on your block to stay up all night with this one; it’s a masterpiece, reminding us that even paranoids really do have enemies.’ Stephen King

'A staggering, suspenseful journey through the darkness of American crime ... succeeds in revitalising the serial killer novel with assured gusto... A new beginning for a major British writer, whose crime debut instantly moves him into the Thomas Harris division' Guardian

‘Brilliantly plotted, stunningly written ... I read this in one go ... if this isn't a hit, I am a monkey's uncle. And I don't think I am’. Independent on Sunday

From the Author:

Most of your novels are set in America – has this location in particular influenced your writing?
I spent a lot of time in America when I was young, and in a lot of ways it feels as much like home as the UK. I’ve lived in London for a long, long time now, however, and so maybe the US has become the place of my imagination, the realm where I go to make things up, and to dream. I also seem usually to come up with novel ideas that are, at least in part, about America, or at least facets of human nature and experience that are most starkly apparent there — and that’s probably the main reason my novels wind up being set there. Place is a character too.

How much of your life and the people around you do you put into your books?
I’ve never put a particular person into a book — not even myself. But you can’t help being influenced by your own take on the world, and by your observations of those who are both close to you, and strangers. Naturally you then take these raw materials and mix them into new combinations, twisting them into completely different shapes, usually without being aware that you’re even doing it. My books often contain at least a shadowed reflection of what’s going on in my real life — or in my real thoughts — at the time of writing; but real life and fiction are very different things.

You’re renowned for your twists and turns – do your characters ever surprise you?
They surprise me every single time. I start every book thinking I know pretty much how they’re going to behave, and then — bang: suddenly they’re taking their lives (and the book) in unexpected directions. I love it when that happens, despite the extra work and head-scratching and soul-searching it provokes. Real people always surprise us, after all, and the more characters in books do this (while remaining in character, of course) the more likely it is the novel will feel as if its being driven from within, rather than out of the mind of the writer. If I ever write a book where the characters never surprise me, then I’ll throw it away. Immediately.

Do you have a favourite character from your novels?
I’ve spent so much time with each of the main protagonists that they all feel like old friends. Stark from Only Forward came very naturally, as did Ward Hopkins in The Straw Men novels, and John Henderson from Bad Things. But I also really like Bill Raines from that last book, and a lot of others from earlier ones...

Which other writers have inspired you?
Stephen King was the first person who made me really want to write — though Enid Blyton deserves some prior credit there, along with Kingsley Amis and Raymond Chandler and PG Wodehouse. But there was also Ray Bradbury, and Philip K Dick and Jack Finney, and Martin Amis and Brett Easton Ellis, then Jim Thompson and James Ellroy and James Lee Burke... more recently, Richard Ford and Tobias Wolfe. And in the last few months suddenly there’s Richard Brautigan. There’s always someone new to find — and inspiration has to be kept fresh.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0007210000
• ISBN 13: 9780007210008
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 416