The Contest: (1 The Contest Trilogy)

Martin Fallaway is dying. With no family to leave his surplus fortune to, he holds a contest where ten families compete on his tropical island, to be the last team left to claim the prize of thirty million dollars. Arriving on the island, the contestants' need for shelter is paramount, but the warm sunny days, powder-white sand and crystal clear waters cloak their perspectives. When the first storm hits, causing the first departure, the contestants realise their time on the island might not be as idyllic as they first thought. As the days tick slowly by, hidden dangers begin to manifest themselves, insecurities creep in, personalities change, inquisitive minds take over, secrets become lies, reckless decisions made, change their lives forever and when the unthinkable happens to the remaining four families and their very existence is threatened, the island becomes their darkest nightmare. With time running out and their trust in one another challenged, can they bury their consciences and risk everything or will the emotional sacrifice be too great, leaving them with no choice, but to walk away.

About the Author :
Carne Maxwell lives in Auckland with her husband and two teenage children. Carne's profession as an artist led her to expand into the world of writing. One of her favourite times is sitting at a computer, visually seeing her stories unfold as her fingers tap away. Designing the covers and inside layouts puts the finishing touches to her work.

Review :
As a proofreader and editor, I have worked on many different styles and genres of books, some fun; some instructional; some simply a ripping good read. Carne Maxwell's The Contest falls into the last category. Indeed, there were many occasions while working on the book when I quite forgot that I had a job to do and found myself racing ahead to see what happened next. There are many memorable moments between the deceptively calm beginning and the didn't-see-THAT-coming ending: Ms Maxwell has a most fertile imagination and her second book can't come quickly enough for me.; Carne came to me as a first-time author, looking for proofreading and editing help, but she needed very little of either. The book flows wonderfully well and her skills as a storyteller seem innate. "The Contest" contains elements of romance, sex and plain, outright horror. In fact, while there are movies that were made for the big screen that should never have been allowed, "The Contest" would, in my opinion, not only stand the test of time alongside films such as "Cape Fear", but could possibly break some box office records, given the right cast.; Lel Scott;"I can't believe you killed off ...! I'm going to need counselling now. Honest opinion- it's great!! To me the real stand-out aspect of the writing is the 'pace' that it all moves at. Which I think is largely due to the great dialogue throughout- it conveys the plot and the characters without needing a whole lot of wordy explanation. It's really good writing and a genuinely exciting plot. I was interested right from page 1 to the end." 'I don't think you need to be nervous about sending it to a production company - I think they'll be thrilled to get a story and characters as good as this'.; Jonathan Ward; What a ripping yarn as they say! Carne Maxwell's book The Contest was such a good read. This was a really interesting and imaginative concept ...with so many key characters involved from the outset there was some initial introductory explanation and setting up of the scene required but once this was established it just took off and went from strength to strength. (I found the handy reference guide at the front to the various families involved a huge help initially before I got to 'know' everyone) By halfway through though I was totally gripped and simply could not put it down until I had finished it! I thought it was very well thought out with good detail, character portrayal and insight into human nature and motives. It became very action packed and tense as things progressed ... but in such a totally realistic plausible way with a great finish. Thoroughly recommend it - and I would like to see the movie!; Lix Hooker; Like survivors of a shipwreck, ten hugely disparate families are conveyed to an idyllic deserted island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. All they have to do is build a shelter and survive for three months. At the end of that time, the families that are still on the island will have a chance to win $30,000,000. To help them survive, each family has some supplies provided by the contest organiser and some more supplies that they have chosen themselves. As well, the island has plenty of fresh water, an abandoned orchard providing exotic fruit, and chemical toilets.; The contest is the idea of Martin Fallaway. Although he is dying of cancer, his love of adventure and mischief prevents him from simply donating his fortune to the needy. Instead he has pitted these families, chosen at random, against nature and each other.; Once conveyed to the island, the dangers of the tropics emerge along with the nastier side of human nature. In The Contest Carne Maxwell's families interact with each other, figuring out who to like and trust and who to avoid. Inevitably there is deceit, spitefulness and kindness; mistrust, bigotry and romance.; Maxwell uses a range of unfortunate events and misadventures to gradually reduce the number of competing families, but right down to the last pages there is no real clue of how the contest is going to end. Maxwell keeps up the pace, alternating tragedy with moments when the teams come together and forget they are competing, or when the adults and teenagers muse on their feelings and their family dynamics.;The Contest is a well-written, easy but suspenseful read. As well, it is a showcase for Carne Maxwell's many talents. Not only is she the book's author: she painted the cover illustration (a slightly sinister abstract scene that is a warning that while the setting may be very beautiful, there is something menacing lurking in paradise) and designed the book's layout and cover, and did the typesetting.; FlaxFlower review