You Talk You Die: Richard West Thriller 1(1 Richard West Series)

The murder of a journalist, Dawn McDonald, begins a series of distressing events for Richard West, the Deputy Principal of a girls' high school. The antagonism of his boss,Millicent Pentecost, and unfounded accusations of sexual misconduct add to his woes. Then his daughter disappears and a threat is issued. Who is doing this? Why are these things happening? Dawn McDonald's twin sister, Rose McClune, pulls evidence together and discovers there is a link between her undercover work in Fiji and the happenings in Weatherston. Why have the authorities ignored the evidence? Why is the Minister of Police in league with an assassin? Although Richard West is supported by his wife Alex he cannot escape the psychological trauma of events. Neither can his fourteen year old daughter who faces death at the hands of an unscrupulous villain.

About the Author :
Dr Robert W Fisk is an English-born New Zealander. He was a teacher, a school counsellor, and later a school principal in a composite school. He most recently worked as Senior Manager for Special Programmes in the University of Otago Language Centre. His work spans several genres: adult thriller, young adult adventure, bildungromans, historical saga.

Review :
Star Crossed Fisk is a master at intricate plots and Star Crossed is no exception. Moving between nineteenth century England and present-day New Zealand he weaves a complex story, rich in characters and locations, historical detail and contemporary situations, where present events often mirror the past. Kidnapping, rape, murder, unwanted pregnancy and misplaced love are all features of this novel. The lynchpin is an old woman’s quest to find out more about her family history. My preference was for the historical story and I was intrigued by Fisk’s sprinkling of fascinating facts such as the making of condoms by talented seamstresses. A good novel to keep you engaged during lockdown… and there are more to come. Sally Burns, Visions and Values The Fern Valley Conspiracy A fast-paced thriller set in a rural New Zealand town which is covering up shady deals linked to the town's main source of employment, a multinational forestry company. What are they harvesting? Can you really buy silence? No words are wasted in Fisk's writing. Economical description, smoothe dialogue and excellent characterisation, this book had a compelling twisty plot, moments of laugh out loud humour, and Dr West's quiet competence kept me turning the pages. I don't read Thrillers often any more due to the increasing trend of excessive explicit content where violence against women/shock value seems to be prized higher than genuine intrigue, so I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of graphic content, and "The Fern Valley conspiracy" proves that stories can still be thrilling without explicit or gratuitous violence. Kura Carpenter. Star Crossed This is a New Zealand author who deserves to be read. My first introduction to Robert Fisk’s writing was as an advance copy reader for this specific novel. Although writing outside of my usual genre of preference he has rapidly become one of my favourite current day authors. If you have not read anything by him I can highly recommend taking the chance and reading any of his works. The Stalking of Louise Copperfield Another gripping tale from a man who is rapidly becoming the go-to author for easy-to-read but engaging mystery novels. Set against the backdrop of Fisk’s native New Zealand, the plot is complex with constant new twists and turns. A great read for a wet afternoon in front of the fire or poolside in the sun. Sally Burns