First published in hardback by Robert Hale BooksBOOKS MONTHLY writes:"...Gripping thriller - being an ex-soldier himself, Johns knows how they think and act, and his superior knowledge shows in this excellent tale..."
Viki Wilson of "CORNWALL TODAY" writes..."...Johns' brutal and gripping novel begins with an introduction to his central character, mercenary soldier Martin Palmer, as he takes part in a hired killing. The author's own experience as a soldier comes across clearly in his frank and down-to-earth portrayal of his characters, and we are quickly drawn into the shocking and grim world of soldiers for hire. Perhaps Johns' greatest achievement is to make you care about the soulless man who kills for money, as we follow him on a thrilling adventure filled with violence, intrigue and occasional moments of rare beauty as Johns, an artist and traveller in real life, describes the drama and beauty of the African landscapes in which his story takes place..."And from unknown Kindle readers..."...Lots of action. Really like it!...""...What a good author. I was there listening to the story being told live in jungle clearing. The characters were such a mixture of personalities that you could believe that the author was telling the tale from experience. I will certainly be looking for more from author Larry Johns...""...Well written action yarn about mercenary soldiers in central Africa. Intelligent plot provides enough substance to hang all the action scenes around. I thoroughly enjoyed this one...""...Really enjoyed this...was sorry when it finished..."
Place of Bones
Africa is fighting its old enemies - naked greed, systemic corruption, and poorly disguised ambition. In Central Africa especially, innocence or guilt of these things can be - and is - decided by the flip of any powerful country's coin. Robert McCann, a disgraced U.S. Marine officer, is not a mercenary soldier through choice. He fights for money because global financial interests - when it suits them - require him to do just that. McCann has been hired because not only is he a highly successful mercenary leader, he is also one of few who actually know the precise location, let alone the very existence, of Kanyamifupa, The Place of Bones.
With nightmares of past deeds threatening his sanity, Martin Palmer - hero of "A Warrior's Code" - wants out of the mercenary soldier business. The problem: he was good at it. Very good. The question: will the business let him go? His solution: try any damned thing that does not require pointing guns at people.
Keeping his profile obscured he ends up in Nigeria where, more or less on a whim, he opens a motor-repair business. Chance brings him together with a full-blooded Kenyan tribesman, Kowato Segani. The pair hit it off from the start, like long lost brothers, and Palmer hires him to help in the repair business. Neither of them know too much about motor repair and, understandably, the business as such does not exactly prosper. Of the two of them, only Segani really wants to make a go of it. But, for Palmer at least, it's a lot of fun, and he's sleeping nights.
Then, out of the blue, up pops a man who bears all the hallmarks of a mercenary recruiter. The offer is in mercenary numbers and the job is related to the mercenary business.
Apparently, something Palmer stole many years before, had already been stolen...and they want it back!
Says:Robin Wade. Literary Agent.
"...What a great story, and what a bunch of desperadoes! I didn't see the twists coming, and it's a really satisfying ending. The characters are uniformly excellent - interesting, unusual and utterly believable. I really enjoyed it!..."
I, said the Spyder
Jackie Ryderbeit is a member of a "Shadow Ops" team of MI6. His live-in partner works for a research section of MI5, and she is unaware of what her man actually does for a crust. So Ryderbeit is living a lie within a lie. Worse, when things go disastrously wrong, the woman he loves finds herself unable to claim even the dubious protection of the non-combatant.
To get at the truth - in a world that deals in lies - Ryderbeit has to methodically chip away at the normality of indifference and betrayal that skulk behind the facade. It seems that the system is there to pervert, and everyone who is anyone - including himself - is guilty as charged. And the guilt has no upper limit. In fact, the higher up the chain of command you delve, the deeper lies the guilt. In the end, the trick will be to find a friend who can help when your back is hard against the wall. But what if all your friends have died in the line of that same duty...what then?5.0 out of 5 stars"Great entertainment"Reviewed in Australia on 8 May 2016. Click/Tap to view in AmazonVerified purchaser"...This is a fantastic read, well written, thrilling sophisticated story, hard to put down...highly recommended for an action packed ride..."
Blackmailed by the C.I.A., Martin Palmer, hero of "A Warrior's Code", is thrown back into the cauldron of Bazinque. On the surface, his new paymasters are the very people he fought so hard to destroy. Except that everyone is working to their own agenda, and to their own ends. Trust, always an ambiguous concept in mercenary warfare, is now a dirty word. The odds are impossible, yet Palmer must pull something out of the fire, or spend the rest of his life on the run.
Power Play
First published in hardback by Robert Hale Books
Jackie Ryderbeit, carrying a government licence to kill, is tossed into a cauldron of International intrigue with orders to find and eliminate a double agent. With the help of a booze-sodden ex-courier and an over-the-hill trigger- man he casts for a shark only to find a whale on his line. The story reaches a shattering climax on the blue waters of the Mediterranean after a chase through the confused currents of cross and double-cross."...I had a hard time understanding what was going on when the story seemed to switch from the Mediterranean to some guy named Burgess that was god only knows where he was. I assumed it was a dream or a thought of a previous time, but the switching back and forth was confusing to me. I also found it sort of stupid that the agent named Jackie was as dumb as he appeared to be. For an agent to be as trusting as he was is just plain stupid if you ask me. For example, not keeping a close watch on the guy by the name of Werner when he forced himself aboard the little boat they were on. He should have been tied up or handcuffed. A lot of folks died because of this agent Jackie's stupidity..."
Everything this guy said was absolutely true. Reason: When my publisher, John Hale, CEO of Robert Hale Books, decided to retire, taking the whole shebang with him, all his authors, myself included, were left out in the shivering cold.
"PowerPlay" was the first of my novels "Hale Books" published, and it was the first I self-published on Kindle off my own bat. Or, I attempted to. In my impatience I did it all wrong. Not to put too fine a point on it, the formatting was an absolute mess, and my editing was worse. In fact, I did not have the vaguest technical idea of what I was doing!
This may not be a good reason; but it is a reason.
Looking back on it, the only real surprise is that this reader obviously stuck that version out through to the bitter end, regardless! Needless to say, I hit the instruction manual and put it right PDQ.
LESSON: Never be too hasty!
"...Another good easy read as always from this Author, moves along well and enough to keep you guessing..."
Czechmate
First published in hardback by Robert Hale BooksA dangerous double agent must be rescued from a Czechoslovakian prison. Or, failing that, he must be disposed of. In the event neither option is available, because the Black King has already "castled". "...Second book I have read by Larry Johns and have enjoyed both. No super heroes, just believable characters in the murky world of espionage. Well worth a look..."
"...Kept me on the edge of my seat throughout..."
A Time to Die
First published in hardback by Robert Hale Books
Burma has already fallen, and it seems certain that India must follow. The Allied armies, frantically attempting to regroup, must find a way to halt the westward advance of the Japanese, to gain a few precious hours respite. The target is Major General Tohutaro Sakurai, Commander of the Japanese Fourteenth Army, mastermind of the Japanese victories from Singapore to the Arakan. For Sakurai alone, if only for a short time, holds the key to the next advance. The method can only be the assassin's bullet or blade. But secrets are almost impossible to keep in a part of the world where fifth columnists and double agents are commonplace. For Captain Peter Lockhart the mission is doomed to failure almost before it has begun. Sakurai and Lockhart are drawn inexorably together on a tightening band of pride and circumstance, and the conclusion is one that neither man can foresee.
"...Well written enjoyable and believable tale of war which shows fears, flaws and loyalties on all sides. Feels real enough although fiction, Second book by Larry Johns I have read, both different, both excellent..."
"...very believable detail made this book a real page-turner. A really enjoyable read to the end. I would recommend this book to friends..."
"..."A Time to Die" takes us willingly on the treacherous journey of a military assassin. The World War II target is a brilliant and somewhat eccentric Japanese general. Lockhart, the intense and intensely focused protagonist, must navigate not only expected enemy obstructions, but also resistance from his own colleagues. If you enjoy bracing dialogue and unambiguous pacing, you'll enjoy "A Time to Die."..."
The Dongola Script
First published in hardback by Robert Hale BooksA group of archaeologists, sifting through burial mounds in Saudi Arabia, make a discovery that threatens to tear the Middle East apart. As the ripples of greed, intrigue and murder extend outwards to engulf the rest of the world the polyglot team of diggers vanish behind a curtain of lies and double-cross. Jackie Ryderbeit is pitched into the maelstrom in an effort to quell the rising storm. The fate of the archaeologists slowly becomes apparent, which only serves to lead Ryderbeit further and further away from the truth. Friend becomes enemy, and enemy becomes friend, as the story unfolds beneath the white-hot sun. But truth is always stranger than fiction, as Ryderbeit discovers to his cost.
An Ounce of Metal
Billy Bentley was a good soldier; a lifer, on his third tour of "The Stan". Then someone screws up an important mission. Men die. Friendly fire, some say. Either way, Billy ends up the innocent scapegoat. The result is an immediate Dishonourable Discharge from a job he had devoted his life to. Bitter and disoriented, his feet having barely touched the ground, he is approached by mercenary recruiting agency. Same job, different paymasters. Will he accept? Or will he not? His decision will be the most important he has ever had to make..
Thunder Island
First published in hardback by Robert Hale Books
"...Gilby Nash, ex military, ex special branch, now disgraced by both. A knack of being able to blow things up which people pay him well for. Taking on a job in the middle east was probably not the best idea though. I am growing to like this author, three books now and each one different in main characters, settings and time periods. The small details which are important replace padding which make stories over long. No super heroes just people with a bit of guile who sometimes do things they are not comfortable with. Some nasty types in this one as well which make our criminal main man look like a good guy..." "...fast-paced with an interesting story and good characters. I found it a bit hard at time to understand the Cockney of one character, but understand that helped bring that character to life. Story has all the usual ingredients: terrorism, money, murder, sex and a shootout, but was still a fun read..."
