Synopsis

Aidan McRaney is trying to stay away from his shadier past in this James Bond style thriller, but the offer of fifteen thousand pounds from Agency boss Nick Lombardi is too good to pass up. Lombardi needs someone to infiltrate the lair of ‘The Widow’.
No agent has survived previous missions and Lombardi believes it’s McRaney’s knowledge of the criminal underworld that will give him the edge. An arms dealer, The Widow is in league with the L.A. Mafia and has bought a house on a remote island off the Cornish coast, far enough away from the mainland where the arms can be both smuggled and tested. When Don Giorgio Avonicci arrives, accompanied by his female bodyguard, McRaney finds it’s not just the weapons being tested but his commitment to his wife in London.

Product details

• Paperback: 226 pages
• Publisher: lulu.com (9 Sept. 2016)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1326782584
• ISBN-13: 978-1326782580

   

My Thoughts

Aiden McRainey is a reformed criminal who ends up being pulled back into the seedy underworld of crime as an ‘undercover agent’ and even though it is the 4th in the series it actually was able to be read as a stand alone novel. I love the whole undercover angle and the will he/won’t he be discovered. I am a huge James Bond fan, which drew me into wanting to take part in this blog tour when I was asked if I was interested, and I wasn’t disappointed!

Interview with the Author

I want to welcome the author of ‘Dangerous Cargo’, J. M. Shorney, and thank her and Bookollective for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

I know your inspiration for this story is the screen adaptation of Agatha Christie’s ‘And Then There Were None’. Do you draw inspiration from anyone other than Agatha Christie when you write?

That was the one and only time I drew inspiration from Agatha Christie’s books.  The reason behind that was, as Aidan McRaney is based on Aidan Turner, Aidan just happened to play Philip Lombard, a mercenary. Aidan McRaney is essentially a mercenary.

My other inspiration is Jack Higgins’ character,  Martin Fallon. Also, the character Jonathan Pine in John  Le Carre’s ‘The Night Manager.’ As Pine’s other occupation was hotelier, Aidan McRaney is a landscape gardener.

Who is your favourite character in the book (NOT Aidan, that’s cheating!!) and why?

Sarah Avonicci.  I wanted a strong female character.  She flies a plane, carries a gun, has no compunction over killing the bad guys.  Yet she has lots of hang-ups; Abused by her father, her Mafioso husband shot dead in front of her.  Losing her job with the L.A.P.D for killing a member of a rival gang for the Don, her father in law, in exchange for access to her estranged daughter. I guess she is kind of my alter ego in a way!

I loved Sarah also. She is the perfect female character in my eyes.

What was your favourite book as a child?

My favourite book as a child has to be ‘Rebecca’ by Daphne Du Maurier.  My mother had one of the early editions, and I was about seven when I read the book. 

When did you start feeling inspired to become a writer?

I felt inspired to become a writer quite early on in life.  As an only child I was an avid reader and decided that I wanted to write at about seven or eight.  By the age of twelve my essays were so long the teacher had to set aside a forty minute period in order to read them to the class.

I’m an only child also and that sounds like you are talking about me!!

When writing, do you know how you wish to have the story end and work backwards or do you prefer to just start writing and hope the story writes itself?

Sometimes the story will write itself, as it did in Dangerous Cargo. I usually know the end, then work my way toward it.  Occasionally I let my characters drive the story, then rein them in if they get out of hand! Aidan McRaney has a habit of doing this, until I ask him who is writing this book, you or me; ‘Well I am,’ he says.  Because he is so real I sometimes expect to glance up and see him sitting on my sofa grinning at me!

I am actually laughing because I can imagine that situation – him, with his Scotch, just dictating away!

Do you have a target of an amount of words or pages a day or do you just write for as long as the inspiration is there?

I write for as long as the inspiration lasts.  I can write for four hours at a stretch sometimes when I’m really on a roll.

Will we be seeing Aidan McRaney again anytime soon?

I have a couple more Aidan books in the pipeline!

This is a question I ask everyone as I feel the computer has superseded the pen and paper. Which is your preferred method of writing your drafts, pen and paper or the keyboard?

Until a couple of years ago it was always pen and paper.  But now, though I wear glasses I struggle to read my own writing. Plus, I have a touch of arthritis in the base of my thumb, and cannot write with a pen for long periods.  It’s straight to the keyboard these days.

Oh, that’s a shame but in your situation, it is a more practical method of writing.

When reading, what is your favourite genre and how do you prefer to read your books? I know e-readers are really handy but, for me, nothing beats a paperback in my hand.

I’m still a fan of the paperback.  My favourite genre is Supernatural non- fiction.

Before we end our little Q & A,  I would love to know if you have any hidden talents or interests that you would like to share with us?

I play the piano (self-taught) and have written country songs.  I enjoy walking and listening to Classic Country music.

Thats really cool! 

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions and all the best with Dangerous Cargo.