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Red Plus Zone
It's been eight years since The Shattering, the day that time unravelled. On a windswept moor there's a body, brutally nailed out across a fracture. One half of the body has been dead no more than an hour or two whilst the other half, ravaged by the passing of decades within a Red Plus Zone, is little more than a skeleton. For DCI Sam McCall, a man whose demons have returned once more to haunt him, discovering the identity of the victim will only be the beginning. In the days that follow, he'll face once more the terrible truths of a world where time is broken, and find himself battling to stay sane amidst the chaos of this new, unforgiving reality.
355 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 16, 2014
About the author
Andy Ritchie
5 books13 followersAndy Ritchie (who writes under his Sunday name of Andrew) lives a relatively unremarkable life with his long-suffering wife, Wendy, his two inordinately expensive-to-keep daughters, Kayleigh and Emily, and the ghost of their recently deceased three-legged cat, Burt.
They live in a well-appointed detached house on the outskirts of the occasionally exciting former cotton-mill town of Darwen in Lancashire, which remarkably was never actually mentioned in the Domesday Book.
Andy is fifty years old but remains (in his own eyes at least) fairly ‘hip’ and ‘cool’ on the basis that he owns an iPod, can use Facebook, has completed Halo, and knows who George Ezra is.
In addition to becoming a published author, published poet and published photographer, he also has an ambition to experience a mid-life crisis before he is fifty-two, if only because most of his friends appear to have had one and he feels a little left out when they are being discussed at parties.
Andy's first books, The Book That THEY Do Not Want You To Read, Parts 1-3), were published as e-books in 2013 and were positively received, with many reviewers likening his work to that of the late, great Douglas Adams. A subsequent book of short stories, entitled God, Aliens, Death & Teapots, was also published as an e-book and was spectacularly unsuccessful. Unperturbed, Andy has recently published his latest work, Red Plus Zone, both as an e-book and, excitingly, in paperback. It's a long way from his first foray into print, a very small article published in Trail Magazine about how he once climbed to the top of a mountain called Merrick.
As well as writing, Andy enjoys photography, films, hill-walking and reading. When he's not writing or climbing hills, Andy can be found leafing through the novels by some of his favourite authors, including Terry Pratchett and Ben Elton. He is currently working through the Gollancz SF Masterworks series.
Andy has never been accused of taking himself too seriously.
They live in a well-appointed detached house on the outskirts of the occasionally exciting former cotton-mill town of Darwen in Lancashire, which remarkably was never actually mentioned in the Domesday Book.
Andy is fifty years old but remains (in his own eyes at least) fairly ‘hip’ and ‘cool’ on the basis that he owns an iPod, can use Facebook, has completed Halo, and knows who George Ezra is.
In addition to becoming a published author, published poet and published photographer, he also has an ambition to experience a mid-life crisis before he is fifty-two, if only because most of his friends appear to have had one and he feels a little left out when they are being discussed at parties.
Andy's first books, The Book That THEY Do Not Want You To Read, Parts 1-3), were published as e-books in 2013 and were positively received, with many reviewers likening his work to that of the late, great Douglas Adams. A subsequent book of short stories, entitled God, Aliens, Death & Teapots, was also published as an e-book and was spectacularly unsuccessful. Unperturbed, Andy has recently published his latest work, Red Plus Zone, both as an e-book and, excitingly, in paperback. It's a long way from his first foray into print, a very small article published in Trail Magazine about how he once climbed to the top of a mountain called Merrick.
As well as writing, Andy enjoys photography, films, hill-walking and reading. When he's not writing or climbing hills, Andy can be found leafing through the novels by some of his favourite authors, including Terry Pratchett and Ben Elton. He is currently working through the Gollancz SF Masterworks series.
Andy has never been accused of taking himself too seriously.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 15, 2015
I'm more of a crime novel fan than anything else and I always struggle to find something new, different and interesting. If you do too, then this is it. A crime novel with a very thought provoking sci-fi twist! I liken the style to a cross between Peter James and Orson Scott Card. It's a thoroughly enjoyable page turner. I just hope this is the first of a series, as there is so much to go at with such a unique concept (I'll say no more and not spoil it for you), and if not - I will be disappointed.
December 17, 2014
Red Plus Zone takes place in England in a world where time has shattered. This "Shattering" takes place in the near-future of Sam McCall's world. All over the world lay pockets of varying time zones. In a few places, time runs at normal speed. In others, time can be at a dead stop or speeding by, years ticking past in a single standard second.
Very few people would approach a Red Plus Zone, an area where time is greatly accelerated, unless they have a death wish. DCI (Detective Chief Inspector) Sam McCall finds himself doing just that when he's called to the scene of a brutal murder.
It's not enough that the body is half-out and half-in a Red Plus Zone, leaving one side freshly dead and the other a weather-worn skeleton. It's not enough that PTSD hits Sam with nightmares so violent and disturbing that he wakes in a pool of sweat. It's not enough that he's supposed to solve this murder on very little sleep. It's not enough that his precious pills - a highly prized commodity due to the Shattering - have finally run out. This body just had to belong to one of the richest men in the UK.
**I had the privilege of editing this manuscript. If you like sci-fi, if you like expert world building, if you like a good crime drama, if you like unpredictable plots and prickly characters, you will love Red Plus Zone.**
Very few people would approach a Red Plus Zone, an area where time is greatly accelerated, unless they have a death wish. DCI (Detective Chief Inspector) Sam McCall finds himself doing just that when he's called to the scene of a brutal murder.
It's not enough that the body is half-out and half-in a Red Plus Zone, leaving one side freshly dead and the other a weather-worn skeleton. It's not enough that PTSD hits Sam with nightmares so violent and disturbing that he wakes in a pool of sweat. It's not enough that he's supposed to solve this murder on very little sleep. It's not enough that his precious pills - a highly prized commodity due to the Shattering - have finally run out. This body just had to belong to one of the richest men in the UK.
**I had the privilege of editing this manuscript. If you like sci-fi, if you like expert world building, if you like a good crime drama, if you like unpredictable plots and prickly characters, you will love Red Plus Zone.**
January 21, 2015
It's only January and I would put money on this being the best dective novel of the year. In short it's a sort of Nordic Noir with a British flavour and a Science Fiction Twist.
In fact, if you enjoy reading science fiction and detective novels then this book is absolutely for you. The way the author uses the 'shattering' to enhance the story is very clever.
I can't wait for more!
In fact, if you enjoy reading science fiction and detective novels then this book is absolutely for you. The way the author uses the 'shattering' to enhance the story is very clever.
I can't wait for more!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews