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State of Fear

(John Bailey #2)

Tim Ayliffe (Goodreads Author)

4.10 · Rating details · 151 ratings · 31 reviews

Catching the world's most wanted terrorist was supposed to be someone else's job...

John Bailey has a history of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The former war correspondent has been kidnapped and tortured – twice. Finally he’s living something that resembles a normal life. But all that changes when a terrorist murders a woman in front of Bailey in London.

The ...more

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ebook, 400 pages

Published July 22nd 2019 by Simon Schuster Australia

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Jul 23, 2019 Kylie D rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, aussie-author, netgalley-2019, mystery-crime

I approached this book with great anticipation, having loved the author's debut novel The Greater Good, hoping that this offering would live up to it's predecessor. I'm happy to say it did, and more!

In this book John Bailey, a journalist battling demons, is witness to a terrorist attack in London, one that has far reaching consequences. Trouble has a habit of following Bailey, and back in his home town of Sydney things start to escalate as the war on terror touches Bailey personally. With the th ...more

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Aug 25, 2019 Amanda - Mrs B's Book Reviews rated it liked it

Shelves: review-book, first-reads, 2019-books, 2019-aussie-male-author-challenge

*https://mrsbbookreviews.wordpress.com
3.5 stars
Following the publication of The Greater Good in 2018, author Tim Ayliffe has released his second novel, State of Fear. A white knuckle political thriller, State of Fear again features John Bailey, a complex but intriguing lead, who displays a sense of dogged determination in his quest to seek retribution for a terrorist attack.

State of Fear follows The Greater Good, which was released last year to great success. Penned by an author who knows the in *https://mrsbbookreviews.wordpress.com
3.5 stars
Following the publication of The Greater Good in 2018, author Tim Ayliffe has released his second novel, State of Fear. A white knuckle political thriller, State of Fear again features John Bailey, a complex but intriguing lead, who displays a sense of dogged determination in his quest to seek retribution for a terrorist attack.

State of Fear follows The Greater Good, which was released last year to great success. Penned by an author who knows the ins and outs of world news, currents events and international relations, thanks to his work as a decorated journalist, State of Fear is a book that hits the ground running. It begins with a deadly but defining terrorist attack, which directly impacts the lead protagonist of Tim Ayliffe’s novel, John Bailey. This former war correspondent witnesses a horrific act of terrorism in London. He soon learns that the individual responsible for the attack is a man known to him, he is the very same man who tormented Bailey a decade ago in Iraq. As John Bailey grapples with the knowledge of this terrorist’s vendetta, the attacks continue and they hit much closer to home. With the help of a number of key allies, John Bailey must defeat this terrorist mastermind before it is too late.

With a front cover endorsement from an author I respect very much, Sara Foster, stating Tim Ayliffe’s work is ‘sharp, incisive and scarily prescient’, I was soon intrigued in this title. Although I haven’t read the first book by Tim Ayliffe, I didn’t feel I had missed anything. State of Fear could easily be read as a standalone title. I tend not to gravitate towards political thrillers, but as this one was set on home soil for a significant portion of the novel, so I definitely felt a connection to this piece.

Working as the current Managing Editor of television and video for ABC, as well as his many years as a journalist, has provided Tim Ayliffe with a wealth of experience to draw on in composing his novels. Ayliffe is aware of the world climate, current news trends, acts of terrorism, political relations and international issues. His second novel is very here and now, as well as up to the minute, capturing the very essence of the global atmosphere.

John Bailey, the central protagonist of State of Fear, is a returning character, as he featured in The Greater Good, the previous novel penned by Tim Ayliffe. The character development of John Bailey is this book’s strong point. I got a very good feel for this character’s good points and bad points. I also enjoyed his interactions with the key figures in his personal and professional life. The secondary character set are also well rounded. The dialogue is fast and flowing, with an authentic edge. I was struck at many times by the visual quality of this book, it was almost like a television script playing out in front of my eyes. I’m sure this is a sign that this series is destined for the big screen!

There are many themes to draw from in Tim Ayliffe’s second novel, from journalism and reporting, to the war, PTSD, relationships, terrorism, political and international relations. State of Fear is in a constant state of movement from the moment the first page has been turned. This novel pulls the reader in and doesn’t let go until the final parting chapter. I would recommend State of Fear to readers of action packed thrillers, who appreciate a political edge to their storylines.

State of Fear by Tim Ayliffe was published on 1st August 2019 by Simon & Schuster Australia. Details on how to purchase the book can be found here.

*I wish to thank Simon & Schuster Australia for providing me with a free copy of this book for review purposes.

*Book #8 of the 2019 Aussie male author challenge. ...more

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Oct 02, 2019 Karen rated it really liked it

Shelves: paperback, review-books, australian, thriller, crime

Remember the good old days of thriller fiction, with bad guys that were easy to pick and the good guys plentiful on the ground. Even the lone wolf types seem to inhabit a lot of corners, on a lot of dark streets, in a lot of mean places. Nowadays thriller fiction is reflecting the current day reality of terrorism, in particular political terrorism, in that the people committing the offences are often misguided, radicalised young people; the real bad guys are lurking presences in the background; Remember the good old days of thriller fiction, with bad guys that were easy to pick and the good guys plentiful on the ground. Even the lone wolf types seem to inhabit a lot of corners, on a lot of dark streets, in a lot of mean places. Nowadays thriller fiction is reflecting the current day reality of terrorism, in particular political terrorism, in that the people committing the offences are often misguided, radicalised young people; the real bad guys are lurking presences in the background; and the good guys are seemingly under-equipped for the role of lone wolf, single saviour of the world.

Certainly John Bailey is not the typical world saviour type. A journalist who was captured, tortured and nearly killed 10 years ago in Fallujah by the number one entry on the FBI's Most Wanted list, terrorist Mustafa al-Baghdadi, he's battling the demons of his time in captivity, a drinking problem, and a changing newspaper landscape. It's probably worth noting here that there is an earlier book in this series, published in 2018, THE GREATER GOOD, and whilst it's easy to get with the main story line in this outing without the back story, I've a sneaking suspicion it would have been better to read the earlier novel first. Certainly in terms of John Bailey's personal life which seemed nearly as compromised as his professional one.

Things rapidly escalate in STATE OF FEAR from an horrific bombing in London, at the door of the venue that Bailey is speaking at, switching focus quickly back to Sydney and the missing young son of a man who helped Bailey all those years ago in Fallujah. You'll need to pay close attention here as a lot of people get introduced into the mix quite quickly, and it soon becomes apparent that there's major attacks brewing - and there's something very personal in al-Baghdadi's targeting.

The plot expands at break-neck pace in STATE OF FEAR, and Bailey soon endures enough physical and psychological hits to make a normal person curl up in a corner and take a break. But Bailey's not that sort of a person, and the mere fact that these attacks, and the threat is coming from a man who he has such a difficult experience of, makes it personal, even before the threat becomes explicitly personal. He's not completely on his own in the pursuit though, and there are allies, friends, associates and people from the security services that are willing to help, if they can keep up that is.

Needless to say, extreme political terror thriller territory, with an energiser bunny type central character who gets knocked down, and gets up again more times than you can keep count of. The scenario here is frighteningly realistic, possibly as this author knows his subject matter from a journalistic viewpoint as well. At the time of writing Tim Ayliffe was the Managing Editor of television and video at the ABC, with a background in journalism, and he's obviously well aware of the way the news cycle operates around terrorism threats, the way that acts of terrorism are planned, and undertaken, and the political background to most of them. Needless to say we're talking Islamic extremists here, and whilst it's possible to think that's been done before, it's a bit like the good old days of Cold War spy thrillers where the good and bad sides were pretty well formulaic and the activities remarkably similar.

STATE OF FEAR does bring some different elements to the storyline however, with PTSD, the close relationships forged with allies and saviours, and the complications that extreme trauma has when victims try to return to "normal" life. Those messages are deftly wrapped up in a fast moving plot, with heaps of action and a lot of tension. Definitely one for fans of the political thrillers that explore very topical subject matter.

https://www.austcrimefiction.org/revi... ...more

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Jun 30, 2019 Gloria Arthur rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: the-bookshelf

State of Fear

This was an engaging, fast paced and thought provoking read. The story was well written and a modern day Australian crime thriller.

John Bailey as a Middle East Correspondent was kidnapped and tortured fifteen years ago by extremists in Iraq and since has had to deal with the demons of his past. He is still a journalist and living a practically normal life but soon his world will be turned upside down once again.

He is invited overseas to London to give a talk about Islamic terrorism. ...more

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Nov 07, 2019 Belinda rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: thriller-mystery-horror, 2019-reads

I really enjoyed this story. Part of it was because it was set in Sydney and Western Sydney and I loved reading the setting so well depicted. However, there were times that the author diverged to make commentary about the government that didn't relate to the story. For example, in one part there was talk about the government's agenda in regards to the building and construction of apartments. Similarly there were times where the descriptions of a street like Parramatta Road lasted for a page. I t ...more

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Aug 28, 2019 Nahum Hall rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I bought The Greater Good because I know a relative of the author. I bought State of Fear because of how good The Greater Good was. I will now buy every book that he writes because this book is brilliant.

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Jul 14, 2019 Alice rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: australian, 4-star, read-own, crime-mystery-thriller

I really enjoyed this fast-paced thriller. It is set in a very real world where terror attacks occur far too frequently and way too close to home - in this case both Sydney and London. The story is well-written, fast-paced and engaging. It wasn't until I was almost half-way through that I realised that it's the second book in the John Bailey series, but I didn't feel like I had missed anything not having read the first one.

There were a few things I would have liked more explanation on at the end ...more

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Jul 06, 2019 Jay Dwight rated it really liked it

I really enjoyed Tim Ayliffe's debut and this follow up is another top read.

Journalist John Bailey finds himself right in the middle of a terrorist plot. Thought provoking, fast paced and frighteningly realistic, the story alternates between Sydney and London. ...more

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Jun 16, 2019 Tony Nielsen rated it it was amazing

Tim Ayliffe has brought his A game to "State of Fear". His go-to character is called John Bailey whose past is littered with being in the wrong place at the wrong time as his role as a war correspondent saw him kidnapped and tortured twice. Now his life changes again as a woman is murdered right in front of him in London.

The mastermind behind this brutal attack is Mustafa al-Baghdadi, the very same man who tortured Bailey in Fallujah ten years earlier. He's also Number One on the FBI's most want ...more

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Aug 01, 2019 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: provided-by-publisher, arc-are

State of Fear is an entertaining contemporary thriller from Tim Ayliffe, his second novel featuring journalist, John Bailey.

Moments after Australian the veteran war correspondent concludes his speech for an audience in London’s Chatham House about his experience at the hands of a Islamic terrorist organisation, Bailey witnesses a radicalised jihadi youth slit the throat of an innocent woman in St James Square. Less than 48 hours later, back home in Sydney, Bailey learns that the spectacle was or State of Fear is an entertaining contemporary thriller from Tim Ayliffe, his second novel featuring journalist, John Bailey.

Moments after Australian the veteran war correspondent concludes his speech for an audience in London’s Chatham House about his experience at the hands of a Islamic terrorist organisation, Bailey witnesses a radicalised jihadi youth slit the throat of an innocent woman in St James Square. Less than 48 hours later, back home in Sydney, Bailey learns that the spectacle was orchestrated in part for his benefit by Mustafa al-Baghdadi, the leader of ‘Islamic Nation’, and the man responsible for Bailey’s kidnap and torture a decade ago in Fallujah. Mustafa, has an axe to grind with John, and he is promising more bloodshed to come.

Capitalising on the current threat the Islamic radicalisation of youth poses to Western society, State of Fear has a frighteningly credible plot. Determined to make Bailey pay for a perceived betrayal, Mustafa has planned attacks that will not only spread terror among the population, but will also affect John personally. He begins by radicalising the Australian born child of Bailey’s former Iraqi driver/fixer to get his attention, and then has his believers target Bailey, and those closest to him.

Moving between the inner suburbs of Sydney and London, the fast pace ensures that tension and interest remain high as Bailey joins in the search for the martyrs, attempts to stop further attacks, and locate Mustafa.

John Bailey is an engaging hero, though he certainly has his flaws, struggling daily with his sobriety and suffering PTSD from the months he spent at the mercy of ‘Islamic Nation’. I really liked the strength of his friendship with his editor, Gerald Summers, and CIA agent, Ronnie Johnson (though the latter says ‘Bubba’ way too much). His romantic relationship with Sharon Dexter is complicated, not the least by her new job as the head of the NSW Joint Counter Terrorism Team.

State of Fear also includes some interesting social commentary from Bailey’s perspective about the state of modern journalism, the failure of the government to address the alienation of the Australian Islamic community, and the indiscriminate filming and social media sharing of tragedy.

I really enjoyed State of Fear, and I’d happily recommend it to fans of authors such as Michael Robotham and Greg Barron. ...more

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Aug 06, 2019 Nic rated it liked it

This isn’t a genre I usually read (i.e. terrorist plots and the like), but this was an enjoyable book. The book follows John Bailey, a journalist, who finds himself caught up in a terrorist plot as a result of his past as a war correspondent in Iraq.

The plot was very fast-paced, especially the last quarter where I couldn’t turn the pages quick enough! Most of the book is set in Sydney, which personally I found enjoyable as it’s my hometown and I love hearing place names and locations that I know ...more

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Sep 16, 2019 Jeannette rated it really liked it

Book blurb...
‘Ayliffe delivers a taut, nail-biting page-turner straight from the headlines, stamping his mark on the modern day thriller’
John Bailey has a history of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The veteran war reporter has been kidnapped and tortured – twice. Finally he’s living something that resembles a normal life. But all that changes when a terrorist murders a woman in front of Bailey in London.
The mastermind behind the attack is Mustafa al-Baghdadi – No.1 on the FBI’s mos ...more

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Jan 29, 2020 Donna rated it really liked it

Shelves: reviewed

I am not a big reader of thrillers but I do love to read a good one from time to time. This one didn't disappoint. I quite enjoyed it.
John Bailey is a journalist that always seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and never seems to know what is waiting for him around the next corner. He has great friends around him that seem to keep him alive.
I loved the characters in this novel as they all brought something different to the story. And although it seemed to start a little slow it kept ...more

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Oct 27, 2019 Tanya rated it really liked it

John Bailey is a war correspondent journalist from Sydney, living a life of trying to recover from too much alcohol drinking, nightmares of being held hostage by one of the worlds most dangerous terrorists and trying to keep his romantic relationship going with his girlfriend Sharon Dexter, who works as a cop with the Counter Terrorism Unit.

Bailey’s ordeal begins when he gets a phone call from an unknown caller but he instantly recognised the voice-the wanted terrorist who tortured and held him ...more

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Apr 20, 2020 Sarah rated it really liked it

Love the local landmarks that set this book so clearly in Sydney. Noted that most of the driving is done at night which explains how Bailey can cross the city in less than a day. I hadn’t read the first book and John Bailey is living with a lot of stuff from his colourful history. Ayliffe obviously has a rich history himself and we get a fair amount of (Tim’s) Baileys views on current media, politics, race issues and society in general. From the physical description I was kind of picturing a Bar ...more

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Aug 05, 2019 Deb rated it it was amazing

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for my book.

Boy, does this book move along. Straight into the action and it keeps coming. There is deceit, action, corruption, threats and even a little bit of romance. John Bailey, the former war correspondent is a believable character. He wants a normal life, after being kidnapped and tortured, but becomes involved with a deadly terrorist. Bailey's life is certainly not normal.

Very exciting read. ...more

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May 17, 2020 Gavan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Fast moving & action packed thriller. Very enjoyable book to read - well developed characters & great interaction between them. Hints of greater social commentary every now & then without getting too "preachy". And the story line hovers beautifully in the shadows between believable & incredible. Clear, concise prose that conveys the scenes & the story well. Very highly recommended as an Australian thriller. Will certainly read any future instalments about Bailey. ...more

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Aug 26, 2019 Lyn added it

A real page turner that taps into present day politics and concerns. The fear that terrorism generates is captured in this book. The radicalisation of young people is an issue, as well as racism and religion. The ending seemed a bit rushed, and I feel there must be a sequel somewhere in the offing.

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May 24, 2020 Dawn Hough rated it it was amazing

Shelves: women-of-mystery-dawn-2020

Absolutely brilliant! The book had me absolutely captivated within the first couple of pages ... add to that the novelty of the two key characters living within my local area :) ... seriously though, fabulous story, not without its surprises. Story built around a terrorist plot that starts in London and makes it's way to Sydney. Definitely worth reading! I'll be going back for more! ...more

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Jun 27, 2020 Ann Tonks rated it liked it

Shelves: australia, islam, terrorism, sydney, london, journalism

I would have given this well crafted thriller a high score except for one moment towards the end of the book where I simply don't believe the scenario the writer has created. There's no psychological truth to the moment. Which is a pity. Because otherwise, this story of journalists, spies and policy working together to solve a terrorist threat is a good read. ...more

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Jul 27, 2019 Caroline Poole rated it really liked it

A very current and so believable terrorist story. Hang on for fast paced, action that barely stops for breath! Great writing that hooks you in as you follow this quest to catch terrorists, save lives, live your life and stay alive.

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Nov 15, 2019 Alison Wootten rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2019

Think this was better than book 1 (The Greater Good). Bailey is a wee bit super-human, but likeable and readable.
A positive shout out to all the good journalists who strive to give us news in an honest, truthful way.

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Jan 04, 2020 Martin rated it liked it · review of another edition

More of the same but sufficiently well written to keep one engaged. The terrorist events in major world cities must provide writers of this genre so much fodder !!! akin to gruesome murders for SVU or Criminal Minds .

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Aug 01, 2019 Benjamin rated it it was amazing

Wrenching.

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Aug 26, 2019 Peter rated it liked it

Somewhat formulaic but a good read nonetheless.

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Aug 29, 2019 Simona rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: library-loans-2019

Scary - with a sad dismiss

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Sep 11, 2019 Georgie Conyngham Greene rated it it was amazing

A gripping yarn, never a dull moment. Tim Ayliffe has an amazing sense of location, and just the right amount of description to keep you hooked. I loved it.

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May 06, 2020 John montague rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

A great read

There is a lot to like about this book. The authentic Australian setting bought the book alive for this Aussie reader.

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May 30, 2020 Samantha Skinner rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Really good read!

Really great read, very well written and I love reading books based in Australia. Bailey would be pleased Alan Jones has retired too lol

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Aug 26, 2020 Stef Gibby rated it it was amazing

A very interesting read and scarily prescient.

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About Tim Ayliffe

Tim Ayliffe

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Tim Ayliffe has been a journalist for almost 20 years and is the Managing Editor of Television and Video for ABC News. He has also worked as TV News Editor for ABC News and the Executive Producer of ABC News Breakfast.

Before joining the ABC in 2006, Tim worked in London for Sky News as a digital and television journalist. The Greater Good is the first book in Ayliffe's John Bailey crime-thriller ...more