Family Business by Mark Eklid

Release: June 3rd 2020
Format: Ebook
Publisher: KDP
Source: Random Things Tour
Find it at: Amazon

Family historian Graham Hasselhoff thought there were no skeletons in his cupboard. That is, until the day he met the son he never knew he had.
Getting to know Andreas, who is now the boss of a road haulage firm, soon leads him to a trail of arson, beatings, mysterious warnings – and murder.
Can his son really be behind this deadly business?
Graham has to quickly work out if Andreas is an impetuous eccentric – or a dangerously ruthless criminal.

About the Author:

It took until I was 57 to finally fulfill my dream to become a published author but seeing my work in print was far from a new experience.

Sunbeam, my debut novel, was self-published in November 2019 and was followed by Family Business on June 3 this year. Both are fast-moving, plot-twisting contemporary thrillers which use the city of my birth, Sheffield, as their backdrop, though Family Business is also part-set in my current home city, Derby.

My writing background is a career as a newspaper journalist, starting out as a trainee reporter with the South Yorkshire Times in 1984 before, three years later, joining the sports desk of the Derby Telegraph, where I have been ever since.

Most of that time in Derby has been as the newspaper’s cricket writer, a role that brought national recognition in the 2012 and 2013 England and Wales Cricket Board awards. I have also been a contributor for the last nine years to the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack and have had many articles published in national magazines, annuals and newspapers.

The hefty workload of writing as a profession meant writing for pleasure was largely left on the back burner but changed priorities at work made it possible – essential, even – to pick up the threads of one of the many half-formed novels in my computer files and, this time, see it through to publication.

Sunbeam was the result but it was never the intention to stop there. Family Business was well on the way by the time Sunbeam was published and a third novel, possibly the start of a series, is already well into the planning stage.

I was born in Sheffield and have lived in Derby since 1988 with my partner, Sue. We have two sons.

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Family Business Review:

I just finished reading this book and I am stumped! All I can say it this book is strange, weird, different, yet relatable, interesting and entertaining. I enjoyed it a lot!

The author takes you on a ride that you would never forget. You are on the edge of your seat with Graham as you figure out who is reliable and who isn’t. There are many twists and turns along the way. Moreover, he ending completely shocked me. I am not giving any spoilers, but the ending just threw me off. It was not what I expected at all. It’s an ending that will leave you speechless and ponder on what just happened! I feel so bittersweet about it though. On one hand, it is not what I expected or hoped. However, it was realistic and proved memorable, unique and different. I love that the author made me go through so many emotions while I read this novel.

The characters are strange and quirky that reminded me of Fargo. The author did a nice job by making it thrilling and eccentric with a touch of black comedy. Graham is just a sweetheart and my heart just went out to him. Even though he is not a detective, he uses his skills pretty well to find out what is happening. Janet is an excellent supporting character too. The rest of the characters are distinctive with an air of mystery and written very well.

Some questions remain unresolved like the person on the motorbike and Andreas’s mood swings. But apart from that, “Family Business” sure is different, but in a very good way!