Death List by Paul Johnston

I recently finished reading, Death List written by Paul Johnston. I found it to be great read. Though I do have to say, the graphic images of violence portrayed in the book should only be read by mature audiences and not for the squeamish. This book is a real thrill ride taking you from one page to another wanting to see what will happen next.

The story involves a novelist living in London named Matt Wells who writes under the pseudonym Matt Stone. He is divorced with has a young daughter and his writing career is not going as well as he would like after having previous successful novels. He still has a fan base that he answers their emails from his website. One fan is particularly interested in him. As he reads an email from the fan, he finds himself drawn into a terrifying plot for revenge.

From the beginning it keeps the reader guessing how the fan emailing Matt is performing the things he is doing and how he knows every move Matt is making. The fan only identifies himself as WD for white devil, a reference to the writings of John Webster. He proceeds to manipulate Matt to write out his series of gory acts of revenge.

Why is WD doing this? He has a death list of people he wants revenge on for acts they did upon him through his life. Now I am not saying they did not deserve what they got, well maybe not so extreme. When reading the novel you actually can develop slight compassion for WD due to the horrible life he has had.

There are many literary references in this novel. There are many discussions and attributions to John Webster. The writing style of Paul Johnston reminds me of Harlen Coben. So if you like Harlen's writing you will love this book.

WD models his murderous acts of revenge after descriptions of murders Matt had written in his earlier novels. This peaks the interest of the local law enforcement especially Inspector Karen Oaten and her assistant Detective Sergeant John Turner who begin to believe Matt is the one doing the murders. Their suspicion heightens when WD starts working on a list of negative critics of Matt's.

Johnston does a great job of throwing in a subplot about a murderous band of SAS men as well as hinting toward a possible budding romance between Matt and Inspector Karen Oaten. The action reaches a pivotal point when Matt enlists a group of friends he plays rugby with and decides to turn the tables on WD when his friends and family becomes endangered.

Paul Johnston the author of Death List is the son of successful thriller writer Ronald Johnston. He started writing seriously around 1989 when he, his wife, and daughter went to live on the small Aegan island of Antiparos. Paul's wife Roula who is a Greek civil servant and their daughter Maggie divide their time between Athens and the UK.

For more information on Paul Johnston and his writings go to: www.paul-johnston.co.uk