One Character Down, More to Come

This is likely to disappoint readers of British novelist (and Rap Sheet contributor) Patrick Lennon, author of the newly released crime thriller, Cut Out, the third of his books featuring ex-policeman and now ex-private eye Tom Fletcher. But hey, if it’s the right decision for the author, then we have to accept it.

In a note featured on his Web site, Lennon writes:

The fact is that Cut Out will be the final book in this series.

We’ve seen Fletcher progress over ten years of his life, and grapple with some huge conspiracies, both personal and out there against the agencies of the state. In Cut Out, he comes up against the biggest conspiracy so far, involving the international heroin trade (more background here.)

And I think that’s where I have to leave his story. Three books just feels like enough, and I don’t want to start overcooking a concept that started as a one-page pitch to my agent and has evolved into a trilogy.

The paperback of Cut Out is published in Jan. 2010, and I hope we get a chance to meet at one of the reader events that will be happening around that time.

My next book with Hodder will feature a new hero--an international fixer called Charlie Blanco. Charlie’s a bit younger, and a bit rougher, but I think you’ll like him a lot.

I haven’t yet had the chance read Cut Out, but look forward to doing so later this month. If you don’t own a copy yet, maybe take a chance on saving a few bucks and enter Lennon’s contest to win a free, signed hardcover edition.