#Blogtour Green Shoots by Ben Westwood

 It's my turn on the Blogtour Green Shoots by Ben Westwood.

About the Author

Ben Westwood is an author, lecturer and performer. He has worked for many years as a journalist, writing for publications including The Daily Telegraph, The Times, The Guardian and The Independent. He lived for several years in South America and has authored travel guidebooks to Ecuador, Galapagos and Peru.

Green Shoots is his first novel and draws on his own experience of grief and of living in Ecuador.

Ben now lives in East Sussex with his two children and lectures at the University of Brighton. In his spare time, he is a singer-songwriter and has released two self-funded albums.

To accompany the release of his debut novel, Ben is releasing a Green Shoots Soundtrack of 10 original songs on the themes of grief, loss, love and healing, available on Spotify, iTunes and all major music channels from September 2022. For further information on all Ben’s writing and music, benwestwood.net or music on benwestwoodmusic.com. Follow @benwestwood on Twitter

About the book

The Constant Gardener meets Dexter - Green Shoots is a gripping conspiracy thriller with an ecological heart. 

Brought back from the brink of suicide by a mysterious phone call, grieving journalist John Adamson is on a quest for the truth about his wife Christina's death in South America. 

A private investigator provides John with clues to what really happened, but also tips him off to investigate a spate of deaths of businessmen, all found with the same cryptic message: "Out of their ashes, green shoots will grow." 

From the protest-filled streets of London to the ravaged jungles of Ecuador, John is unwittingly drawn into a lethal plot. There seems to be a vigilante killer on the loose, but who is behind these murders and what is the connection to his wife's death?

Review

Literally sat on the top of a cliff contemplating the most tragic and desperate of choices, due to the loss of the woman he loved most dearly, until a stranger intervenes. A voice from the ether or a voice with a hidden agenda.

It certainly seems as if John is being watched constantly, they seem to be everywhere and know each step he takes. At first he is blinded by the thought that his life was saved by a stranger with good intentions, the realisation that he is merely a tool in a game of reckless profit is something he isn't able to see at first.

The death of his wife and the mystery surrounding the reason and the culprit - it overshadows his ability to see events through the lens of his experience.

The criminal element of the plot is offset by the underlying tone of grief and loss that follows the main character throughout the story. The shadow and depth of darkness that is always there lingering in the background. In a way being dragged unwillingly into the lethal and ruthless machinations of the eco criminals keeps John from giving up on life completely.

It's an eco thriller that gives a glimpse into the brutality of the profiteering, the ruthless bulldozing of criminals only interested in money, whilst simultaneously drawing on the drive and desperation of a man haunted by loss and grief.

Buy Green Shoots at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher : ‎Cranthorpe Millner Publishers, pub date 27 Sept. 2022. Buy at Amazon com.