Hold Still – Tim Adler #3: A Psychological Thriller

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Hold Still – Tim Adler #3: A Psychological Thriller Page 25

by Tim Adler


  "Has anybody spoken to Sir Ronald?" I said. "Is he aware of what's happened?"

  "As acting chief executive, it's up to you to make the call," said Rosenthal drily.

  "Fine," I said, determined not to be rattled. I reached for the phone in the centre of the table. "I'll wake him up."

  I punched in Dad's home number and listened to the dialling tone. After four or five rings, Eliska's sleepy voice answered.

  "Eliska, it's Hugo. May I speak to my father, please?"

  There was mumbling in the background, and I pictured their bedroom in Berkshire with the dialysis machine next to the bed. My father's voice came out over the speakerphone.

  "Do you have any idea what fucking time it is?" he said.

  "Dad, you're on speakerphone. I'm in the boardroom with Brian and Nigel. We've had some bad news."

  I found myself standing up as I went over our predicament. How many times in the past had I felt my kneecaps dissolve as Dad eviscerated me in this very room over the loudspeaker? There were moments when the boardroom had felt like Hitler's bunker, with the generals glancing nervously at each other while the Führer raged. This time, however, there was silence. What I couldn't understand was why Dad had gone ahead and reinsured Dutch Marquez on our own, ignoring the usual protocols. Then again, you could never underestimate how rapacious Dad was when it came to money. He was like a shark in that he had to keep moving, always searching for the next deal. For him, the deal was the thing; I don't think he had ever had a self-reflective moment in his life.

  Finally Dad said, "Well, there's no choice, is there? We'll have to go out to our investors and get the money from them."

  I turned to Rosenthal, who was listening intently with his fingers steepled. "Nigel, you're going to have to be the one who writes to them. How will this go down?"

  "We only called on them last year to help us mop up the damage from Hurricane Nora," Rosenthal said. "In my opinion, this is going to wipe out many of them completely. Some are going to lose everything."

  The gloom in the room deepened.

  Ronnie's voice came over the speakerphone. "If God had not meant them to be sheared, he would not have made them sheep."

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  About the Author

  Tim Adler is an author and commissioning editor on The Telegraph, who has also written for the Financial Times and The Times.

  His debut self-published thriller Slow Bleed went to number one in the US Amazon Kindle psychological thriller chart. Its follow-up Surrogate stayed in the Top 40 psychological thrillers for more than a year.

  The Sunday Times called Tim's most recent nonfiction book The House of Redgrave "compulsively readable" while The Mail On Sunday called it "dazzling". Adler's previous book Hollywood and the Mob – an exposé of how the Mafia has corrupted the movie industry – was Book of the Week in The Mail On Sunday and Critic's Choice in the Daily Mail.

  Tim is former London Editor of Deadline Hollywood, the US entertainment news website.

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  www.timadlerauthor.com

  Thrillers by Tim Adler

  A missing son

  A kidnapper who's dead

  Nobody believes her

  Nothing will stop her

  When Doctor Jemma Sands' five-year-old son goes missing, only she believes that a vengeful patient has stolen her child. How do you convince police to search for a dead woman? As her world falls apart, Jemma realises she is the only one who can save her son. If somebody took your only child, how far would you go to get him back?

  What the critics say about Slow Bleed:

  "A tense and gripping crime read ... Slow Bleed grabs you by the throat." Raven Crime Reads

  "One of those books you can't put down ... a great medical thriller." Book of the Month, Crime Book Club

  How much is your child worth? That's the question Hugo and Emily Cox must answer when they get a ransom demand for their child – from Alice, the surrogate mother they paid to carry their baby. The police are helpless. No law has been broken – the baby belongs to their surrogate. And Hugo has a secret he's keeping from his wife that makes their search even more desperate.

  Now Hugo and Emily must find their missing daughter ... even if it costs them everything they own. Fans of Elizabeth Haynes, Sophie Hannah and Mark Edwards will love this gripping and fast-moving thriller.

  What the critics say about Surrogate:

  "A fantastic read ... wonderful plot twists." Thriller of the Month – E-thriller.com

  "A great read ... if you loved Gone Girl, try this." Crime Reader

  "Very readable and intriguing thriller ... a good choice for a summer holiday read." Raven Crime Reads

  "An exciting new author ... engaging and deliciously dark." Northern Crime

  Urbane Publications is dedicated to developing new author voices, and publishing fiction and non-fiction that challenges, thrills and fascinates.

  From page-turning novels to innovative reference books, our goal is to publish what YOU want to read.

  Find out more at urbanepublications.com

  Go back to Contents

  Table of Contents

  Books by Tim Adler

  Friday

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Saturday

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Sunday

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Monday

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Tuesday

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Wednesday

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Thursday

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  One week later

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Acknowledgements

  Excerpt from Surrogate

  About the Author

  Thrillers by Tim Adler

 

 

 


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