Ascension Day [Import] [Paperback]

John Matthews (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 576 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd (2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0141004851
• ISBN-13: 978-0141004853
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.3 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,654,648 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

As any Hollywood executive will tell you, there are three main acts in a film - and I suppose it could be said that my writing career has followed the same path.

The first act was two novels written in my twenties, Basikasingo and Crescents of the Moon. Published by Hutchinson/Arrow Books in London, both did well, selling 100,000 plus. But I became distracted with other publishing ventures and didn't return to writing novels for some while.

That return (Act Two, if you will), was with one of my strongest books to date, Past Imperfect. A crime thriller with a difference - think in terms of John Grisham meets Stephen King, but with an atmospheric 1960s French setting - Past Imperfect went on to sell over 500,000 copies in 8 countries. The Last Witness, The Shadow Chaser and Ascension Day followed in similar crime-thriller style. This in turn led to me penning a film treatment for Past Imperfect and also a fresh film script, 'Blind School' (Act Three).

Part of this has also involved a book in a different style, crossing the mythology-political thriller genre, which has been particularly succesful with foreign rights sales, adding Brazil, Turkey, Portugal and Bulgaria to my existing list of teritories. Putting my back-list on Kindle - which has seen the three titles so far listed all in the top-ten legal thrillers list on Amazon (again!). And finally penning a new novel in collaboration with TV producer Richard Belfield (for which we've become J.R. Mattfeld) to kick-start a crime-detective series set in 1890s New York, the first of which involves Jack the Ripper (yes, you heard right!). More on that later...

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Quite gripping, July 2, 2010

By 

I LOVE BOOKS (Italy) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ascension Day (Paperback)

The protagonist, lawyer Jac Mc Elroy, is determined to save his client, Larry Durrant, from the death penalty, the result of a horrific murder committed 11 years before. Jac is convinced that Larry may be innocent but every bit of evidence points to the contrary, including Larry's confession.
A well crafted plot and every detail is taken care of in the end, which is always what a good thriller should do. However I found that the book could have been shortened by at least 70 pages: it gets too overly repetitive at times, when the gist of the matter is already well explained and understood. Also, a couple of the circumstances surrounding the story bordered the "too much": too many coincidences, too... much to make the story believable, almost as if there wasn't enough already to deal with.
Still, I found this book quite entertaining. I wouldn't perhaps recommend it for the... abundant plot but mainly for the questions it raises about the death penalty, a very delicate issue which will make you think.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars John Matthews Ascension Day, November 26, 2009

By 

A. Graham (Hawaii) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ascension Day (Paperback)

Picked up "The Last Witness" in the library last year and couldn't put it down. So I went looking for more of his books - no luck. Ended up ordering all further titles through the internet. That is how much I like reading his Thrillers. I am surprised he hasn't made it on the Best Seller List in the USA yet. Much better reading then John Grisham or even Dan Brown. Don't start before Friday night though and don't make any plans for the rest of that week-end.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, December 28, 2011

By 

shutter bug "bug" (yuma, AZ) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ascension Day (Kindle Edition)

This is the first time I have read a book by this author but it won't be the last. I couldn't put it down. One of the best books I have read in a long time. The plot is great with many twists and turns in it and it held my interest all the way through. I don't agree that the book could have been shortened as said in a previous review. I can usually figure out what the outcome is and although you know that the lawyer is going to do the impossible the way the writer got to that end and kept my interst high was excellent. Highly recommend this book and will be looking for more from this author.