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Ascension Day Signed Edition [Paperback]

John Matthews (Author)
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)


Out of Print--Limited Availability.



Book Description

Only 47 days left until Larry Durrant's execution, but lawyer Lac McElroy is determined to save his client's life.

There are only three small problems: the evidence against Durrant is overwhelming, he's made a full confession, and he wants to die...

But Jac's hungry to make his mark and he knows something just isn't right about Larry Durrant's murder conviction. Trouble is, everyone thinks Larry's guilty, from the Louisiana Governor right down to the accused, who has confessed to the crime and now wants to make peace with his maker.

Jac soon discovers that someone doesn't want anyone — especially a lawyer — digging around this case. And they'll stop at nothing to make sure Larry's execution goes ahead on schedule. Now Jac must decide whether he's prepared to risk his career, his reputation and his life to save a man who, by his own admission, is a murderer . . .


When DEATH is your only hope...

Ascension Day is the most exciting and compelling death-row thriller since
The Shawshank Redemption


REVIEWS:

'Matthews certainly knows how to keep the reader hungry for the next revelation'.
- Kirkus UK.

Ascension Day is like a narcotic, laced with danger, and totally
addictive. Impossible to put down. This is what thrillers are meant to
be. Jac McElroy is a character I want to read more of.
- Jon Jordan. Crime Spree Magazine.

Goes to the wire... a gripping thriller.
- The Scotsman.

'If John Grisham ever developed a sense of irony, or Scott Turow ever tried to write from the other side of the prison bars, they might come up with something like John Matthews’s Ascension Day. This is a book that doesn’t sacrifice style for suspense, or character for plot. The legal thriller has needed a jolt of electricity for a few years now and Matthews may just be the man to throw the switch.'
- Peter Blauner,
Author of Slipping Into Darkness and The Intruder.

'Move over Grisham, your reign is over! Reminiscent of vintage Grisham, but Matthews has his own distinctive style. Strong, believable characters and a plot that grips from page one and won't let go, twisting and turning its way towards a nail-biting climax - they don't come much
better than this. One of the best and most memorable thrillers I've read in
years. A winner all the way.'
- Bob Burke. Mystery Readers International.

'ASCENSION DAY is a fast-paced thriller set between New Orleans and an upstate Louisiana prison, and Matthews' strong descriptive prose brings the darkness at the heart of Libreville penitentiary alive. His chief protagonist, Jac McElroy, is particularly interesting with his Franco-Scottish heritage - and his ever-changing relationship with prisoner Larry Durrant sets the main pulse for this race-against-time thriller... with the stakes and tension racheted up throughout the book.'
- Luke Croll, Reviewing the Evidence.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Product Details

  • Paperback
  • Publisher: Penguin Books
  • ISBN-10: 1845797507
  • ISBN-13: 978-1845797508
  • Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.3 x 1.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

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

4 Reviews
5 star:
 (3)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Quite gripping, July 2, 2010
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.
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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars John Matthews Ascension Day, November 26, 2009
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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.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, December 28, 2011
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
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.
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