# Awesome Review of "Dereliction of Duty"



## Sam (Jun 11, 2010)

A couple of weeks ago I approached my local newspaper and asked them if  they would be interested in doing an interview about my new book. They  jumped on the opportunity to publicise the presence of a home-grown  author. An interview was set up swiftly and an article prepared for the  following week's edition of the newspaper. It was your run-of-the-mill  question and answer thing, with a small bio and a few other details. My  plan was to bring the novel to the attention of my local town, in an  effort to sell more copies. I never anticipated what would happen next. 

A  reporter for my nearest city paper happened upon the interview whilst  stopping in for a meal in my home town. He was so intrigued by the  article that he went and purchased the novel. A few days later, he  called me and asked if I would consent to having my book reviewed. Of course, I agreed wholeheartedly. This is the review he  gave me. There was a little bio before it, but it isn't necessary to  show it. Certain parts have also been omitted or altered in the interests of privacy.   

_Not since Frederick Forsyth's "The Day of the  Jackal" has a book kept me so riveted as "Dereliction of Duty" did. I  happened upon the novel whilst reading an article in the Examiner. I've always been a  supporter of local and home-grown talent and my purchase of the novel  was as much to support the author as it was to actually read it. Upon  finishing the first chapter, I knew I would not put the book down. I was  right. 

"Dereliction of Duty" is an action-packed thriller which  grips you on page one and does not stop four hundred pages later at the  denouement. There are twists and turns galore. Incredible cliffhangers  abound at the end of virtually every chapter. The sense of tension and  suspense is palpable in every scene. Mr. McKeown has created a rip-roar roller-coaster ride of action,  suspense and intrigue. Where so many others have failed is where he has  succeeded. I defy anyone to read the first chapter and put the novel  down. 

The story centres around five main characters. Troy Davies  is an FBI deep-cover agent stationed in Russia who makes a startling  discovery about a terrorist attack planned for American soil. His  attempts to report back to his superiors are hindered as his cover is  blown. It is his storyline which opens the novel, in a staircase of a  Russian apartment. Davies is being pursued by unknown assailants who've  obviously become aware of his incognito. With the intention of not  spoiling anything, let me just say that Davies mindset is flawed because  he's become inculcated in the ways of terrorism in order to assume the  identity of one. His actions are tainted by a certain degree of  justifiable paranoia. McKeown plays on this paranoia quite enviously  throughout Davies' scenes, in a way which makes the character believable  and relatable.

The storyline I enjoyed the most, however, was  the two Marine Force Recon soldiers who are shipped home from  Afghanistan and brought to an American top-secret facility in the  jungles of North Carolina. Here's where McKeown hits overdrive. The  description of the scenes within the jungle are so vivid that the reader  is sucked in and feels as though they're standing beside Jack Carlos  and his second-in-command, Julio Gyle. He creates a sense of  uncertainty and, later, confusion as Carlos and Gyle try to understand  why they've been ordered home to engage in what they think is a military  drill exercise. Their relationship is also one of the most enjoyable  partnerships I've read in recent times. Gyle is the sharp-witted Latino  with the comedic dialogue (I found myself laughing out loud on several  occasions) and Carlos, the serious commander with a great sense of  humour. Together, they create an unlikely heroic duo who are just as  believable as Davies' character, if not more so. 

The final main  characters are two computer programmers, Jack Reid and Peter Hunt, who  don't know how big a role they will play in averting the terrorist  attack. Hunt's recently been fired from the firm, ATARIC, for  insubordination. He's brought back in to oversee the installation of a  new operating system on all five hundred of ATARIC's computers. Hunt,  however, has a history of alcoholism and hasn't been sober since his  wife left and took their son nine months earlier. He needs money and  this one-off job will net him enough to deal with all his financial  burdens. Reid is his former best friend who's risen to the top echelons  of the company in Hunt's absence. This creates an immediate conflict  between the two and the arrival of Jake Collins, who has a storied  history with Hunt, compounds the problems even further.   

For a  local Irish resident, McKeown certainly has done his research. The novel  takes place in a variety of different localities, many of them in  America. His descriptions take the reader to these locations with  relative ease. So much so, in fact, that we can draw a vivid  picture of what he's describing. This is a trait possessed by greats  like Forsyth and Clancy, not to mention the deceased Ludlum. In my  opinion, McKeown has the ability to walk in their footsteps, if not aspire to their greatness. "Dereliction of Duty" is, to borrow an  American term, unputdownable. There are over a dozen different  plot-lines in the novel and he weaves them all masterfully like a true  craftsman. 

Initially, I bought the book to support a fellow  wordsmith; a compatriot. I expected it to be an okay read; it was  marvellous. I wanted the story to be good; it was brilliant. I hoped it  would be interesting; it was page-turning. I wanted it to be satisfying;  it left me begging for more. Apparently, there is already a sequel in  the works -- if the excerpt at the end of the novel is anything to go  by. I for one eagerly await it and urge anyone who can spare £9.99 to  buy this novel. Not just because Mr. McKeown is a fellow countryman and a great author, but  because it's a cracking read. 

READER'S RATING: 9.5/10

Joe  McGivern

Senior Book Reviewer._

This is the second  such review I've got this week. The other came from a fellow author's  wife who rated it a "10". I must be doing something right. LOL. But this  is great publicity. I now hope half of Northern Ireland buy it.


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## moderan (Jun 11, 2010)

Nice. I'm waiting for my first paycheck and plan to get one as a present for myself


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## Sam (Jun 11, 2010)

No need to purchase just on account of me, Mod. I know you haven't read thrillers for a while. In the event that you do purchase, thank you for the support, and let me know if there's anything of yours I can buy to reciprocate.


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## Linton Robinson (Jun 11, 2010)

Wow, Sam!  That's really heart-warming, nourishing, head-warping, erection ballooning stuff there.

It's a real rush, isn't it?


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## moderan (Jun 11, 2010)

I buy everyone's books when I find out about them, Sam. I have three of Lin's, two of Baron's, and will get ahold of yours and Red's when I can. I'll have some cds coming up later this month if you feel the need to reciprocate.


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## Linton Robinson (Jun 11, 2010)

If anybody wants an example of what the world needs more of, see the post above.


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## Sam (Jun 11, 2010)

lin said:


> Wow, Sam!  That's really heart-warming, nourishing, head-warping, erection ballooning stuff there.
> 
> It's a real rush, isn't it?



It's amazing. To actually be compared to great thriller writers like Clancy and Ludlum -- doesn't get much better than that. It's a rush like no other. Someone will have to surgically remove the smile from my face. 

Another good friend and author told me that I should change the name, make a few minor adjustments, and look for an agent post-haste. Would there be any problems with that? Like first-rights stuff? Traditional-publishing houses don't want a novel that's already been out there, but his advice was to make subtle changes and try my luck.


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## Sam (Jun 11, 2010)

moderan said:


> I buy everyone's books when I find out about them, Sam. I have three of Lin's, two of Baron's, and will get ahold of yours and Red's when I can. I'll have some cds coming up later this month if you feel the need to reciprocate.


 
Sure. Let me know when and where.


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## Tom (Jun 11, 2010)

Congratulations Sam mate. You deserve it after all the time and effort you put into the novel. I'd buy it, but my on-line shopping ability is non existent, so I'll have to wait until I get some kind of online credit card or something. Who knows?

I'd just like to say as well, it's this kind of thing that gives me, and I'm sure other writers, the kind of inspiration to keep at it. We'd all love to be smiling like you right now, that's for sure.

Once again, Congrats


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## Linton Robinson (Jun 11, 2010)

> Another good friend and author told me that I should change the name,make a few minor adjustments, and look for an agent post-haste. Wouldthere be any problems with that? Like first-rights stuff?Traditional-publishing houses don't want a novel that's already beenout there, but his advice was to make subtle changes and try my luck.



That's a misconception, based partly on the whole expanding wives' rumors that pass for advice on the internet and writing networks, and changes in the way things work.

It's not uncommon at all for SP books to get picked up by majors these days.   You're an agent.  Two guys come in with books.  One is a first novel.  The other is a novel that has sold copies, gotten great reviews, has an internet presence and fanhood, has an author who is comfortable with promotion and knows how to do.... which one do you like, all else being equal?

I recently asked a board or four agents and two publishers at a conference about that.  Every single one of them said they liked a track record.  Both publishers mentioned books they had picked up.  One mentioned a book that sold 500 SP and they'd done 5000 of them so far.   

I don't know why you'd want to change the title (Some of  us like derelicts)  but if you can make your book walk around and get read, the chances of cutting a deal are improved and there's no question about it.


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## Baron (Jun 11, 2010)

Sam W said:


> It's amazing. To actually be compared to great thriller writers like Clancy and Ludlum -- doesn't get much better than that. It's a rush like no other. Someone will have to surgically remove the smile from my face.
> 
> Another good friend and author told me that I should change the name, make a few minor adjustments, and look for an agent post-haste. Would there be any problems with that? Like first-rights stuff? Traditional-publishing houses don't want a novel that's already been out there, but his advice was to make subtle changes and try my luck.


 
Congratulations, Sam, and what Lin says in regard to agents is spot on.  Editors of magazines published by internet forums seem to be the ones who really get their knickers in a twist about publishing first rights issues these days.


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## Foxee (Jun 11, 2010)

Why do I have to read this when I'm flat broke, Sam....WHY?! I love thrillers and I want to get my hands on this book! Congrats on an absolutely fantabulous review.


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## Sam (Jun 11, 2010)

Lin -- Thanks for clearing that misconception up. I like derelicts too. 

Baron -- It seems that's the way, all right. 

Foxee -- Sorry! 

Not to shamelessly plug it or anything, but I guess I'm better leave the address where anyone who wants to can purchase the novel: www.lulu.com/product/paperback/dereliction-of-duty/10635704


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## alanmt (Jun 11, 2010)

Sam, that's fantastic!  Good work, and nice bit of luck, man.


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## Baron (Jun 11, 2010)

Sam W said:


> Lin -- Thanks for clearing that misconception up. I like derelicts too.
> 
> Baron -- It seems that's the way, all right.
> 
> ...


 
Why not put the link on the advertising forum, Sam.  That's what it's there for.


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## Sam (Jun 11, 2010)

I keep meaning to do that and I keep forgetting. One way to solve that . . . 

Thanks, Allen.


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## Mike C (Jun 13, 2010)

Which City newspaper was this, Sam? It's certainly a glowing review, congratulations.


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## Sam (Jun 13, 2010)

The Armagh-Down Observer.

Thanks, Mike.


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## Like a Fox (Jun 13, 2010)

I loved reading that, Sam. Congratulations. How inspiring. 

Like others, it's on my book shopping list. I have to read Austrerlitz for uni ... I think this will have to be my reward when I get through that hellmonster


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## NathanBrazil (Jun 13, 2010)

Can't believe I missed this. Congrats.  I enjoy a good thriller, so I will definitely order a copy.


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## ash somers (Jun 14, 2010)

Wow! Congratulations, Sam. Wonderful news


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## spider8 (Jun 14, 2010)

Congrats Sam. I'm off to Amazon right now. Get youself a pint of the black stuff with your percentage.


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## Mike C (Jun 14, 2010)

Cool stuff. They're part of the observer group, so there's always a chance the review will get syndicated and spread wider.


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## Loulou (Jun 14, 2010)

Sam, I couldn't be happier for you.  Your hard hard work paid off and you deserve every bit of praise.  Good luck for all that now follows.


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## The Backward OX (Jun 14, 2010)

Sam W said:


> _Not since Frederick Forsyth's "The Day of the Jackal" has a book kept me so riveted as "Dereliction of Duty" did. I happened upon the novel whilst reading an article in the Examiner. I've always been a supporter of local and home-grown talent and my purchase of the novel was as much to support the author as it was to actually read it. Upon finishing the first chapter, I knew I would not put the book down. I was right. _
> 
> _"Dereliction of Duty" is an action-packed thriller which grips you on page one and does not stop four hundred pages later at the denouement. There are twists and turns galore. Incredible cliffhangers abound at the end of virtually every chapter. The sense of tension and suspense is palpable in every scene. Mr. McKeown has created a rip-roar roller-coaster ride of action, suspense and intrigue. Where so many others have failed is where he has succeeded. I defy anyone to read the first chapter and put the novel down. _
> 
> ...


 
*If* anyone wrote anything like this about something I’d written, *then* I’d be highly suspicious of their motives.

http://www.mysmiley.net/freesmiley.php?smiley=innocent/innocent0005.gif


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## Linton Robinson (Jun 14, 2010)

And well you should.













Just razzin' you Ox.


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## JosephB (Jun 15, 2010)

Way to go, man. That's awesome and inspiring. Congratulations!


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## Red_Venus (Jun 15, 2010)

Oh! I'm late to read the news! Congrats, Sam! I'm so happy for you. It's a very good feeling to be told that someone loved your novel...the hard work and love you've poured into every word and sentence is paid off at that first great review. Enjoy your resounding commendation! 

xoxoxox


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## Sam (Jun 15, 2010)

Loulou -- Thanks. That means a lot coming from you. 

OX -- I'm suspicious of a lot of things. I'm paranoid by nature; it's why I became a thriller writer. 

Joe -- Thanks a bunch, mate. 

Monika -- It's the best feeling. Someone should slap me, though, for being over-exuberant. One good review does not a brilliant author make.


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## Sam (Jun 15, 2010)

Sorry, Nathan, Ash, I missed your comments. Thank you.

Edit: Kath too. Dammit.


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## Baron (Jun 15, 2010)

The Backward OX said:


> *If* anyone wrote anything like this about something I’d written, *then* I’d be highly suspicious of their motives.
> 
> http://www.mysmiley.net/freesmiley.php?smiley=innocent/innocent0005.gif


 
If you got a review like this about something you'd written I'd be wondering how much you paid them or what you had on them.


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## Olly Buckle (Jun 15, 2010)

> Joe  McGivern
> 
> Senior Book Reviewer.



Not just any old good review, one from someone who knows what he's talking about. It's nice that you are modest about it, but it was you what done it, good on you. I shall now go about boasting of my association with you.


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## Like a Fox (Jun 15, 2010)

Sam W said:


> Edit: Kath too. Dammit.


I get Dammit? Oh I see how it is. Big famous author guy too busy for _all_ the fans.

Haha


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## Olly Buckle (Jun 15, 2010)

> I get Dammit?


You should be so lucky, Dammit stays home with Moderan.:wink:


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## Like a Fox (Jun 15, 2010)

I'm glad you made the joke Olly, I know mod would've liked to.


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## SevenWritez (Jun 16, 2010)

That's really great, Sam. Is this a first book in one of your series (unless I'm mixing things up, I remember you saying your books were parts of a whole), or is this a stand-alone thriller? Either way, congratulations, and hopefully you can catch the eye of a major publisher.

EDIT: Never mind, I stopped reading the review halfway through to say congrats, posted, then finished the review. It looks like part two is in the editing process right now. Good luck!


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## Red_Venus (Jun 16, 2010)

Sam W said:


> Monika -- It's the best feeling. Someone should slap me, though, for being over-exuberant. One good review does not a brilliant author make.



Nope. One good BOOK does a brilliant author make...the great reviews come after that...


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## moderan (Jun 16, 2010)

Dammit is looking forward to devouring your book.


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## RoundEye (Jun 16, 2010)

That is an awesome review. It might be biased some since you’re a homegrown talent. Just out of curiosity, what is your experience with the FBI or the US military?

Great job. 8)


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## Sam (Jun 17, 2010)

Kath -- Thank you. (Better?)

Seven -- Here's hoping I do too. 

RoundEye -- No experience to speak of. Just research. But you have _me _curious now: Did you see a problem or a plot hole?


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## mgencleyn (Jul 15, 2010)

The Lulu link seems broken. After reading the review, I might check a copy.


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## Sam (Jul 15, 2010)

Mgencleyn -- I received an order for fifty copies of the book, so I put it on abeyance on Lulu until I've thoroughly edited it. Because I've hit a splurge in my current novel, the editing has unfortunately taken a back seat. It will be finished before the end of this week, however, and the book will be available to purchase again on Lulu thereafter. Thank you for your interest.


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