Alternative outcome: Where fact and fiction collide

“Utterly engrossing – twists and turns that I never saw coming”With its series of surprises and reverses, this absorbing, multi-faceted mystery drama, which one reviewer found reminiscent of The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling), has been hovering under the radar, but has been featured by BookWorks as Book of the Week, and is steadily building up an enthusiastic following. Read it and find out why another reviewer commented: “Have you ever read a book you hoped would never end? This was it!”Downbeat journalist Mike Stanhope’s self-published novel is out there. Job done. Now what? Writing it kept him from dwelling on his broken marriage and his tenuous hold on his day job. What other distraction can he look for? Then the answer hits him: he’ll seek out the real-life girl he knew briefly as an adolescent – the one who sparked the book in the first place. He’ll find out if she really did grow up into the woman he glimpsed in a railway station two years ago.It seems a harmless pursuit, yet before he knows it, Mike’s life is in chaos. People are trying to prise information from him that he doesn’t have, and he can’t decide if it’s because of an article he once wrote or because of his pursuit of the girl … or even because his book is closer to the truth than he imagined.As the pace gathers and the mystery deepens, the prospect of a new relationship hovers in front of Mike, enticing yet tantalisingly out of reach. But he’s distracted by his search for the girl from his past – and also by a tempting offer that threatens his professional integrity. Meanwhile, the people who are hounding him are losing their patience. Mike has to reconcile present with past and fact with fiction as his internal and external worlds collide. This opening book in the unfolding Mike Stanhope series sets the bar high with its fast pace, intricate and interweaving plot lines, vividly-evoked locations, likeable and vibrant characters, and lively dialogue. More from the reviews: “I found this book utterly engrossing. The story is interesting, and the main characters are well drawn as well. It was a great concept, and is very well-executed … ”“Well written, with lots of twists and turns that I never saw coming. Very intricate and well laid out … ”“Life imitates art imitates life. It’s mystery, light romance, action and intrigue. Our hero is just an average guy trying to get his book published … who gets caught up in a twisting and turning ride when his fictional story comes too close to someone else’s reality …”“A fast-paced mind-bending intellectual thriller …” “Quality writing, attention to detail, and ability to keep track of complex/multiple lines quite clearly. A good new author to latch onto!” “Loved the way it kept leading you in different directions. Great book …” “Suddenly you are there with him in the thick of an initially simple mystery which, despite the escalating personal danger, only becomes more puzzling and complex the longer he tries to unravel it ...” Mike Stanhope Mysteries1. Alternative Outcome
2. Deficit of Diligence
3. Denial of Credit
4. The Concrete Ceiling
5. Now or Not at All “Peter Rowlands gets even better!”
– From a review of Denial of Credit