The Nudge Man (Harrison Vaughan – 1) by Keith Nixon
A washed up reporter, an escaped convict, a sociopathic gangster. All are hunting The Nudge Man…
Wheelchair bound, born again, ex-gangster, Eric Hennessey offers down on his luck reporter, Harrison Vaughan, a job. Find The Nudge Man, a mysterious vigilante who’s stolen most of Hennessey’s money, ill-gotten gains which now Hennessey wants to use to do God’s work. Trouble is, Harry has no desire to work for a sociopathic murderer, even if he is an apparently changed man.
Harry is estranged from his family, he hasn’t seen or heard from them in over five years, since a fabricated scandal destroyed his career. Harry believes his wife walked out on him and took the children. However, Hennessey tells Vaughan it was The Nudge Man who set him up for the fall. Find The Nudge Man and Harry has the chance for redemption and maybe even his family back.
However, Hennessey has another objective in mind. Unknown to Harry his family were taken into witness protection and had to cut ties with everyone after Harry’s son saw a murder – carried out by Eric Hennessey. But the witness protection programme was compromised and the Vaughans had to go off the grid, they couldn’t contact anybody. Hennessey has been looking for them ever since and now may have a way in – Harry himself.
Harry’s search begins in prison, visiting violent criminal Pomfrey Lavender – apparently Lavender has information which will help. But Lavender is suffering various medical problems, including a psychological condition whereby he believes he’s already dead. Harry’s mention of The Nudge Man sends Lavender into a rage and he threatens to kill Harry should he pursue his objective. Harry is relieved Lavender is behind bars. Trouble is, two days later Lavender breaks out.
And others are on the trail of The Nudge Man, including the British government and an American secret service agent. Then there’s the lawyer who offers Harry £1m. All Harry has to do is stay away from The Nudge Man.
With more questions than answers and hapless guard dog, Bonzo at his side who’s bark is definitely worse than his bite, Harry begins his search.
Can Harry find The Nudge Man and save his family? Or will Hennessey exact his revenge?
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Praise for The Nudge Man
“Packed with the author’s trademark wit, The Nudge Man is a seriously good, mind-bendingly twisty novel, and cements Nixon’s place among the upper echelon of British crime writers.”
M.W. Craven, author of the Washington Poe Novels.
What Readers Say
‘A great story that unfolded at a perfect pace.’
‘The twists and turns keep one gripped and the ending, totally unexpected, will knock your socks off.’
‘A black comedy crime thriller with a difference.’
‘If you want to give someone the gift that keeps on giving, buy them a copy of The Nudge Man.’
‘A fantastic read with some great characters.’
‘Highly recommended 5 stars.’
About the Author
Keith Nixon is a British born writer of crime and historical fiction novels. Originally he trained as a chemist, but Keith is now in a senior sales role for a high-tech business.
Keith currently lives with his family in the North West of England. His novels are published by Bastei Lubbe & Gladius Press.
My Review
5 Stars
Harrison, Harry, Vaughan is a discredited journalist that believes his wife divorced him and left because of it. But things are about to change for him with former gangster Eric Hennessey offers him the job of finding The Nudge Man. Eric tells Harry that The Nudge Man is the one that caused Harry’s downfall. So Harry goes looking and finds a lot of people are looking for The Nudge Man, some willing to offer a lot of money for Harry to walk away.
But this is not some simple investigation. It seems Eric knows more about Harry’s family than first though. He is looking for them himself and knows why they disappeared. He is planning on using Harry to get them. The question is if Harry is going to find The Nudge Man and if he can really get his family back.
This is a great, action packed story that kept me on the edge of my seat. At first I felt for Harry thinking his wife left over the scandal. But when you find out what really happened I was hoping that he could get back together. I was really draw into the whole Nudge Man. There were so many possibilities that they could have been and I was completely thrown when I learned the truth.
This is a great thriller that will keep you flipping pages until the end. This is only my second book from author Keith Nixon but I will be checking out his other books. I can’t wait to see what trouble Harry gets himself into next.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.
I would like to thank Book on the Bright Side for the opportunity to read and share this book.
Thank you Jess for being part of the blog tour and for the great review x
You are very welcome. I’m sorry that I’m so late posting.