The Darkest of Games received a 4+ star review, making it an IndieReader Approved title.
Following find an interview with author Lawrence Ricketts.
What is the name of the book and when was it published?
The name of this book is The Darkest of Games.
What’s the book’s first line?
The first sentence of the book is “He moved silently through the darkened lab, taking a final series of photos of the uranium enrichment process, when the sirens began to wail.”
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.
A top secret ‘International Security Operations’ (ISO), established to infiltrate and dismantle major criminal and terrorist networks has been compromised, and a number of its operatives killed as they commenced their operations. With no leads, all operations are shut down, but not before the close friend and colleague of Alec Cooper and Millicent Watersford is captured by Al Qaeda in Lebanon. Unable to use their own people, Millicent reaches out to her uncle, a MI6 operative, and two of his close friends, a retired Mossad agent, and a retired CIA operative for help. Together they begin a deadly game where the hunter becomes the hunted, and nothing is as it seems.
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
The inspiration for the writing of this book came from different undercover operations, operatives, and cover teams i had the privilege of working with over the years.
As in the majority of undercover operations, things can and do change without notice. This moves the story quickly, with a high degree of urgency. Both the main, and secondary characters are believable and remain consistent to each character’s actions and feelings.
If they made your book into a movie, who would you like to see play the main character(s)?
If made into a movie, my first thought would be to have the main characters played by little, or unknown actors, to let the audience grow with them into the part.
Is this the first book you’ve written?
This is my second book, The Darkest of Games is a sequel to The Third Law.
How much time do you generally spend on your writing?
I try to spend two hours a day writing, which can stretch to four to five hours depending on how the story is unfolding. Research can and is also a big part of the process.
Would you go traditional if a publisher came calling? If so, why?
I would be interested in dealing with a traditional publishing company because of the wider range of exposure.
Which writer, living or dead, do you most admire?
I have always admired Elmore Leonard for his way of dealing with multiple characters and multiple locations.