He Who Pays the Piper cover art

He Who Pays the Piper

Ridge Walker Novels, Book 1

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He Who Pays the Piper

By: Alex Breck
Narrated by: Chris Barnes
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"A darkly comic romp from Scotland right through Central America." (K. A. McCoss)

"Can't wait to see what Ridge Walker does next." (R. E. McClure)

"Enjoyed this book very much and will look out for more Alex Breck" (D. Randle)

Ridge Walker is a hedonistic young Scot in a desperate race with the devil across Central America. He is consumed by guilt at his inability to save Orla, his beautiful and wild Irish wife, after their turbulent marriage went off like a bomb, literally. He throws himself headlong into a naive attempt to rescue his Mexican girlfriend from the clutches of The Crocodile, possibly the most dangerous man south of Tijuana.

As his hold on life becomes increasingly precarious, he miraculously overcomes encounters with a rich cavalcade of characters oozing out from under the festering sore of everyday life on the run. After surviving a death squad by playing football with them, his luck finally runs out, and he feels the callous wrath of Mexico's most feared drug cartel.

Nothing is what it seems. Survival demands that he trusts those around him, but as Ridge travels deeper into a murky web of international evil, he battles a past that is still ahead of him and learns the hard way that redemption doesn't come cheap.

Pursued by government agents, terrorists, drug cartels, and a mysterious phantom spewed up from the swamps of the "Irish Problem", Ridge must be willing to die before he can get to the ultimate truth. In doing so, he finds allies in unlikely guises but also discovers those dear to him play to a far deadlier tune than he could have ever imagined.

What's next for Ridge Walker?

Find out in the explosive sequel The Piper's Lament.

©2012 Alex Breck (P)2020 Alex Breck
Action & Adventure Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Suspense Thriller & Suspense Marriage Latin American Mexico Survival Scotland
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I was immediately drawn into the story, despite the scene being set early on to be dark and frightening. This is the story of Richard, from Scotland, receiving tragic news and heading off across the world in search of some kind of peace, and landing himself in a world far removed from his quiet life in Scotland. I had no idea that the story would move so far from Bonny Scotland, and over to the wacky world of San Francisco, and on into Mexico and then Guatemala. Having travelled in these parts, I was immediately taken back to the Guatemala I had known, still fresh from the civil war that had wrenched the country and taken many lives - the very civil war during which this story is set. For this reason, the level of gruesomeness and the depth of the plots within the plot was not surprising to me, although it could be shocking to another. But this only leant a very realistic touch to the plot. Where it’s all going is really not clear until the final chapter reveals a very unexpected twist to the plot.
Absolutely brilliant and gripping right the way through.

Gripping from the beginning

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