This weeks’s forgotten Book of the Month is Terminated. The book came out paperback in 2010 just as the publisher hit financial troubles. I was on tour promoting the book when the book was pulled from the bookshelves, so it never really got a fair shake in the bookstores, which is a shame as I think the book is a good one. It’s a thriller that centers on workplace violence.
PLOTLINE:
Gwen Farris crossed the wrong coworker when she gave Stephen Tarbell a poor evaluation. That was all it took to push Tarbell over the edge. He already believes Gwen stole the promotion that was rightfully his. He won’t let her take anything else from him. Now it’s his turn to take…and take. By the time he’s finished with her, Tarbell plans to take her job, her family—even her life.
Terminated…to some people, it’s more than a job.
Praise for Terminated:
“Wood writes like a dark, demented angel.”
— Ken Bruen, bestselling author of Once Were Cops
“A supremely gifted writer.”
— Jason Pinter, author of The Darkness
“Simon Wood knows how to create tension, he knows how to build three-dimensional characters and he has proven he can tie everything together in a high octane climax.”
— Book Browser
“Simon Wood packs his books with suspense, surprises and superb storytelling.”
— Ed Gorman, author of The Midnight Room
“This author is a master at taking a simple situation and making it suspenseful.”
— Midwest Book Review
“Simon Wood takes the idea of workplace harrassment to terrifying levels.”
— Bookgasm
“Grabs your heart and squeezes.”
— Fresh Fiction
“The tension is unbearable and it gets worse as the pages fly by.”
— I Love A Mystery
“Another winner for Simon Wood.”
— Spinetingler magazine
As customary with a lot of my books, the inspiration came from an unusual source. I learned that firms are using private security firms to deal with workplace violence and there’s a good reason when twenty people are killed at work every week. You can read more on my research here.
I hope that’s grabbed your attention and you’ll check the book out. If it hasn’t, you’re welcome to check out the first five chapters here:
