Time to Talk
Maxwell Frei sets himself up as a counselor: though his degree is not in psychology he has studied the subject and knows the score. Anti-depressants don’t work. As for the many therapies out there, they aren’t worth a row of beans. His attitude is simple: don’t listen to the experts, listen to the clients.
And everything goes well till one of them steps in front of a moving car and the police come knocking on his door. Now the focus of a criminal investigation, Max is scrambling to keep his secret from his friends in the art collective where he rents a studio while struggling to keep his girlfriend happy. But soon the questions start to pile up. It’s Time to Talk, but the more he says the worse it gets.
The novel is set in Edinburgh, and the main characters often end up in cafés, usually because they have problems to discuss and decisions to make. For those who don’t know the city, the page Edinburgh Cafés gives a short guided tour.
Available in paperback and Kindle formats from Amazon US and Amazon UK.
Click here to purchase from Amazon UK
Don’t worry if you don’t own a Kindle device, you don’t have to. The Kindle App is free and available for download from Amazon. Download Kindle App here.
Reviews of Time to Talk
‘Poet and artistic adventurer Roderick Hart’s debut novel is a skillfully crafted and humorous exploration of the limitations of artifice and the importance of sincere human interactions, interwoven with a tale of intrigue for an intellectual crowd.’
‘Time To Talk is a charming and unpredictable story laden with quirky characters and sharp, playful writing.’
-Clarion Review
‘It is an intriguing reflection of human nature, albeit fiction, but each person is so well described that it is entirely believable and an enjoyable read.’
-Amazon review
‘Everyone should read this book, not only for its sparkling prose, but for the humorous skill with which the writer leads you through its maze of unpredictable but ultimately credible and satisfying events.’
-Amazon review
‘Within this story there is much debate about the serious subject of mental health and the treatments available, but all told with humour and insight that I found refreshing. It is rare to find such serious debates tackled in such a light conversational tone and accompanied by laughter.’
-Amazon review
‘Time To Talk is a captivating story you can’t put down. It’s well worth reading and I will be looking for more novels by this talented author.’
Amazon review
The Ears of a Cat
Population problem? No problem! Set in today’s alternate world, Roderick Hart presents his latest crime caper in paperback and eBook (all formats).
The paperback is available through the following websites: Amazon, Blackwells, Waterstones. It is currently on offer at Blackwells with £1 off the purchase price.
To the well-meaning people of Future World the problem is obvious: too many people. However, so is the solution: eliminate as many of their fellow human beings as they can – though for Catherine Cooper, Cindy Horváth and Gina Saito, this is easier said than done… at least until they get their hands on a bird flu virus made lethal in the lab.
But as they work out how to use it to the most devastating effect, the German security service gets wind of their intention, as does an unscrupulous freelance agent from the United States. Following a succession of bizarre events, including a conversation with a cat, a fractured penis and the testimony of a Japanese sex doll, only the last woman standing, fish-whisperer Gina Saito, can hope to bring it off. Yet she knows full well this will lead to an agonizing death on foreign soil.
The underlying issue in the book, no matter how comedic Roderick has made the novel, is one that is a real concern to him. “My ‘inspiration’ was a deep-seated pessimism about the way the human race is going,” he states. “I approached this through a narrative involving people feeling the same way but who, unlike me, actually try to do something about it, to improve on the current situation by bumping off as many people as possible. After all, the easiest way to reduce carbon footprints is to reduce the number of feet.”
Set in Berlin, Los Angeles, England and Japan, the unfolding events show that having a plan isn’t enough: good intentions can lead to ludicrous results and, ultimately, death.
A Serious Business
It isn’t planned, nothing he does ever is, but when Frank is burned out of his flat he ends up living where he works. A maintenance man in a large department store, this is easier for him than most, and everything might just have worked out if he’d told other people what he was doing, especially his girlfriend, Pamela. But he doesn’t, and his secret life soon becomes a comedy of unintended consequences, the only thing he has in common with the ambitious but hot-tempered Preston Blair.
Set in the year 2004, when analogue is giving way to digital and family-owned stores are giving way to the competition, both Frank and Preston, in their different ways, find it difficult to see the way ahead. Like Time to Talk the book set in Edinburgh, and it is possible that the author had a particular store in mind when writing it.
Available in paperback and Kindle formats from Amazon UK and Amazon US
Click here to purchase from Amazon UK
Don’t worry if you don’t own a Kindle device, you don’t have to. The Kindle App is free and available for download from Amazon. Download Kindle App here.
Reviews
‘This book is an entertaining read, a story told at a relaxed pace with excellent characters, situations and dialogue.’
– Goodreads review.
‘For me the appeal of the book lay in the ordinariness and variety of the characters, people not only from the varied ranks that we see daily: behind a shop counter, in the security guard’s uniform, fixing the window display, serving in the café; but also those we don’t: the now-obligatory IT department, the top-floor management, the basement maintenance staff. All these people are getting on with their work, but always in the light of the events and concerns in their personal lives . . .
I finished the book with a smile on my face.’
– Amazon review.
Fragmented Mind 