My Review:

The opening chapters immediately grabbed my attention. The story is initially set at the Corn Exchange in Manchester UK, a gastronomic and entertainment hub, where a mass shooting takes place. Amber Jennings witnesses the horror unfold as two men converge from her past; one on a killing spree and the other a hero. What lead to this massacre, what is their connection?

Amber excels with her own secrets and subterfuge and aside from friends Jameel and Naz there is another man in her life, her unsuspecting husband Steve. I wondered what past role Amber played in this event as a city reels in shock and the press howl for answers from a mystery woman.

As the story unfolds, I found out the background of Amber’s relationships prior to marriage and how these past events dramatically impacted the current situation. The shock and confusion surrounding her is intense, and the continual battle inside her own head is well done as she persistently questions everything and everyone. There are teenage flashbacks, her family, wealthy homes and past friends.

When Amber, a mother of two children, finds her marriage faltering she has clandestine meetings with MI5, encounters a ruthless journalist, and meets with the Imam in a local Mosque as she tries to stabilise her life and resolve her seemingly unwitting part in the mass tragedy. 

A timely look behind the headlines, this book will interest crime readers who enjoy a sense of place and good characters with a psychological twist. Indirectly I learned a bit about Manchester, its parks and gardens, not forgetting the Corn Exchange building and its shattering role in the story.

Author Graham Wright thinks deeply about human nature and our foibles and fears. He has written a companion poem titled ‘The Gun’ which echoes the narrative from a different viewpoint – read here.

Book available HERE! With thanks to Graham who offered me the chance to read a draft manuscript prior to publication. He says ‘I hope you like the cover design.’ Yes, I do like it.

📚 Gretchen Bernet-Ward

Author Bio: GRAHAM WRIGHT
Website: LiteraryLad

Graham Wright is an author of two previous fiction novels and writes under the general description of literary fiction. His writing is about people and ideas. His aim is to write in a style that is relatively easy to understand, but at the same time creative, imaginative and engaging – literary but not pretentious. Graham works hard to create plots that will leave readers wanting to know what will happen next, but he’s particularly interested in communicating what his characters are thinking and how they’re feeling, in communicating their emotions and the motivation for their actions, rather than simply describing a series of events.

Graham Wright’s first novel, Single Point Perspective, is set in and around the city of Manchester, where he lived and worked for more than fifteen years. His second novel, Moojara, is set in and around the world, but mostly centres on Perth, Western Australia. Both are works of dramatic literary fiction – imaginative, serious and thoughtful, but with a sense of humour. Graham is currently living in north Shropshire UK, where he’s busy working on a fourth novel.

Product details for readers who like stats:
‘Shooting at Stranger’ author Graham Wright
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CZ16QWND
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Strelitzia (24 March, 2024)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ 24 March, 2024
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 3567 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 345 pages