Danny Sanchez Thrillers
3 primary works
Book 1
`You've displeased me. You things always do. Now it's time for us to part.' He watched, expressionless, as the thing raised a feeble arm; then he released a handle on the winch. The thing slumped, disappeared into the foot wide gap between the walls. He turned to the pile of loose bricks, looking for his trowel... - from Scarecrow
When Danny Sanchez, a hard-bitten journalist working in the Almeria region of Spain is sent to cover the demolition of the home of a retired expat couple, he lands a much bigger - and more grisly - story than he bargained for. As the diggers begin to tear down the house, a body, partially decomposed, its face swathed in a strange black sheath, is suddenly revealed dangling in the depths of the brickwork...
From the deeply sinister opening pages, Scarecrow draws the reader down an inexorable, tortuous path of discovery and into the gruesome activities of a serial killer so depraved it almost defies comprehension. Via thuggish cowboy builders, a missing drug-addicted teenage boy, and a house with a stinking secret wall, Danny's scoop of a lifetime becomes a personal crusade to snare the elusive murderer.
Alternating between Spain and England, the story takes us into the mind of the complex, highly driven Danny. An expert at ferreting out information from even the most recalcitrant of contacts, this skilled journalist will stop at nothing, even risking his own life, to find the answers that have escaped the authorities for decades.
Moving with a Chandleresque efficiency, the narrative is compelling and full of unexpected but highly credible twists; the dialogue stark and often harsh. Pritchard's mastery lies in the psychology of his characters, his vivid descriptive abilities and his subtle pacing. An essential read for anyone who relishes burning the midnight oil with a superlatively terrifying crime novel, Scarecrow will keep the reader guessing right to the end.
Book 2
Book 3
The discovery of a disinterred corpse at one of Andalusia's Spaghetti Western theme parks begins Danny Sanchez on an investigation that will put all that he holds dearest on the line, as he brings to light an act of unimaginable selfishness that will have ramifications for thousands. ...
Danny begins the story on the trail on a brutal killer who burns his first victim alive, but as the plot unfolds, he begins to realise the true motives behind the killer's actions and to question whether the man he is tracking is the true villain. The story draws on Pritchard's own journalistic experience to present a vivid and realistic portrayal of the way in which Danny draws together the documents and interviews he needs to prove his story. Meanwhile, Danny's obsessive quest to uncover the truth causes him to place not only his own life at risk, but also those of Marsha, his girlfriend, and his photographer friend, Paco Pino. This leads to a breakdown in all the relationships which Danny most values.
Broken Arrow is Pritchard's third novel and combines his fast-paced prose style and subtle characterisation with a meticulously researched plot. The book is based around a real life accident in 1966, in which the American air force dropped three H-bombs onto southern Spain and contaminated hundreds of acres of arable land with plutonium dust. The narrative moves with a Chandleresque efficiency and there are many twists to the plot, but all are credible. Matthew Pritchard keeps his readers guessing until the end.