Exciting Subscription Offer

In addition to my standard free subscription offer, I will now be offering an exciting paid subsciption offer.

I have for the past few months been offering a free book to new subscribers. But rather than do the same as many Substack writers when they wish to convert readers and actually get paid for their efforts - and yes, I think that I and many others offering regular quality articles probably deserve that - I didn’t want to restrict my weekly articles to readers.

So rather than put a paywall third of the way through one or two articles a week, which seems to be the normal with paid subscription drives - I’ve decided to give extra FREE books to those who wish to opt for a paid subscription. So, in addition to Past Imperfect to free subscribers, I will also be offering Letters from a Murderer, The Crescent Wars and The Vienna Writers Circle to paid subscribers. Covers, details and reviews of all the books below.

The main thing to remember with this offer is that you will be getting all the advantages of weekly insightful articles as offered by The Free Press, Matt Goodwin, Andrew Fox (all paid sites) and Future of Jewish, but with an extra book on a free option and FOUR extra free books on a paid option.

Two boys. One Murder.

Sometimes justice takes more than a lifetime.

A car accident in California, a deadly assault in Provence, and two boys 30 years apart are left battling for their lives.

Dominic Fornier is the detective who finds himself at the heart of the investigation. A simple provincial case that becomes one of the largest and most important in French criminal history.

Fornier's only hope is to prove the link between the two boys thirty years apart. A compulsive journey through forensic, medical and psychiatric evidence between France, the USA and London; a breathless paper chase of clues from a young boy's psyche... and a desperate race against time with a killer who will stop at nothing.

John Matthews reviews:
‘Matthews maintains the suspense... an engrossing odyssey into the seamy side of a world that is so near, yet sometimes seems so far. Compulsive reading.'
- The Times

'One of the most compelling novels I've read... an ambitious and big novel which will keep you enthralled to its last page.'
- Cork Examiner

'A classy, well-written and unusual thriller.'
- Yorkshire Post

'Matthews delivers one of the best debut thrillers in years, brave, ambitious and remorselessly entertaining. Past Imperfect is a stormer.'
- Dublin Evening Herald

'Move over Grisham, your reign is over! Reminiscent of vintage Grisham, but Matthews has his own distinctive style. Strong, believable characters and a plot that grips from page one and won't let go, twisting and turning its way towards a nail-biting climax - they don't come much better than this. One of the best and most memorable thrillers I've read in years. A winner all the way.'
- Bob Burke. Mystery Readers International.

A historical crime thriller

Jack the Ripper’s murderous spree is over in London. But has it restarted in New York City? . . . A trail of murdered prostitutes leave a new breed of detective and forensic investigator in a race to find the ruthless killer, all against a backdrop of gangster violence.

“A compelling read with two fabulous lead investigators” - A Fantastical Librarian

New York, 1891:A prostitute is found brutally murdered – her body slashed and some of her organs removed.

Immediately fear starts to spread. The victim bears the same hallmarks as Jack the Ripper's recent killing spree in England.

Finley Jameson, one of the original English Ripper pathologists, is put on the case and teamed up with Joseph Argenti, one of the new 'untouchable' detectives, hand-picked by a New York Mayor eager to fight corruption.

Argenti finds himself in the toughest challenge of his career—while at the same time facing life and death battles with some of New York’s most ruthless gangsters.

With the body count rising and Jameson and Argenti being openly taunted by letters claiming to be written by the killer it seems the ‘Ripper’ rumours could be true.

Has he crossed the Atlantic to find fresh killing grounds? Are his taunting letters proof that the cases are linked?

Or could this be a deranged copycat killer?

Reviews:
“A thrilling tale of murder, corruption and trust” - Uncorked Thoughts

“An exciting, captivating, thrilling and believable read” - House of Books

“The story is well told; gritty and gruesome in all the right places, and with plenty of action. An interesting take on the Jack the Ripper theme and a solid historical crime fiction read” - Books Butterfly

“John Matthews ticked all the right boxes. From the interesting and odd coupling of Jameson and Argenti, to the characterisation of peripheral prostitutes and victims. Each element was three dimensional and invoked a sense of realism which helped transport me to the time where this heinous tale of bloodshed was splashed across the headlines” - Just a Guy That Likes to Read

Perfect for fans of Vince Flynn, John Le Carre and Daniel Silva

The forerunner to today's Syria and Iraq. Within months of a war starting, billions in oil-dollars are transferred to outside international accounts, with two bold and chilling claims quickly taking root: that the war was deliberately sparked by outside banking interests or by Israel for political gain.

Daniel Grade - the British investigative journalist determined to uncover the searing truth.

The Falcon - a deadly assassin sent out to stop him.

Leorah Ajlan - the 'contact', a beautiful Muslim correspondent split between her emotions and the fate of her own people.

A whirlwind trail of blood and intrigue across half the globe and into the ravaged Middle-East itself...

Where the fate of world peace hangs in the balance.

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Background: as with later wars in Syria and Iraq, between 1975-1990, the Lebanon was ravaged by war. A major banking center, previously known as the 'Switzerland of the Middle-East, within months of the war starting billions were transferred from Lebanese accounts to banks mainly in Switzerland, the USA and offshore regions. Could this have been the first oil-money war?

Reviews:
'Gripping conspiracy thriller centred around the Lebanese civil war – the first oil-money war where blame was levelled partly on 'outside interests'. Change a few names and factions and you have modern-day Syria.'
- Middle-East Journal.

Distinctively written… all the forceful energy of the best thrillers.
- Kirkus UK.

‘A clever premise for an epic page-turner written with wit, compassion (and) highly evolved characters.
- Daily Telegraph.

A gripping and powerful tale of resilience and courage set in Vienna on the brink of WWII, as two members of Freud’s Circle try to keep themselves and their loved ones safe as the SS closes in.

Spring, 1938: Café Mozart in the heart of Vienna is beloved by its clientele, including cousins Mathias Kraemer and Johannes Namal. The two writers are as close as brothers. They are also members of Freud’s Circle—a unique group of the famed psychiatrist’s friends and acquaintances who once gathered regularly at the bright and airy café to talk about books and ideas over coffee and pastries. But dark days are looming.

With Hitler’s annexation of Austria, Nazi edicts governing daily life become stricter and more punitive. Now Hitler has demanded that the “hidden Jews” of Vienna be tracked down, and Freud’s Circle has been targeted. The SS aims to use old group photos to identify Jewish intellectuals and subversives. With the vise tightening around them, Mathias and Johannes’s only option appears to be hiding in plain sight, using assumed names and identities to evade detection, aware that discovery would mean consignment to a camp or execution.

Faced with stark and desperate choices, Mathias, Johannes, their families and friends all find their loyalties and courage tested in unimaginable ways. But despite betrayal, heartache and imprisonment, hope remains, and with it, the determination to keep those they love alive, and Mathias and Johannes at the same time discovering that what originally condemned them—their writing—might also be their salvation.

Reviews:

"An enticing account of Hitler's influence away from the battlefield – stealthy and insidious, affecting real people. Terrifying and heart-breaking." —Mandy Robotham, bestselling author of The German Midwife


"Maetis draws on the milieu of Sigmund Freud for a well-crafted Holocaust story....With solid prose and thoughtful characterizations, Maetis ratchets up the suspense. Historical fiction fans will be pleased." —Publishers Weekly

“This is a powerful book about courage, family, and survival.” —Booklist

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John Matthews is an experienced writer and journalist. The author of 24 books, including two centred around WW2 and the holocaust in the name of J.C. Maetis (his father’s original Jewish name) his first experience of writing about the Middle East came as a war correspondent covering the last years of the Lebanese Civil War, which led to his second book, ‘The Crescents of the Moon’. He has since written on the subject for a number of journals, including The Times, Sunday Times, Newsweek, The Independent and The Spectator. He was also in the run-up to the millennium editor of European Brief, the main magazine for the European Parliament, editing the likes of Tony Blair, Al Gore and Henry Kissinger on subjects ranging from the fall of the Berlin Wall and European unity, climate change and nuclear fusion to, once again, the Middle East. He lives in London with his wife and family.

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