Devon writer's first thriller already receiving rave reviews

Local writer Gary Freemantle has just published his first thriller and already it is getting rave reviews on Amazon. He hopes though it won’t put readers off swimming in the sea!

A ruthless entrepreneur tries single-handedly to tackle climate change and inadvertently brings a monster up from the ocean depths. Ogrefish is a roller-coaster of a novel, full of action and based on scientific fact. Involving biotechnology and conspiracy theory, in the genre of Michael Crichton. A horror story only a step away from reality and actual events.

Billionaire visionary Penny Crawford has created luxury tourist resorts by transforming barren regions of the Earth into mini paradises teeming with life. With a steely belief in her ability to control nature, she now has a grand plan to use the oceans to reverse global warming. She tests the plan at her new resort in the Maldives, but it results in forcing a deadly and vicious deep-sea creature to the surface: the silver-fanged, milk-eyed Ogrefish. Crawford’s marketing manager Will Sanders and Plymouth University marine biologist Fiona Bell begin to suspect a connection between fatal attacks at the resort and the sea creature. Their own lives are put in peril as they travel to Shanghai, Bavaria and back to the Maldives to investigate. They race to stop Crawford before she can escalate her plan which now poses a threat to all life on Earth.

Ogrefish author Gary Freemantle is a writer of techno-thrillers. His former role in international business gives him an insight into the dark side of global corporations which features in his stories. Though he worked for thirty years in London and abroad, he was born and schooled in Plymouth and now lives in the South Devon village of Holcombe.

Excerpt from Ogrefish:

She surfaced quicker this time. And her eyes looked wide behind her mask. “Back to the boat, Will. Quick.”

They swam fast towards the boat. Will tried to keep his mind clear of the spectre trying to break into his consciousness. He knew fear would paralyse him so he focussed on the boat which was now just a few meters away.

He saw Steve leaning over with a boat hook and thought for a moment he was going to push him under with it. But he was aiming it in the water just to one side and started jabbing.

Against every instinct to clamber aboard Will waited and pushed Fiona into the boat.

Then he felt something graze his leg.

He looked down in time to see a massive bulbous black head and an arched gaping mouth with a row of translucent teeth, the two at the front like javelins.

The instructor dealt the creature a blow in the centre of its head as its mouth was just inches from Will’s body.

The giant fish turned sharply down and away, but as it passed it took a side bite at Will’s leg, drawing blood which spurted into the water.

Will half jumped and was half tugged into the boat.

He lay on the floor, his right leg a bloody mess.

Fiona looked at him in shock. “Will!” she cried.

“I told you the sea was scary,” he said. And blacked out.

Ogrefish is available on Amazon as a paperback or Kindle eBook.  

Cover image is by local Devon painter Victoria Stevens.