Published: April 22, 2011
Words: 72,174 (approximate)
Language: English
ISBN: 9781458132666

Short description

Enter the enigmatic world of Barry Carter; a man who lives two lives and believes his sinister plan to scam millions and fake his death is foolproof. He’s right, until his bitter lover and distraught wife seek him out for retribution. But the police want to question him about a murder, a stolen dead body and an international cyber crime. A frantic chase ensues and there can be only one winner.

Extended description

The most unlikely of men pulls off the perfect online scam. He sets up five desperate and innocent people, fakes his death and reinvents himself to live a new life on an idyllic Greek island with millions in the bank. But his tranquillity is short lived. His scorned lover and bitter wife have other plans.
It’s a fast moving story of a man’s successful and meticulous plan to create a new identity. Using untraceable emails and the tag Scorpion, he manages to obtain a dead body that matches his own and falsify his own death. He blackmails five people to help him in his scam and uses them as couriers to take drugs, art and precious gems to buyers around the world. Once he’s paid the millions of pounds he’s owed and it’s safely deposited in his Swiss bank account he disappears. But his lover is at first distraught and then angry when she finds out he was married and had used her as cover for his criminal scheme. She teams up with his supposed widow and they plan to seek him out... (Read more) The most unlikely of men pulls off the perfect online scam. He sets up five desperate and innocent people, fakes his death and reinvents himself to live a new life on an idyllic Greek island with millions in the bank. But his tranquillity is short lived. His scorned lover and bitter wife have other plans.
It’s a fast moving story of a man’s successful and meticulous plan to create a new identity. Using untraceable emails and the tag Scorpion, he manages to obtain a dead body that matches his own and falsify his own death. He blackmails five people to help him in his scam and uses them as couriers to take drugs, art and precious gems to buyers around the world. Once he’s paid the millions of pounds he’s owed and it’s safely deposited in his Swiss bank account he disappears. But his lover is at first distraught and then angry when she finds out he was married and had used her as cover for his criminal scheme. She teams up with his supposed widow and they plan to seek him out. They find they’re in a race with the British and Greek police to find him. They’re after him for murder, body theft and fraud.
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Tags

romance, thriller, love, murder, revenge, fraud, lost love, scorpion, cape town, retribution, seductive, call girl, fugitive, dead body, empty grave, body theft, faked death, online scam, nick wastnage, gay vicar, corrupt banker

Available ebook reading formats

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Epub (Apple iPad/iBooks, Nook, Sony Reader, Kobo, and most e-reading apps including Stanza, Aldiko, Adobe Digital Editions, others)	Buy	Download sample
PDF (good for reading on PC, or for home printing)	Buy	No sample available
RTF (readable on most word processors)	Buy	No sample available
LRF (Use only for older model Sony Readers that don't support .epub)	Buy	Download sample
Palm Doc (PDB) (for Palm reading devices)	Buy	Download sample
Plain Text (download) (flexible, but lacks much formatting)	Buy	No sample available
Plain Text (view) (viewable as web page)	Buy	No sample available

Reviews

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Review by: Kenneth Wayne on Oct. 08, 2011 :
I was very impressed with this very well-crafted thriller. Mr. Wastnage has done a fantastic job in drawing the reader into a complex scheme conceived and executed by a complicated protagonist with several aliases and leading double lives with a wife occupying one and a girlfriend in the other, while orchestrating an elaborate network of tasks for a half dozen people to perform if they want to change their lives for the better. I don’t want to give too much of the plot away in this review. I’m sure anyone wise enough to purchase this book will be as impressed as I was at how easily the story flows in spite of the overall intricacy of the plot. The competence and control that the author shows in laying the groundwork for this story is impressive. I was absorbed with it to the end. Well done!
(reviewed long after purchase)

Review by: Katy Sozaeva on July 31, 2011 :
“What had started out as a body theft had turned into a far-reaching crime; a conspiracy that involved counterfeit money, drug trafficking, stolen works of art and an intricate scam.” This quote, taken from early in Chapter 19, effectively covers the basic premise of the plot – the main character, known variously as Barry, Greg and Sebastian, has decided to fake his death and make a new life for himself. However, to do that, he needs money – and what better way to make money than to run an intricate scam using lots of desperate people. The premise is clever, the plot full of twists and turns, and the author definitely knows how to keep up the tension, suspense and mystery. The characters, all flawed in some deep way, are mostly kind of jerks – there are exceptions, but for the most part they range from simply being unpleasant, down to being absolute scum. Of course, they all have their good points, too, and that’s what keeps it interesting – seeing how all these people interact, react and live their lives is absolutely fascinating. Anyone who is interested in crime dramas, mystery, suspense and/or thrillers will likely enjoy this book a great deal – definitely check it out. I know I’ll be looking for the forthcoming books promised by this author!
(reviewed long after purchase)

Review by: Colleen Wait on July 09, 2011 :
As far as the book's plot is concerned, I liked the plot, the story line. However, for me there were too many characters, too many points of view, and the characters changed names so many times I got confused. If you are a reader who likes a challenge, likes to be kept guessing as to what was going on, then plan on reading this in a day or two. Personally, I found it confusing and too long. Overall a good effort by the author.
(reviewed long after purchase)

Review by: Readin Chillin on July 02, 2011 :
Terrific, have shared this thriller with several friends and we agree it is five star all the way!!
(reviewed within a month of purchase)

Review by: Nicholas Denmon on May 31, 2011 :
Electronic Crime in Muted Key is an international crime thriller of the highest caliber. Barry Carter, an unlikely criminal, plots an insurance scam of epic proportion. Author Nick Wastnage crafts a brilliant “winner take all” plot that brings the reader across the globe. The novel is fast-paced and delves ever deeper into the corridors of the unknown as Barry Carter struggles to stay one step ahead. With his “widow”, a jaded lover, and authorities on multiple continents pursuing him, the reader is barely left with a moment to breathe. As intellectual as such well-know crime thrillers as Ocean’s Eleven, this is a must read for anyone looking for the next bigt thriller.
(reviewed the day of purchase)

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