Malta-based author expands Hollywood thriller series with two new titles

Malta-based author Mark Grenside has launched two new thrillers, The Bastion and Sunset Circus, continuing the Marcus Riley series that began with his acclaimed debut, Fall Out. Published by Sharpe Books on 21 July, the new titles arrive alongside a revised edition of Fall Out, as part of a six-book deal that will see a further three novels published over the coming months.

The series follows film producer Marcus Riley and his partner, designer Melinda (Mako) de Turris, as each new project pulls them into a web of conspiracy, betrayal and buried history. Fall Out was praised by award-winning producer Alan Moloney as a “tautly written, entertaining thriller that will keep the reader turning the pages right till the very end”, and one that “sits somewhere between The Da Vinci Code and Indiana Jones”.

In The Bastion, a Lloyd’s of London kidnap and ransom negotiator turns predator, using a stolen list of the world’s most heavily insured individuals – hidden inside the film reels of a Hollywood blockbuster – to set a global conspiracy in motion. Marcus and Mako race through Malta’s underground tunnels to stop a stolen fortune falling into the wrong hands, in a story that moves from the Aleutian Islands and Los Angeles to the Calabrian Mountains, with a third of the novel set in Malta.

In Sunset Circus, Olga Miksa rules Nevada’s most feared crime family on two buried secrets: a fortune in smuggled Romanov treasure and an act of Cold War betrayal that bought the family’s immunity. When an old friend hands Marcus a cryptic riddle and turns up dead hours later, he and Mako are drawn into a world of mobsters, traitors and lethal loyalties, and a truth that could rewrite history.

The Bastion and Sunset Circus

Like all of Grenside’s thrillers, the new titles blend fact and fiction. Each is built around a real historical thread – from Yamashita’s gold to the tunnels beneath Valletta and the lost Romanov treasure – and every story plays out inside the film industry in which the author spent much of his career.

Grenside, who lives in Malta, spent years as a Lloyd’s of London kidnap, ransom and product extortion insurance broker before joining Jim Henson and The Muppets©, going on to create and produce numerous films, television series and mini-series. He also writes the humorous ‘And another thing’ blog at www.andanotherthing.com, which has subscribers in more than 40 countries.

“Marcus Riley is a film producer, and every plot plays out inside the industry I actually worked in,” says Grenside. “I plan each thriller backwards from a piece of history I want to use, then build the story and the characters around it. Mixing a true but almost unbelievable fact with an accurate insider’s view of movie-making is what makes these books such fun to write, and, I hope, to read.

“For The Bastion, I was greatly helped by Marc Zimmerman and Daniel Cilia on underground Valletta, and by many friends here in Malta on the myth and history of these wonderful islands,” adds Grenside. “I hope those who read it not only enjoy the ride and the surprises that come with my thrillers, but give a knowing nod to some of the details – maybe even recognise a few faces.”

The first three books in the series are available at Agenda outlets across Malta and Gozo. “Following the success of Mark’s debut novel Fall Out a few years ago, we are delighted to be bringing his two new books The Bastion and Sunset Circus, to readers in Malta,” says Michael Vella De Fremeaux, Agenda’s Chief Trade Books Officer. “With The Bastion set in Malta, we are particularly excited about its strong local connection. I’m thrilled to see both books on the shelves of our outlets across Malta and Gozo and am confident that they will be very well-received.”

The fourth and fifth books in the Marcus Riley series are due out by the end of the year, with the sixth to follow in spring.

The Bastion, Sunset Circus and the revised edition of Fall Out by Mark Grenside are published by Sharpe Books and are available now in paperback and on Kindle via Amazon, and in Agenda Bookshops across Malta and Gozo. For more information about the author and the books visit markgrenside.com