A Tale Of Two Peters

It was the best of times, it was the most opportune of times, etc. The newest Irish crime writer, Peter Wilben, debuted this week with the release of RED CONTRACT, an e-published tome about which the blurb elves have wibbled thusly:

Joe Grace, a successful Dublin financier with a dark past, is attempting to lead a normal life with his beautiful German girlfriend Hanny. Meanwhile in New York, in a world Joe left behind, the stock price of a pharmaceutical giant is soaring. The reason: a rumoured cure for a deadly disease. When Joe gets a call from one of his most valued investors, asking him to track down a missing scientist who has made the groundbreaking discovery, his attempt at a normal life quickly unravels. Bound by the terms and conditions of a contract with his investor, Joe reluctantly agrees to help find the man. But on a bloody quest that takes him from Ireland to New York, Mexico and Moscow, Joe soon discovers old personal scores are at stake …

  So far, so interesting. But stay! There’s more. Quoth Peter Wilben’s interweb lair:

Peter Wilben is the pen name of acclaimed Irish author Peter Cunningham. Writing as Peter Wilben, Peter’s thrillers include the highly successful Joe Grace series, now exclusively re edited and re-released online.
  The books are set in the world of high finance, and as a former trader, who worked on Wall Street in its heyday, it is Peter’s insider knowledge that makes him the master of the financial thriller.
  In 1982, while on holidays in Antigua, Peter’s briefcase was stolen. He spent the next 14 days locked in his room, writing the first 25,000 words of NOBLE LORD. It’s a thriller about a man who goes on holidays, has his briefcase stolen and stumbles on a plot by terrorists to assassinate the Queen at the Epsom Derby. A few months later, Peter was offered a publishing contract. He has been a full-time writer ever since.
  On witnessing the dramatic changes occurring in the publishing industry over the past number of years, Peter saw an opportunity to find new readers online for his books. The independent re-release of the Joe Grace novels as an ebook-only series represents the empowerment of authors in the digital age.

  An intriguing gambit, to say the least of it, and I wish Peter the very best of luck in his endeavours. For sample chapters from RED CONTRACT, clickety-click here …