The Cut-Out
by Jon King
Genre of this Book: Conspiracy Thriller
Word count: 97,000
He said he was a retired Special Forces Green Beret, a CIA runner, so I knew the information he had was potentially explosive. But even so, I never imagined he would tell me what he did: that someone of global renown, “within days from now”, would be assassinated, and that the hit would be made to look like an “accident”. Why tell me? A low-key conspiracy journalist? I didn’t know. And quite frankly, I didn’t believe him, either—until a week later, when Princess Diana was killed in a car crash, an “accident”. That’s when the nightmare began. Based on a true story.
This book is available from Amazon.
Jon, how did you come up with the title for your book? Does it have any special meaning?
Officially a ‘cut-out’ is someone used to pass information from one agent to another in a covert operation—a go-between. In more general terms it describes someone used as an unwitting pawn by intelligence services. Without giving too much away, that’s the main premise of this book.
Who was your favorite character and why?
This is difficult to answer because The Cut-Out is largely autobiographical in style, and all the main characters are based on real people. What I would say is that it was particularly challenging having to create and develop my own character. I learned a lot.
Does your book have any underlying theme, message, or moral?
I guess it’s never to give up, despite the odds stacked against you. The main character’s struggle to find the truth in the face of constant danger, and his refusal to give up even when his life is threatened, demonstrate this point in a profound and, hopefully, an inspiring way.
What would/could a reader or reviewer say about this book that shows they “get” you as an author?
Again, this is a difficult one due to the autobiographical nature of the book. I guess because the story is so personal, if they said something about the ingenuousness and integrity of the writing, that would tell me they’d ‘got’ me, and that they’d ‘got’ the story as well.
Give us an excerpted quote from your favorite review of this book:
“This really is a remarkable story, brilliantly told. For the first time I can now understand exactly how and why Princess Diana could have been murdered.” – G.E. Harrison, Amazon UK.
Where can people learn more about your writing?
https://www.facebook.com/jonking255
