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Sam Adams is a manic depressant, a schizophrenic with lots of issues. He constantly hears voices in his mind that are not kind to him – insulting him, criticising him, and telling him what to do. These voices along with constant hallucinations and lurid dreams drag him down and mess with his head.
It is a lot to try and live with!
The narrative opens with Sam living on the streets of Edinburgh which is a very dangerous place to be. After a near miss with the “coffin pedlars” he once again attempts to pick himself up and with the help of an eccentric old lady he manages to do so for a short time before it all comes crashing down yet again forcing him once again to live in absolute poverty.
Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. We are all in the gutter but some of us are looking at the stars!
It has not always been like this even though his start in life was not good. Abused and rejected from an early age he sets out to fight the odds and prove he can do better. With hard work and a real determination to ignore the screaming voices in his head he drags himself out of the gutter and manages to elevate his position in society moving from the deprived areas of South West England to the affluent parts of London.
His brain is chaotic but it is also exceptionally quick and fantastically clever. By virtue of these other attributes he experiences another life where he embraces wealth and popularity, mixing with the shallow rich and famous and living the high life although his journey through life is never straight forward or easy.
Unfortunately a disastrous career with a major financial institution, irregular dealings in the arms industry and a chance meeting with three illegal immigrants pushes him back further into the gutter than even he could have ever imagined possible; unfortunately wherever Sam is – there is also calamity.
Things seem to have a habit of happening around him, nasty, horrible things. People get hurt, young children go missing, and even the few he manages to care about suffer; those such as Joe who shared his doorways on the Streets.
“As I rested his pitiful body back in the ditch that day I could not bring myself to rummage through his pockets, vile creature as I was, for I wanted no part of his ill-gotton gains, rewards from the immoral and depraved. I can recall that day, that hour, those minutes with absolute clarity, every minute detail. As I laid his pale hands about his chest I caught sight of a wristband he always wore. It was made from brown leather with three silver symbols embossed into the front, a cross, an anchor and a heart. Joe once told me these symbols represented Faith, Hope and Charity which was ironic for he’d never been shown any such virtues in his own short life. I held no such beliefs myself but unfastened the band and clasped it about my own wrist to carry a reminder of a true genuine friend I once had the privilege to know”.
Sam is never sure if these awful happenings, these crimes are committed by him, for him, because of him or are mere coincidences. Perhaps he’s just in the wrong place at the wrong time? Whatever the truth, a particular ardent detective is hot on his trail and is never far behind him, watching and waiting.
Sam can’t help it. Some of it is nature, some nurture. He’s not going to turn into his mother – or is he? People come and go in his life, they always have done. His life has always been out of control.
Detective Drew on the other hand is very controlled. Everything about him is obsessive and compulsive. He firmly believes that he is the complete opposite to Sam, put on this Earth to rid the Good of trash such as Adams. Although he has his own cross to bear Drew is fixated on the task and his quest to succeed runs along in parallel to Sam’s demise. But only Sam knows the truth – or does he?
Is he the perpetrator or is he just another victim?
Through the course of the chase Drew is forced to look into his own affairs and face his own past. It is not as ordered as he would like to believe and the pursuit shows only to prove that their characters are not that dissimilar, in fact a merger is inevitable.
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Need, Greed and Ignorance 
Hi Andrea. Nice site
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Thanks Tom
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When is this book available to buy and where can I buy a copy from?
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Can’t wait for a read ☺📗
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Very intrigued, I can’t wait to read the rest, well done Andrea x
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Thanks Sarah – that’s nice to know xxx
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Great title for a great book! Like the cover too. Gave me an insight into what sort of dark book this was going to be. A really interesting read! Intense and profound. Not the usual run of the mill thriller, this story is based on a main character with mental illness. Made me think and I like a book that can do that!
Sam, the main character, is extremely clever, perhaps even brilliant, but he suffers from psychosis and schizophrenia. He also seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time most of the time, but as a reader we don’t know if this is coincidence or is he just a murderous psychopath?
I toggled between disliking the main character and desperately wanting things to improve for him. I also felt a connection with him. At the beginning I felt he was personally telling me his story but later I became engrossed in it (in him), and as I got into the book it made me feel that I was in his mind seeing things through his perspective. I see now why it says in the beginning, ”Come into my mind, crawl under my skin and see things though my eyes..!”
This was different from many books I have read and I was constantly asking myself if he (Sam) was guilty of the crimes?? One minute he was guilty, the next I felt guilt for doubting him. It wrapped me up in knots!
The book gave me a real insight into what goes on in a person’s mind when they suffer from psychosis /schizophrenia. It also contains a lot of sadness as is told by a man suffering from depression. The darkness at times is overwhelming for him and hence also for any engrossed reader.
I thought the book had super characterisation and enjoyed meeting the characters, some were exceptionally good people, some really evil…..! I guess this was done intentionally to show us the extremes of human behaviour (kindness on one hand, greed and wickedness on the other).
Almost half way through the book we are introduced to the other major character, Detective Drew, not by Sam but by Drew himself. I thought this introduction was great and the way Drew dovetailed into the story just as things started to happen around Sam really got my interest and I enjoyed how the two interacted when they met. I also found it intriguing the way the two of them kind of turned out similar at the end.
There are a number of references to songs, poems and poetry in the book which I thought was pretty original and I liked the fact that the lyrics and meaning behind them were on the book’s Website. The website is a good supplement to the novel plus it contains links to the songs on YouTube which is good. A lot of thought seems to have gone into choosing these songs (and poems/nursery rhymes) and the links they make. Some of these lyrics and the many wise sentiments (especially from the carer Eileen) are still stuck in my mind after reading.
A lot of bad things seem to happen whenever Sam is around. As the crimes intensified so did Sam’s mental state of mind and I found myself more interested in this decline than the crimes themselves which is strange because this is exactly how Sam was reported to have felt which proved I had become deeply wrapped up in his character!
On finishing the book I now understand the title and those three words. I am now researching more about the subjects raised in the story as I want to find out even more now! I have a cousin who has bi polar episodes so although I enjoy a good thriller I also wanted to read this book to find out what it is like to suffer from this type of condition and this book has done that brilliantly in addition to having a good plot.
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Thanks for the (positive) feedback Justin. Yes it is a good idea to take a look at the website before reading the book as it provides a peripheral glimpse of the novel. I am glad you liked the links to the songs and poetry too, many people may miss the connection of these selected lyrics.
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Brilliant story telling with a clear understanding of the difficulties facing those suffering with schizophrenia. Couldn’t put this book down and read it in two days. Have recommended this book to others who have also thoroughly enjoyed reading it – especially those with some insight into mental illness but also to others who simply enjoy a psychological thriller. Perhaps there is a little bit of Sam (the main character in all of us)?
Amazing for a debut novel and I am very much looking forward to reading anything more from Andrea Carpenter.
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Thank you for your kind words – so pleased that you could relate to the novel and subject matter. You are so right in your comment that there is a part of the main character in all of us too! Only some of us fail to recognise this! Thanks again and best wishes- Andrea
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A brilliant read Andrea, thank you! Intriguing, insightful and also sad. I felt such compassion for Sam and wanted more for him but maybe his inner peace, in whatever way that was finally found, was a blessing to him. I loved the way in which Drew’s character and his illness weaved in and out of Sam’s and how ironically it deteriorated as time went on……who knows where he will end up! Is there room for another tale to be told I wonder………..?
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удалите,пожалуйста! .
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