Dublin’s underworld is run by the Doherty family, a clan of brothers harder than the Rock of Cashel and darker than a pint of Guinness. The head of the clan, Malcolm Doherty, has infiltrated all levels of public office and rules the city’s criminal landscape without mercy or compassion. Gerald O’Brien is the incorruptible cop on the Dohertys’ trail, obsessive and indefatigable, yet unable to bring them down. Nathan Corbally is a neglected and abused youngster. Raised by a monstrous father, Nathan steals to survive. When he steals a piece of clothing belonging to the Dohertys, he sets of a chain of events that will pit him against the rulers of Ireland’s underworld.

Three lives, steeped in violence, are about to clash in a violent grab for absolute power.

Jonathan grew up in the North Inner city, Dublin, Ireland. He was raised by a fiercely strong grandmother, Margaret Lynch, who also raised nine sons and four daughters in a three bedroom flat on the North Strand. Jonathan is from a working class background and dropped out of school at age fourteen to work. He worked in menial manual labour jobs; however he developed a love of reading as a child and continued to read avidly all through his teenage years. When a former boss noticed his curious nature he told Jonathan, he was too bright to continue 'loading pallets' he returned to education and completed his exams. Although the leaving certificate curriculum in Ireland was six subjects, Jonathan sat nine and passed them all. He admits being ignorant of the world around him before returning to school, 'I knew nothing of politics, current affairs, history, or the wider world. I went from the extremities of ignorance to an awakening and recognition of the world around me.'As a keen martial artist, Jonathan became heavily influenced by BAFTA award winning writer Geoff Thompson. Through this mentor; Jonathan began to write consistently winning a number of short story competitions. He wrote his first book (Academic Octagon) whilst working in finance and secured a small publishing contract. He admits this book was the work of a 'novice' and began studying his craft in earnest. He studied punctuation, grammar and every book he could unearth on writing. "I was bursting with ideas but I needed the basic tools and studied relentlessly. It paid off, I had literally hundreds of rejections for my first book, but for Fia The Envoy, I was offered two contracts within three months and Ireland's biggest literary agent were very interested but alas, I was already under contract." Jonathan lives in Dublin with his wife and two children and writes full time. He is also a columnist for a national martial arts magazine, and is beginning a follow up to Fia The Envoy.

It was great chatting with Jonathan about "The Takeover", and to get a sense of how it was created, the research that went into it, and his own path to writing.

This is a great book, and I'd very strongly recommend you give it a whirl!

You can find out more about Jonathan and "The Takeover" at:

http://www.crimewavepress.com