The first thing that hits you when you read the opening lines of Altered Life, is the fact that it is in the First Person. This of course is the standard format for the genre; ie, Crime / Detective / PI stories; but it has rarely been accomplished well since the days of the famed Raymond Chandler; well that is not the case here I am delighted to say, Keith manages to put First Person back up where it belongs, on top of the pile, due to his great forte for the style as shown here.



Minus the seedy monologues involving dames and broads and neon lit corner diners providing the only light on dark rainy nights, Keith Dixon stoutheartedly keeps the style of delivery firmly on this side of the Sargasso, and makes the first person narrative style all his own. Altered life is a tale of a private investigator, Sam Dyke, who is asked by a management consultant, Rory Brand, to investigate his beliefs that someone is trying to scupper his business and steal new software related to the still burgeoning Human Resource culture-monster which is engulfing all aspects of Personnel and Recruitment in both the private and state sectors in all countries where paint bombing and away-days are King.



The story has a surprising very early twist and this then really sets the scene for the rest of the tale; so much so I cannot relate it here as it would be a Class 1 Spoiler. But, the combination of A1 narrative and dialogue, the totally believable characters, and the tense situations punctuating the overall plot, make this a great story by a great writer. Keith once won an award for one of his earlier offerings, let us hope he repeats this achievement with - Altered Life. Well done, Keith, here's to your next offering.

I approached Keith's book admittedly with caution, because this genre is not one I would normally read. Before long, however, I was well and truly hooked - drawn into the sinister, dark world of Sam Dyke and the rest of the terrifically drawn characters that make up this unputdownable book.

Keith writes with tremendous skill. Despite being reminiscent of the classic murder mysteries, Altered Life is right up to date with a completely modern setting and storyline. The book's pace, characters and dialogue keep the reader eagerly turning the pages to uncover the mystery. And the story's setting (in an area with which I am familiar) works well too. I look forward to the next instalment of Sam's adventures.

If you buy this book, you won't be disappointed. Ten out of ten.

Great piece of English sluthness, Perry Mason eat your heart out stuff, great preview kept me wishing for more, if only I was a millionaire so I could buy all the good stuff around like this and many others now popping up.
Well written and thought out A+

First, two important facts:

1. I don't know Keith from Adam.
2. I paid full price for his book and read it cover to cover.

So this is not a review of a preview, a review by a friend, or a you-review-me-I'll-review-you review.

I've still got a lot to learn about writing, but reading I've pretty much mastered, so I feel qualified to tell you that "Altered Life" is a great read.

Keith's got a recipe for satisfying his readers. First, add several heaping cups of the classic elements of hard-boiled detective fiction: first-person narration by a tough guy hero, dead bodies, car chases, and plenty of beautiful, treacherous women.

Stir evenly with a decidedly English sensibility: dialogue and settings that make the setting pop of the page. This is more than a transplant of American detective fiction; it's on the cusp of building a new genre. From Sam's narration to the dialogue, everything about the story makes you feel as though you've been whisked away to the UK--at least, it felt that way to an American who's never crossed the pond.

Season liberally with witty exchanges and plot twists sharp as a hairpin turn. Bake at 350 (that's Fahrenheit, to you Brits) and you've got "Altered Life", the first of what I hope will be many appearances by Sam Dyke.

It's not perfect; few first novels are. The mystery at times left me without enough clues--it's more fun when you're able to second-guess the detective. And our hero Sam has a bad habit of leaving a situation just when it's getting exciting. But the cliff-hanger chapter endings and wonderfully noirish narration carry the story through these rough patches and kept me reading.

In fact, the book gets better with each chapter: the conflicts become more heated, clues (and red herrings) become more frequent, and Mr. Dixon really seems to come into his stride in the book's second-half. If I were to review them separately, I'd give the first half four out of six stars, and the second half five.

If you enjoy hard-boiled detectives and you're looking to start a new series on the ground floor, grab a copy of "Altered Life" and take the ride.

"Altered Life," by Keith Dixon is an amazing twisted read. He captures mystery like no other. Dixon's descriptive writing will have you at the very edge of your chair until the final word of the final sentence. Discover a new style of detective writing and read Altered Life.

Michelle Rossi author of All About Me.

I enjoyed this preview very much after I worked out how to get it to a readable size (it started life as 75% of the original size for some reason!). Good Luck!

In “Altered Life,” British detective Sam Dyke investigates the death of a business executive. The story begins with a twist: Sam turns down the job, then changes his mind after the CEO who tried to hire him is killed. The infighting and backstabbing of corporate life complicates the case, but not nearly as much as the discovery that the dead executive’s widow is Sam’s own ex-wife. What are the odds of that? Slim, perhaps, but the story moves along so rapidly that this reader never noticed that the coincidence was unlikely. Dixon does a great job with dialogue and his descriptions are excellent, especially toward the end when the suspense is killing the reader; who dun it, durn it?! Let’s hope Keith Dixon writes a sequel in the near future. Keith has successfully transplanted the cynical yet moralistic American detective to a new and interesting venue. Imagine Phillip Marlow with a British accent, and you almost can envision Sam Dyke. This book is a joy to read.

I can't tell from the sample text how well the author has transported the American private eye story into an English setting (although this has been succesfully done by others)...I could have easily thought the story was starting out in New York or San Francisco but for the spelling...but he certainly has a firm, hairy-knuckled grip on the noir style, there's no question about that! No-nonsense, spare-to-the-bone writing and terse, believable dialog worthy of Dashiell Hammett or Ross MacDonald.

‘Nice grip,’ he said.
‘Call me Sam,’ I said.

Good stuff! And not easy to do, either. Dixon in just a few paragraphs of dialog and observation has delineated not only a very real personality in his private eye, Sam Dyke, but an interesting one as well...and set up a situation that already has the reader in suspense.

RM