From the Inside Flap
For the last ten years, Carl Denham has immersed himself totally in establishing and running a successful business. Inexplicably his company is suddenly taken over and he finds himself unemployed, but two million pounds richer. With unexpected freedom his mind turns to finding Sarah Zurek, the girl he loved who drove him to his workaholic exile all those years ago.
Carl embarks upon a search for Sarah and uncovers a web of deceit perpetrated by his ex-wife, his business partner, and Sarah’s family. Officially Sarah committed suicide, but his alarming discoveries suggest she was murdered instead.
A car bombing, an arson, a murder and a trial later, Carl is alone again, ready to start another new life. Now someone is trying to kill him ...

About the Author
Ray Crowther was born in London and now lives in Tolleshunt Major, Essex. He is married and has two daughters.
He read Cybernetics and Mathematics at Reading University and then worked in systems development jobs in England and Germany before starting his own company specializing in human resources software.
During his systems career he had technical papers published and wrote more reference manuals than he can remember. He maintains that the exacting discipline of technical authoring prepared him well for a creative change into fiction writing. He cites Robert Goddard as his favourite author and biggest influence on his own writing style.
Ray’s first novel entitled The Nearest FarAway Place was completed in November 1999 and published in 2001. His second novel Panglossian was published in 2002 and awarded a Golgonooza Medal of Merit.
After a writing gap during which he sold his company, retired to the countryside and remarried, he completed a third novel, Schoolfrenz, in March 2005.
Ray also regularly writes articles for motor sport publications.
When he is not writing, Ray can be found competing in motor rallies, jogging his local lanes and footpaths (where most of his fiction ideas evolve), organizing table-top rallies or pegularities, designing websites, developing payroll software and farming chickens.
He connects the achievements in his life to running: running a successful company; running around after his two daughters Caroline and Rebecca; and running the London Marathon.

First Sentence
Carl Denham did not like travelling on the underground during the rush hour. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews   1 of 1 people found the following review helpful: A suddenly freed workaholic sets out to find his lost love., 16 Oct 2001 By A Customer Who hasn't dreamed of what they would do with 2 million pounds in their pocket; the just reward for working long hours whilst losing years, friends and maybe much more? The Nearest FarAway Place is a mystery adventure which starts with this premise and moves on to a methodical search for the lost past; a process which unearths dangerous characters who would rather not be found and reveals conspiracies extending well beyond the search for 'simply' the missed opportunities of a workaholic lifestyle. The primary character is an unlikely candidate for the star role in this fast paced murder mystery; Carl Denham is the software expert in a business partnership which ultimately puts the 2 million pounds and freedom in his pocket following a takeover. But this particular 'nerd' combines his IT skills with a strength of character sufficient to unravel a 10 year old mystery to find out just why his first and only real love had ended their relationship so abruptly. Along the way he needs to survive the extremes of false accusation of murder and attempts on his own life; quite some programmer! "I couldn't put it down" is a hackneyed phrase but is genuinely true for me in this case. The present day story graphically revolves around Silicon Fen (Cambridge, UK), East London and Southern England making it very accessible but also reaches out to the Eastern Bloc at the time of the cold war, adding brilliantly to the aura of mystery. The intriguing title of The Nearest FarAway place admirably sets the scene for the twists and turns the reader will encounter in this novel and the ever accelerating pace will leave you sleepless as you promise "just one more chapter" before lights out! I read this book in two days (and nights) flat, almost without pause. Read it yourself and I'm sure that like me you'll be scanning the shelves for Ray Crowther's next title just as soon as you turn the last page.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you?