The Evolution of Fear

Betrayed. A price on his head. It’s easy to survive, until they threaten her too…

Claymore Straker is a fugitive with a price on his head. Wanted by the CIA for acts of terrorism he did not commit, his best friend has just been murdered and Rania, the woman he loves, has disappeared. Betrayed by those closest to him, he must flee the sanctuary of his safe house in Cornwall and track her down. As his pursuers close in, Clay follows Rania to Istanbul and then to Cyprus, where he is drawn into a violent struggle between the Russian mafia, Greek Cypriot extremists, and Turkish developers cashing in on the tourism boom.
As the island of love descends into chaos, and the horrific truth is unveiled, Clay must call on every ounce of skill and endurance to save Rania and put an end to the unimaginable destruction being wrought in the name of profit.
Gripping, exhilarating, and above all, frighteningly realistic, The Evolution of Fear is a startling, eye-opening read that demands the question: how much is truth, and how much is fiction?

‘Thrills, spills and moral indignation’ Jake Kerridge, Telegraph

'I’m a sucker for genuine thrillers with powerful redemptive themes, but what spoke to me more strongly than anything was the courage, integrity and passion with which this novel is written’ Eve Seymour, Cheltenham Standard

‘Remarkably well-written and sophisticated’ Literary Review

‘Trenchant and engaging’ Stav Sherez, Catholic Herald

‘Fast-paced and cleverly written, this novel has bestseller written all over it’ West Australian

‘A solid, meaty thriller – Hardisty is a fine writer and Straker is a great lead character’ Lee Child

‘A Stormer of a thriller: vividly written, utterly tropical, totally gripping’ Peter James

'A page-turning adventure that grabs you from the first page and won’t let go’ Edward Wilson

'A forceful first novel by a writer not afraid of weighty issues and visibly in love with the beauty of the Yemen and desert landscapes his protagonists travel through’ Maxim Jakubowski