Australian Author Resurrects Noir

Prepare to read a shocking new novel called SEETHINGS.

Western Australia’s Michael Forman sinister has created a sinister protagonist who lures unsuspecting victims into the night, sexually mistreating them and killing them at the height of coitus. Forman uses stormy Brisbane as a backdrop to a series of macabre murders. This person of interest is witnessed by a photographer and the story unfolds while he follows his passion of shooting the perfect lightning strike.

Noir, a genre made popular in the fifties, differs from mainstream murder mysteries as it follows the lives of perpetrators and/or victims of crime rather than following the investigation’s path. Forman relentlessly pursues his psychopath's twisted journey, giving us insight to the demons that he claims are inside all of us. It is written in an unusual but clever style that Forman has mastered, tip-toeing between psychological thriller, horror and neo-noir genres.

The action is so close personal that it is, at times, challenging and uncomfortable to read. The manner of the murders is obscene yet compelling.

One review provided by author Linda J Bettenay, says of Forman and this book: "His word pictures are stark and disturbingly real."

It would be accurate to say that Forman’s Beast is made of the stuff that humans fear the most? that of the inner-self and what it’s capable of when pushed too far.

If you’re a fan of Koontz or King, this author should be on your list of must-reads.

It’s also been a long time since asexuality has taken a seat at the literary table. Arthur Conan Doyle’s character Sherlock Holmes was the best-known asexual but in his adventures is was easy to overlook the fact that Sherlock neither saw nor looked for sexual gratification.

SEETHINGS uses asexuality to create the inevitable tension which forces our key characters to commit obscene transgressions. Internal conflicts will transcend readers to places of nightmarish proportion.

Forman admits to having been personally challenged by the depth of his research into asexuality, psychological disturbances, emotional isolation and situational dissociation.

'I began writing this story to uncover the birthplace of murder. I wanted to know: What drove, and how it felt for a person to commit murder the very first time.’

• Generally, murder mystery books represent murder’s mop-up crew. They clean up the mess and disclose the means by which the killer was caught. I preferred to delve into the mind of a deeply disturbed, sexually debauched killer who was struggling to contain himself. I didn’t want to catch a villain, I wanted to create one.'

'SEETHINGS took me down psychological rabbit holes that were difficult to get out of. That’s why I chose to write it in first-person. I wanted readers inside my killer’s deranged mind.’

• So much material came to me during the writing process that I couldn't fit it all into one book so I began working on the sequel right away. The two work wonderfully. Sleeper-killers are real and readers will be shocked by what they do and how they come to be.’

Seethings is self-published and available through Amazon and Kindle. Forman plans to publish the yet untitled sequel later this year.

Born: Sydney, Australia Age: 48 Lives: Mandurah, Western Australia Michael began writing copy for newspapers and magazines in '94 and now is a full time blogger and novelist.