The idea for Kill Swap came to me, as the author’s note in the book states, when I was lying awake at four o’clock one morning. I’m not an insomniac, at least not much of one, but I do sometimes find myself snapping into consciousness at around 3 or 4 a.m. with my brain whirling full of thoughts, often bad ones (what my friend Peter Crowther calls “the rats”).
On this occasion, what waltzed into my head was a simple idea: what reason would someone have to kill a person they’d never met? I was due to write another Barrington Stoke title at this point anyway, and I suddenly realised I had the germ of a story right there. I freely admit that the initial part of the tale is a crib from Strangers On A Train (as pointed out in the review below) but the rest of it, with all its twists and turns, is pure spontaneous, original invention.
Amazon UK:
- Kill Swap [Barrington Stoke, January 2007] – ISBN 978-1842994474
Reviews:
- “Barrington Stoke is a new venture publishing short novels for reluctant readers. Universally excellent, its list features thrillers by such leading authors such as Robert Swindells, Kaye Umansky, Terry Deary and Catherine McPhail. James Lovegrove’s Kill Swap is typically clever and gripping.”Jack’s father is in debt to a gangster. He rings a mysterious company called Trouble Fix and is told that the gangster will be murdered if Jack murders a banker in turn. It’s like Strangers on a Train crossed with Big Brother, as the plot twists in an unexpected direction. Written in clear, terse prose, and typeset in easy-to-read paragraphs, this is hard-edged, fast-paced reading that does credit to an excellent enterprise.
“[The book is] pure gold for boys who have read everything by Anthony Horowitz… or have not been able to tackle him yet.” – Amanda Craig, The Times
11 Responses to “Kill Swap”
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• Filed under Books • 01/01/2007 •
it was a good book but the ending was a bit of a bumer do u have a second book
There’s no sequel, if that’s what you mean, Jason. But I’ve other books like it. Try Free Runner, Cold Keep, Ant God, or my 5 Lords Of Pain series, starting with The Lord Of The Mountain.
ending was crap… :S sorry James. You can do better.
Fair comment. How should I have ended it, then?
Hello James, I have read your book “kill swap” and I thought it was a great book but the ending could of been better or a seccond book, now that would be great and I would get it as soon as it comes out but you u can do wat ever you want because ur the author and you make them so i don’t know what im talking about I really hope you do make a 2nd book about “kill swap” thanks =]
I don’t know about a sequel to Kill Swap, Kyle. I’m not sure where the story or the characters could go after the end of the book. However, if you liked it (apart from the ending), you might also like Free Runner. It has the same sort of vibe.
Hey James, I loved the story. The only part that didn’t really catch my attention was the ending. My opinion is, in order to make KILL SWAP better is to make the 2nd book, but that is only my opinion. I hope some of this feed back has helped. Thanks
No probs, Jaymi. In fact, you’ve planted the seed of the idea for a sequel. I’ll mull it over. I can see a way it might work! I’d have to see if Barrington Stoke, the publisher, would be interested, though.
Well james i though it was an amazing book, well done
Hey James, i read kill swap the book was amazing, loved every part of it.
I think you should make a 2nd book for it that would top it
Hi, Lucinda. That’s not a bad idea, a follow-up to Kill Swap. We could find out if Jack really did kill the producer, and if so, how it changed him. Even if he didn’t, the experience of being on that reality show would definitely have changed him. I’ll have to wait and see if the publisher, Barrington Stoke, ask me to do another book for them. Then I might suggest the idea of Kill Swap 2 to them!