When I stumbled upon a fellow car guy Indie Author debuting his first automotive-themed thriller, I simply couldn’t contain my excitement!
There I was, taking a break from b-rolling footage of the car-nucopia that is the Enfield Pageant of Motoring, strolling amongst stalls of tibits, car parts and tempting dinkies, while cradling a hot cup of coffee, when I nearly choked on my cheese toastie! Smack bang between sellers of Capri instrument panels and post-war grille badges, was a bloke with a book. His modest table and roll-up banner advertised a new novel, “It Can’t See You in the Dark” by Feroze Engineer. There was a car on the cover. And not just any car!
Purely by chance, I had stumbled upon a full-on action thriller with an automotive theme. Erm… as some of you will know, I too am an author of a full-on action thriller with an automotive theme. Naturally, I was curious… no, actually, quite taken aback. In fact, let’s be completely honest, my petrolhead mind was blown clean out of the top of my BrownCarGuy hat!
Now, while my novel, “The ULEZ Files”, is actually focused on present-day London featuring a motoring journalist locked in a battle of Likes, Comments and Shares against the War on Motorists, Feroze’s book takes a historical route. It’s based around the real-life disappearance of a 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540K Streamliner, once owned by none other than Saddam Hussein himself. Yup, a super-rare pre-war Merc. One of just two. Gone during the Second Gulf War.
This part is not fiction, nor is the fact that is was found years later, after a frantic global hunt, right where it was least expected to be – still in Iraq! So what happened to it during those ‘missing years’? Nobody knows. However, Feroze has decided to fill in that gap with his own imagining of events against the backdrop of real-life news headlines.
This just got interesting. VERY interesting.
Building on History to Create Exciting Fiction!
When America invaded Iraq, Saddam’s infamous car collection was either destroyed by troops or… quietly whisked away into private hands. But his prized 540K Roadster, coachbuilt by Erdmann & Rossi, dripping in 1930s glamour, and worthy of any concours lawn on earth – the one that went missing – only to resurface years later, shrouded in mystery. Who took it, how, why and to what end?
Feroze’s novel imagines the heist that could’ve taken it, the lives entangled in that story, and the fallout that followed.
The book also features a fictionalised version of the Blogger of Baghdad – a real person who risked everything to anonymously document life under Saddam’s regime during the US-led invasion of 2003. We’re talking espionage, vintage art on wheels, and storytelling fuelled by octane and obsession. Count me in, baby!
From Marketing to Motoring Mayhem
Feroze, like me, is a wordsmith by trade – a marketing copywriter with a love for cars and thrillers. This debut novel took him 10 years to craft, research, refine and finally release.
We ended up chatting about our shared love of cars, fiction, the struggle of writing novels while balancing “real work” and, not least, the importance of storytelling in preserving and promoting car culture.
Because let’s be honest – if we petrolheads don’t write car stories, who will?
Buy the Book – Support Car Culture
If you’re a fan of historical thrillers, automotive mysteries, or just love a cracking good yarn involving a pre-war Mercedes, a Middle Eastern dictator, and the passion of a first-time novelist, get a copy of It Can’t See You in the Dark. It’s available now on Amazon – I’ve ordered mine already!
Oh, and while you’re at it – you know what I’m going to say next – grab copies of The ULEZ Files and Quantum Races too. Support car fiction. Support indie authors. Support car culture. Or don’t moan when the only stories left are spreadsheets and EV specs.
Standby for my review once I’ve read it, but if you’ve already done so, please do contribute in the comments and, and don’t forget to buy my books and leave reviews of those on Amazon too!
MY REVIEW: A High-Octane Heist Set in a Warzone – With Lions!
This book is a work of fiction, yet it piggybacks seamlessly off real-life historical events, and blurs the lines in between so beautifully you slip right through them, and suspend all disbelief to drink in this marvellous story of the impossible heist amid horrible devastation, an actual live full-scale conflict and lions. Yep, you read that right – lions.
We all know how decadent former Iraqi President/Dictator Saddam Hussein was, we have a pretty good knowledge of the outrageous and brutal debauchery of his son Uday, and as car guys, we’re well aware of their magnificent car collection. Much of this was destroyed or used as target practice by the conquering US troops. But there was one particularly exalted and extraordinarily rare car, a Mercedes 540K with near one-of-a-kind coachwork, that famously disappeared, presumed destroyed, only to re-emerge many years later.
…blurs the lines in between so beautifully you slip right through them, and suspend all disbelief to drink in this marvellous story of the impossible heist amid horrible devastation, an actual live full-scale conflict and lions. Yep, you read that right – lions!
Feroze Engineer’s entirely believable yarn leverages real events and a mysterious blogger to create a telling of what happened to it. He creates characters so real, so scarred, that you let down your guard and give them unfettered access to your heartstrings. Like any good story, particularly the fast-paced thriller that this is, you relate to them, root for them, until you can’t wait to race to the end to find out if they get away with it.
The author researched this book for 10 years, and it shows. The level of intricate detail, without slipping into lovingly self-indulgent, is nonetheless incredibly effective at world-building, a world we only saw through the news channels. Here we’re parachuted right into the midst of Baghdad just as the Americans invade and take over the storied ancient city.
We gain a frightening and disturbing insight into the mental anarchy of a self-belief so stubbornly belligerent that anyone close and loyal to the psychopath had as much to fear as his enemies.
The prose brings the characters to life, even the despots, particularly Uday. We gain a frightening and disturbing insight into the mental anarchy of a self-belief so stubbornly belligerent that anyone close and loyal to the psychopath had as much to fear as his enemies. Of course, this is a fictionalised version of the most unhinged and dangerous kind of narcissist, but you won’t find any chinks in the character layering.
As ever, it’s the protagonists that fascinate the most, the anti-hero mechanic, the rich friend, the damsel in distress, the fierce international car thief who’ll keep you guessing as to her real motives.
The cliff-hangers come as fast as the cars are driven, and this is where this novel really appeals to me. It’s written by a car guy, this much is very evident.
The cliff-hangers come as fast as the cars are driven, and this is where this novel really appeals to me. It’s written by a car guy, this much is very evident. From the delightful detail to the writer’s ability to put you at the wheel of the action, petrolheads will love this.
To top it all, and without giving it away, the ending is not only satisfying but it thrives and delights in smacking you on the back of the head with epilogal twists and turns worthy of an Oceans 11 movie. You won’t want to skip a single word of this text.
This is my full, unreserved and enthusiastic recommendation of this brilliant debut novel by Feroze Engineer. Get it now from Amazon!
the ending is not only satisfying but it thrives and delights in smacking you on the back of the head with epilogal twists and turns worthy of an Oceans 11 movie
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MY BOOKS ON AMAZON! 📖 Want to become an automotive journalist, content creator, or car influencer? Check out my book: How to be an Automotive Content Creator 👉🏽 https://amzn.eu/d/7VTs0ii 📖 Quantum Races – A collection of my best automotive sci-fi short stories! 👉🏽 https://amzn.eu/d/0Y93s9g 📖 The ULEZ Files – My all-action thriller set in a dystopian ULEZ future! 👉🏽 https://amzn.eu/d/jhADkOt
