Smol - Shop now
Kindle Unlimited
Unlimited reading. Over 4 million titles. Learn more
Read for Free
OR
$0.99 with 92 percent savings
Print List Price: $12.24

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Sold by Amazon.com Services LLC.
Read with our free app
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Joel Hames
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Art of Staying Dead (Sam Williams) Kindle Edition

by Joel Hames (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.9 out of 5 stars 565 ratings
A secret prisoner holds the key to a thirty-year old crime.

Sam Williams was meant for great things, until a fatal misstep crashed his career. Trying to salvage the remnants is a path which leads him to the wrong place at the worst time - a high security prison in the middle of a riot, and face to face with a man the world believes is long dead.

Sam quickly learns someone is willing to do whatever it takes make sure things stay that way.

The truth to a decades old mystery might save Sam’s skin, but the clock is ticking and this time he knows any missteps won’t just be fatal to his career...

An Amazon US/UK Top 10 Bestseller in -
Crime Fiction
International Mystery & Crime
Conspiracy Thrillers
Legal Thrillers
Kidnapping
Financial Thriller
Political Thrillers & Suspense.

Get the gripping introduction to the Sam Williams thriller series today for just 0.99.

Read what Amazon customers are saying about The Art of Staying Dead...

"A brilliant read for thriller action readers.”

“Hames beautifully weaves it all together. Intelligent, well written, fascinating characters, a lovable protagonist.”

“Riveting book, I loved it. So well written, I was gripped all the way through and read it over a period of 24 hours.”

“What a fantastic story, and intricate web of deceit, confusion, revelation, and dark humour.”

“full of twist and turns”

"The suspense is perfectly timed and believable, the atmosphere and characterisation spot on.”

"A pacy thriller with a rich seam of laconic humour.”

“I am going straight to Amazon to buy more from this author which I have added to my must read list along with Connelly, Grisham, Child, Hayes and Nesbo.”

"Engaging, fast-paced and genuinely thrilling.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNQZlNhXZg4">https://www.youtube.com/watch?

Read more
Previous slide of product details
  1. Print length
    319 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Accessibility
    Learn more
  4. Publication date
    May 26, 2015
  5. File size
    3.7 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
Next slide of product details

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A great thriller with a strong plot, original and intelligent, with great characters, flawed, likeable, detestable, human, with some nice chewy thematic elements...taut, lean and witty prose... The Art of Staying Dead is a 5 star treat." - John Bowen, International Bestselling Author of "Where the Dead Walk" and "Vessel"
"Fans of action-packed and fast-paced thrillers will love this book. There is certainly one twist towards the end which literally made my jaw drop open" - Sarah Hardy, By The Letter Book Reviews
"A well-planned thriller full of conspiracy, politics, murder and violence. The highly descriptive plot sucks you right into the action from the first page" - Victoria Goldman, Amazon Top 1000 reviewer, Off-the-shelf book reviews
"It was thrilling, suspenseful, and I found myself holding my breath" - Noelle Holten, CrimeBookJunkie

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00X4PJKWM
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ FFS Publishing
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 26, 2015
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3.7 MB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 319 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.9 out of 5 stars 565 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Joel Hames

Joel Hames

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

A Londoner in exile, Joel Hames lives in rural Lancashire, England, with his wife and two daughters.

His crime fiction include the Dead North series, starring lawyer Sam Williams, and psychological thriller The Lies I Tell. His Cumbria Crime collaboration with award-winning author Rachel McLean has seen five books published to date.

When not writing, Joel likes to spend time with his family, play the piano, solve cryptic crosswords, and run at a pace best described as ‘dignified’.

Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars
565 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Customers say

Customers find the book engaging, keeping them enthralled to the very end with plenty of action that moves the plot forward. They appreciate the writing style and character development, with one review highlighting the excellent antiheroic hero. The pacing receives mixed feedback, with several customers noting a slow start.

Select to learn more

ReadabilitySuspenseWriting styleCharacter developmentPacing
28 customers mention "Readability"22 positive6 negative

Customers find the book highly readable and engaging, noting that it keeps them enthralled to the very end.

"As thrillers go this is a rich, robust blend, like a fine coffee...." Read more

"This is a very entertaining, well researched and engaging novel...." Read more

"My Hames book, "The Art of Staying Dead" was extremely gratifying to me...." Read more

"Took me awhile to get into but it was worth it. Not a big fan of war crimes etc but I found I wanted to see how it ended." Read more

27 customers mention "Suspense"24 positive3 negative

Customers enjoy the suspenseful plot of the book, which features plenty of action to keep the story moving, with one customer noting it's based on current headlines.

"...in the sheer terror our hero lives in throughout, psychological thriller definitely qualifies… There’s a travel-lit component, when you consider a..." Read more

"...However, that said, I still think this author tells a great story and writes exceptionally well." Read more

"...It's the kind of book I hate to put down as it grabs you from the start and my mind was racing trying to figure out what was going to happen next...." Read more

"...The writing is personal, the action is practically constant, and there are enough bad guys to make you wonder if anyone is good at all...." Read more

8 customers mention "Writing style"8 positive0 negative

Customers praise the author's writing style, with one noting the snappy dialogue.

"...The author’s writing style is rather heady and intoxicating...." Read more

"...that said, I still think this author tells a great story and writes exceptionally well." Read more

"...The writing is personal, the action is practically constant, and there are enough bad guys to make you wonder if anyone is good at all...." Read more

"...I am looking forward to more by this talented author." Read more

6 customers mention "Character development"6 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, with one review specifically praising the antiheroic hero protagonist.

"...is personal, the action is practically constant, and there are enough bad guys to make you wonder if anyone is good at all...." Read more

"...This book is truly action packed from the very beginning. Characters are well developed and believable. And really, the conspiracy is believable too...." Read more

"I really liked this book. The action,suspense and characters were very believable. Thankfully the author says we will meet some of these people again...." Read more

"Great read ! Plot moves well,with good characters.Story line out of todays headlines !" Read more

4 customers mention "Pacing"0 positive4 negative

Customers find the book's pacing unsatisfactory, with several noting a slow start and one mentioning it went downhill quickly.

"At the beginning it felt kind of slow, but then the development of the story did make major improvements just to have an incredible end..." Read more

"A slow starter, but it picks up fairly quickly and gains momentum as it goes...." Read more

"Slow start but gets better at the end" Read more

"...It started a little ok but went downhill fast. Only cost me $3 or I would really be pissed." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Blend of Thriller and Social Drama
    Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2017
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    As thrillers go this is a rich, robust blend, like a fine coffee. It’s part social drama, involving genocides in Africa over diamonds and money, and sex-trafficking that ends up with girls getting killed. It’s part financial thriller, involving money and greed and corruption at the highest levels. It’s part espionage and spy thriller, involving alphabet soup agencies that less than a dozen people in the government even know exist. It’s part action thriller, political thriller, legal thriller… and if you factor in the sheer terror our hero lives in throughout, psychological thriller definitely qualifies… There’s a travel-lit component, when you consider a fair chunk of the story happens on location in Africa… like I said, a robust blend. Most of all, it’s just bloody brilliant. The novel tops my list of best-of-first-quarter-2017 reading.

    The story involves a journalist and a human rights lawyer… and between them they strip bare all of the ugliness of the world going on today, exposing the horrors, forcing the reader to take a look when he’d rather turn a blind eye. This stuff is almost too painful to watch in the news, which is why it seldom makes it to the news. And within the context of drama it’s all the more powerful because it rises above statistics. But getting someone to keep reading and not put down the book—there’s art in that. The writer has to entertain, after all, seduce, enchant, not bludgeon you to death with unmitigated horrors; he has to keep you looking long enough so you can perceive the truth when the unmitigated horror is the truth, but the fact is you can’t face it, you can’t process it, it’s just too much. But what if the author can get you to process it, make something of it, act on this knowledge, turn a pacifist into an activist? That’s the beauty and the poetry and the power of books like this.

    From the first scene, our hero is caught up in a jail-break, fighting for his life, and the tension never lets up from there. He manages to escape the prison riot, barely, after seeing people get shot and killed around him, and barely missing being shot and killed himself. It was the worst, most terrifying experience of his life. Little does he know that with what he’ll be facing in the days ahead, being part of that prison riot will seem like a well-deserved vacation.

    The author’s writing style is rather heady and intoxicating. There’s a one-page sentence in the novel that rivals anything Faulkner ever penned. While it’s a standout, I mention it as just a small example of his writing skill.

    Can’t wait to jump into the next book in the series.
    2 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • D. Dobler
    4.0 out of 5 stars Great Story!
    Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2015
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    This is a very entertaining, well researched and engaging novel. The only reason I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars was that there was enough British references that I was unfamiliar with to slow me down a bit. However, that said, I still think this author tells a great story and writes exceptionally well.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Amazon Customer
    3.0 out of 5 stars Great Reading ?
    Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2016
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    My Hames book, "The Art of Staying Dead" was extremely gratifying to me. It's the kind of book I hate to put down as it grabs you from the start and my mind was racing trying to figure out what was going to happen next. Thanks for the book Mr Hames and thank you Amazon for making it available !
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • A Critical Reader
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!
    Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2017
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Right from the start, this book moves, and as it’s told from the first person perspective, you the reader feel a part of it. You are Sam, down but not completely out, though almost. I’m not sure who could have worse luck, but we must admit, he did have some of it coming, at least what his life had turned into up until the first scene of the book. And what happened? Let’s just say a visit to a prison jump starts a series of events that keep putting Sam in more and more horrible positions. And since you ARE Sam, (or the one to whom he's telling the story), you’re there too, nervous, scared, biting your nails or pulling your hair out, one or the other.

    Just when you think it can’t get any worse, it does, and you wonder how on earth this guy is going to get himself out of it- or will he? Who knows what kind of an ending it will have; the author certainly doesn’t give anything away (and as a reviewer, I won’t either).

    The writing is personal, the action is practically constant, and there are enough bad guys to make you wonder if anyone is good at all. Oh, this one will keep you on your toes, that’s for sure! Excellent!
    Helpful
     Report
  • Linda R. Rubel
    4.0 out of 5 stars Well worth reading.
    Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2016
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Maybe the most compelling beginning of any thriller I've read, and the rest holds up well even when the pace slows (not a bad thing; the breakneck pace of the opening would be too frenetic for an entire novel.) I am looking forward to more by this talented author.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Kim J., TN
    5.0 out of 5 stars Hooked from the first chapter!
    Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2015
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    I loved the storyline of this book. I was hooked from the first chapter!

    Sam Williams is a human rights lawyer who has made some mistakes in past cases and is having a difficult time living with himself. He gets himself included in a group of journalists and lawyers that are going to a high security prison to interview prisoners. Maybe he is looking for a new client; maybe he is just filling his day with a different experience; but, when there is a riot at the prison and Sam finds himself in a life and death situation, he is definitely in over his head. It is the escaping prisoner that points a gun at Sam's head as they lock eyes that sets off the rest of this book. Who is the prisoner? Why are prison officials denying the prisoner exists? Why is no one believing Sam? What kind of horrifying conspiracy is this?

    This book is truly action packed from the very beginning. Characters are well developed and believable. And really, the conspiracy is believable too. If you love action thrillers, this is definitely the book for you.
    8 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Amazon Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars Written in a similar style to Banker’s Town, Joel ...
    Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2015
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Written in a similar style to Banker’s Town, Joel has a quirky, fast-paced hit here that takes the viewpoint of another multi-layered not-quite-good/ not-quite-bad character. Its strength is definitely in the snappy dialogue and interactions, though there is also plenty of action to keep the plot moving.
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Jeff Bridgeman
    3.0 out of 5 stars Thrill an hour
    Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2016
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Tired read, interesting but not exciting. When you think it's about to culminate...it goes backwards. I think the book just missed by over delivering things the story didn't need.
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • G. P. Thompson
    5.0 out of 5 stars Roller coaster action
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 13, 2015
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    The Art Of Staying Dead:- Joel Hames
    This is not my usual reading material and I am not sure if I would have picked it had I not won a much treasured signed copy at a book launch party on Facebook. For this I am eternally grateful as I have never owned a signed copy of a book and it made me read an absolute gem that I may otherwise never have had the pleasure to read. In fact, as I was about to go away on holiday, I bought the Kindle version to take with me.

    Sam Williams, what an unlikely hero. The book reminds me of the style used in the old movies with the down at heel private detective but brought up to date as a down at heel human rights lawyer. Sam was a rising star in his field until he found himself trying to win at all costs, and those costs were high. He lost his job in a big firm and he lost his self respect. In fact, he was about to lose just about everything.

    Standing in for someone else as part of an observer team at a prison Sam finds himself in the middle of a prison riot from which he, and other observers, are rescued. Clinging to the ladder of a helicopter about to whisk him away he sees a 'prisoner' look up and point a gun at him. This prisoner is outside the fence and Sam, shaken by having a gun pointed at him, is amazed to see in the press that there is no mention of anyone escaping and his account of what he saw given at the debriefing had been ignored. He decides to go public with his account as everyone tries to tell him he must have imagined what he saw. Little did he know what he was setting in motion by going public.

    So begins a roller coaster ride of action. Who are the good guys, who are the bad? Why does no one believe what he saw at the prison, who did he see at the prison? Getting to the bottom of it means Sam fleeing the country on false papers to travel to a little known country scourged by poverty and terrorism where he meets up with a familiar face he hoped he would never have seen again. Can he find out the truth behind the chaos and can he get his life back.

    There is a real pace to this book, very skilfully written with a huge cast of characters all playing an important part even if only for a couple of sentences. It is certainly a book I found I had to read carefully as it is all relevant to the plot, there is little if no unrelated padding.
    It would be difficult to say more without giving spoilers.

    However, I do recommend this book to anyone who like a fast paced thriller with cleverly written dialogue, humour and political plot.
    Report
  • Colleen
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great read! It's interesting how the main character comes ...
    Reviewed in Australia on June 6, 2015
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Great read! It's interesting how the main character comes across in each book that Joel writes (Bankers Town being the other one I've read) - laid back, sweet-natured, prone to making unfortunate mistakes.. I loved the twists in this one, plus Joel's writing is a refreshment and a delight. It's a page-turner too!
    Report
  • Andrew Webber
    4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable and Gripping
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 18, 2016
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    This is a very enjoyable read. An explosive first chapter sets the pace and it doesn't let up for the rest of the book. It gripped me from the outset. Give this a go if you are a fan of Grisham and the like.
    Report
  • ROGER KILLNER
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in Australia on September 28, 2015
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    A great read,very exciting,must read more books by this author.
    Report
  • Amazon Customer
    3.0 out of 5 stars A good read.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 22, 2016
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Very enjoyable story. The style makes it readable One or two plausibility problems IMHO but hey, it's escapism!
    Great to have a 'hero' who's not ex SAS or a 6"5' 240lb ex-MP ;)
    Report

Report an issue


Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report