I am excited to share with you an interview with NJ Barker, of The Honesty Index
Book blurb:
Six friends are sucked into a game that threatens to shatter their lives.
When 25-year-old Trent Ryder and his old school friends are simultaneously invited to play a mysterious online game called the Honesty Index they think it’s intriguing, fun even. But they soon realise the game knows everything about them and if they refuse to play, or if they lie, their secrets will be ruthlessly exposed to the world.
Can the Honesty Index possibly know the truth behind the fire that ripped through Trent’s family home when he was a teenager? He must investigate who is behind the game before it’s time for his round or he too will face five allegations and be granted five pleas.
If time runs out, his only hope will be to tell the truth. Which might just break him.
Bobs and Books review:
From the prologue, it was fair to say that I was intrigued where this might go. An unusual storyline and gripping concept that kept me hooked and nervous for the characters throughout. This goes at a healthy pace with each chapter enticingly pulling the story along. The ending was a surprise for me, and I couldn't have called it.
A promising debut, and I'm excited to see where this author takes us next with his writing.
The interview......
Bobs and Books: Wow, what an unusual concept this book provides! Can you tell me how you came up with the idea?
NJ Barker: The idea developed as I wrote the story. I approached this novel very much as a ‘pantser,' as opposed to a ‘plotter.' I wrote the first (very bad) draft in about six weeks. All I had was the idea that it would be about a group of old school friends who met up at some sort of reunion and that someone starts to manipulate them. The first draft was quite different to the final novel, with more physical challenges than psychological. But as I wrote more, I became drawn to the idea of each character being at the centre of a round. It had a cinematic appeal. From there, the idea of truth was quite an obvious one. Truth, lies, secrets - I guess they’re at the heart of many psychological thrillers and so I thought I’d spotlight that by having a truth game.
Interesting! This book really plays on the fact that it does appear that everyone has a secret. Do you believe that to be true? What attracted you to toying with this concept? (Don’t worry I’m not expecting any shock confessions here!)
I took a philosophy module many years ago as part of my pure maths degree and the only part I remember was reading some essays about the nature of truth. I didn’t do very well in that module but I found it fascinating. Truth gets held up as something to aspire to, and largely I’m all for that. I love the film A Few Good Men and all of Jack Nicholson’s lines, but particularly the ‘you can’t handle the truth,’ speech. Truth is often complex.
I don’t think everyone has a ‘dark’ secret. More often, we can’t articulate clearly enough what we mean, or how we felt, or why we did something and so we only give a representation of truth. That can lead to misunderstanding and pain, even when that wasn’t anyone’s intention. And clearly, some people do have ‘dark’ secrets, and for better or worse, we don’t usually know who, or what.
I, obviously, don’t have any deep dark secrets, but if I did, I’m not sure what I would do if I was faced with playing a round of the Honesty Index. I was listening to Happy Mondays a lot (showing my age, now) when writing the early drafts of this novel. I think Shaun Ryder summed it up well in Wrote for Luck. You used to speak the truth, but now you’re liar. You used to speak the truth, but now you’re clever.
Ooh yes, that feels apt. Technology plays a big part in this. Is this a nod to how technology can be used for bad if in dangerous hands or how powerful it can be? Are you a tech geek or a technophobe?
I don’t know enough about technology to be a tech geek, but I do find it interesting, which I guess means I’m simply a geek. The current advancements in AI are both scary and exciting, and some of the deepfakes are terrifying. When you remind yourself that this technology will never be any worse than it is right now, that it is likely only to get better (if better is the right word,) I’m convinced it will be hugely powerful. There must be some risk with that, mustn’t there?
Too true. The mix of characters is brilliant, and it is difficult to know who is reliable, if any. I also liked how it showed how friendships can shift after school days. Did you always have that prologue in mind to set the tone, or did that come later to create further intrigue in the backstory and the years passed?
The first page of the novel proper, was the first page I wrote. And it has barely changed. I enjoy stories about friendships - particularly groups. I loved Don Winslow’s The Dawn Patrol and The Gentlemen’s Hour and the dynamics between the friends. I added the prologue later. With most of my books I have a prologue and then I chop and change my mind as to whether or not to include it. Whether it stays in I think just depends on when the music stops!
I see you give readers a tease that Dylan’s back for your next read and we learn more about her. Anything more you can tell us at this point?
I am writing a separate thriller series (The Kennedy Logan Thrillers) but I have two more standalone thrillers going through the final edit stage. Book two, which I’m hoping to publish in March, is called The Genius Club. Or Genius Club. I’m having that debate at the moment and I keep thinking of The Social Network scene where Sean Parker says to Mark Zuckerberg ‘Drop the the. Just Facebook. It’s cleaner.’ Either way, the story follows the adult life of a group of people who were identified as teenage geniuses. Dylan is one of them. The blurb is Seven gifted teenagers are selected to join the Genius Club. Decades later, one member is found dead. The lives of the remaining group are in turmoil. They were intelligent enough to be selected, but are they smart enough to survive?
I’m working on a new standalone thriller that I’m hoping to send to my agent, Jo Bell, in the next few months.
Ooh I can't wait to see where your writing takes you next! Thanks for answering my questions.
The Honesty Index is out now.
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