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Embedded, David Burt

 Published by Mary Egan Publishing on 2 May 2022, RRP $35.00 

For lovers of Jack Reacher or Jason Bourne, Embedded is a thrilling debut novel that is completely unputdownable. 

 A lifetime to execute a moment of vengeance. 

Afghanistan 1982, a botched CIA operation leaves a young Ali without a family, setting him on an unpredictable path for retribution. 

What follows is his lifelong, meticulously planned quest for vengeance, from Afghanistan across the globe to New York. Along the way he makes enemies in a Pakistani drug lord, the Mafia, and every law enforcement agency, but finds love through a most unexpected reunion. 

This fast-paced novel will keep you on the edge of your seat as you follow the twists and turns of his journey, from an innocent 16-year-old to the most hunted man in America. 

‘Belt yourself in for a high-octane, thrilling read that goes from Afghanistan to New Zealand to New York, with a complicated central character who is part victim, villain and victor. Embedded by David Burt is an outstanding read!’ NZ Booklovers 


Author Note

Embedded and its characters have been a part of my life for almost ten years. What started as a thread of an idea evolved into hundreds of hours of research to create a thriller inspired by historical events and factual circumstances. 

The quest to write the novel eventually led me to New York, where much of the book is set. I think being able to ride the subway, walk the streets of Manhattan and visit actual locations where events in the book occurred provided an ability to paint pictures that can be challenging without seeing, hearing and smelling them. 

A key and violent event in the book was inspired by an actual situation in lower Manhattan that could have taken my wife’s life. When I wrote the scene, I set it in the exact same street and location where it occurred to her. While certainly not welcome or planned, it did provide the vivid scenario I was able to tap into and recreate. 

I genuinely love the process of writing thrillers. The challenge of developing an exciting plot to take readers from their own worlds, into one created from my mind; enticing them to turn the next page, and the next – until putting the book down isn’t an option.’ 


About the Author

A married father of three children and three grandchildren, David Burt divides his time between running his electrical contracting businesses employing one-hundred and thirty employees throughout New Zealand, and his great passion, writing. David graduated with an MBA from Massey University in 2000. 

David is actively involved in improving mental health outcomes for those within the construction sector, presenting on the subject throughout the county, following the release of his book Lengthening the Shadow. An at times light-hearted but deeply personal account of living with depression. He is the proud recipient of the first SiteSafe Award for the Mental Health and Well-Being Category. Embedded is David’s debut novel. 


David is available for interview 

For media queries, review and giveaway copies, extracts and interviews, please contact publicist Karen McKenzie, 027 693 9044, karen@lighthousepr.co.nz, www.lighthousepr.co.nz 

Sophia Egan-Reid