Richard T. Burke Author Blog

Thrillers with a hint of current day, hard science fiction

How much do you know about future technology?

Decimation: The Girl Who Survived is set twelve years in the future and features a variety of new technologies that don’t exist in commercial form today. Take the quiz and see if you can guess how many of the listed technological developments are already in use or have just been made up for the book.

Only one answer is valid per question.

Decimation series video

The DECIMATION series by Richard T. Burke

For sixteen years, every woman has died in childbirth.

Until now…

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Had me hooked from start to finish”

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “A brilliant thriller”

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “This is nothing short of a fantastic read”

Discover the first book on Kindle, print or FREE within Kindle Unlimited at https://mybook.to/Decimation

A new video for the Decimation series

Termination: The Boy Who Died is out on Sunday, May 16th 2021 and Annihilation: Origins and Endings on 12th September 2021.

Ahead of the launch of books two and three in the Decimation series, I have created a promotional video.

Decimation series

You can start the series with Decimation: The Girl Who Survived at https://mybook.to/Decimation (universal Amazon link).

Annihilation – out this summer

Annihilation, the third in the Decimation trilogy, will be out this summer. It’s available on pre-order. Here’s the cover.

The third and final book of the ground-breaking Decimation trilogy

Against all odds, Antimone Lessing has twice escaped from those who want to understand how she survived the deadly Orestes virus. But the greatest threat to her life still lies ahead.

The world knows the pandemic originated in a British laboratory. Keen to enhance the country’s damaged reputation, the Prime Minister sets up an international research effort to rid the planet of the disease once and for all.

But not everybody is working towards the same goal.

As past and present collide, Antimone once again finds herself sucked into a conspiracy that could spell the end of the human race.  

Termination – new book out soon

Termination is now available on pre-order and will be out on May 16th. Here’s the new cover.

Antimone Lessing returns in book two of the ground-breaking Decimation trilogy

Nearly twenty years after the Orestes virus swept across the earth, finally there is hope. Women are no longer dying within seconds of giving birth. For the first time in two decades, the global population is on an upward trend.

As the world returns to normal, Antimone is back on the athletics track and a single race away from achieving her lifetime goal of winning the Olympic 1500-metre Wheelchair gold medal.

But a deadly new threat has emerged, one that could reverse the fragile recovery and spell the end of humanity’s time on the planet. Could Antimone’s unique biology once again provide the vital clue to develop a cure?

When the details of her past become exposed, ruthless forces prepare an audacious plan to kidnap the first woman in a generation to survive childbirth. Now, the only hope for her survival and that of her young family may rest with the one person she trusts least in the world.

Decimation has a new cover

… and a sequel (Termination). In fact the third part of the trilogy (Annihilation) is well underway too.

Decimation cover

The blurb has also undergone a minor update.

Book one of the ground-breaking Decimation trilogy
Fifteen years ago, the Orestes virus first emerged, sweeping across the globe and infecting every living person within a matter of days. Despite the best efforts of the scientific community, there is no treatment, no vaccine. It lies dormant until a woman gives birth. Then she dies.
Teenage wheelchair athlete, Antimone Lessing, can’t remember how she got pregnant. She thinks her life is over as the doctors prepare to deliver her baby. Meanwhile, a hunt is underway to arrest the man suspected of raping her, but even if the police catch him, it will be too late for Antimone.
When she unexpectedly survives, she becomes a vital clue in the race to develop a cure before the global population declines beyond the point of no return.
But survival comes at a price. As her doctors try to understand why she is still alive, she must choose between preserving humanity’s future and protecting the life of her newborn child.
How far would you go to save the human race?

You can get a copy here (universal Amazon link)

Coming Soon – Termination: The Boy who Died

It’s been a while since the publication of Decimation, but finally, I’m pleased to announce that a sequel is on the way – and hopefully a third book too.

The story picks up three years after the events of Decimation. Here’s a first draft of the blurb:


Antimone Lessing returns in the second book of the ground-breaking Decimation trilogy.

Nearly twenty years after the Orestes virus swept across the earth, finally there is hope. Women are no longer dying within seconds of giving birth. For the first time in two decades, the global population is on an upward trend.

As the world returns to normal, Antimone is back on the athletics track and a single race away from achieving her lifetime goal of winning the Olympic 1500-metre Wheelchair gold medal.

But a deadly new threat has emerged, one that could reverse the fragile recovery and spell the end of humanity’s time on the planet. Could Antimone’s unique biology once again provide the vital clue in developing a cure?

When the details of her past become exposed, ruthless forces prepare an audacious plan to kidnap the first woman in a generation to survive childbirth. Now, the only hope for her survival and that of her young family may rest with the same scientist responsible for creating the Orestes pandemic.


I’m expecting a release during late autumn. If you are interested in reading this sequel, please sign up to my mail list to receive news and special offers.

Assassin’s Web: free for a few days

Welcome to the new year and a new decade. I hope you have a happy and prosperous 2020.

By way of a present to my readers, I have made Assassin’s Web free for the 5th and 6th of January 2020.

You can get a copy here or by clicking the picture below.

The Rage Refresh

In the last week, The Rage has undergone a refresh. The Kindle version is still available for the same £0.99/$0.99 price at Amazon.

Here is the blurb:

What really killed the dinosaurs? What if the same organism that wiped out the greatest beasts to walk the earth survived into the present day? The residents of the quiet rural village of Netherwell are about to find out first-hand.

Alice Dean becomes concerned when her husband, Dennis, fails to return from a walk in the woods. Her worst fears are confirmed when their dog returns home with a human finger in its mouth.

Over the course of the next two days, the once peaceful location is rocked by a series of horrific murders and descends into a spiral of escalating violence.

But the ancient evil lurking beneath the trees may not be the only source of danger. As the residents battle to stay alive, they begin to question the motives of those whose duty it is to protect them.

You can get a copy here or by clicking the cover below.

Assassin’s Web is now available

The Kindle edition of Assassin’s Web is now available for pre-order from Amazon at £0.99 / $0.99. Release date is 22nd August.

The print edition can be purchased now.

Assassin's Web

I should never have read the note.
I certainly shouldn’t have logged in.
Now they want to kill me.
Schoolteacher, Alex Parrott, discovers a scrap of paper containing the address, username and password for a site on the Dark Web. He gives in to temptation and learns that the website deals in assassination contracts.

The Dark Web is supposed to be anonymous, but somebody knows what Alex has seen. Within hours, a ruthless hitman is hot on his trail. To make matters worse, the police issue a warrant for his arrest, identifying him as the main suspect in a string of horrific murders.

Unsure who he can trust, Alex must stay alive long enough to uncover the truth and clear his name.



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