Hollands' thriller speaks on content revolution

At $4.19 for the kindle edition, it's questionable how much Mark Hollands will make from his crime thriller. But it could win him a series deal.

The long-awaited novel from the chief executive of The Newspaper Works, Amplify is set in Sydney and features the seedy side of the rock music world.

It introduces anti-hero Billy Lime - an entertainment entrepreneur who risks losing everything when the lead singer of a band he's promoting is murdered - and presents the book as "a Billy Lime thriller".

Hollands says he wanted to create a hard-edged, Australian anti-hero that lovers of crime thrillers could relate to: "Amplify is the first in a series of Billy Lime adventures.

"It is set in the present day and anchored in the music industry rather than a city or region," he says.

Hollands, who worked in journalism before taking the Newspaper Works role, is fascinated by the rock business and the social commentary it delivers on the changes being experienced in the digital content revolution: "It's great to allow the real world to intersect with a plot that twists and turns with each chapter."

2UE Breakfast presenter and former Fairfax editor Garry Linnell is euphoric: "Does it get any better than this," he asks in a review. "Bikies, drugs, rock 'n' roll and a parade of truly authentic modern Australian characters makes this a real page-turner. And Billy Lime is sublime."

He says Hollands has put together "a complicated man and a fascinating narrative" that deserves a long-running series: "If Hollywood hasn't come looking already to sign Billy Lime up, it soon will.

Amplify: A Billy Lime Thriller is available for Kindle and e-Readers from Amazon.

$4.19 for the Kindle edition, 408 pages