#Blogtour The Chemical Code by Fiona Erskine

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour The Chemical Code by Fiona Erskine.

About the Author

Fiona Erskine is a professional engineer based in Teesside, although her work has taken her around the globe. As a female engineer, she has often been the lone representative of her gender in board meetings, cargo ships and night-time factories, and her fiction offers a fascinating insight into this traditionally male world. 

She is the author of The Chemical Detective, The Chemical Reaction and The Chemical Cocktail, all published by Point Blank. The Chemical Detective was shortlisted for the Specsavers Debut Crime Novel Award and The Chemical Reaction was shortlisted for the Staunch Prize in 2020. Follow @erskine_fiona on Twitter

About the book

Racing towards the dark heart of Brazil, explosives expert Jaq Silver has one goal - vengeance. When her enemies take what she treasures most, she resolves to make them pay. Unsure who to trust, alert to hidden agendas, Jaq is hunting solo. As summer temperatures rise, the web of danger and corruption tightens around her. What is in the mysterious box, Jaq has inherited from her grandmother? Can Jaq be sure she is chasing down the right target? And who is pursuing her?

An exhilarating tour around Brazil from the gold mines of Goiás to the glorious beaches of Rio, THE CHEMICAL CODE combines non-stop explosive action and Bond-style villainy with the scientific know-how that makes the Chemical Detective series so unique.

Review

The knots of threads that are woven together to create this fascinating story are each a mystery unto themselves - why is Jaq being targeted, who is she after, what about this darn box, and why is she seeking vengeance?

At first it seems as if the reader is confronted with a variety of unrelated scenario's - the majority of them with a deadly conclusion. It's a bit who, where, why, what, when and how on earth is that even possible, and all of it with core knowledge of chemistry and STEM subjects at the core of it. Quite interesting that people probably wouldn't even bat an eyelid if Jaq were a man - the expectation would be that he MacGyver each situation successfully.

This is part of a series, but can be read as a standalone novel. I certainly wouldn't hesitate to recommend it, how often do we get an inspirational woman who holds up the banner for STEM in a riveting and fast-paced thriller series.

I really enjoyed the way the individual chapters begin and are identified - it serves as a reminder that the main character is a very capable individual, who has her finger on the pulse and is the kind of quick thinking action hero readers will want to read more about.

Buy The Chemical Code at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Published by POINT BLANK, pub date 29 June 2023 Paperback original £9.99. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour #Audiobook Winter Night by Alex Callister

Winter Night written by Alex Callister performed by Ell Potter - Winter Night will be available exclusively on Audible from the 20th April 2023 at Winter Night by Alex Callister 

You can learn more about Alex Callister and the Winter series at www.audible.co.uk/series/The-Winter-Series-Audiobooks and acallister.com

About Alex Callister

Alex’s debut Winter Dark was short listed for Best Opening Chapter and Best Pitch at the York Festival of Writing and was the number one best selling Audible Thriller of the Year 2019. It was nominated for an Audie in 2020 and won the J.M.M. Audiofile Earphones award.

Alex read history at Oxford and the British School at Rome and was set for a career in academia until the beginning of the tech boom woke a life long interest in the internet. She has spent twenty years in the City studying the rise of technology and its transformative effect on industry. She describes the ‘internet of things’ as the internet of increased attack surfaces.

Winter Dark is dominated by Firestorm, eBay for the contract kill market. As an analyst in the telecoms and electronics sector at the height of the dotcom boom, Alex watched the internet sweep away barriers, break down borders, transform every industry. Ever since, she has been fascinated by its potential to facilitate crime – a potential that, to date, has yet to be fully realised. She spends her days visiting London’s high security hosting sites and speculating about what might be. Follow @CallisterAuthor on Twitter (bio via acallister.com )

About the Audiobook

Please note: This audiobook contains graphic adult content.

Winter Night follows a kick-ass unstoppable heroine with one big Achilles’ heel. That would be Winter. She’s been having kind of a bad week...

Firestorm 2, the plot to mine the data from the infamous murder-for-hire website, has been a success. But while Winter’s been held prisoner by Alek after saving his life, GCHQ has been ordering hits to eliminate every contractor on the site – and leaked footage of Alek and Winter together means she’s now public enemy number one.

Michael is driven by a mission: haunted by the memory of Aleksey, he must find Natalya and return Aleksey’s ring, to gain some closure. But his goal is hampered by a gruesome billion-pound hit which is suddenly, very publicly on his head. Still, at least he has Aveline in his corner – unless she’s been lying to him all along.

Brilliantly narrated by the award-winning actress and writer Ell Potter comes the fifth instalment of the Winter series. This electrifying thriller poses the question: when the good guys are still killers and the bad guys are in love with you, who can you trust? Can you ever really know what lies in another person’s heart?

Review

This is the fifth book in the Winter series and although I would recommend listening to all of the audiobooks, they can be read/listened to as standalone novels. For a better gist of the series, the characters, Winter and the world they have fallen into it's definitely worth having a listen.

It's not for the faint of heart - it's a tad gruesome, graphic and has adult content. It does come with a trigger warning. It actually reminded me a little of the harsh reality and brutal frankness of Crossing Lines and the crimes they encounter. I also thought the choice of narrator makes for a nice juxtaposition - you have the horrific truth of the world you're immersed in, which is countered by the soft slowly paced voice that is laden with emotion. I wonder whether that was intentional. Not just picking a good narrator, but picking someone with a voice that can carry both the heavy burden and the moments of possible lightness.

In a way the book seems to come full circle when you think back to the first chapter, realise how the core of the premise is brought tightly into the last chapter and the epilogue - only to implode just a tad in the last few moments. 

Kudos to the author for that ending, there's just no way I can't come back for more. I need to know what happens next. So many possible scenarios, outcomes and the who? Yeh, better get writing the next book.

Buy Winter Night at Audible Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Audible Originals, pub date 20th April 2023. Buy via Amazon com.

Winter Night - The Winter Series, Book 5, By: Alex Callister, Narrated by: Ell Potter, Length: 13 hrs and 15 mins, Original Recording Audiobook, Release date: 20.04.23, Language: English, Publisher: Audible Originals.

#BlogTour White Crane Strikes by Ivy Ngeow

It's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour White Crane Strikes by Ivy Ngeow.

About the Author

Born and raised in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, Ivy Ngeow is the author of three published novels and numerous short stories, one of which has been performed and broadcast on the BBC World Service. 

Others have been published in literary journals such as Burning Press, Lunate, Fixi Novo anthology and and also broadsheets like The Straits Times. 

Her debut novel won the 2016 International Proverse Prize, and was published in Hong Kong in 2017. She holds an MA from Middlesex University where she was awarded the University’s 2005 Literary Press Prize, an international competition, out of 1500 entrants. Most recently, she was editor of Asian Anthology New Writing Vol.1 which was published in Feb 2022 in London. 

Her latest novel was on a longlist of 12 for the 2021 Avons x Mushens Entertainment Prize for commercial fiction by a BAME writer. Ivy is a regular suburban mum who loves dogs, cake and piano-pounding. She lives in London. Follow @ivyngeow on Twitter, on Instagram @ivyngeow, on Facebook ivyngeowwriter

About the book

An enormous mansion. A Chinese restaurant. A baby on the way. Handyman Jerome “Jay Jay” Lee has landed a dream job. An underground tong seems to think so too.

Chicago, 1971. Jay Jay’s girlfriend wants a big knock-’em-dead wedding and a new bigger apartment with the whole ball of wax. Grateful when her art world schmoozing lands him a fixer-upper gig for a wealthy arts patron, he has no idea about the sleeping dragon he’s about to wake. 

His boss gets him a Chinatown side hustle, and Jay Jay looks the other way when he overhears an organized crime conversation for fear of losing the much-needed extra income and takeout treats. But when the Chinese restaurant manager vanishes, Jay Jay is trapped in threatening tong talk and the chow is now no fun. His family is now deep in hot soup. Will Jay Jay be able to save them before he’s crispier than a burnt wonton?

White Crane Strikes is a standalone. Fans of Lehane, Ovidia Yu and Naomi Hirahara, who like compelling characters, stirring settings and surprising twists, will love this smart and witty thriller.

Review

Jay is a bit here and there, but he is determined to do well for himself and his loved ones. Part of that is being responsible and getting a job, which is how he ends up being hired to rejuvenate an old mansion, the surrounding buildings and the extensive grounds. Not only does he get the job - it is also the beginning of both a mystery and a thriller that is built around it.

What I enjoyed the most about the story was the relationship, dialogue and interactions between Jay and his employer. The actions, reactions and choices Jay makes are often determined by his cultural background, his upbringing and his past experiences The same can be said about the way he interacts with his world in general. The need to succeed, whilst wanting to prove himself, and subconsciously looking for approval from what he perhaps perceives as a father figure.

There was a lot going on, and the plot went off in plenty of different directions, however the author does bring it all back together in the end. Personally I thought the plot surrounding Jay and Mr Alfred, and the discovery Jay makes, would have given enough fodder for a fascinating read. The author has a very specific voice when it comes to writing - I look forward to seeing how it evolves going forward.

Buy White Crane Strikes at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Leopard Print pub date 30 Jun. 2022. Buy at Amazon com.

#Blogtour Tell Me An Ending by Jo Harkin

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Tell Me An Ending by Jo Harkin.

About the Author

Jo Harkin studied English Literature at university. She daydreamed her way through various jobs in her twenties before giving in and becoming a full-time writer. She published four real-world literary fiction novels under a pseudonym, before deciding to follow her passion and move into speculative fiction. Her focus is ‘what if’ stories with an emphasis on human lives. She lives in Berkshire.

About the book

Across the world, thousands of people are shocked to receive an email telling them that they once chose to have a traumatic memory removed. Now they are being given the chance to get that memory back.

For Mei, William, Oscar and Finn there is a piece missing, but they're not sure what. And each of them must decide if the truth is worth the pain, or better left unknown.

For Noor, who works at the memory clinic Nepenthe, the process of reinstating their patients' memories begins to shake the moral foundations of her world. As she delves deeper into the programme, she will have to risk everything to uncover the true human cost of this miraculous technology.

An exploration of secrets, grief, identity and belonging - of the stories we tell ourselves, and come to rely on, Tell Me An Ending is a sharp, dark and devastating novel about the power and danger of memory.

Review

I thought this was a fascinating concept and there are so many places to take it. The entire premise is a tightrope of black, white and fuzzy areas of boundary crossing. Is it a good thing? Does it create worse scenarios than the bad memories it purports to erase. Is the erasing or extraction merely a band-aid that in actual fact becomes a timebomb? A bomb that can cause mental health, general health issues, the breakdown of relationships and mistrust in self.

Imagine getting a letter telling yourself you had made the choice to erase a memory, however you have no actual memory of doing so, which of course makes it a Schrödinger's Cat situation. Do you retrieve to find out what it is, and end up with a memory you would rather not have. Or live with the niggle that you have experienced something worrying enough you felt the need to erase it.

I am legit interested in which decision people would make if this were the future. I think I would need to know, then probably ask for it to be taken again, thereby creating an endless repetitive loop of actions and behaviour. What if it was used against your will - a Big Brother tool, the possibilities are endless.

Told through multiple character narratives, who all have something in common, the fact that they have had a memory removed and know about it or did it and wanted to remain oblivious to that decision. Of course there is also the aspect of them being consciously or subconsciously aware of this fact. The subconscious element of the story is quite fascinating. Are our brains hardwired to restore information it thinks is relative and pertinent to our wellbeing and survival? An innate response to flight or fight?

Which memory would you pick, if any at all? Would you choose to erase pain or a secret, but what if that put you at risk at a later date. This a self induced black hole moment, the ethics and moral aspect of this story are intricate. I can't wait to discuss this book with fellow readers. It's absolutely fascinating, and a great story to boot. I can't wait to read more by this author.

Buy Tell Me An Ending at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Hutchinson Heinemann pub date 12th May 2022 | Hardback | eBook | Audio | £12.99. Buy at Amazon com.

#BlogTour No Way To Die by Tony Kent

 It's my turn on the BlogTour No Way To Die by Tony Kent.

About the Author

Tony Kent is a practising criminal barrister who draws on his legal experience to bring a striking authenticity to his thrillers: Killer Intent, Marked for Death, Power Play and now No Way To Die. Ranked as a ‘leader in his field’ Tony has prosecuted and defended in the most serious trials during his twenty years at the Criminal Bar - specialising in murder, terrorism, corruption, kidnap and organised crime. His case history is filled with nationally reported trials and his practice has brought him into close professional contact with GCHQ, the Security Service and the Ministry of Defence. He has also defended in matters with an international element, involving agencies such as the FBI.

Tony also appears as a criminal justice expert on a number of TV shows, including Meet, Marry, Murder (coming soon to Netflix), My Lover, My Killer and Kill Thy Neighbour (both Channel 5).

Prior to his legal career Tony represented England as a heavyweight boxer and won a host of national amateur titles. He lives just outside of London with his wife, young son and dog. Follow @TonyKent_Writes on Twitter, Visit tonykent.net

About the book

When traces of a radioactive material are found with a body in Key West, multiple federal agencies suddenly descend on the scene. This is not just an isolated murder - a domestic terrorist group is ready to bring the US government to its knees.

The threat hits close to home for Agent Joe Dempsey when he discovers a personal connection to the group. With his new team member, former Secret Service agent Eden Grace, Dempsey joins the race to track down the bomb before it’s too late. But when their mission falls apart, he is forced to turn to the most unlikely of allies: an old enemy he thought he had buried in his past.

Now, with time running out, they must find a way to work together to stop a madman from unleashing horrifying destruction across the country.

Review

The unexpected and brutal death of a security guard is the starting point for a chase across country to catch a militant group with a deadly mission. Joe Dempsey finds himself pulled between saving many and finding someone who may or may not be at the middle of an insidious plot.

Kent spins a web a little bit like someone attached pins to a board and drawing string from one pin to the other. Connecting places, people and events - all driven by a common denominator. I kind of liked the way the author takes the reader into one corner and completely submerges everyone in the here and now, only to whip them straight out of that moment and into a another in the blink of an eye.

It gives this thriller an element of mystery, whilst also giving it on point political vibe. The drive of fanatics and the very real danger of domestic terrorism. Not a new concept, but a very divisive one at the moment. Does the goal justify the means depending on the message? Has a new kind of division created the kind of wedge it's hard to remove?

I think that's certainly a strongpoint when it comes to Kent's books. You get the action, the humanity, the brotherhood, but also the realism.

Buy No Way To Die at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Elliott Thompson  / pub date 18 November 2021 / HB - £16.99. Buy at Waterstones.

#BlogTour State of Terror by Louise Penny and Hillary Rodham Clinton

 It's truly a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour State of Terror by Louise Penny and Hillary Rodham Clinton. 

'When an ingenious #1 bestselling novelist, known for her rich themes, riveting plots, and empathetic characters, and one of the world’s most experienced leaders with inside knowledge on the global power players from top to bottom, team up to write a novel, the result is STATE OF TERROR, by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Louise Penny.' 

About the Author/s

Hillary Rodham Clinton is the first woman in US history to become the presidential nominee of a major political party. She served as the 67th Secretary of State after nearly four decades in public service advocating on behalf of children and families as an attorney, First Lady, and US Senator. She is a wife, mother, grandmother, and No 1 Sunday Times bestselling author of seven previous books, all published by Simon & Schuster. Follow @HillaryClinton on Twitter

Louise Penny is an international award winning and bestselling author whose books have hit #1 on the New York Times, USA Today, and Globe and Mail lists.  Her Chief Inspector Armand Gamache novels, published by Minotaur Books, an imprint of the St. Martin’s Publishing Group, have been translated into 31 languages.  In 2017, she received the Order of Canada for her contributions to Canadian culture. Louise Penny lives in a village south of Montréal. Visit louisepenny.com

About the book

After a tumultuous period in American politics, a new administration has just been sworn in, and to everyone’s surprise the president chooses a political enemy for the vital position of secretary of state.

There is no love lost between the president of the United States and Ellen Adams, his new secretary of state. But it’s a canny move on the part of the president. With this appointment, he silences one of his harshest critics, since taking the job means Adams must step down as head of her multinational media conglomerate.

As the new president addresses Congress for the first time, with Secretary Adams in attendance, Anahita Dahir, a young foreign service officer (FSO) on the Pakistan desk at the State Department, receives a baffling text from an anonymous source. Too late, she realizes the message was a hastily coded warning.

What begins as a series of apparent terrorist attacks is revealed to be the beginning of an international chess game involving the volatile and Byzantine politics of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran; the race to develop nuclear weapons in the region; the Russian mob; a burgeoning rogue terrorist organization; and an American government set back on its heels in the international arena.

As the horrifying scale of the threat becomes clear, Secretary Adams and her team realize it has been carefully planned to take advantage of four years of an American government out of touch with international affairs, out of practice with diplomacy, and out of influence in the places where it counts the most.

To defeat such an intricate, carefully constructed conspiracy, it will take the skills of a unique team: a passionate young FSO; a dedicated journalist; and a smart, determined, but as yet untested new secretary of state and her best friend and counsellor.

State of Terror takes readers around the globe, through palaces and marble hallways, mountain caves and hotels, deserts and the gritty streets of the world’s cities, in a race-against-the-clock struggle to untangle the threads of a terror campaign and stop those bent on death and destruction. 

Review

In a ruthless and cleverly planned political move Ellen Adams has made the choice to be the secretary of state for her political rival, but power means silence, because above all a loyal front must be presented to the world. The cost is high though, especially when give and take seems a little lopsided.

Before long she is drawn into a dark, manipulative conspiracy and plot, which threatens the country an people she values the most. A plot that draws its web across borders and through many countries.

It's not an easy thing to do, write a novel with another author or writer. Writing styles can make the read seem disjointed and alternate voices can be distinctly heard. Luckily Penny and Rodham Clinton fit together like a hand in a glove, so much so that the two entities are barely discernible, which means the story flows well.

Saying that, what the story definitely profits from is the very particular type of insight the experienced politician and stateswoman brings to the table. Giving the reader a look into a world the majority of us will never experience, and now and again there's a wee glimpse at the secrets behind the closed doors. I think it gives this political thriller an edge.

The combination of experienced storyteller and a woman who has earned her place in history, both iconic women in their own right, make this a perfect collaboration. Truth, reality, fact and fiction travel quite closely together on this rollercoaster of a read. Based on the last page, one can only hope this book is the first of many by the two of them. If this is the beginning of a series, I for one will be waiting with bated breath for the next one. It's a cracking read.

Buy State of Terror at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Pan MacMillan: pub date 12th October 2021 - Hardback £20. Also available in E book and Audiobook read by Joan Allen. Buy at Amazon com. At Waterstones.

#BlogTour On The Edge by Jane Jesmond

 It's my turn on BlogTour On The Edge by Jane Jesmond.

About the Author

On The Edge is Jane Jesmond’s debut novel and the first in a series featuring dynamic, daredevil protagonist Jen Shaw. Although she was born in Newcastle Upon Tyne, raised in Liverpool and considers herself northern through and through, Jane’s family comes from Cornwall. Her lifelong love of the Cornish landscape and culture inspired the setting of On The Edge. 

Jane has spent the last thirty years living and working in France. She began writing steadily six or seven years ago and writes every morning in between staring out at the sea and making cups of tea. She also enjoys reading, walking and amateur dramatics and, unlike her daredevil protagonist, is terrified of heights! Follow @AuthorJJesmond on Twitter, Visit jane-jesmond.com

About the book

Jen Shaw has climbed all her life: daring ascents of sheer rock faces, crumbling buildings, cranes – the riskier the better. Her entire life revolved around free climbing, and the adrenaline high it gave her. Until one day her luck ran out and someone she cared about got hurt. So she’s given it all up now. Honestly, she has.

Yet, when Jen awakens to find herself drugged and dangling off the local lighthouse during a wild storm less than twenty-four hours after a family emergency takes her home to Cornwall, she needs all her skill to battle her way to safety.

Then the real challenge begins. Jen must embark on a high-stakes, action-packed search for the truth in order to figure out whether she’s fallen back into her old risky ways, or if there is a more sinister explanation hidden in her hometown. Only when she has navigated her fragmented memories and faced her troubled past will she be able to piece together what happened – and trust herself to fix it.

Review

What gives this read an edge - no pun intended - is the fact the unreliable narrator is so unreliable she makes it easy for the bad guy, and that includes the fact Jen herself is possibly the bad guy. A sketchy drug-riddled past puts her in the curious position of not believing herself and no other person believing her either.

When an family member calls her home she finds her nightmares become the reality when she ends up dangling off a lighthouse in the middle of a storm. An attempt to end her life, but did she put herself in that dangerous position or was it someone else? Was the itch to dance with death, to feel the rush of adrenaline - her drug of choice above all others - is it the reason she finds herself bobbing off a lighthouse like helpless fish on a hook.

It's a web woven out of lies, denial, doubt, blame and guilt. A fast-paced thriller with plenty of potential as the series progresses. The author keeps readers on their toes by creating a framework of instability. She doubts, you doubt. The fog that Jen manifests, or rather the author manifests, is what drives the story, thrill and mystery.

Buy On The Edge at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Published by Verve Books, pub date 26th October 2021, Paperback Original, £9.99. Buy at Amazon com.

#BlogTour Death in the Woods by Jo Allen

It's my turn on the BlogTour Death in the Woods by Jo Allen.

About the Author

Jo Allen was born in Wolverhampton and is a graduate of Edinburgh, Strathclyde and the Open University, with undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in geography and Earth science. She's been writing for pleasure and publication for as long as she can remember. After a career in economic consultancy she took up writing and was first published under the name Jennifer Young, in genres of short stories, romance and romantic suspense. She wrote online articles on travel and on her favourite academic subject, Earth science. In 2017 she took the plunge and began writing the genre she most likes to read -- crime.

Jo lives in the English Lakes, where the DCI Satterthwaite series is set. In common with all her favourite characters, she loves football (she's a season ticket holder with her beloved Wolverhampton Wanderers) and cats. 

Follow @JoAllenAuthor on Twitter, joallenauthor on Instagram,  Visit joallenauthor.co.uk

About the book

A series of copycat suicides, prompted by a mysterious online blogger, causes DCI Jude Satterthwaite more problems than usual, intensifying his concerns about his troublesome younger brother, Mikey. Along with his partner, Ashleigh O’Halloran, and a local psychiatrist, Vanessa Wood, Jude struggles to find the identity of the malicious troll gaslighting young people to their deaths.

The investigation stirs grievances both old and new. What is the connection with the hippies camped near the Long Meg stone circle? Could these suicides have any connection with a decades old cold case? And, for Jude, the most crucial question of all. Is it personal — and could Mikey be the final target?

Review

There is such a thing as suicides coming in waves. The death of one is a sign of permission to others in a vulnerable state of mind. But what if the deaths of local young people are being caused by someone who wants them to harm themselves? DCI Jude Satterthwaite and a local psychiatrist have to wade through some messed up thinking to get to the bottom of it all.

I think a genuine question arises about the liability of people, whether online or in a real life setting, who drive others to commit suicide. The person who ends their life takes the final decision, however if they are driven to, convinced by others - then the person behind the scenes is part of said decision. They should be held accountable, and that includes online groups with the sole intent of pushing vulnerable people to their breaking point. Or indeed paving the way for the vulnerable to harm themselves.

Allen has built a mystery and plot around the sinister intentions of others and the fact suicides are seen as an drawn conclusion. There aren't enough resources to trace a line backwards to possible ill intent. It's a mystery that wanders into the fears we have, and the ease with which our psyche is chipped away. What's left is desperation and cries for help - hopefully someone will hear them.

Buy Death in the Woods at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Buy at Amazon com.

#BlogTour The Loch by Dee Taylor

 It's my turn on the BlogTour The Loch by Dee Taylor.

About the Author

Dee Taylor is now a professional artist, after spending most of his career in the advertising profession as art buyer at two of London's top ad agencies. 

His many artistic achievements include designing a now famous flag for the Romney Marsh area of Kent in south-east England. Dee’s other passions are angling and Loch Ness.

About the book

‘The Loch’ is set on the shores of Loch Ness. It’s a harrowing, unforgettable tale of courage and romance, unfolding between the backdrop of the Scottish Highlands and in the murky depths of the loch itself. 

With drama escalating in suspense, this entertaining and thrilling novel is the story of a former stripper from the Aberdeen clubs emotionally torn between two men: a deep sea diver from the oil rigs and a highlander with a violent and tragic past. There is greed and horror in a search for Bonnie Prince Charlie's Jacobite gold within the ever-present menace of the fabled creature of the Loch.

Review

Tina and Jack take a trip to give their relationship another chance. It's rocky, it's complicated and it's abusive. Tina believes she isn't worthy, ergo doesn't recognise the abuse she is subjected to. However that element doesn't play into the premise, because it's romanticised in the story.

They accidentally encounter something at the Loch that captivates and it is the beginning of a hunt for a myth. To prove its existence or to gain notoriety and money - that is the question. They cross the path of treasure hunters, who aren't interested in playing fair, but are invested in finding out what Jack and Tina know.

I absolutely get the fascination of The Loch Ness Monster and the mystery surrounding it. I think it's something the majority of people wonder about. Is it all speculation, a tourist gimmick, an observation or event blown completely out of proportion. Or is it a myth based on true experiences? 

Taylor has captured the way people are drawn into the mystery, myth and speculation, then added the mystery of a Jacobite gold hoard to this mystery come thriller. I wasn't keen on the way Tina was depicted though. She becomes the punching bag, the hole to violate and all her interactions with the many male characters are of a sexual, abusive, intimidating and non-healthy nature. Being a stripper doesn't equal whore, being a stripper doesn't equal worthless and being a woman doesn't equal constantly being the shit at the bottom of a man's shoe.

It's a fast paced often brutal and graphic read, with some great scenes when it comes to describing and interacting with the myth. It could do with a little less toxic stereotyping, but aside from that it is an interesting read.

Buy The Loch at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: The Conrad Press pub date 6 Jan. 2021. Buy at Amazon com. Hive uk.

#BlogTour A Deadly Deal by Simon Fairfax

 

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour  Deadly Deal by Simon Fairfax.

About the Author

As a lover of crime thrillers and mystery, I turned what is seen by others as a dull 9 – 5 job into something that is exciting, as close to real life as possible, with Rupert Brett, my international man of mystery whose day job is that of a Chartered Surveyor.

Rupert is an ordinary man thrown into extraordinary circumstances who uses his wit, guile and training to survive.

 Each book is written from my own experiences, as close to the truth as possible, set against world events that really happened. I go out and experience all the weapons, visit the places Rupert travels to, speak to the technical experts and ensure that it as realistic, as possible allowing you to delve deep in to the mystery, losing yourself in it for a few hours.

Follow Simon on LinkedIn, on Facebook, on Amazon, on Goodreads,Visit simonfairfax.com, Buy A Deadly Deal

About the book

Moneymakers are king, no matter their methods. When an honest man stumbles into their world of deceit, will they drag him down to destruction?

London, 1986. Rupert Brett is eager to make his mark. But even though he’s newly qualified to tackle jobs within the cutthroat property brokering industry, his ambitions are blunted when he must face off against ruthless competitors. And with his career on the line, he finds himself adrift in the murky waters of insider trading where knowledge is the real currency.

Clinging to his ideals but beginning to realize how deep the corruption goes, Rupert’s unprepared when a group of hard-nosed developers frame him for murder. With few friends and the law on his tail, his only way out may be a bargain with the devil.

Can the young surveyor thwart his enemies’ plans in time to save his reputation and his life?

A Deadly Deal is the immersive first book in the Deal Series of historical crime thrillers. If you like conflicted characters, rich period details, and complex plotting, then you’ll love Simon Fairfax’s gritty page-turner.

Review

Eager to make his stamp on his new job, surroundings and impress his colleagues, Rupert wades into the kind of business machinations that will take you straight to prison. Competition is fierce and competitors are willing to not only be cutthroat, but also take down everyone in their path, especially when their illegal schemes are rumbled.

Suddenly he finds himself accused of murder. Ethics and any kind of moral compass seem to be a unicorn in this area. Rupert has to learn to  act with the same kind of lack of morals. To fight fire with fire, as opposed to sitting back and letting himself be railroaded.

It has the same kind of debauchery and ruthless calculation of Wolf of Wall Street. Locker room preening and well executed scapegoating. The business of Chartered Surveyors appears to be way more corrupt and lethal than anyone could ever imagine.

The first few chapters are quite busy, as the author builds the world of said business and the common interactions between the main players. It's very much a laying of groundwork, as the reader is led into a business and corporate espionage thriller.

This is the first in the Deal series and one wonders where the author will take Rupert next - there are only so many scenarios the inner world of chartered surveyors can offer up, which means Rupert might just find himself in the middle of something entirely different. I guess we shall see.

Buy A Deadly Deal at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Buy at Amazon com. 

The Sound of her Voice by Nathan Blackwell - Audiobook

About the Author
Nathan Blackwell was raised on Auckland’s North Shore and attended Westlake Boys’ High School before commencing a ten-year career in the New Zealand Police. Seven of those years were spent as a Detective in the Criminal Investigation Branch, where he was exposed to human nature at its strongest and bravest, but also at its most depraved and horrific. He investigated a wide range of cases including drug manufacture, child abuse, corruption, serious violence, rape and murder. Because some of his work was conducted covertly, Nathan chooses to hide his true identity.

Follow @Nathan_B_Author on Twitter, on Goodreads, Visit nathan-blackwell.com, Buy The Sound of Her Voice

About the book
Some murder cases you can't forget. No matter how hard you try.

The body of a woman has been found on a pristine New Zealand beach – over a decade after she was murdered. Detective Matt Buchanan of the Auckland Police is certain it carries all the hallmarks of an unsolved crime he investigated 12 years ago: when Samantha Coates walked out one day and never came home.

Re-opening the case, Buchanan begins to piece the terrible crimes together, setting into motion a chain of events that will force him to the darkest corners of society – and back into his deepest obsession…

Review of the Audiobook
What's different about this story in comparison to other police procedural crime reads written by authors with real life experience in policing is not only the authenticity, it's also the intent. Blackwell really wants readers to comprehend the reality of working in law enforcement, especially when it comes to officers involved in violent, sexual crimes, perhaps more so when they are crimes against young women and children.

The emotional impact it leaves on their psyche, their lives and their relationships. Eventually it grounds down even the best and the strongest, and by strongest I mean the ability to disassociate and leave work at work. If you watch ex-police talk about especially vile crimes and/or cold cases that they have found hard to leave behind, you realise just how much damage crime does to everyone who comes in touch with it.

I especially enjoyed the frank discourse on the sexual assault. It highlights how the system lets victims fall through the cracks. Instead of protecting them and bringing their predators to justice the system helps to degrade the victims and let the guilty walk free. Free to commit more crimes.

The darkness has to be dealt with somehow, not taking it home and not letting it completely consume your soul is part and parcel of this story. There is a simple quick scene where Buchanan steps in for a more inexperienced police officer so the man will get a short reprieve from a brutal murder. Those moments speak to the ingrained brotherhood that exists within law enforcement agencies.

The narrator, David Thorpe, does an excellent job of giving listeners the atmosphere of the country and the New Zealanders. He absolutely does Blackwell's story justice. I have to say I was particularly amused by the passionate swearing.

Blackwell creates this symbiotic relationship between the fictional narrative, and the reality of horrendous and traumatic crimes, which Thorpe brings to life in this audio version.

Buy The Sound of her Voice at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Orion; pub date 18 April 2019. Buy at Amazon com.

Listening Length - 9 hours and 42 minutes, Author - Nathan Blackwell, Narrator - David Thorpe, Whispersync for Voice - Ready, Audible.co.uk Release Date - 18 April 2019, Publisher - Orion Publishing Group Limited, Program Type - Audiobook, Version - Unabridged, Language - English.

#BlogTour The Silence by Susan Allott

Today it's my turn on the BlogTour The Silence by Susan Allott.

About the Author
Susan Allott is from the UK but spent part of her twenties in Australia, desperately homesick but trying to make Sydney her home. In 2016 she completed the Faber Academy course, during which she started writing this novel. She now lives in south London with her two children and her very Australian husband.

Follow @SusanAllott on Twitter, on Amazon, on Goodreads, Visit linktr.ee/susanallott, Buy The Silence

About the book
It is 1997, and in a basement flat in Hackney Isla Green is awakened by a call in the middle of the night: her father, phoning from Sydney.

30 years ago, in the suffocating heat of summer 1967, the Greens’ next-door neighbour Mandy disappeared. At the time, it was thought she had gone to start a new life; but now Mandy’s family is trying to reconnect, and there is no trace of her. Isla’s father Joe was allegedly the last person to see her alive, and now he’s under suspicion of murder.

Reluctantly, Isla goes back to Australia for the first time in a decade. The return to Sydney will plunge her deep into the past, to a quiet street by the sea where two couples live side by side. Isla’s parents, Louisa and Joe, have recently emigrated from England — a move that has left Louisa miserably homesick while Joe embraces this new life. Next door, Steve and Mandy are equally troubled. Mandy doesn’t want a baby, even though Steve — a cop trying to hold it together under the pressures of the job — is desperate to become a father.

The more Isla asks about the past, the more she learns: about both young couples and the secrets each marriage bore. Could her father be capable of doing something terrible? How much does her mother know? And is there another secret in this community, one which goes deeper into Australia’s colonial past, which has held them in a conspiracy of silence?

Review
The story moves between two timelines - 1990s and 1960s. Isla, who has her own burdens to carry including self emotional isolation, loneliness and alcoholism, is asked to come back home. Her father is under suspicion for the disappearance of one of their neighbours, a woman who vanished three decades ago. The case has been reopened and now the finger of guilt is pointing right in his direction.

There are hard lessons to be learnt, the most poignant one is that families always have their secrets. Nobody is perfect, and just because you know someone as your father it doesn't mean he didn't have a life before you and one just as a man. It's a slow burner of a mystery that combines the complexity of family dynamics and neighbourhood ones for that matter, whilst delving into the guilty burden of a past the Australians may have apologised for, but can never make right.

Kudos to the author for including an often forgotten part of Australia's history. The damage inflicted by white colonialism on the indigenous people of Australia. The hoards of children displaced, kidnapped (there is no other word for it) in the name of government agencies, church missions - all by rule of parliament. The Stolen Children, also known as the Stolen Generations, were children of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent. The policies on removal of children of indigenous Australian and mixed descent were still being carried out well into the 1970s. They were just as appalling as any eugenics theory, which were also being implemented in Australia in the 20th century.

Allott and her talent for atmospheric writing remind me of Jane Harper, and not just because of the Australian connection. It's this uncanny ability to recreate an emotional reaction to sound, sight and smell. Combined with a knack for storytelling it gives the read the kind of edge that makes you take note as a reader.

Buy The Silence at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: The Borough Press; pub date 6th August 2020|Hardback |£14.99. Buy at Amazon com.

Criss Cross by James Patterson

Review
Cross is there to watch someone he put on death row die - a gruesome serial killer, but isn't there always someone who believes in the innocence of even the cruelest of killers. His family is convinced he is the victim of mistaken identity, someone has gone to a lot of trouble to frame him. Someone like Cross.

Cross is used to the doubt and stands by the evidence, but is thrown for a loop when he is called to the scene of a murder. A murder that has the calling card of the alleged killer he just watched being executed. Then a few more occur - each with the MO of a killer he has stopped.

I admit I followed the red herring for a while, despite the fact it seemed far too obvious. I thought Cross was a little too trusting when it came to his kid, especially considering the cases he has dealt with in the past. Surely your natural instinct would be to distrust everyone? Your day job is full of serial killers and psychopaths, and you just let your kid make friends with a random stranger? Err nope.

It's a psychological thriller with an action thriller vibe. It's hard to believe that this is the 27th book in the Cross series. This one hasn't quite got the same finesse as some of the earlier ones and seemed a little rushed.

The Alex Cross series brings a lot of nostalgia with it - hopefully Patterson can breathe some of the old suspense into this series in future.

Buy Criss Cross at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Cornerstone, pub date 14 Nov. 2019. Buy at Amazon com.

Follow @JP_Books on Twitter, on Goodreads, on Amazon, Visit jamespatterson.com

#BlogTour Hidden Steel by Stuart Field

It's my turn on the BlogTour Hidden Steel by Stuart Field. It's the second book in the John Steel series.

About the Author
Stuart Field was born in the UK, in the West Midlands. He spent his early years in the army, seeing service in all the known (and some unknown) hotspots around the world. He now lives in Germany with his wife Ani. When not engaged in highly confidential security work, he writes thrillers which perhaps mimic his life-experience more than the reader would like to believe.

Follow @StuartField14 on Twitter, on Facebook, on Goodreads, Buy Hidden Steel

About the book
In the UK, Detective John Steel is investigating the organization who killed his family. When he comes across information that something big is going to happen on the cruise ship Neptune, Steel goes undercover. He has fourteen days to figure out what is going to happen - and to stop it.

In New York, Steel’s NYPD partner, Detective Samantha McCall, is investigating a series of deaths. All seems run of the mill for the homicide detective until they find out that the deaths are somehow connected to the cruise ship John Steel is on.

McCall is convinced there is a mole in the department, but can she figure out who he is - and who he's working for? Meanwhile, Steel is running out of options... and the clock is ticking.

Review
This is the second book in the John Steel series, both books can be read as standalone novels.

The book seems to be split into two storylines with no apparent connection, aside from the fact John Steel and Sam McCall know each other. Steel is on a cruise ship playing his - my name is Steel, John Steel - role. He does have a wee bit of super spy aura going on. He is everywhere and nowhere all at the same time.

He is working undercover chasing something based on information that the Neptune is linked to a possible crime in the making. He isn't sure what he is looking for he just knows that something wicked this way comes.

Meanwhile Sam McCall and the rest of the NYPD team are dealing with a series of deaths. What appears to the inexperienced to be accidental is something more nefarious to the more weathered eye of McCall.

I like the way the author creates this imperfect perfect and almost mystical figure in Steel. His reputation proceeds him as he appears to save people and situations with such ease and power. Then Field balances the story by giving readers the normality of his police colleagues. The banter, the crime and the personalities, it all gels really well.

It's a fast-paced thriller, a combo of police procedural and action thriller. Field presents both storylines as separate entities at first, which makes for a split read, but not a disjointed one. The two are woven together naturally as the read progresses.

Buy Hidden Steel at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Published in paperback and digital formats by Next Chapter Publishing on 25th December 2019. Buy at Amazon com.

#BlogTour The Vault by Mark Dawson

Today it's a pleasure to take art in the BlogTour The Vault by Mark Dawson.

The Berlin Wall - 9 November 2019 marks the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, one of the 20th Century’s most notorious structures. Built in 1961 to divide East and West Germany, by the late 80s it was 156 km long with a 15m ‘death strip’ guarded by 11,500 border guards under shoot-to-kill orders. At least 140 people lost their lives at the Wall. The last in 1989 just months before it fell.

About the Author
Mark Dawson is an award-nominated, USA Today bestseller, with more than 20 books published and over 2 million books downloaded in multiple countries and languages. Mark was born in Lowestoft, in the UK. He has worked as a DJ, a door-to-door ice cream seller, factory hand and club promoter.

He eventually trained as a lawyer and worked for ten years in the City of London and Soho, firstly pursuing money launderers and then acting for A-list celebrities suing newspapers for libel.

Follow @pbackwriter on Twitter, on Amazon, on Goodreads, Visit markjdawson.com, Buy The Vault

About the book
In the dying days of the Soviet Union, the Berlin Wall still casts a long and deadly shadow in 1989.

MI6 agent Harry Mackintosh embarks on an audacious plan to exfiltrate a valuable asset through a tunnel under the Berlin Wall. But things go badly wrong and what could have been a brilliant coup  ends in a bloody failure, with Mackintosh only just escaping with his life. Now he wants revenge.

Mackintosh returns to London for help. He asks for seasoned professionals but gets Jimmy Walker, a bank robber blackmailed into working with British intelligence. Walker has been given a stark choice: a long stretch in prison or a trip behind the Iron Curtain. It sounds like a recipe for disaster, but the resourceful robber - desperate to keep his liberty and lured by tales of Stasi gold - might just be the right man for the job after all.

Review
There's nothing quite like a good old Cold War spy thriller. It's exactly the right amount of subterfuge, politics, history and action. Dawson manages to accurately capture the atmosphere of the silent war.

I got about three quarters in and wondered how many readers would see Mackintosh as the villain of the piece and not just the protagonist - the British intelligence officer with an axe to grind. There is no doubt about the fact that he uses and treats Walker with contempt.

Mackintosh is ruthless, reckless and not particularly interested in keeping Walker alive, despite the fact he is actually the key to his entire scheme. Again I would make the point that he perhaps isn't so different than the man he wants to bring to his knees.

It's a spy thriller - a combination of Kelly's Heroes meets The Lives of Others. You get the audacity of a man fuelled by greed, and perhaps by the thrill of the impossible task, which is balanced by the lack of compassion and heavy atmosphere of the Cold War scenario.

The Stasi is a chapter in history that is often overshadowed by the events of Nazi Germany and World War II and the uplifting event of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Those oppressive years of Stasi rule tend to rear their head in books and movies - it's easy to forget how many lives were controlled and destroyed during those decades.

I can't decide whether I was more intrigued by the spy storyline or the fact Walker was all gung-ho and I'll deal with the consequences later. Either way as a reader I definitely want more.

Buy The Vault at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Unputdownable eBook - 31 Jan. 2020. Paperback Ind pub 31 Jan 2020 - Audio available 31 October 2019. Buy at Amazon com.