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In Her Shadow – Mark Edwards

Isabel’s life seemed perfect. Successful business, beautiful house, adoring husband. And then she was dead.

For four years Jessica has never doubted that her sister Isabel’s death was an accident. But when Jessica’s young daughter seems to know long-forgotten details about her aunt’s past, Jessica can’t shake the feeling that there’s a more sinister truth behind the tragedy.

As Jessica unearths disturbing revelations about her sister, and about the people she loved and trusted most, it becomes clear Isabel’s life was less than perfect and that Jessica’s might also be at risk.

Did someone murder Isabel? Are they now after Jessica and her family? The key seems to lie in the hands of a child. Can Isabel reveal the truth from beyond the grave, or is the answer closer to home?

My thanks to the team at Midas PR for my review copy and the chance to join the blog tour.

I have been enjoying a return to reading ghost stories over recent months but I wasn’t expecting In Her Shadow to have a ghostly element.

Yet spooky is what I got and it was so well done.

Izzy is young, successful and full of life. Her business was taking off and she had everything to live for. Until a tragic accident brought things to a premature end. Her sister Jessica was devastated at Izzys death and struggled to accept how she could possibly have fallen over a balcony accidentally.

Time has passed but Jessica’s young daughter Olivia has started speaking with an imaginary friend. She calls her Izzy. Jessica realises that “Izzy” seems to tell Olivia lots of things about her Aunt Izzy which Olivia could not be expected to know. Could it be possible that the Jessica’s dead sister is able to communicate with Olivia?

In Her Shadow is a terrific twisty tale. Mark Edwards perfectly captures the paranoia and disbelief that Jessica displays. She knows there is no way Olivia could be communicating with Izzy. Yet…

Once we get into the story we have some flashback scenes. There is a hint that Izzy may not have died accidentally. We see the weeks leading up to her death and the author will make readers start to doubt all their preconceptions as to events they have read. A murder tale? A domestic thriller? A ghost story? All three?

Perfectly perplexing and wonderfully readable. I can see In Her Shadow sticking a chord with many readers, it is the ideal story to keep you reading in these dark autumnal evenings.

In Her Shadow is published by Thomas & Mercer and is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Her-Shadow-Mark-Edwards-ebook/dp/B07CBVH3JZ/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1539281803&sr=1-1&keywords=in+her+shadow+mark+edwards

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October 11

The River Runs Red – Ally Rose

Berlin is in the midst of its worst winter in decades. Against the backdrop of freezing temperatures, blizzards and snowstorms, the city refuses to grind to a halt. Lurking within the shadows is a Stasi victim, out for revenge against the former East German informants known as ‘The Ears’. Their dark secrets are about to be exposed. A mix of ice and water and a single gunshot, provides the ultimate payback.

With the Millennium approaching, Hanne Drais, the criminal psychologist working within the Berlin Mitte Police team led by the irascible Oskar Kruger and his laid-back sidekick, Stefan Glockner, are seeking the perpetrator of these violent crimes. Who is the man they’ve nicknamed Snowflake? Who is turning the river red?

My thanks to Fahrenheit Press for my review copy

The River Runs Red takes readers back to Berlin at a time before the wall came down and it was still a divided city. However, the heart of the story takes place well after the collapse of the East German state. It is during this time of new-found freedom that a number of murders are committed and our lead character (Hanne Dreis) becomes involved in the resulting investigations.

Most of the early story features the story of an East German rower, training hard to make the Olympic squad for the Seoul games in 1988. His progress is closely monitored by the state police as the rower’s father had recently escaped to the West and the focus was on the remaining family to ensure they did not try to follow or to see if their father contacted them.

Suffice to say that when contact was made the Stasi swooped and two brothers were detained for interrogation.

Although I remember the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Seoul Olympics it really did not seem possible that it was just 30 years ago that Berlin had a secret police and that violent interrogations were distinctly possible behind strong prison doors. Ally Rose captured the feel of those chilling days really effectively and I was horrified to read what happened to the two captives.

Events during that period of interrogation define the path of the lives of several characters in the book and I enjoyed reading how they coped with challenges and adversity. For one character, however, the incarceration will never be forgotten and a determination to make his captors pay for their actions will lead to bloody endings.

The River Runs Red is the third book to feature Hanne Dreis. I confess to not having read the first two and as Dreis is not featured too much in the first half of the book I wasn’t immediately aware she was the central character. (I read this book without first reading the blurb). The reason I explain this is to provide the assurance that The River Runs Red can be easily enjoyed as a stand alone thriller with no qualms needed if you have not read the first two Dreis novels.

What struck me about The River Runs Red was that this was a story where you knew who the murderer was from quite early in the tale. You understood why murders were happening and I pondered whether I wanted the killer to be caught. Nice to have a moral dilemma to consider and top marks to the author for positioning events so skillfully to ensure you do empathise with much of what occurs.

Not just a great crime story but a book which is also loaded with social history and background from a period not so far into our past but which still seems a very long time ago.

With short, snappy chapters and a well defined cast of characters there is a lot to enjoy in The River Runs Red. It also made me want to catch up on the first two novels in the collection – always a good sign.

You can order The River Runs Red here: http://www.fahrenheit-press.com/books_the_river_runs_red.html

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October 10

The Killer You Know – with S R Masters: Day Three

This week five bloggers have teamed up with The Crime Vault to challenge you to identify a killer. We are not just picking random names to play with, this challenge comes courtesy of The Killer You Know by S.R. Masters.

Each day this week you can learn a little more about the characters in the mix and at the end of the week share your guess with the hashtag #TheKillerYouKnow for a chance to win a copy of the book.

Monday’s clue was with Dave at espresso coco : here

Tuesday is brought to you by Liz at Liz Loves Books: here

I have clue three below

Thursday you need to visit Steph at StephBookBlog – she will also help you find the final clue for Friday.

First the blurb from The Killer You Know.

I’ll murder three strangers. And you’ll know it was me. That way we’ll all be connected. Always.

When Will jokes about becoming a serial killer, his friends just laugh it off. But Adeline can’t help but feel there’s something more sinister lurking behind his words.

Fifteen years later, Adeline returns to Blythe for a reunion of the old gang – except Will doesn’t show up. Reminiscing about old times, they look up the details of his supposed murder spree. But the mood soon changes when they discover two recent deaths that match.

As the group attempt to track Will down, they realise that he is playing a sinister game that harks back to one they used to play as kids. Only this time there are lives at stake…

The clue for Day Three:

Rupesh

A tragic childhood bloomed into a dysfunctional adulthood of divorce and drink—yet at his core Rupesh always keeps himself together. When they were kids, he was the voice of reason, the counterpoint to the crazy schemes the gang would devise to pass the time in the endless fields around Blythe. And as an adult, he has to play the same role for his patients in his surgery day in, day out. Why then, is he back for something as frivolous as a reunion? He doesn’t see the past through rose-tinted glasses like the others; he remembers being the outcast, the butt of the jokes. Does he have a little unfinished business then? A score to settle with his old friends…

Ponder on that until tomorrow

The Killer You Know can be ordered here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Killer-You-Know-Original-gripping-ebook/dp/B07BK98C5R/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1539031211&sr=8-1&keywords=the+killer+you+know

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October 9

The House by the Cemetery – John Everson

Rumor has it that the abandoned house by the cemetery is haunted by the ghost of a witch. But rumors won’t stop carpenter Mike Kostner from rehabbing the place as a haunted house attraction. Soon he’ll learn that fresh wood and nails can’t keep decades of rumors down.

There are noises in the walls, and fresh blood on the floor: secrets that would be better not to discover. And behind the rumors is a real ghost who will do whatever it takes to ensure the house reopens. She needs people to fill her house on Halloween. There’s a dark, horrible ritual to fulfill. Because while the witch may have been dead… she doesn’t intend to stay that way.

My thanks to Flame Tree Press for my review copy and to Anne Cater at Random Things Blog Tours for the chance to join this tour.

Just in time for Halloween we have a new release ideally suited for reading durint the dark autumnal evenings. John Everson’s The House by the Cemetery brings a great mix of chills, witches, ritualistic kills and at the heart of it all a house reputed to be haunted.

The scene is set perfectly from the prologue when we see a group of kids exploring the haunted house under cover of night – their trip is a dare and the house seems to be a haunted property marketed as a visitor attraction. However, it is night and the kids are in a place they are not meant to be so we can be sure all will not end well and a mystery is quickly established.

What I particularly enjoyed about The House by the Cemetery was that the author grabbed my interest in the prologue then takes a small step back to build up the chills and the creepy events. It is very effective and avoids the less subtle ‘schlock horror’ where every second chapter is a bloodbath. Constant build and increasing peculiarities gave the impression of a growing menace.

Our lead character, Mike, is renovating the haunted house – making it ready for paying visitors who will part with their bucks for a scare on 31 October. The longer Mike spends in the house the more he becomes aware of the odd and unpleasant incidents which are happening. Yet he presses on with his work, removing dead animals one morning and chatting with the young woman who comes to the house to chat with him and share some beers. You want to shout at your book to make Mike get the Hell away from the creepy property but he needs the cash and keeps coming back…can it end well for him?

John Everson has a very readable writing style and I poured over The House by the Cemetery. “One more chapter” is the best internal debate to have when I am reading late at night and it was very much in evidence here.

Get yourself some Halloween reading and order a copy of The House by the Cemetery. Chills aplenty.

The House by the Cemetery is published by Flame Tree Press on 18 October and can be ordered here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/House-Cemetery-Fiction-Without-Frontiers-ebook/dp/B07J2MQ5N8/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1539029287&sr=1-1&keywords=house+by+the+cemetery

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October 8

Palm Beach Finland – Antti Toumainen

Sex, lies and ill-fitting swimwear … Sun Protection Factor 100

Jan Nyman, the ace detective of the covert operations unit of the National Central Police, is sent to a sleepy seaside town to investigate a mysterious death. Nyman arrives in the town dominated by a bizarre holiday village – the ‘hottest beach in Finland’. The suspect: Olivia Koski, who has only recently returned to her old hometown. The mission: find out what happened, by any means necessary.

With a nod to Fargo, and dark noir, Palm Beach, Finland is both a page-turning thriller and a black comedy about lust for money, fleeing dreams and people struggling at turning points in their lives – chasing their fantasies regardless of reason.

My thanks to Orenda Books for my review copy and the chance to join the blog tour.

I have made this observation in the past…books set in small towns make for cracking stories. The character interactions which need to take place between a smaller cast in relatively few locations make for slick and engaging narrative.

Antti Tuomainen nails it in Palm Beach Finland. The cycle of characters, all trying to better their position in life, is terrifically presented. Dialogue is sharp and acerbic when it needs to be, dreamy and dozy when the inept enforcers are the focus and frustration is evident when nefarious plans come unstuck.

Loaded with dry humour I can see why the movie Fargo gets a namecheck in so many reviews. The comparison to the Academy Award winning film is apt but Toumainen makes Palm Beach Finland very much his own – it is just tricky finding a way to describe the clever and quirky tone of the story.

The blurb above outlines the story far better than I ever could. I just know that I really enjoyed reading about the characters who crossed paths at Palm Beach Finland.

There are murders, burglaries, arson and drug dealers but I can’t think of another crime novel quite like this one. Great fun!

Palm Beach Finland is published by Orenda Books and is available in digital and paperback format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Palm-Beach-Finland-Antti-Tuomainen-ebook/dp/B07DFQ2DVK/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1538939700&sr=1-1&keywords=palm+beach+finland

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October 6

Ten To Try

Regular visitors will know that I love crime novels and action thrillers. You may also have realised that I particularly enjoy when authors write an ongoing series with recurring characters. As it has been a while since I wrote a blog post that didn’t just focus on a single title, I thought it would be fun to bring together a list of ten series which I particularly enjoy/enjoyed and maybe help introduce some great new stories to your TBR piles!

Sarah Hilary

Marnie Rome is one of my favourite recurring characters. She is a London based DI, normally partnered with DS Noah Jake and Sarah Hilary seems quite happy to put both her lead characters through some significant traumas.

The latest book in the series, Come and Find Me, has just released in paperback and is my favourite of the series so far.

Sarah’s Amazon Page https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sarah-Hilary/e/B009X3U5BE/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1538845664&sr=8-1

Michael Wood

DCI Matilda Darke is a Sheffield based cop. We first meet her in For Reasons Unknown and learn that she is trying to rebuild her life and her career after personal tragedy impacted on the case she was working on. Michael Wood has created a great character in Darke but the supporting characters in her team make these stories even more enjoyable.

Michael’s Amazon page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Michael-Wood/e/B015CWYVFA/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1538845727&sr=1-1

John Sandford

I have been reading Lucas Davenport “Prey” thrillers by John Sandford since the early 1990’s. Each new book is eagerly anticipated and there are now over 25 titles in the series. Sandford has also created a spin-off series which focuses on one of Davenport’s colleagues, Virgil Flowers, which frequently has cameo appearances for characters from the Prey novels.

Simon and Schuster are soon to bring the first book in the series Rules of Prey back into print in the UK for the first time in a number of years. Seek it out! https://www.amazon.co.uk/John-Sandford/e/B000AQ8P4W/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

Douglas Skelton

I couldn’t have a list of books without a Scottish author. I could easily mention Ian Rankin, Val McDermid or Stuart MacBride but I am going to recommend Douglas Skelton’s Davie McColl series. As much of my list will focus on police procedurals I love that Skelton’s recurring character, McColl, is not one of the good guys but a Glasgow gangster.

These are great stories on the darker side of crime fiction and how refreshing to have a recurring anti-hero.

Douglas’s Amazon page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Douglas-Skelton/e/B001K7TR10/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1538846474&sr=1-1

J D Robb

Futuristic thrillers from JD Robb sees Detective Eve Dallas tracking down killers in New York City. There are over 50 books in the “In Death” series and I am hooked. The supporting cast are brilliantly defined and the crimes are wonderfully varied from book to book. I could read each of these books multiple times.

The JD Robb Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/J.-D.-Robb/e/B000APT7Y0/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1538846055&sr=1-2-ent

Marnie Riches

To surprise that Marnie Riches makes this list. Her George Mackenzie thrillers have consistently received 5* reviews from me. These are dark and engaging stories with a strong, no-nonsense lead character. Previously only available a digital releases the books are all now available in paperback and have just received a US release too.

Marnie’s Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Marnie-Riches/e/B00WBJZ364/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

Paul Finch

The Mark Heckenburg series is a particular favourite of mine. Paul Finch pulls no punches and his stories are as far from “cozy” as you could expect to find. If you were to look up “page-turner” in the dictionary I am quite sure there would simply be a picture of a Paul Finch book. If you like your crime fiction on the darker side then these are for you.

Paul’s Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Paul-Finch/e/B0034PPAH6/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1538846181&sr=1-1

Terry Pratchett

If you think Terry Pratchett has no place on a list of crime story recommendations then you have clearly never heard of the Ankh Morpork City Watch. Samuel Vimes is the ultimate “copper” and his officers include a 6 foot tall dwarf, a werewolf, a troll and a Nobby Nobbs (who has a note to confirm he his human). The Watch are first introduced in Guards! Guards! – just because there are dragons does not mean these are not crime stories!

Terry’s Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Terry-Pratchett/e/B000AQ0NN8/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

Angela Marsons

How do you know an author is doing something right? Watch the reaction in the book blogging community when their new book is announced. When an Angela Marsons book is announced the buzz in incredible, TBR lists are abandoned to get the new Kim Stone thriller read as quickly as possible. It is hard to disagree with an army of readers who place these books at the top of their wishlists!

Angela’s Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Angela-Marsons/e/B00J6D3914/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1538846309&sr=1-1

Helen Fields

The “Perfect” series by Helen Fields is very well named. These Edinburgh based police thrillers see Luc Callanach leaving Interpol to come and work for Police Scotland. The timing of his arrival in Perfect Remains seems fortuitous as there are some very nasty things happening in Edinburgh. Another series which favours a darker tons as Helen Fields seems to have a particularly vivid imagination and devises some gruesome crime scenes for her characters to investigate.

Helen’s Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Helen-Fields/e/B006M3SPSS/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1538846357&sr=1-1

By no means an exhaustive list but I limited myself to ten authors and everyone included has written books that have brought me hours of entertainment and reading escapism.

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October 5

Cover Reveal: Welcome To The Heady Heights – David F Ross

Another very special post today as I am delighted to host a cover reveal for Welcome To The Heady Heights by David F Ross which shall be published in March 2019 by Orenda Books.

First we have the blurb – so we can know what to expect then that cover in its full magnificence:

Welcome to the Heady Heights – David F Ross (March 2019)

Welcome to the Heady Heights …

It’s the year punk rock was born, Concorde entered commercial service and a tiny Romanian gymnast changed the sport forever.

Archie Blunt is a man with big ideas. He just needs a break for them to be realised. In a bizarre brush with the light-entertainment business, Archie unwittingly saves the life of the UK’s top showbiz star, Hank ‘Heady’ Hendricks’, and now dreams of hitting the big-time as a Popular Music Impresario. Seizing the initiative, he creates a new singing group with five unruly working-class kids from Glasgow’s East End. Together, they make the finals of a televised Saturday-night talent show, and before they know it, fame and fortune beckon for Archie and The High Five. But there’s a complication; a trail of irate Glaswegian bookies, corrupt politicians and a determined Scottish WPC known as The Tank are all on his tail…

A hilarious and poignant nod to the elusivity of stardom, in an age when making it’ was ‘having it all’, Welcome to the Heady Heights is also a dark, laugh-out-loud comedy, a heartwarming tribute to a bygone age and a delicious drama about desperate men, connected by secrets and lies, by accidents of time and, most of all, the city they live in.

Another fabulous Orenda cover and one that is guaranteed to catch your eyes when you see it in the wild.

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October 4

The Toy Thief – D W Gillespie

Jack didn’t know what to call the nameless, skeletal creature that slunk into her house in the dead of night, stealing the very things she loved the most. So she named him The Toy Thief…

There’s something in Jack’s past that she doesn’t want to face, an evil presence that forever changed the trajectory of her family. It all began when The Toy Thief appeared, a being drawn by goodness and innocence, eager to feed on everything Jack holds dear. What began as a mystery spirals out of control when her brother, Andy, is taken away in the night, and Jack must venture into the dark place where the toys go to get him back. But even if she finds him, will he ever be the same?

My thanks to Flame Tree Press for my review copy and to Anne Cater at Random Things for the chance to join the blog tour.

The latter part of 2018 has seen me reading more horror tales than I had anticipated. This is largely due to a wave of fantastic releases from Flame Tree Press – each book I read from their collection leaves me wishing another would not be too far away.

The Toy Thief sports a deliciously creepy cover and was a distinctly eery read.

This is Jack’s story, she is not the Toy Thief from the title but she is very much the star of the piece. Jack lives with her father and older brother – the family are ‘getting by’ but the loss of Jack’s mother (who died while giving birth to Jack) casts a long shadow over the family.

At age of 9 Jack becomes aware of a late night visitor to their home. A creepy encounter which Jack only became aware of due to a missing toy and a video camera accidentally left running.

The quest to find a missing toy and explain understand the images captured on camera will change Jack’s life (and the lives of her family) forever.

D.W. Gillespie gives us a tense take on innocence lost, unwordly terrors and family bonds. Another great find from Flame Tree Press.

The Toy Thief releases on October 18th and you can order your copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Toy-Thief-Fiction-Without-Frontiers/dp/1787580474/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1538523279&sr=8-1&keywords=the+toy+thief

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October 3

Corruption – Elizabeth Ducie

Out of fear. Out of greed. Out of evil. Corruption springs from many roots.

Teenagers fall prey to a deadly new drug craze sweeping across Russia. Pharmaceuticals destined for Africa turn up on the backstreets of Moscow, St Petersburg and Vladivostok. Regulator Suzanne Jones and her sister, Charlie, fight to stop the pushers before more kids die.

But will their discoveries mean a friend goes to prison? And are they putting their loved ones in danger?

With old adversaries and surprising new allies, the Jones sisters face their toughest challenge to date.

The heart-stopping final episode in the Suzanne Jones series of thrillers set in the sometimes murky world of international pharmaceuticals

My thanks to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Reads for my review copy and the chance to join the blog tour.

It seems that Corruption is the third novel in the Suzanne Jones series. I had not realised that there had been two previous novels until I had finished reading the book so I can offer a firm assurance that you do not have to have read the first two books to enjoy (or keep up with) events in Corruption.

I started reading and had some initial concerns that I may not enjoy Corruption. The story is told from multiple viewpoints and I felt that we were flicking around a little too much and I struggled a little to follow events. However my concerns did not last long…after a short while the story settled into a more natural rhythm. Either I got more focused or the character introductions and scene setting needed to be quickly established to allow the story to flow.

Corruption is a cleverly plotted thriller with a satisfying number of twists and surprises which kept this reader engaged. Once or twice I thought I could tell where this story (which was riddled with lies, fraud and blackmail) was heading. Then a twist or unexpected event would change the course of the story and I was back to trying to second guess the author. I always enjoy when stories don’t pan out as I expect them to – keeps me reading!

The book has a pharmaceutical backdrop and, to my untrained eye, there was a pleasing level of authentic sounding information about the pharmaceutical industry. While I cannot know if it was accurate I certainly had no trouble believing what I was reading about practices within the industry and it allowed me to buy into the story.

An entertaining read. The characters were well defined with the bad guys very unlikable and our key players – the sisters – being given the opportunity to shine. A good balance of suspense and thrills and I can honestly say I did not foresee that ending!

Corruption is available in digital and paperback format and can be ordered here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Corruption-Suzanne-Jones-Elizabeth-Ducie/dp/0956950892/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1538430414&sr=8-1

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October 1

The Syndicate – Guy Bolton

The hotly anticipated sequel to The Pictures. Guy Bolton’s unforgettable 1930s Hollywood fixer Jonathan Craine is thrust into the dark underbelly of the LA mafia, only to discover more secrets and lies

June 1947

Eight years have passed since the events of The Pictures.

Jonathan Craine has left his old life in Hollywood behind him, content to live out his days on a farm in rural California with his teenage son.

But when infamous mobster and Las Vegas founder Bugsy Siegel is killed at his home in Beverly Hills, Craine is forced to face his past once again.

Summoned to Las Vegas to meet mob head Meyer Lansky, Craine is given the impossible task of finding Siegel’s murderers. He has no access to crime reports, no police contacts and no one to help in his investigation other than an ageing hit man and a female crime reporter with her own agenda. But Lanksy’s orders aren’t to be ignored; if Craine can’t find Siegel’s murderers in five days, he and his son will both be killed.

My thanks to Oneworld Publications for my review copy

Guy Bolton’s The Syndicate is a bit of a belter. I was drawn into the murky world of gangsters and their power plays from the very first pages as we “witness” infamous mob boss Bugsy Siegel being gunned down.

The shooting of one of America’s most notorious characters clearly created ripples at the time and another mob boss, Meyer Lanskey, wants to know who murdered Siegel. He summons Jonathan Craine to undertake the impossible mission of finding a murderer.

Working under extreme duress Craine is pulled from his quiet secluded life, he had been working on his farm, back to the metropolitan buzz of Hollywood and Las Vegas. He has worked these urban pastures in the past but time away from the cities must place him at a disadvantage as he tries to piece together clues which may lead him to identify a murderer.

Craine first appeared in The Pictures, a book I have not (yet) read but will certainly be hunting down after the huge blasts of enjoyment I experienced while reading The Syndicate. At no point did I feel that I wished I had read The Pictures before picking up The Syndicate – everything I needed to know was made clear without the presumption I knew the key players.

Guy Bolton does a fabulous job of building the environment and detail in The Syndicate which makes everything that occurs seem so vivid. I tend to jump between titles and read a couple of books at a time but The Syndicate held my attention and nothing else was getting a look-in until I had finished reading this one. I love when I get so caught up in a story – sign of a cracking read.

If you enjoy hard-boiled American crime thrillers then this book is perfect for you. Highly recommended.

The Syndicate is published by Oneworld Publications and is available in hardback and digital format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Syndicate-Guy-Bolton-ebook/dp/B079ZV7YLJ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1538342993&sr=8-1&keywords=guy+bolton

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