Dystopia – Grab This Book

London In Black – Jack Lutz

A TENSE, TICKING-BOMB THRILLER SET IN A GRITTY NEAR-FUTURE LONDON

LONDON 2027

Terrorists deploy London Black, a highly sophisticated nerve gas, at Waterloo Station. For ten percent of the population – the ‘Vulnerables’ – exposure means near-certain death. Only a lucky few survive.

LONDON 2029

Copy-cat strikes plague the city, its Vulnerable inhabitants kept safe by regular Boost injections. As the anniversary of the first attacks draws near, DI Lucy Stone, a guilt-ridden Vulnerable herself, is called to investigate a gruesome murder of a scientist. Her investigation soon unearths the possibility that he was working on an antidote – one that Lucy desperately needs, as her Boosts become less and less effective.
But is the antidote real? And can Lucy solve the case before her Boosts stop working?

My thanks to Tara at Pushkin Press for the opportunity to join the blog tour for London in Black. I am reviewing a purchased digital copy of the book.

I have read a few dystopian stories for this blog and too often the blurb on those books made the book sound edgy and terrifying but the story just did not deliver on that early promise. So it was a genuine pleasure to discover London in Black was graphic, edgy and sufficiently nasty to tick all my boxes.

The cause of the apolcalypic event in this story was a toxin attack on London. Large numbers of the population were not harmed by the gas but for the vulnerable amonst them infection meant a prolonged and terrifying slide towards a painful death. A very small percentage of those vulnerable are hanging on to life, their bodies dependant upon a drug developed by scientist Flinders Cox and manufactured by his firm. But Flinders Cox has been murdered and DI Lucy Stone is on the case. Except she isn’t because she has been suspended from duty.

Lucy is one of the vulnerable who relies upon the drug Cox developed. She monitors her reistance to the effects of London Black (the toxin) and takes a daily booster to keep her alive. But the booster seems to be losing efficiency and with each hour her monitor shows her defences against infection are falling. If Cox has been killed then who will be able to continue his research and develop an antidote? Why was this prominent scientist killed and who benefits from his death?

London in Black takes a fast paced murder investigation and throws in the drama of the lead character constantly battling to avoid potential exposure to toxins which could kill her. The prospect of Lucy’s daily booster failing her and losing effectiveness over each day means she is in a real race against time to solve this case and uncover what Cox had been working on at the time of his death. Could it have been an antidote which would cure her?

I really enjoyed the duplicity and red herrings littered through this story. I thought I was doing well in unpicking motives and identifying possible suspects but Jack Lutz had other ideas and kept me on my toes with revelations and surprises which totally caught me off guard. Despite my abject failure at guessing where this story may take me I was fully onboard for the ride. At the end of the book I was only disappointed it was finished – I could easily have spent more time reading about this near future London.

If you want a thriller which offers a high tempo and edgy, gritty storyline then you should look no further.

London in Black is published by Pushkin Press and is available in hardback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09YN2YPGV/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0

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September 6

Five Minds – Guy Morpuss

SHARING A BODY CAN BE MURDER

The Earth’s spiralling population has finally been controlled. Lifespans are limited to eighty years, except for those who make an extreme choice: to become a commune. Five minds sharing one body, each living for four hours at a time. But with a combined lifespan of nearly 150 years.

Alex, Kate, Mike, Sierra and Ben have already spent twenty-five years together in what was once Mike’s body, their frequent personality clashes leading to endless bickering, countless arguments, and getting themselves stranded on a Russian Artic freighter. Wanting to buy upgrades for their next host body, they decide to travel to a Death Park where time can be gambled like money. But things go very wrong when Kate accepts a dangerous offer, and one of them disappears.

Someone is trying to kill off members of the commune. But why? Is one of them responsible? Or is an outsider playing a deadly game? It’s hard enough to catch a murderer. It’s almost impossible when you might be sharing a body with them…

I received a review copy from Viper and I thank Anne Cater at Random Things Blog Tours for the opportunity to host this leg of the Five Minds blog tour.

Where to start with Five Minds? How to explain Five Minds? This is an absolute belter of a crime story. It’s high concept, cleverly constructed and has all the tension and thrills I want from my murder stories.

But it’s a bit “different” with Five Minds sharing a body, all taking an alloted time to live while the other Minds are dormant and waiting for their allocated time to roll around again. So readers have five main characters to get to know and we learn they can only communicate with each other by leaving messages for the other people inhabiting their body. Guy Morpuss explains it so much more effectively in the book and being able to see what Kate, Mike, Sienna, Alex and Ben are telling each other allows the reader to understand the dynamics of each character.

Although big decisions need to be made by unanimous vote (thus taking 24 hours) sometimes snap decisions are needed and the Mind which makes that choice has to hope the others agree. This takes conflicted main character to a whole new level!

In Five Minds our commune of Minds are in danger, a synthetic lifeform has challenged Kate to a game. The prize is more time (time is lifetime and everyone can trade some of their hours to prolong their lifespan). Kate has no time to consult the others so agrees to the android’s challenge and from here our Five are in danger. Someone, for reasons they don’t know, is trying to kill each of the Minds within the body.

Within the world where Five Minds is set are game zones. The desperate souls who are reaching the end of their lives can play in the games to try to win more time. Fail and it’s an early death. Our Five must play these games and Guy Morpuss has devised some absorbing challenges for them. The games are physical challenges, there are moral and reasoning dilemma scenarios to navigate or problem solving challenges to overcome. Failure isn’t an option but what happens if a third party is trying to rig the odds against you?

Five Minds is quite unlike anything else. A murder tale in a fantasy reality and obviously this may not appeal to everybody. But if you pass on this excellent book then it will be your loss – how refreshing to have something so wonderfully different to enjoy. Embrace the unusual and go with it.

Five Minds is published by Viper and is available in hardback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08QB1L1JW/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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August 17

The Warehouse – Rob Hart

Gun violence, climate change and unemployment have ravaged the United States beyond recognition.

Amidst the wreckage, an online retail giant named Cloud reigns supreme. Cloud brands itself not just as an online storefront, but as a global saviour. Yet, beneath the sunny exterior, lurks something far more sinister.

Paxton never thought he’d be working Security for the company that ruined his life, much less that he’d be moving into one of their sprawling live-work facilities. But compared to what’s left outside, perhaps Cloud isn’t so bad. Better still, through his work he meets Zinnia, who fills him with hope for their shared future.

Except that Zinnia is not what she seems. And Paxton, with his all-access security credentials, might just be her meal ticket.

As Paxton and Zinnia’s agendas place them on a collision course, they’re about to learn just how far the Cloud will go to make the world a better place.

To beat the system, you have to be inside it.

My thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things for the chance to join the blog tour. I received a copy of the book from the publishers through Netgalley.

I read and reviewed The Warehouse back in May and at the time I flagged it as a book which was one to watch out for. I loved the cleverness of the writing and the chilling look at a possible future society.

Now, for the blog tour, I am re-sharing my original review and urging everyone to pick up The Warehouse without further delay – it’s a corker!

We are in a future where society is coping with a harsh reality, society’s tolerance has all but vanished and people are reliant upon the global retail giant: Cloud. Cloud provides hundreds of thousands around with world with jobs, residential places at their vast warehouses, consumers can want for nothing as Cloud offer it all.

Stepping into the Cloud Warehouse in Rob Hart’s novel is Paxton. He ran his own business, a firm with a product which people found useful and which allowed him to be moderately successful. When Cloud noticed his small success they approached Paxton to work with him, a deal was reached but margins were squeezed and trading got tougher and tougher. Eventually Cloud forced Paxton’s firm out of business and we meet him as he approaches Cloud with a view to getting a job with them.

During the selection process Paxton meets Zinnia. Zinnia is not keen to strike up a conversation with Paxton as she is applying for a job with Cloud for a very different reason. Security and employment is not Zinnia’s primary motivation – she is working undercover to infiltrate the Cloud building with a view to uncovering some of the secrets of the firm’s operation.

Both Paxton and Zinnia enter The Warehouse with very different agenda but both are trying to keep a secret. Over the course of the story we see how they will become indoctrinated to the way of life of Cloud. Compliant to the unique rules which Cloud operate. Conscious of the need to fit in and to meet the expectation of their employer or face the consequence of being Cut.

Rob Hart has created a fascinating micro-world in which to set his story. The clever use of chapters where mundane tasks are completed show just how hard Zinnia has to work to keep her cover in place and shows the routine Cloud expect from their employees. I loved the idea of a corporate giant taking over our lives (but it is also rather chilling as you ponder if this could actually become prophetic).

Great book – grab it now!

The Warehouse is published by Bantam and is available to buy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07HBTSLC1/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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